Modern Heritage and Facade Improvements: Developing Intervention Strategies for post-war Facades

Approximately 80% of our total building stock is from the 20th century. During the last decades, along with an increasing appreciation of modern architecture, there has also been a growing recognition of the need to address the adverse effects of climate change, particularly as related to existing buildings. Accomplishing this goal will require transforming the majority of the existing buildings from being highly energy-inefficient to having nearly net-zero energy use. Over the last years the environmental conditions have worsened and extreme weather events have increased, but the required carbon-reduction changes have not yet found their way into new regulations.
While the need to reduce energy consumption as a way to improve our carbon footprint has continued to gain acceptance worldwide, there have been discussions on the applicability of well-established historic preservation principles to the conservation of everyday’s modern architecture reflecting on authenticity, conservation of historic fabric and original design intent as part of intangible values. To that effect, little research has been conducted on technical issues exploring how to reconcile environmental performance and heritage preservation, or on the full range of options available to enhance the appearance of aging facades, improve their environmental performance and address safety and comfort concerns. Thus, there is an urgent need to outline evidence-based and applicable recommendations and set forth professional best practices to guide interventions on existing modern buildings.
The paper explores various options available for restoration, rehabilitation and replacement of Modern Movement facades depending on their cultural significance, current understanding of user and compliance with contemporary requirements for preservation, building performance and energy conservation. Based on the presented cases and research - by a combination of in-depth research and documentation, experience-based critical analysis, and compelling and informative construction details - the ongoing research will also address the limits of current policies and regulations and argue for a more holistic and simplified preservation and renovation approach to ensure the safeguard of the listed and everyday’s modern heritage in different parts of the world.