REFURBISHMENT & RESTORATION: historical buildings in the centre of Rome

In a city such as Rome a vast proportion of refurbishments take place within historical buildings. Obiously protected by conservation laws, these buildings are also safeguarded by the inborne love of historical detail present in most Italian architects. Interestingly, in Italian the words "refurbishment" and "restoration" have virtually idential meanings and there is a single translation for both terms: "restauro". The framework of each project is set by the historical value of the structure. This however in no way limits the immagination and capacity for experimentation of some young architects. While searching for a valid example of a small scale project to demostrate the work of young Roman architects I noticed this 60 sq m space developed into a studio by a young Roman architect, Carola Vannini. Here an old store space under the arches in Piazza Vittorio (in the area of Rome known as the Esquilino) has been restored with great understanding of past, present and world trends.

NO GLOBAL DESIGN: the italian connection

Prof. Morlacchi's work could not be more Roman and less globalised. After decades teaching architecture and conservation techiniques at the universities of Rome, Chieti and Pescara, Prof. Morlacchi has printed some of her painstakingly accurate surveys of the historical centre of Rome (available in various formats from approx. 50cm to 150cm wide). The problem? If you want one of these prints you'll have to write in for the address, find your way through Villa Borghese, up and down a hill and through a small gate. There you'll find her at work under overloaded shelves of drawings, sketches and prints. But you never know.... you might be able to mail her the cash (credit cards and cheques strictly out of the question).

CONSERVATION: hurdles and concepts

Listed buildings, houses within a conservation area: issues one deals with repeatedly specially when working in central London. However, at least in my case, it is true to say that one is often guilty of not addressing the "concept", simply aiming at the "result". For some reason, a Chelsea mock-Georgian house has allowed me the time to notice my shallow approach. I've been trawling the internet and talking to people about the whole idea of conservation boundaries. Picket fences around buildings deemed to be of note (often by non-specialised professionals who possibly are unsure about exactly.... which note). Electric fences around sections of somebody's home which, therefore, they only partially own. More like a person whose destiny one can never totally control, than like a house - a material possession which can be moulded around wishes and made to conform to our plans.
An article* by Julian Holder points out how distinctly anthropomorphic are most of the concepts applied to buildings by conservation enthusiasts. "Can a building really be 'compromised', its 'integrity' questioned, its 'character' altered?" He adds that "to accept the[se] concepts ensures that all the participants are already treating buildings as people, as living breathing beings, whose fate we care about, and not simply as bricks and lime mortar. At its best it is a linguistic slight of hand....... At its worst it is a transparently bullying misappropriation which fails to impress the hard headed and leaves conservation looking distinctly amateur".
I must confess that the house which started this whole thought process is, indeed, one of those houses one would describe as "honest". Clearly not in the human sense of the word; more so to describe its simple declaration of intents. My view is that remaining identical to oneself is not necessarily the ideal state for man-kind. I therefore doubt this can be ideal for a utilitarian, perfectly coherent, teen ager (if house years are worth half as much as dog years) of a residential property.

* The Building Conservation Directory 2001 http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/pdf_concept/concept.pdf
General descriptions: listed building and conservation area. http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/conplng/conplng.htm