Unit 5

Degrees of intervention
Prepared and Presented by:

Ar. Apurva Gour Chouhan
Degrees of interventions
• The minimum degree of intervention necessary and the techniques used depend upon the conditions of climate to
which cultural properly is likely to be subjected.
• Atmospheric pollution and traffic vibration must be considered, and earthquake and flood hazards should be assessed.
• Interventions practically always involve some loss of a ‘value’ in cultural property, but are justified in order to
preserve the objects for the future.
• Conservation involves making interventions at various scales and levels of intensity which are determined by the
physical condition, causes of deterioration and anticipated future environment of the cultural property under
treatment.
• Each case must be considered as a whole, and individually, taking all factors into account.
• The final aim and the principles and rules of conservation, particularly that the minimum effective intervention is
always the best, seven ascending degrees of intervention can be identified.
Seven Degrees of Interventions
1. Prevention of deterioration (or indirect conservation)
2. Preservation
3. Consolidation (or direct conservation)
4. Restoration
5. Rehabilitation / Adaptive Reuse
6. Reproduction
7. Reconstruction
1. Prevention of deterioration (or indirect conservation)
• Protecting cultural property by controlling its environment.
• By controlling its environment, preventing agents of decay and damage

from becoming active, there may be various ways or that or structure can be
affected and so, preventing the agents of decay and damage from becoming
active.
• Sound maintenance procedure based on regular inspection and guidelines

of conservation.
2. Preservation
• Preservation means maintaining a place in its existing state and
returning the deterioration.
• Preservation deals directly with cultural property.
• Its objective is to keep it in its existing state and repairs must be

carried out when necessary to prevent further decay.
3. Consolidation (or direct conservation)
• Consolidation is the physical addition or application of adhesive or supportive materials into the actual fabric of cultural
property, in order to ensure its continued durability or structural integrity.
• In the case of immovable cultural property, consolidation may for example entail the injection of adhesives to secure a
detached mural painting to the wall and likewise grouting of the structure.
• With historic buildings, when the strength of structural elements has been so reduced that it is no longer sufficient to meet
future hazards, consolidation of the existing material may have to be carried out. However, the integrity of the structural
system must be respected and its form preserved. No historical evidence should be destroyed.
•Preservation of the design is just as
important as function of conservation as
preservation of original materials.
•Finally, in many cases it is wise to buy time

with temporary measures in the hope that
some better technique will be evolved,
especially if consolidation may prejudice
future works of conservation.
4. Restoration
• Replacement of missing or decayed parts must integrate harmoniously with the whole, but must be distinguishable on close
inspection from the original so that the restoration does not falsify archaeological or historical evidence.
• If taken too far, it can make an historic site look like a film set and devalue the message of the site.
• The objective of restoration is to revive the original concept or legibility of the object. Restoration and re-integration of
details and features occurs frequently and is based upon respect for original material, archaeological evidence, original design
and authentic documents.
•Replacement of missing or decayed parts must integrate harmoniously with the whole, but must be
distinguishable on close inspection from the original so that the restoration does not falsify archaeological
or historical evidence. Contributions from all periods must be respected. Any later addition that can be
considered as an ‘historic document’, rather than just a previous restoration, must be preserved.
•When a building includes superimposed work of different periods, the revealing of the underlying state can
only be justified in exceptional circumstances. That is, when the part to be removed is widely agreed to be
of little interest or when it is certain that the material brought to light will be of great historical or
archaeological value; and when it is probable also that the state of preservation of the building is good
enough to justify the action. These are difficult conditions to satisfy
5. Rehabilitation / Adaptive Reuse
• The best way of preserving buildings as opposed to objects is to keep them in use. The original use is generally the
best for conservation of the fabric, as it means fewer changes.
• To keep it in use which involve adaptive alteration and fewer changes.
• Rehabilitation is highly recommended for age-old buildings showing signs of decay and save human lives from
failures.
Rehabilitation / Adaptive Reuse
What is Adaptive Reuse?

• Adaptive reuse is the act of finding a new use for a building.
• It is often described as a "process by which structurally sound older buildings are developed for
economically viable new uses.” -Fielden, Bernard (1989)
• Adaptation means changing a place to suit the existing use or a proposed use.
• Compatible use means a use which respects the cultural significance of a place. Such a use involves no, or
minimal, impact on cultural significance.
• Adaptation is acceptable only where the adaptation has minimal impact on the cultural significance of the
place.
- The Burra Charter
6. Reproduction
• Reproduction entails copying an extant artifact, often
in order to replace some missing or decayed parts,
generally decorative, to maintain its aesthetic harmony.
• If valuable cultural property is being damaged

irretrievably or is threatened by its environment, it may
have to be moved to a more suitable environment and a
reproduction substituted in order to maintain the unity
of a site or building.
• For example, Michelangelo’s ‘David’ was removed from

the Piazza della Signoria, Florence, into a museum to
protect it from the weather, and a good reproduction
took its place.
7. Reconstruction
•Reconstruction of historic buildings
and historic centers using new
materials may be necessitated by
disasters such as fire, earthquake or
war.
• Reconstruction cannot have the

patina of age.
• As in restoration, reconstruction must

be based upon accurate documentation
and evidence, never upon conjecture.
• The moving of entire buildings to new

sites is another form of reconstruction.
REFERENCES:
• https://en.unesco.org/
• https://www.icomos.org/charters/venice_e.pdf
• http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2003/whc03-27com-20ae.rtf
• https://australia.icomos.org/publications/charters/
• https://www.dronah.org/
• http://www.aishwaryatipnisarchitects.com/
• http://www.understandingconservation.org/content/glossary-terms
• http://ip51.icomos.org/~fleblanc/documents/terminology/doc_terminology_e.html
• https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/conservation/conservation.htm
• https://swayam.gov.in/nd1_noc20_ce14/preview
• http://www.understandingconservation.org/content/207-degrees-intervention
• https://www.nap.edu/read/514/chapter/5
•https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329510387_PRESERVATION_OF_THE_HERITAGE_VALUES_OF_IRAQI_TRA
DITIONAL_HOUSES#pf10

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Degrees of intervention

Prepared and Presented by:

• By controlling its environment, preventing agents of decay and damage

• Sound maintenance procedure based on regular inspection and guidelines

• Preservation deals directly with cultural property.

• Its objective is to keep it in its existing state and repairs must be

•Finally, in many cases it is wise to buy time

• To keep it in use which involve adaptive alteration and fewer changes.

What is Adaptive Reuse?

• If valuable cultural property is being damaged

• For example, Michelangelo’s ‘David’ was removed from

• Reconstruction cannot have the

• As in restoration, reconstruction must

• The moving of entire buildings to new

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