Restoration & Preservation of Architectural Heritages

Access to cultural heritage is about consciousness, knowledge, creativity and balance. It is human beings who define sites and buildings as cultural heritage. The heritage therefore has meaning only through its encounter with people. This report explores and discusses different ways of making the cultural heritage accessible to everyone - not only the obvious priorities of physical accessibility, but also accessibility in the form of understanding and experience.
In some cases physical accessibility can shadow for understanding and experience, as for example when we encounter large archaeological landscapes. In other situations most people do not even think about the heritage values of a place because their main interest is in the services carried
out in the building or at the site that constitutes the heritage. The variations of the challenges linked to accessibility are great and therefore it is difficult to generalise about the solutions.
The report shows how accessibility questions are currently being addressed through some practical examples drawn from across the Nordic countries. There are considerable variations in scale, ranging from the challenge of providing physical accessibility to a small, vulnerable and remote church on an island in Iceland to doing the same in a baroque palace in the centre of Stockholm where thousands of people have business to carry out every day. The purpose has not been to compare the different countries' legislations, politics or ideology in this field.
Most of the cases presented in the report have found their solutions, some permanent and others temporary, while others represent challenges that are still being worked on. In some cases it is impossible to avoid solutions with negative consequences for the heritage. It is then important to make people aware of the various choices that have to be taken. The purpose of this report is therefore to develop that awareness and to be of help to others who are working with the same kind of challenges.
This aspect of heritage management is developing fast, both in terms of ideology and technical solutions. Conservation ideology will always be evolving in response to the changing needs and values of society. At the same time, new technical solutions will come to light as architects and designers respond to the demands of a growing market.
Good and lasting solutions often need time to mature. Access to cultural heritage is too important for brutal and ill-timed solutions; we need to work tirelessly and with determination to find the best and most lasting answers.