ARCH9083: Conservation of Modern Buildings

This intensive unit is a practically focused introduction to the techniques and bodies of knowledge essential to conserving modern buildings and their materials. Expert conservation architects and tradespeople will describe and lead practical demonstrations of techniques in conservation. Students will be challenged to assess and understand forms of decay and to prescribe appropriate interventions to mitigate and prevent such decay. They will have the opportunity to work with materials and inspect work underway on real conservation projects at culturally significant buildings. This unit provides an overview of key issues in building conservation as well as a close-up view of the conservation of modern buildings. The unit explores the distinctive materials used in Twentieth Century architecture, such as reinforced concrete, as well as modern building systems such as glazed curtain walls and stone cladding systems. The unit will assist students to recognise different uses of these materials, understand the basic tools and techniques required to assess their condition as well as the best practice approaches to their conservation. Upon successful completion of the unit of study, students will be able to: Understand the behaviour of a range of modern building materials; Recognise threats to modern building materials; Record a building in drawings and photographs; Document and assess the condition of the fabric of a building; Develop an approach to conserving the fabric of a building that considers a range of parameters, including sustainability, that goes beyond traditional conservation thinking.