Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative

Multi-Project Initiative

Advancing the conservation of twentieth-century heritage internationally

Categories
- Conservation
- Training
Years 2012 – present
Status
- Active
Organizer
- Getty Conservation Institute

A modernist, concrete building with colorful balconies — Unité d'habitation (1952) in Marseille, France, by Le Corbusier. Building: © F.L.C. / ADAGP, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2022

Photo: Jack Hobhouse / Alamy Stock Photo

About

Goal

The Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative seeks to advance the practice of identifying, conserving, and sustaining the buildings, structures, landscapes, urban areas, and building materials that characterize twentieth-century built heritage.

Outcomes

Three field projects on modern sites—Eames House, Salk Institute, and Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh—that model sound conservation methodologies and technical practices. All have resulted in reports and publications that can help practitioners learn from these projects
Sixteen international and regional training programs on conservation methodologies and technical practices delivered to midcareer professionals between 2015 and 2026, with more planned in the next few years
Public program series on modern heritage conservation, with thirteen events held to date
More than twenty free, published resources related to our research and field projects that cover a broad range of topics including conservation methodology and principles, management of twentieth-century heritage places, broadening our understanding of and appreciation for twentieth-century built heritage, conserving specific modern materials, bibliographies, and translations to French, Spanish, and Arabic.
More than ninety conference presentations and webinars disseminating Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative’s work to national and international audiences
More than forty videos related to modern architecture available on the Conservation Institute’s YouTube channel
Conserving Modern Heritage book series, published by Getty Publications, presenting case studies that demonstrate the application of sound conservation methods to modern heritage. Two titles published, Concrete and Managing Energy Use in Modern Buildings, with two forthcoming
Thirty articles and papers related to Getty’s work on the conservation of modern heritage published in journals, conference proceedings, and edited books.
Conserving Modern Architecture issues of Conservation Perspectives magazine in 2013 and 2023
Conservation of Concrete issue of Conservation Perspectives magazine in 2019
Convened the 2013 Colloquium to Advance the Practice of Conserving Modern Heritage to examine the state of the field and identify areas of outstanding need in order to develop actions to advance practice in this area of conservation. Colloquium report published
Completed an international survey to understand the current state of modern heritage training and education globally in 2019.

Background

Beginning in the late 1980s, new conservation challenges emerged as the seminal works of the early modern era reached fifty years of age and became eligible for heritage protection. With buildings dating as recently as the mid-1970s now reaching this age, additional challenges have emerged. While recognition of their heritage significance has grown, many of these buildings have not aged well. The new and innovative construction methods and materials and new architectural forms that typify the era challenge traditional conservation approaches and raise new methodological and philosophical issues. Despite recent advances in the field and a growing appreciation for modern architecture, there is still a lack of practical knowledge for conserving modern heritage. The Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative was established to respond to these challenges.

Approach

- Promoting and demonstrating the application of methodologies, principles, tools, and practices for conserving modern heritage
- Developing and implementing new approaches to materials-based conservation challenges
- Demonstrating good conservation techniques through development and implementation of model field projects
- Strengthening capacity among practitioners by providing training targeted to specific needs in the field
- Promoting the wise reuse and appropriate adaptation of modern buildings globally as a critical step to combat climate change and global warming
- Making our work accessible to a diverse global audience through global outreach, broad geographic spread in our trainings and case studies, and by providing free publications
During the early planning phase (2011–2013), a series of local, national, and international discussions and surveys were conducted to help define the initiative’s goals and activities in this emerging conservation sector. This process culminated in a colloquium convened at the Getty Center in 2013. This event brought together an international, multidisciplinary group of some sixty professionals engaged in practice, educators and critical thinkers, and representatives from key American and international conservation organizations.

The colloquium resulted in a list of short- and long-term actions that provided Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative a roadmap for the years ahead. Key needs identified included education and training, research into modern building materials, guidelines and publications to help practitioners undertake conservation work, and new tools for identification, assessment, and interpretation of modern heritage places.
Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative uses its knowledge base and staff resources to fill long-standing knowledge gaps by building networks, doing research in key areas that need attention, creating and disseminating technical literature, developing practical conservation solutions, and modeling sound conservation methodologies and techniques through its field projects, and through development and delivery of training courses for professionals.
As the Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative marked its tenth anniversary in 2023, an independent consultant was engaged to review and assess the relevance, impact, and effectiveness of the initiative’s work to date. The evaluation employed interviews with external partners, peers, collaborators, and Getty staff, as well as a survey responded to by more than 300 members of Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative’s international audience. Results of the evaluation indicated a largely favorable reception of and appreciation for Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative’s work. Topics for future work and geographic areas of need were identified in this survey, which informed the initiative’s subsequent strategic planning processes.

Project Team

Susan Macdonald, Director of Initiative, Head, Buildings and Sites; Chandler McCoy, Manager of Initiative, Principal Project Specialist; Ana Paula Arato Gonçalves, Associate Project Specialist; César Bargues Ballester, Associate Project Specialist; Elsa Haarstad, Associate Project Specialist; Sara Lardinois, Senior Project Specialist; Ryan McKeithan, Senior Project Coordinator; Gail Ostergren, Senior Research Specialist; Margherita Pedroni, Project Specialist