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China’s Dilemma of New Construction vs. Architectural Legacy/Heritage
The art and method of reusing building materials from older buildings for newer building is nothing new; the Romans harvested construction materials from older structures to build new monuments, just as later Roman monuments were harvested for new construction in medieval times. This strategy, from the “pro” side, of considering the “design-science of the life of buildings” rather than just the “art of building” was a suggestion of futurist Steward Brandt. A problem, the “con,” that could arise from that is the structures that could have been deemed culturally and historically significant were razed for the sole purpose of new construction. Granted, the importance of historic preservation may or may not have been as important then as it is today, but now it has become a legitimate alternative, guideline, and preference in architecture. Unfortunately for China, according to an article in Architect: The Magazine of the American Institute of Architects, they may have fallen into the “con” category.
