EAA 2021 – Widening Horizons

On compensation as a concept, method, and professional practice

Scholars from Aalto University, Chalmers University of Technology, Kulturlandskapet, National Technical University and Tampere University have proudly joined forces in organizing a session on compensation in architecture and archaeology at 27th Annual meeting of EAA within the global objective “Widening Horizons”.

For more information about the scientific program of EAA at the Annunal meeting, click here.

Session # 140: Compensation in Architecture and Archaeology – On Compensation as a Concept, Method, and Professional Practice

This session focuses on compensation as a concept, method, and professional practice in the transformation of cultural environments. Compensation represents a significant challenge reflected in a myriad of environmental laws and in local policies. The concept has many definitions and, from a planning perspective, can be defined as overall demands, specific measures, actions and changes of design taken in order to appease criticism.

The transformation of environments can be approached from two main perspectives. On the one hand, there is a risk of negative impacts on cultural heritage when exploitation interests are in power. Project developers, reinforced by political interests, can ignore the values and architectural qualities of cultural heritage in places subject to exploitation. A protected milieu, thus, can be perceived as an obstacle for to development rather than a common resource of public interest. On the other hand, there have been calls for a rethinking of compensation as means to recreate and safeguard cultural and architectural values and qualities affected by developments. In such approaches, how can issues related respect for the history and protection of cultural heritage, be combined with a reconstruction of the values associated with and the adaptive re-use of buildings?

This session calls for a multidisciplinary approach to compensation. How should it be understood as a concept, method, and practice by architects, architectural conservators, and archaeologists. The session welcomes papers discussing compensation as (a) a part of the measures and functions aimed at restoring lost cultural values and architectural qualities, (b) conservation and protection through rules and regulations in city plans and urban planning, (c) requirements for design of new buildings, (d) tools and methods for balancing interests between exploitation and preservation and (e) problem solving approaches to modify proposals that impact cultural environments.

Abstracts

For abstracts in session 140 Compensation in Architecture and Archaeology – On Compensation as a Concept, Method, and Professional Practice, click here.

Red. Athanasios Kouzelis, Magnus Rönn och Helena Teräväinen

From the preface:

”This book aims to present a series of research articles discussing professional, methodological and theoretical aspects of compensation as a key concept in architecture and archaeology. Compensation is a concept that must be understood in its context for making sense. This statement is a fundamental starting point for the authors’ contributions to this publication. Compensation may appear as outspoken demands as well as actions hidden in the design of projects, specified measures in planning processes and actions embedded in the transformation of areas with cultural values and architectural qualities. Thus, compensation can be expressed in several different ways depending on the context. The book presents a continuation of research activities on the key concept presented in a session called Compensation in Architecture and Archaeology – On Compensation as a Concept, Method and Professional Practice at the conference Widening Horizons, in connection with the EAA’s annual meeting in Kiel, September 2021. The book presents a selection of seven contributions from the session. The articles have all been peer-reviewed after the conference, commented on and finally approved by the editors.”

Kontaktperson: Magnus Rönn