Multi-scale Perspectives on Building Heritage Conservation and Sustainable Cities

During the period between world wars, the Modern Movement has spread in Europe and the USA a new design culture bringing about a radical renewal of architec- ture and urbanism with new formal characters laid down by the logic of rationalism and functionalism. Modernist architects played a leading role in designing social housing and entire new neighbourhoods to meet the housing needs of the migratory flow of the working class from the countryside to the cities. They were not only authors of masterpieces recognized as icons of a new International Style but also modernity-makers in the true meaning of experimentation and innovation for the quality-of-life improvement. An early milestone of the paradigm shift was the foun- dation in 1919 of the Bauhaus art and design school in Weimar (Germany) by Walter Gropius (Berlino, 1883—Boston, 1969). The school was an incubator of innovation in design and architecture with the participation of teachers and students of different nationalities at the forefront of European culture until 1933 when Hitler’s nationalism imposed its closure. The Bauhaus also had the important merit of introducing peda- gogical models based on humanistic and scientific disciplines and practical exercises of art and technology. The second milestone was in 1928 with the institution in La Sarraz (Switzerland) at the behest of di Le Corbusier (La Chaux-de-Fonds, 1887— Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, 1965) of the International Congress of Modern Architec- ture, CIAM Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne, which were held until the 11th edition in 1959 in Otterlo (Netherlands) when the members decided to cease their activities. These international events were laboratories of ideas that stimulated the debate between architects, engineers, craftsmen and artists and spread throughout the world the postulates of the international modern movement. At the second CIAM congress in Frankfurt in 1929, the so-called modern minimalist house in a collective housing block in open-plan reinforced concrete structures and duplex typology was proposed as a solution to the city housing needs. This new housing model allowed for the best use of the plot area for the daily and collective activities of the city’s inhabitants. The individual dwelling was conceived as the unit cell of the complex system of relationships of the city consisting of streets, public buildings, commercial premises, green parks and recreation areas, at the neighbourhood scale, which in turn became a functional unit of the new model of the open city. After the 4th CIAM held in 1933 on the ship Patri II travelling from Marseille to Athens, the Athens Charter was published in 1938, first in French and later in the major European languages. The document consisting of 95 points was a manifesto of the Modern Movement outlining the basic principles of the contemporary city according to the logic of rationalism and functionalism. It introduced city zoning with division into neighbourhoods and diversification of construction according to the four main functions performed by city dwellers: living, working, entertaining, and moving. In Spain, the establishment first of the Catalan group of GATPAC (Grupo de Arquitectos y Técnicos Catalanes para el Progreso de la Arquitectura Contemporánea) in 1930 and later of the national group of GATEPAC (Grupo de Artistas y Técnicos Españoles para el Progreso de la Arqui- tectura Contemporánea) in 1932 promoted modernist architecture in the country in the 1930s. During the period of the Second Republic from 1931 to 1939, many social housing initiatives were carried out with paradigmatic examples of rationalist architecture. La Casa Bloc housing complex by Josep Lluís Sert (1902–1983), Josep Torres Clavé (1906–1939) y Joan Baptista Subirana (1904–1978) built between 1932 and 1936 in the Sant Andreu district of Barcelona is one of the highest expressions of the modernist model of the open city. It is a combination of “L”-shaped blocks, on seven levels with access corridors to the duplex-type dwellings every second one, thus maximizing the area for collective activities. The building complex was a refer- ence model for the urban expansion plan for the city of Barcelona designed by Sert in those years in cooperation with Le Corbusier principles that were widely adopted by urban planners in the reconstruction of Europe. The chapters in this book explore the evolution and preservation of modern archi- tecture, with a particular focus on how social, cultural, and technological factors shaped architectural practices. Chapters go through an analysis of popular archi- tecture during industrialization and examine the balance between innovation and cultural preservation through the work of Alfredo Baeschlin. A study highlights Bruno Taut’s visionary housing settlements as a response to social reform. The works of Giuseppe Samonà in Italy emphasize the importance of understanding and preserving the technical and stylistic aspects of his buildings. The transition from Rationalism to Brutalism, stressing the importance of sustainability in adapting these iconic structures is also discussed. Other chapters delve into the importance of adaptive reuse, with systematic review of modern heritage preservation, and the investigation into circular economy strategies for conserving modern architecture. Through these discussions, the volume illustrates how modern architectural heritage is both a symbol of past ideals and a resource for future sustainability, underscoring the role of architects, engineers, and scholars in safeguarding these buildings.