Tutorial 1 Reading Response
“The preservation of old buildings gives us history in site, but it also means keeping history in sight.” This is a quote that I find meaningful, as it corrects a common misconception that preservation is just keeping the historical sites/ traditional structures untouched, but reminding people of the collective memories and histories behind of these buildings.
In my opinion, conservation is not blindly preserving old buildings, but making the old become the stem for the new, and even the catalyst for development, so both the old and new can coexist to create new meaning.
Regarding the disappearance of buildings from the past age, the most probable reason is that they have lost their function, failing to address the needs of the society or the expectations on their functions; in most cases, their functions are deemed outdated and useless, or they have been substituted by newer alternatives that be do the same function and address the social needs better. This is what happens when fail to conserve them well through giving them new meanings and functions.
Ha Chun Ming Rex
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A thoughtful reflection on Abbas’ critical commentary on preservation/conservation, good job