Historic Fabric vs. Design Intent

This paper attempts to address the dichotomy between preservation of historic fabric and the original design intent, which may arise during interventions on buildings from the Modern period. It presents intervention principles developed for recent preservation work at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and outlines how these principles were used to address four specific design challenges posed by Wright’s masterpiece. By addressing structural repairs, rain protection, fenestration upgrade and exterior colour issues, the paper shows how, during the Guggenheim project, priority was assigned to the design intent in some cases, to the historic building fabric in others, or indeed to neither factor. It explores the concept of authenticity and expands its application in the context of the preservation of Modern architecture by considering issues of craftsmanship and mass production, integrity and durability, systems performance and conservation state, original expression and contributing changes.

Figure 10. Frank Lloyd Wright, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City, built 1956-1959. Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, Addition and Expansion, built 1989-1992. © D. Heald, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 2009.

Angel Ayón

Angel Ayón, LEED AP, specializes in documentation, conditions assessment, repair and adaptive reuse of historic buildings and sites. He was the Project Architect for the Exterior Restoration and Building Enhancement of the Guggenheim Museum.* Mr Ayón holds a professional degree in Architecture and an MSc in Conservation and Rehabilitation of the Built Heritage from the Polytechnic Institute in Havana, Cuba, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Conservation of Historic Buildings and Archaeological Sites from Columbia University in New York.

*The Exterior Restoration and Building Enhancement of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum was designed by preservation architects WASA/Studio A; structural engineers Robert Silman Associates PC; architectural conservators Integrated Conservation Resources Inc.; exterior envelope consultant William B. Rose & Associates; and M/E/P engineers Atkinson Koven Feinberg Engineers, LLP among other consultants and owner’s representatives. The opinions included in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent those of other members of the design team.

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You might also like to look at Conservation of Modern Architecture, Preserving Post-War Heritage and Modern Matters.

Donhead Publishing 2012