Heritage Conservation Policy and its Ramifications in the Stratification of Contemporary Architecture

In the preservation of cultural heritage, contemporary interventions on architectural heritage represent a singularity due to the functional character of architecture, which sometimes requires transforming a listed building, making modifications or additions to update an existing use or to introduce a new one. While in the past interventions were carried out without a specific policy defined to do so, contemporary interventions are carried out following the principles defined by the Venice Charter of 1964. Contemporary ex novo architecture is starting to be assessed cultural significance, with some cases of listings as heritage in some European countries. However, current policy determines that interventions on heritage nowadays shall be minimal and reversible, so contemporary strata don’t necessarily set and persist in time like it happened in the past. The paper presents a doctoral research that delves into the ramifications of preservation policy on the persistence of contemporary interventions on architectural heritage.