Page 28 - Bulletin 19 2015

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This may sound extreme now but the general principles and implications are unhappily, still

held by many architects and architectural schools today. Traditional principles are simply not
valued. There is a kind of unwavering belief amongst modernists in novelty and creativity

where it's become almost a crime to rely on what they still call 'the prop of the past'.

A modern intellectual who opposes these ideas is Léon Krier (born 7 April 1946 in
Luxembourg). He is an architect, architectural theorist and urban planner. From the late 1970s

onwards Krier has been one of the most influential neo-traditional architects and planners and
a strong supporter of the modern use of traditional materials and trades. Krier recalls the art

critic Herbert Read's tirade. “In the back of every dying civilization sticks a bloody Doric

Column”.

Krier responds to this, “In this way they attempt to discredit all traditional architecture and

any criticism of modernist works is branded as conformist, historicist and reactionary.'
In countering the pro-modern polemic, he continues....

Modernism claims to have a patent on progress BUT.... it has not developed a language; it
doesn’t distinguish simple building from architecture as Art ; it lacks vocabulary, grammar

and syntax. There is no coherent theory of symbols, form and content, scale or proportions”.
(Fig. 1.35)

Hopefully one can appreciate from my brief outline that Heritage and Conservation are quite
complex and that it is very important to have a clear view in this regard. Furthermore, I

believe, along with a growing number of practitioners worldwide, that the Venice Charter

needs to be changed so that heritage principles are brought up to date with current thinking.

Let us now have a closer look at the masons craft in more detail.

The Mason’s Craft

If you have a moment, do a quick search on the internet for videos of the mason’s craft. It is
frankly astounding to witness this time honoured skill which has been almost completely lost.

It will sometimes take a mason up to 5 weeks to carve a single stone.

The art of stone masonry has waned significantly over the last 100 years. Today’s masons
have become glorified brick-layers due to the craft not being handed down from generation to