Mitja Guštin, Neža Čebron Lipovec, Katarina Šmid, Sara Biolchi, Božidar Premrl, Andrej Preložnik, Filip Bubalo, Radoslav Dodig, Branko Orbanić, Fabiana Pieri, Silvije Pranjić, Aleksandra Torbica, Ivo Vojnović, Tea Zubin Ferri
The main result of this part of the project is the document “Conservation Guidelines for Platy Limestone in Architectural Cultural Heritage” (Supplement 3.III). The Guidelines were drawn up on the basis of publicly accessible written sources, online databases, proprietary documentation and, last but not least, on the basis of the documentation in Supplement 3.I and Supplement 3.II, which was collected through the interdisciplinary work of the partners participating in the WP 4 in the frame of the RoofOfRock project. The guidelines are set out so as to provide solutions for stone architecture, link disciplines and building-owners, and present possible solutions and/or workable guidelines related to the handling of in platy limestone, which serve to summarize the current state in the field and are drawn up in the form of a technical architectural overview.
The use of stone is broad and covers many areas that are variously related to each other
The use of stone is broad and covers many areas that are variously related to each other (connected, exclusive, complementary and independent). All these relations determine actual management in all sectors, as in: the agricultural sector in connection with the cultural landscape; spatial planning and the utilization of natural resources; an outline of energy efficient buildings and consideration of architectural building elements; the implementation of certain measurements to protect architectural heritage in cooperation with the local government; educating of experts on platy limestone buildings, creating new employment opportunities, etc.
Guideline chapters about the architecture of stone objects include: vernacular architecture, the karstic house, management in architecture, corbelling stone roofs, masonry, conservation, limestone, and structural analysis; dealings with platy limestone were organised for professional services and experts active in managing stone architectural heritage; and limestone in the form of quarry stone.
Owners are the crucial target group in the Supplement entitled Conservation Guidelines for Platy Limestone in Architectural Cultural Heritage (Supplement 3.III). Without that target group the Supplement would serve merely as a supplemental collection of aims, options and goals for theoretical research in the field of architectural heritage. We have to bear in mind the notion that in the process of cultural heritage protection the chain is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain.
In the long-standing practice of institutions involved in heritage protection and field research in architectural heritage, it has become clear that both ownership and awareness of the importance of immovable cultural heritage is of fundamental importance. During the 20th century integral cultural heritage protection, especially on the Eastern Adriatic coast, was neglected and ignored by current state systems and various disciplines alike.
Through the results in Supplement 3.II it has become clear that most of the stone architectural buildings in the countryside are not included in the cultural heritage register and are therefore not legally protected. The Supplement addresses also numerous building owners in an attempt to raise awareness of the importance of their properties and to provide a better quality of life.
The owners were often torn between two issues
The owners were often torn between two issues: strict protection under the jurisdiction of official services, and the necessity to invest in property using cheap and easily procurable materials or inadequate construction techniques that can be adjusted to the present day. The result is clear: gradual loss of cultural heritage objects, growing mistrust between disciplines and owners, a particularly negative attitude on the part of building owners towards institutions dealing with cultural heritage protection, amateurish interventions by the owners (changes to roofing, changes to the building's envelope and inadequate replacement of building elements).
We have to focus on the long-term: in the past the majority of architectural heritage was publicly-owned, in many cases without a proper owner; there was a lack of control over the state of architectural heritage, and there were frequent irregularities or extremely long litigation proceedings over the transfer of ownership rights of immovable property and mortgages on immovable property.
This state of negligence is obvious in some of the approaches to conservation efforts that have been carried out by the building owners. Most common is the use of different materials (like mortar, plaster, wood, concrete etc., e.g. The Church of the Assumption in Monrupino/Repentabor, shepherds’ houses in Kras/Carso, Čerina dvori); similarly several houses and other stone buildings have been left to decay, such as buildings in Donja Nakovana, especially smaller shepherds’ houses and outbuildings.
Good practice in conservation/restoration is outlined in the Guidelines (Supplement 3.III) (Map 3.2). A fine example is the karstic building, where the Museum of Slovenian Film Actors now stands. Some of the most prominent examples are Trogir cathedral and Blaca monastery on the island of Brač.
The guidelines therefore appeal to all owners and building managers to take responsibility for the identity, quality preservation and ultimately, for raising the market value. In the framework of social responsibility related to the architectural landscape the transmission of architecture values to our descendants is particularly important.
Protection of architectural heritage – as in the "stone house" and its primary building material, platy limestone – is very present in the discussed area of the Eastern Adriatic coast. Most prominent is its use in architecture, with the roof as the main topic of the Guidelines. The roof is an extremely important element in the construction of architectural buildings and objects: it protects the object from external factors and influences including heat, humidity, cold; and is an important aesthetic consideration as well. The roof constitutes the fifth wall/façade of the building. Further, other architectural elements are also presented: windows, shelves, chimneys, wells, karst ponds, memorials and similar.
The Guidelines outline the role of experts in the field of architecture
The Guidelines outline the role of experts in the field of architecture, issues from the conservation point of view, authenticity, values inherent in architectural heritage, the selection of building material, and legislative and administrative frameworks related to the use of platy limestone. They suggest general architectural solutions for platy limestone and point out the necessity of including biodiversity as a component in the larger issue of platy limestone architecture.
The next important subject in the Guidelines is reconstruction, and deals with questions related to change of function, removal of construction work, alternative construction, maintenance, when construction work can actually begin, legitimacy and legality related to the use of platy limestone in architecture and similar.
One of the aims of the Guidelines is to propose management measures related to (stone) architecture and explore how the general public and users think about and behave towards the traditional built environment, all of which constitute an important component in questions of authenticity and identity in the regions of the Eastern Adriatic coast and the hinterland.
