And while financial criteria, technological prowess and de-localised consciousness tend to disregard the time, growth and life forces that have brought places into being, there are ways of uniting buildings and surroundings so that they can belong together as inevitably as do those from the vernacular era. To achieve this, we must work in accord with organic growth processes. BACK TO TOP Past and Future Life is bound to time. Human activity alters places. Always, it alters the spirit of place, and usually leads to physical changes as well.
Buildings mature, age, get repaired, altered and eventually are demolished or replaced.
This is a natural process. If prevented, by freezing places into unalterable form, they begin to feel hollow and unreal, like museum exhibits. But they deserve conservation , not rigid preservation . To avoid petrification, aging, maintenance and repair, new activities and the minutiae of life need to flow through them, visibly and honestly. Anyway, whether we like it or not, 'progress' brings change.