RESTORATION ART IN DENMARK 1918–2028

A research team from Aarhus School of Architecture, led by Professor Mogens Andreassen Morgen and Assistant Professor Jannie Rosenberg Bendsen, has just launched the research and dissemination project Restoration Art in Denmark 1918–2028. The project, which has received external funding from the philanthropic association Realdania, the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Foundation, as well as the Agency for Culture and Palaces, aims—based on the history of restoration art—to create new, unifying knowledge that can be broadly applied across the sector.

The project will map how listed buildings have been restored over a period of more than one hundred years. This knowledge will be able to inspire the wider advisory field and building owners, helping them to recognize the enormous potential that can be realized if, to a much greater extent, we preserve and transform worn-down buildings—not only the protected architectural heritage.

The Art of Preservation Shines Green

The field of restoration plays a central role in the green transition of the construction industry. A range of scientific studies has solidly demonstrated that refurbishment and renovation are in many cases more sustainable than demolition and new construction. It is also beneficial from societal, historical, and architectural perspectives.

However, there is a lack of an overview of how building restoration has actually been carried out in Denmark over time. The aim of the project is to generate new knowledge about architectural restoration practice by examining how listed buildings in Denmark have been restored since the adoption of the Building Preservation Act in 1918. In the construction and architecture sectors, there is great attention to the potential of existing buildings, but this knowledge will also be a valuable reference for professionals, preservation authorities, and building owners.

Professor Mogens A. Morgen, the project leader, elaborates:
“To establish a professional foundation for today’s architects, we would like to create a historical overview of the restoration methods and philosophies that have shaped the field over time and contributed invaluable insight into historical contexts. The future needs to understand the restoration practices of the past—and the art of preservation, as we know, shines green.”

Archival Studies and Practice in Dialogue

The project includes extensive historical research, for example archival studies at the Agency for Culture and Palaces’ building case archive for listed buildings, the Royal Danish Library, and the Danish National Archives. But the specialized architectural studios working in practice, their archives, and experienced restoration architects will also be involved along the way and play a significant role in creating a historical overview that is to a large extent based on realized solutions in complex projects.

Prorector Thomas Bo Jensen is pleased that the project can now begin with external research funding:
“The restoration field’s deep historical knowledge of architectural heritage and its preservation practices is essential for the sector’s transition, because we must to a much greater extent renovate and transform the existing building stock rather than demolish it. The project’s societal relevance and focus on the artistic dimension support the core ambitions of research at the Aarhus School of Architecture.”

The aim of the study is to provide a comprehensive insight into architectural heritage while also helping to develop guidelines and best practices for the preservation and development of buildings that are not subject to formal protection.

New Knowledge Through Engagement and Debate

Dissemination, knowledge-sharing, and involvement are central to the project’s methodological approach, with planned workshops, seminars, and lectures, as well as educational activities at the Aarhus School of Architecture. These initiatives aim to broaden awareness and strengthen the research through debate about how we can approach restoration in different ways in the future. The project’s research results will be published in a richly illustrated book.

The project may gain wider reach through opportunities for knowledge-sharing and exchange within ICOMOS Denmark, an international NGO that works to preserve and protect cultural heritage, for example by advising on new topics for UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Professor Mogens A. Morgen is the chair of the Danish committee.

Read more about the research project here: https://aarch.dk/en/art-of-restauration-in-denmark/