Preface

Acknowledgements

List of Acronyms

Introduction

Chapter 1 From Archaeology to Conservation

A Family Legacy

Training in Theory and Practice

University Education

Training in the Field: the CGRP and the Ministry of Public Works

Building a National and International Network

The Recovery of Looted Artworks

Heritage Protection in Wartime

First Contacts with Italy

A Personal Vision of Conservation

Raymond M. Lemaire and the restauro critico

The St. Lambert Chapel in Heverlee

The Venice Congress (1964): A Turning Point

Drafting the Venice Charter

The Founding of ICOMOS

Chapter II Constructing an Ideal Historic City: The Great Beguinage of Louvain (1962?1972)

A Unique Context

An Exceptional ‘Traditional’ Ensemble

A Tailor-Made Programme

A Flexible Schedule

A Great Freedom of Action

The Venice Charter put to the Test of the Rehabilitation of Urban Ensembles

The Interiors: Conservation vs Comfort

The Facades: A Radical Restoration

The Additions: From Contrast to Integration

The Public Space: A Picturesque Vision

A Reflective Process

Lessons from Gustavo Giovannoni

The Historic Cities’ ‘Way of Being’

Chapter III Ideal vs Reality: Brussels (1967?1990)

Contrasting Precedents: Brusselization and Urban Scenery (1940?1960)

Towards a Functionalist City

The ‘Sacred Blocks’: An Urban Scenery

The Input of International Reflections and R.M. Lemaire

The 1960s: A Gradual Awareness

The Quartier des Arts: A Catalyst

A Challenging Context

New Methodological Tools for a New Vision

Learning from Eastern European Experiences

Restoring the Links between People and their Built Environment

‘Thinning Out’ and Opening the Blocks

Selective Preservation

‘Architectural Design in an Old Urban Environment’

Correcting the Cityscape

To Conclude

Chapter IV Towards a Holistic Approach

R.M. Lemaire, a ‘Complete Architect’

The Emergence of Integrated Conservation

The Council of Europe’s Committee on Monuments and Sites

New Doctrinal Instruments

The Venice Charter: A Necessary Revision

Bruges: A Laboratory for ‘Integral Planning’

From Rehabilitation to ‘Retrospective Utopia’

Towards Post-Modernism?

Conclusion

Appendix 1. Commission royale des Monuments et des Sites. Problemes de doctrine

Appendix 2. Charte de Venise [premiere version]

Appendix 3. Charte internationale sur la conservation et la restauration des monuments et des sites (Charte de Venise)

Appendix 4. Charte de Venise, texte revise

Index