Preserve our architectural heritage

THE EDITOR: The international exposure of our island given by the hosting in recent years of the World Cup games, Miss World Pageant and the Commonwealth Parliamentary conference has demanded of us to a commitment to preserving our heritage if only to emphasise our culture, the diversity of our people added to the overwhelming publicity of our sea, sand and sun. It is time we look into the past and identity with our architecture and the environment that have given shape to our new life and character.

Architecture is the expression of our society and it is the business of society to find what ideal relation there is in building that gave order to its people. As a people, we have become too complacent in looking into the past for identity. Architecture has been making a statement in our heritage in lending support to our historical past. What we see of the noble bath tiled roofs, the Doric and Corinthian columns in our state buildings and indeed the Georgian facade we observe of walls in the traditional homes should remind us of our Spanish, French and British ancestral past. We would also be made aware of the simple statement made in the Georgian style and the Parliamentary system that came out of this experience and the influence this has on our people to identify them now as resourceful, tolerant and productive. That they have abiding faith in God could not be an underscore!

Conservation, because it is a wider field of planning must generate its own special expertise especially in an area where the direct responsibilities for conservation and upkeep of public buildings are paramount. What ever organisation is set up by Government should be endowed with a very effective framework for the development of planning of buildings that is demanding of interest. There is an increase in the awareness of conservation and the need to identify, preserve and maintain our buildings is real if they are to occupy a pride of place in our environment. The primary objective is to enhance the environment and policies related to this must be encouraged. What skills that are put into the development of public buildings must be served as a point of interest and should be preserved for the public enjoyment.

Special professional skills endowed with such understanding must not be affected by administrations and political constraints. Some of these undertakings may be politically sensitive and an effort to educate should be the purview of the architects, historians or planners. The task for evolving policies is real when faced with the sensitive balance between preservation and renewal. The architect must evaluate the merit and demerit of a structure to determine whether it is appropriate for an area of visual charm. It is here the demand for the specialist professional architect is vital. The experience gained by the architects in developing policies on conservation can be found useful as a growing demand for their service will be sought both in the public and private sectors. Architects dedicated to the task of preserving our heritage and the ways it can be related to this life of the nation would find a rewarding interest in the undertaking.

The planning process must have an architectural character that should complement the abstract aspect of strategic planning so that the end product will reflect the quality of the preserved environment. Environmental standards emanate from various sources and enforced by several agencies and so would require a collective effort to effectively achieve quality result. The quality of the environment is profoundly affected by the application of these standards which is basic to the practice and quality of our building and the architect’s involvement is implicit to its successful implementation of this task. One of the architect’s principal functions is to be a witness to history and he should be so placed that his service could be fully utilised.

WILLIAM H BENJAMIN
Reg Chartered Architect
Valsayn