Theories of Conservation and Scientific Restoration from Gustavo Giovannoni’s Point of View

Abstract

“Gustavo Giovannoni” (1873–1947), the Italian architect, urban designer, and restorer who was born in Rome and studied Civil Engineering at the University of Rome, became the Professor of Architecture Department in 1905 and latterly the dean of the same university (1913–1935). He edited a set of regulations that were adopted in the “Athens Charter” later in 1913. His four main principles are restoration by consolidation, installation, liberation, completion, or renovation. Although he established a scientific centre for studying history of architecture and published several articles in various architectural journals, there is little literature about his biography and theories of conservation and scientific restoration. This article tries to enlighten how his theories affected the history of conservation. For this aim, his biography and theories are mentioned in detail. The methodology of this article is a qualitative survey using the reliable books of libraries and first-hand resources and references.