Reg.Nr. 96/SP/28

Santiago de Compostela Old Town Renewal

In 1993 the consortium of Santiago promoted the creation of a technical office to take charge of drawing up, managing and developing restoration programs for the historical town. The restoration office worked through direct cooperation with the inhabitants and citizens' ...
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Project details

Title:Santiago de Compostela Old Town Renewal
Entr. year: 1996
Result:Diploma
Country: Spain
Town: Santiago de Compostela
Category type: architectural heritage
Building type/ Project type: Urban renewal/design - Village renewal/design
Former use:Inner urban area
Actual use:Historic urban core
Architect / Proj.leader: Oficina de Conservación y Rehabilitación (Santiago de Compostela - ES)
The Jury's citation: "For the painstaking efforts to preserve the historic town by implementing a programme to restore the interiors of its houses, in direct co-operation with their 1200 inhabitants, to improve living standards within ancient buildings and to restore social and economic activity, an initiative which has maintained architectural heritage in an exemplary way"

Description:
In 1993 the consortium of Santiago promoted the creation of a technical office to take charge of drawing up, managing and developing restoration programs for the historical town. The restoration office worked through direct cooperation with the inhabitants and citizens' associations of the historical town. Its aim is to harmonise the restoration work which is needed to improve living standards of inhabitants of "ancient buildings" with respect and conservation of the defining elements of the historical architecture of their homes. The office carries out all projects and valuation reports, which include a sheet of technical conditions, a report on estimates and measurements, and necessary plans. Attention was paid to the maintenance of residential uses and the improvement of living standards for the inhabitants. The appropriate measures to be taken in each case were designed under a criterion of constructive logic and economy of works. It was considered essential to pay attention to the tastes of the citizens as regards the choice of interior finishing, for the aim of these measures is to improve acceptance of the dwelling by its user. With regard to future restoration trainings for the participating architects and companies were organized: Every two months, two architects joined the office staff for a period of six months, during which they assist in the supervision of repairs. Education courses on the use of materials and restoration techniques were regularly organized for construction companies, on a theory and practice basis.