Abstract:
This thesis investigates the most suitable approach to reuse of a heritage building in a Third World context, in order to recover the buildings’ societal relevance and support cultural heritage in Yangon, former capital of Burma/Myanmar. Architecture concretises our existence, it defines us as our identity is translated through it. Passed from generation to generation, our memories create our culture, and architecture becomes the physical connection between the people and their culture, but also between the past, the present and the future. Architecture is generally made to last longer than a human life span. So when a new generation emerges, architecture creates a dialogue between the two generations as the new interprets the past in the present, based on their shared culture. However, cultures are dynamic, based on the human ability to remember (ergo to forget) and to (re)interpret, whereas architecture is generally considered as static. Therefore, in some cases, this dialogue has gone silent. The problem analysed in this thesis is when the culture surrounding the architecture has evolved in such a way that both architecture and culture are not connecting with each other anymore. The architecture has become obsolete in the new society and has lost its role in support of people’s identity. By way of a case study in Yangon, this thesis examines the importance of the role of architectural heritage and its protection, through analysis of the country’s turbulent history, current situation and hopes for the future. The approach for the protection of the city’s architectural heritage in this thesis is based on the concept of triage, given the extensive number of deteriorating buildings in the city and the urgency of their condition. They are seen as patients that are suffering form various “illnesses” or “injuries,” in need of acute recovery methods for the sake of their survival. The recovery methods discussed in this thesis are: Amputation, Dissection, Stitch and Prosthesis. Their aim is to restore the voice of architecture, in order for the dialogue to continue.
