To trace the history of aluminium in architecture, to understand the processes of its patrimonialisation and to draw up an inventory of the presence and state of conservation of htis material in France's built heritage.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the project is to trace the history of aluminium in architecture, to understand the processes of its patrimonialisation and to draw up an inventory of the presence and state of conservation of this material in France’s built heritage.
It will contribute to writing the history of contemporary architecture and technical innovations in this field and to defining strategies for the conservation and restoration of this industrial heritage, in a reflection based on the injunctions of sustainable development. It is part of a multidisciplinary reflection on materials, materials and materiality.
Link to the project website: archipal.hypothese.org
PROGRAM
Light, durable, resistant and malleable, infinitely recyclable, aluminium has established itself as a material emblematic of modernity thanks to its technical characteristics during the 20th and 21st centuries.
Here are some of the questions that the project should cover:
- How did such a material establish itself and how was it perceived by its contemporaries?
- Who were the actors in this technical change that saw wood giving way to metal in architecture?
Based on the identification of French built heritage containing aluminium, a dedicated database will be used to collect all general and technical information, details of composition and implementation. Furthermore, a conservation condition of these buildings, ornaments and aluminium sculptures will be established.
At the heart of the project’s deliverables, the «Aluminium & built heritage» database is a new tool for managing aluminium heritage.
Based on an assessment of the conservation condition and the associated environmental and societal conditions, it will make it possible to define appropriate research, conservation and restoration strategies. This database will provide a working tool for all those involved in the world of research interested in the issue of built heritage : historians, architects of buildings in France, inventory researchers, restorers, etc.
FUNDING
- ANR-18-CE27-0026 anr.fr
PARTNERS
- AUSSER – UMR3329 Architecture Urbanisme Société : Savoir Enseignement Recherche cnrs.hal.science
- CRC Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation crc.mnhn.fr
- LISST Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Solidarités, Sociétés, Territoires lisst.univ-tlse2.fr
- CRM Centre Roland Mousnier centrerolandmousnier.cnrs.fr
- Institut pour l’histoire de l’aluminium histalu.org
- CRH – UMR8558 Centre de recherches historiques crh.ehess.fr
