The issue of preservation of traditional rammed earth houses: current practice of presentation in Serbia and region

Abstract

Traditional buildings are of great significance for exploring the architectural heritage and cultural identity. Created in the local context, reflecting the attitude of people towards the environment, these houses are built with traditional techniques and locally available building materials. In Serbia, in Vojvodina region, and other regional flat land there is a rich history of use of earth as a building material and a large number of traditional rammed earth houses to be held until today. Most of these buildings are still in use, but often trumble-down and failing to fulfill current living standards and needs. Because of that the need for preservation and renovation of traditional buildings is recognised as an important step in the process of their recognition as an important part of the architectural heritage of today. The problem is that the majority of traditional architectural heritage has not been officially designated as a cultural asset or a part of the cultural and historical sites, therefore it does not enjoy an adequate form of protection which can cause degradation of buildings identity during preservation processes. The main question of this research refers to appropriate ways of presentation of traditional architecture, in order to recognize and provide a better understanding of architectural heritage and cultural identity. Different approaches toward presentation of traditional buildings will be analysed trough current framework of protection practice and case studies both in Serbia and the region, pointing out possible problems and potentials in these actions as well as giving recommendations for future treatment of this type of buildings. This research aims to find solutions for adequate presentation of traditional buildings, pointing out their great significance of architectural heritage, and also it serves as an experience to improve our own relationship toward heritage in future work.