Course Information
SemesterCourse Unit CodeCourse Unit TitleT+P+LCreditNumber of ECTS CreditsLast Updated Date
7FAD 441CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC SPACES3+0+03528.07.2026

 
Course Details
Language of Instruction English
Level of Course Unit Bachelor's Degree
Department / Program Interior Architecture and Environmental Design (English)
Type of Program Formal Education
Type of Course Unit Elective
Course Delivery Method Face To Face
Objectives of the Course The course covers the theoretical and practical foundations of architectural heritage conservation, including conservation principles, values, ethics, and international conservation documents. It introduces the causes of deterioration in historic buildings, conservation interventions, adaptive reuse strategies, and methods for evaluating heritage values. Students gain knowledge of building survey, documentation, measurement, photography, and recording techniques, as well as the phases of conservation projects, including building survey, restitution, and restoration. Through field studies and project-based learning, students conduct urban and building analyses, prepare measured drawings, assess the significance of historic buildings, and develop conservation proposals that integrate historical research, value assessment, and appropriate conservation interventions.
Course Content The course covers the theoretical and practical foundations of architectural heritage conservation, including conservation principles, values, ethics, and international conservation documents. It introduces the causes of deterioration in historic buildings, conservation interventions, adaptive reuse strategies, and methods for evaluating heritage values. Students gain knowledge of building survey, documentation, measurement, photography, and recording techniques, as well as the phases of conservation projects, including building survey, restitution, and restoration. Through field studies and project-based learning, students conduct urban and building analyses, prepare measured drawings, assess the significance of historic buildings, and develop conservation proposals that integrate historical research, value assessment, and appropriate conservation interventions.
Course Methods and Techniques Lecture, Discussion, Question and Answer, Practice, Studio work, Project.
Prerequisites and co-requisities None
Course Coordinator None
Name of Lecturers Asist Prof.Dr. Hüma Tülce Uman huma.tulce@ankarabilim.edu.tr
Assistants None
Work Placement(s) No

Recommended or Required Reading
Resources • Jukka Jokilehto. A History of Architectural Conservation. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, 1999. • Bernard M. FEILDEN; Conservation of Historic Buildings, St. Edmundsbury Press Ltd., 1996. • Ahunbay, Z. Tarihi Çevre Koruma ve Restorasyon, İstanbul, YEM Yayınevi, 1996. • Ahunbay, Z., Kültür Mirası Koruma İlke ve Teknikleri, I·stanbul, 2019 • Anon, Preserving and Restoring Monuments and Historic Buildings, UNESCO, Paris, 1972 Handbook of research on emerging technologies for architectural and archaeological heritage, Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global, [2017] • Stefano Brusaporci, (ed.), Handbook of research on emerging digital tools for architectural surveying, modeling, and representation, Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global, [2015] Swallow, P.-.., Measurement and recording of historic buildings, Shaftesbury : Donhead, 2004 • Altınoluk, Ü. (1998), “ Binaların Yeniden Kullanımı” , YEM Yayın, İstanbul. • Madran, E. ve Özgönül, N. (2005), “Kültürel ve Doğal Değerlerin Korunması,” Mimarla
Course Notes • Jukka Jokilehto. A History of Architectural Conservation. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, 1999.
• Bernard M. FEILDEN; Conservation of Historic Buildings, St. Edmundsbury Press Ltd., 1996.
• Ahunbay, Z. Tarihi Çevre Koruma ve Restorasyon, İstanbul, YEM Yayınevi, 1996.
• Ahunbay, Z., Kültür Mirası Koruma İlke ve Teknikleri, I·stanbul, 2019
• Anon, Preserving and Restoring Monuments and Historic Buildings, UNESCO, Paris, 1972 Handbook of research on emerging technologies for architectural and archaeological heritage, Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global, [2017]
• Stefano Brusaporci, (ed.), Handbook of research on emerging digital tools for architectural surveying, modeling, and representation, Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global, [2015] Swallow, P.-.., Measurement and recording of historic buildings, Shaftesbury : Donhead, 2004
• Altınoluk, Ü. (1998), “ Binaların Yeniden Kullanımı” , YEM Yayın, İstanbul.
• Madran, E. ve Özgönül, N. (2005), “Kültürel ve Doğal Değerlerin Korunması,” Mimarlar Odası, Ankara.
• Werner Schmid and François LeBlanc.Recording, Documentation, and Information Management for the Conservation of Heritage Places. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, 2007.
• Kenneth POWELL; Architecture Reborn The Conservation and Reconstruction of Old Buildings, Laurence King Publishing.

Course Category
Field %100

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
Activities are given in detail in the section of "Assessment Methods and Criteria" and "Workload Calculation"

Assessment Methods and Criteria
In-Term Studies Quantity Percentage
Mid-terms 1 % 30
Practice 3 % 30
Final examination 1 % 40
Total
5
% 100

 
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration Total Work Load
Course Duration 14 3 42
Hours for off-the-c.r.stud 14 3 42
Assignments 3 9 27
Mid-terms 1 15 15
Final examination 1 15 15
Total Work Load   Number of ECTS Credits 4,7 141

 
Course Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
NoLearning Outcomes
1 Learns the physical and functional problems and solution methods of immobile cultural assets.
2 Learns conventional concepts, theories and notions of conservation
3 Learns the measurement and documentation techniques of immobile cultural assets. Learns the methods of preparing restitution projects.
4 Learns the process of scrutinizing of architectural change and development in immobile cultural assets.
5 Learns the contemporary conservation theories and techniques
6 Learns how to restore and re-function the immobile cultural assets

 
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
WeekTopicsStudy MaterialsMaterials
1 Introduction to the course: conservation and restoration concepts Presentation of the course outline, methods, objectives and requirements The Process of a Conservation Project
2 Causes of Decay: Factors causing deterioration in historical buildings - Climatic causes of decay - Seismic factors - Botanical, biological and microbiological causes of decay - Insects and other pests as causes of decay - Man-made causes of decay - Internal environment of historic buildings
3 Causes of Decay: Factors causing deterioration in historical buildings - Climatic causes of decay - Seismic factors - Botanical, biological and microbiological causes of decay - Insects and other pests as causes of decay - Man-made causes of decay - Internal environment of historic buildings Case study: Causes of decay
4 A site study About causes of decay and conservation interventions
5 The analysis of an applied conservation project Conservation interventions Consolidation, Reintegration, Adaptive Reuse, Addition, Reconstruction, Repair
6 The analysis of an applied conservation project Student Presentations
7 Midterm Exam
8 Heritage at Risk The analysis of an applied conservation project Critiques on the selected projects
9 A conservation project Transferring the building survey and analysis to the digital platform Urban Analysis (Mapping and discussion): History of the Urban Area, Map of historic buildings– Categories of Edifices, Current Function, Story Height, Solid and Void, Access Analysis (pedestrian, vehicle…), Green-Open Space Analysis, Landmark Analysis, SWOT Analysis Building Analysis: History of the Train Station or related stations in Ankara/ Turkey, Circulation, Light, Function, Structural System and Material, Important Elements, Photographs and their Locations, Conservation intervention diagrams/ schemas
10 A conservation project Discussion of building survey and the evolution of restitution phase Historical research of the final project Regulation, charter, guideline related with related cultural heritage
11 A conservation project Value Assessment and Balance of the Diverse Value
12 A conservation project conservation/ design principles with related sketches on urban plans, plans, elevations, or schematic sketches proposed interventions
13 A conservation project: Desk critiques
14 A conservation project: Desk critiques
15 Preparation of the Final Set
16 Final Project

 
Sustainable Development Goals
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10
All 5
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6

  Contribution: 1: Very Slight 2:Slight 3:Moderate 4:Significant 5:Very Significant

  
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