issue26 [practise] 老建筑与新建筑

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TOPIC: ISSUE26 - "Most people would agree that buildings represent a valuable record of any society's past, but controversy arises when old buildings stand on ground that modern planners feel could be better used for modern purposes. In such situations, modern development should be given precedence over the preservation of historic buildings so that contemporary needs can be served."



City planners often meet the dilemma whether to replace the old buildings with the modern one, for the historic building is believed to represent a valuable record of any society's past, while the modern one are often more fit to people's contemporary needs. The speaker asserts that the later is more important. However, in my view, for the purpose, no one is more significant than the other, and for the practice, we should ponder carefully before the action.

Admittedly, the buildings as symbols of times, cultures, and even spirits, stand as the monuments of the past and also as the manifestos of the present time. As our experiences, the first impression of another culture may be its immortal buildings. When mentioning about the ancient Egypt, the Pyramids come to our minds immediately, when Greek, the Patheton, and when China, the Great Wall. It is unbelievable for a traveler who takes tour in those lands without visiting those buildings. Also, the buildings represent sequential times of the history. For example, the type of the Cathedrals, from the Rometic, the Gothic to the Baroque, writes the whole development history of art. Moreover, in mordent times, the symbolic buildings help to express the spirit of a race or a nation, such as the Time Square for the Americans, the Eiffel tower for the Frenchmen and the Sydney Theater for the Australians. Saving those buildings is sometimes more than just keeping material for memory, but steady the root of our cultures and believes.

As the time changes, however, the value of the society shifts, and the needs of people altered. It all requires the modern buildings designed for the modern lives. Without the skyscrapers, thousands of business people would have to crowd in flat houses. Without modern network, no communicate tools and transport system, it is hard to reach such high work efficiency. In modern times, people encounter many new problems, such as short of energy, environment pollution and public health, which raise new standers and concepts of buildings. Modern buildings emphasize on saving energy both in using material and space designing, friendliness to environment and no harm for people's health in any details, which the traditional buildings or historical buildings could not offer. Thereby, we could not abandon reaching those current and advanced concepts for saving the old values in this quick developing world.

Since both the purposes are reasonable and irreplaceable, when come to the practical problem about tearing down an old building and replacing with a modern one, we should take it case by case. Of course we want to reserve those building maximally, but it is better not to hinder the development of the economics and culture. After all, not every building which belongs to the past is valuable for eternal preserving. Only the most typical one with the highest value of art and culture stands on the ground in the passing of time river, while the major part of them, which are less valuable, joined the onrush of the shifting world. What is more, in a dynamic view, any thing in present would become the one in the past.  What we should do is not only reserving the classics of the past, but also creating the classics for the future. Accordingly, we should ponder carefully the two purposes when deciding in any particular situation.  

In sum, It is really hard to say which one is more important, between the purpose of preserving the old building or electing new one for contemporary use. And in practical problems, we should consider both two purposes to reach a relatively better solution. Saving the past values help to steady the root of our culture, and building the new ones brings us the progress of society. Perhaps it is just the tow purpose cooperating together that drives the history forward and leaves a trail of beautiful footprints.

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