Architecture

Reconstruction
Guidelines
Abstract
Architecture reconstruction is the process of obtaining the “as-built” architecture of an
implemented system from the existing legacy system. For this process, tools are used to
extract information about the system that will assist in building successive levels of
abstraction. Although generating a useful representation is not always possible, a
successful reconstruction results in an architectural representation that aids in reasoning
about the system. This recovered representation is most often used as a basis for
redocumenting the architecture of an existing system if the documentation is out of date
or nonexistent, and can be used to check the “as-built” architecture against the “as-
designed” architecture. The architectural representation can also be used as a starting
point for reengineering the system to a new desired architecture. Finally, the
representation can be used to help identify components for reuse or to help establish a
software product line.

Introduction

Architecture reconstruction is the process where the “as-built” architecture of an

implemented system is obtained from an existing legacy system. This is done through a
detailed system analysis using tool support. The tools extract information about the
system and aid in building successive levels of abstraction. If the reconstruction is
successful, the end results are architectural representations that aid in reasoning about
the system. In some cases, however, generating useful representations is not possible
due to the complexity and the lack of structure of the system involved.

Architecture Reconstruction

Architecture reconstruction generates an architectural representation that can be used in

several ways. The main use for this representation is to document the existing
architecture of a system. If no documentation exists or the available documentation is
out of date, the recovered architectural representation can be used as a basis for
redocumenting the architecture. Reconstruction can be performed either during the
development of an architecture or after the development has been completed to recover
the “as-built” architecture of the system to check conformance against the “as-designed”
architecture. The architectural representation can also be used as a starting point for
reengineering the system to a new desired architecture. Finally, the representation can
be used as a means for identifying components for reuse or for establishing an
architecture-based software product line.
Reconstruction
Reconstruction is a term in architectural conservation whose precise meaning varies,
depending on the context in which they are used.
More broadly, such as under the ICOMOS Burra Charter, "reconstruction" means
returning a damaged building to a known earlier state by the introduction of new
materials. It is related to the architectural concepts of restoration (repairing existing
building fabric) and preservation (the prevention of further decay), wherein the most
extensive form of reconstruction is creating a replica of a destroyed building.
More narrowly, such as under the Secretary of Interior's Standards in the United
States, "reconstruction" is "the act or process of depicting, by means of new
construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape,
building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific
period of time and in its historic location."

Reconstruction is defined as the act or process of depicting, by means of new

construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape,
building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific
period of time and in its historic location.

Standards for Reconstruction

The Standards will be applied taking into consideration the economic and technical
feasibility of each project.
1. Reconstruction will be used to depict vanished or non-surviving portions of a
property when documentary and physical evidence is available to permit
accurate reconstruction with minimal conjecture, and such reconstruction is
essential to the public understanding of the property.
2. Reconstruction of a landscape, building, structure or object in its historic location
will be preceded by a thorough archeological investigation to identify and
evaluate those features and artifacts that are essential to an accurate
reconstruction. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures will be
undertaken.
3. Reconstruction will include measures to preserve any remaining historic
materials, features and spatial relationships.
4. Reconstruction will be based on the accurate duplication of historic features and
elements substantiated by documentary or physical evidence rather than on
conjectural designs or the availability of different features from other historic
properties. A reconstructed property will re-create the appearance of the non-
surviving historic property in materials, design, color and texture.
5. A reconstruction will be clearly identified as a contemporary re-creation.
6. Designs that were never executed historically will not be constructed.
Reconstruction as a treatment
When a contemporary depiction is required to understand and interpret a
property's historic value (including the re-creation of missing components in a historic
district or site); when no other property with the same associative value has survived;
and when sufficient historical documentation exists to ensure an accurate reproduction,
Reconstruction may be considered as a treatment.
The Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties illustrate the practical
application of these treatment standards to historic properties.

The Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes apply these treatment
standards to historic cultural landscapes.

Reconstruction of Buildings and Structures

There may be several reasons for the construction of a building or creation of a
replica building or structure.
Sometimes, it is the result of destruction of landmark monuments that is
experienced as traumatic by inhabitants of the region, such as through war, planning
errors and politically motivated destruction, other times, merely the result of natural
disaster. Examples include Yongdingmen (former Peking city gate temporarily sacrificed
to traffic considerations), St Mark's Campanile in Venice (collapsed in 1902), House of
the Blackheads (Riga), Iberian Gate and Chapel and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
in Moscow (destroyed by order of Joseph Stalin), Dresden Frauenkirche and
Semperoper in Dresden (bombed at the end of World War II). A specifically well-known
example is the rebuilding of the historic city center of Warsaw after 1945. The Old Town
and the Royal Castle had been badly damaged already at the outset of World War II. It
was systematically razed to the ground by German troops after the Warsaw Uprising of
1944. The reconstruction of Warsaw's historic center (e.g., St. John's Cathedral, St.
Kazimierz Church, Ujazdów Castle) and, e.g., the replica of the Stari Most built in Mostar
(Bosnia Herzegovina) have met with official approval by UNESCO.
Other times, reconstructions are made in the case of sites where the historic and
cultural significance was not recognized until long after its destruction, common in North
America, especially with respect to its early history. Examples include the reconstruction
of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, the rebuilding of numerous structures in
Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, and Fort William Historical Park
in Ontario, Canada.
Critics of reconstructed and replica buildings see them as a falsification of history
and as the creation of a kind of "architectural ersatz". Most guidelines for reconstruction
(such as the Burra and Venice charters) suggest that new construction be
distinguishable from the original, and that reconstruction not be carried out if insufficient
information exists to accurately re-create the building's former state.
Examples
St Kilda Pavilion

The St Kilda Pavilion is a historic kiosk located at the end of St Kilda Pier, in St
Kilda, Victoria, Australia. The kiosk was designed by James Charles Morell and built in
1904 by John W. Douglas. The kiosk was proposed and operated by Francis Parer. Until
the 1930s the structure was widely known as Parer's Pavilion; however, its actual name
was the Austral Refreshment Rooms. In the 1930s it was renamed Kerby's Kiosk. The
Kerby family were involved with running the kiosk from 1934 until 1987. Noble and Ivy
Kerby acquired the lease from the Victorian Government in 1939. From 1987 until 2003
the kiosk was leased and operated by Joe Sillitoe, then Carmel Grant.
On 11 September 2003 the structure was destroyed in an arson attack.
After massive public support to rebuild the kiosk and the support of Premier Steve
Bracks, it was reconstructed to the original 1903 plans, utilising some of the salvaged
components, such as the cast iron roof, decorative cresting and weather vane. An
additional structure, expanding the capacity was erected directly behind the kiosk and is
obscured by the pavilion when viewed from the pier.
The Pavilion is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
The kiosk reopened in March 2006. The site is owned by Parks Victoria and is leased to
Peter Tzambazis

Montreal Biosphere

The Biosphere (French: "La Biosphère de

Montréal") is a museum dedicated to
the environment. It is located at Parc Jean-
Drapeau, on Saint Helen's Island in the
former pavilion of the United States for the
1967 World Fair, Expo
67 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The
museum's geodesic dome was designed
by Buckminster Fuller
 Berlin Palace

The Berlin Palace (German: Berliner Schloss or Stadtschloss), also known as

the Berlin City Palace, is a building currently under construction in the centre of Berlin,
located on the Museum Island at Schlossplatz, opposite the Lustgarten park. From the
15th century to the early 20th century, the Berliner Schloss was a royal and imperial
palace and served mostly as the main residence of the Electors of Brandenburg,
the Kings of Prussia, and the German Emperors. Demolished by the East German
government in the 1950s, the palace is currently being rebuilt, with completion expected
in 2019. The reconstructed palace will be the seat of the Humboldt Forum, a museum for
world culture which is a successor museum of the Ancient Prussian Art Chamber, which
was also located in the 19th century Berlin Palace. The Humboldt Forum has been
described as the German equivalent of the British Museum.
The palace was originally built in the 15th century and changed throughout the next few
centuries. It bore features of the Baroquestyle, and its shape, finalised by the middle
18th century, is for the most part attributed to German architect Andreas Schlüter, whose
first design is likely to date from 1702, though the palace incorporated earlier parts seen
in 1688 by Nicodemus Tessin. It served as a residence to various Electors of
Brandenburg. It was the principal residence and winter residence of
the Hohenzollern Kings of Prussia from 1701 to 1918. After the unification of Germany in
1871, it also became the central residence for the German Emperors. After the
proclamation of the Weimar Republic in 1918, the palace became a museum. In World
War II, the building was heavily damaged by Allied bombings. Although it could have
been repaired, the palace was demolished in 1950 by the German Democratic
Republic authorities, despite criticism. In the 1970s, the Palace of the Republic was
constructed on its site, but controversially demolished in 2008 to make place for the
reconstruction of the old palace.
Following the reunification of Germany, it was decided to rebuild the entire exterior of the
palace in the original style except for the east side. The authentically reconstructed
facades will include various remnant sculptures and rocks of the original palace. The
interior will be modern, except the facades of one of the courts which is constructed in
original style (Schlüterhof). However, the floorplan has been designed to allow potential
future reconstruction of notable historical rooms. The building will house
the Humboldtforum museum and congress complex, and is scheduled to be finished 14
September 2019.
 Yongdingmen

Yongdingmen was the former front gate of the outer city of Beijing's old city wall.
Originally built in 1553 during Ming Dynasty, it was torn down in the 1950s to make way
for the new road system in Beijing. In 2005, the Yongdingmen was reconstructed at the
site of the old city gate. This new gate is disconnected from the original road leading
towards the gate and into the city (see photograph below).
During the Boxer rebellion, on 11 June 1900, the secretary of the Japanese
legation, Sugiyama Akira, was attacked and killed by the Muslim soldiers of
General Dong Fuxiang near Yongdingmen, who were guarding the southern part of the
Beijing walled city

Bethlehem Chapel

The Bethlehem Chapel (Betlémská kaple) is a medieval religious building in the Old
Town of Prague, Czech Republic, notable for its connection with the origins of
the Bohemian Reformation, especially with the Czech reformer Jan Hus
History
It was founded in 1391 by Wenceslas Kriz (known as 'the Merchant'), and John of
Milheim, and taught solely in the Czech vernacular, thus breaking with German
domination of the Medieval Bohemian church. The building was never officially called
a church, only a chapel, though it could contain 3,000 people; indeed, the chapel
encroached upon the parish of Sts. Philip and James, and John of Milheim paid the
pastor of that church 90 grossi as compensation. Hus became a rector and a preacher in
March 1402. After Hus's excommunication in 1412, the Pope ordered the Bethlehem
chapel to be pulled down, although this action was rejected by the Czech majority on the
Old Town council. After Hus's death, he was succeeded by Jacob of Mies.
In the 17th century, the building was acquired by the Jesuits. It fell into disrepair and in
1786 it was demolished; in 1836–1837 an apartment building was built in its place.
Under the Czechoslovakian communist regime the building was restored by the
government to its state at the time of Hus. Most of the chapel's exterior walls and a small
portion of the pulpit date back to the medieval chapel. The wall paintings are largely from
Hus's time there, and the text below is taken from his work De sex erroribus, and
contrast the poverty of Christ with the riches of the Catholic Church of Hus's time. [4]

Yellow Crane Tower

Yellow Crane Tower (Chinese: 黄鹤楼; pinyin: Huánghè Lóu) is a traditional Chinese
tower located in Wuhan. The current structure was built in 1981, but the tower has
existed in various forms since not later than AD 223. The current Yellow Crane Tower is
51.4 m (169 ft) high and covers an area of 3,219 m2 (34,650 sq ft). It situated on Snake
Hill, one kilometer away from the original site, on the banks of the Yangtze River in
Wuchang District.