Open spaces as the key to the integration issue of historical site reconstruction projects: a cross-cultural comparison

Abstract The reconstruction of historical sites, while a controversial practice, has been common in both Germany and China to mitigate the cultural losses incurred during wars and subsequent redevelopment. This paper contributes to the broader discourse on reconstruction by examining the critical si...

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Main Authors: Qian Liu, Yiran Liu, Laura Pezzetti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-03-01
Series:Built Heritage
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-025-00176-1
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author Qian Liu
Yiran Liu
Laura Pezzetti
author_facet Qian Liu
Yiran Liu
Laura Pezzetti
author_sort Qian Liu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The reconstruction of historical sites, while a controversial practice, has been common in both Germany and China to mitigate the cultural losses incurred during wars and subsequent redevelopment. This paper contributes to the broader discourse on reconstruction by examining the critical significance of integration between the ‘old’ and ‘new’, which means establishing a smooth and close transition between the reconstructed sites and the surrounding urban environment, as well as the key role of open space in facilitating this integration. Through morphological analysis and site surveys, the Yanghe Tower in Zhengding, China, and the Dom-Römer in Frankfurt, Germany, are compared in this paper. The comparison reveals that the integration issue related to Yanghe Tower was not adequately addressed because the key role of open space was neglected. This paper also examines the sociocultural factors that influenced the design strategies of the two projects, suggesting that future Chinese reconstruction efforts can significantly benefit from attention to the key role of historical open spaces.
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issn 2662-6802
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
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series Built Heritage
spelling doaj-art-d2f4c812a81648a8a6ec33c5a8508b152025-08-20T02:52:17ZengSpringerOpenBuilt Heritage2662-68022025-03-019111410.1186/s43238-025-00176-1Open spaces as the key to the integration issue of historical site reconstruction projects: a cross-cultural comparisonQian Liu0Yiran Liu1Laura Pezzetti2Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di MilanoDepartment of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di MilanoDepartment of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di MilanoAbstract The reconstruction of historical sites, while a controversial practice, has been common in both Germany and China to mitigate the cultural losses incurred during wars and subsequent redevelopment. This paper contributes to the broader discourse on reconstruction by examining the critical significance of integration between the ‘old’ and ‘new’, which means establishing a smooth and close transition between the reconstructed sites and the surrounding urban environment, as well as the key role of open space in facilitating this integration. Through morphological analysis and site surveys, the Yanghe Tower in Zhengding, China, and the Dom-Römer in Frankfurt, Germany, are compared in this paper. The comparison reveals that the integration issue related to Yanghe Tower was not adequately addressed because the key role of open space was neglected. This paper also examines the sociocultural factors that influenced the design strategies of the two projects, suggesting that future Chinese reconstruction efforts can significantly benefit from attention to the key role of historical open spaces.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-025-00176-1Open spaceReconstructionHistorical sitesIntegration
spellingShingle Qian Liu
Yiran Liu
Laura Pezzetti
Open spaces as the key to the integration issue of historical site reconstruction projects: a cross-cultural comparison
Built Heritage
Open space
Reconstruction
Historical sites
Integration
title Open spaces as the key to the integration issue of historical site reconstruction projects: a cross-cultural comparison
title_full Open spaces as the key to the integration issue of historical site reconstruction projects: a cross-cultural comparison
title_fullStr Open spaces as the key to the integration issue of historical site reconstruction projects: a cross-cultural comparison
title_full_unstemmed Open spaces as the key to the integration issue of historical site reconstruction projects: a cross-cultural comparison
title_short Open spaces as the key to the integration issue of historical site reconstruction projects: a cross-cultural comparison
title_sort open spaces as the key to the integration issue of historical site reconstruction projects a cross cultural comparison
topic Open space
Reconstruction
Historical sites
Integration
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-025-00176-1
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AT yiranliu openspacesasthekeytotheintegrationissueofhistoricalsitereconstructionprojectsacrossculturalcomparison
AT laurapezzetti openspacesasthekeytotheintegrationissueofhistoricalsitereconstructionprojectsacrossculturalcomparison