XX. századi műemlékek és védelmük (A 26. Egri Nyári Egyetem előadásai 1996 Eger, 1996)

Előadások: - Maija Kairamo: The rebuilding of the Olympic Satadium of Helsinki 1991-94

The inventory and documentation is, to my mind, an essential part of the planning of a reparation of any historically valuable building. Now the inventory and documentation work was carried out during the dusty and noisy construction works. It was discovered that lots of original details such as doors, windows, electrical and water installations were still in use in the building but were planned to be replaced with new ones. Some heavy discussions with the planners and decision makers led to the decision that all those original details which could be repaired (conserved) would be preserved instead of replacing them with new ones. At the same time, the crude repair of the deteriorated concrete parts continued. There were alternative ways to repair the concrete seating stages: — it would have been possible to remove the completely deteriorated horizontal planes and cast new parts on site, i.e. to use similar method than was ised in 1930's — or to install prefabricated elements on the supporting pillars. The latter method needed additional new beams to bind together the bearing pillar system. Unfortunately the latter method was chosen although it meant to changing the original continuous construction. The Stadium as a progressive modern construction lost a lot of its original avant-garde elegance. The former high jumper is now a disabled veteran standing with the aid of crutchers. The horizontal supporting constructions were treated by sandblasting the carbonized surfaces and the rust irons, and then rust-protecting the irons and casting a new concrete layer on top. The renovation of the seating stage planes was especially crude work. Only the main seating stage, which was protected by a roof and the lower eastern stage, which was under a shelter of the upper eastern stage and cast directly on the ground could be repaired instead of being completly renewed. The renewed seating stages and other concrete constructions were finally covered with a thick plastic coating in order to protect the new concrete against carbonization. This, to my mind, is a theoretical Utopia. The important characteristics of the original architecture of the stadium were the effects of simple materials, the mineral greyness of the concrete and wooden benches with their simple steel supports. The clumsy new look of the seating stages does not respond to the original. The repair of the inner rooms and spaces was more gentle, especially after the restoration specialists from the National Board of Antiquities had been allowed to participate in the decisive meetings. The knowledge revealed by the historical inventory and documentation helped the ongoing planning to pay attention to the original parts of the Stadium. In fact the planning policy was changed and a lot of costs were saved, when e.g. the original windows and doors were repaired instead of being renewed. The tower was considered to be an object of special care. It is a white, extraordinarily elegant and daring 72 meters high and 7,15x4,77 meters large reinforced concrete construction. It is a landmark which everybody knows. It had been painted many times but the latest layers were synthetic paint which had demolished the plaster. The plaster was removed, and a new, specially for this purpose developed plaster, so called Stadium plaster, was put on and painted with cement paint. Much had been planned and executed before NAB entered the project. The works in the northern curve were almost completed. The new benches and their iron supports differed much from the original ones. NAB demanded that in the following construction phases the benches should be designed to look close to the originals. In the main seating stage it was decided that