The book is the result of research carried out at the Mendrisio Academy of Architecture (Università della Svizzera italiana) as part of the Swiss inter-faculty project ‘Critical Encyclopaedia for the Restoration and Reuse of 20th-Century Architecture’ (2008–2012), funded by the Swiss Conference of Higher Education Institutions. 

Through over 40 essays in four languages (English, Italian, French and German – all with English abstracts), the volume provides the historical and critical tools to guide interventions on 20th-century architectural heritage; it traces the historical development of this heritage field nation by nation, illustrating for each country exemplary case studies and the tools for protection and enhancement; and it addresses the issue of terminology in all its evolving complexity. 

It also examines the ambiguous notions of heritage – understood as a cultural construct in a state of constant ‘making’ – and of authenticity (of materials, image, design, etc.). For most terms, it presents the perspectives of various specialists: architects, conservators, architectural historians, and sociologists. Editorial texts (in Italian and English) guide readers in forming their own perspectives.

Overall, this richly illustrated volume provides the cultural, theoretical, and critical framework necessary to understand recent architectural heritage in the broadest sense: as a historical, symbolic, and aesthetic resource, but also as a bearer of social, economic, and ecological values. 

The publication is therefore aimed at all those who reflect on the spaces and buildings that make up the environment in which they live, as well as at all those who are or will be directly involved in the day-to-day transformation of our cities: architects, engineers, conservators and officials from conservation departments, university lecturers and students, as well as the interested public and cultured tourists.

Conservation of 20th-Century Architectural Heritage. A Historical-Critical Encyclopedia
Roberta Grignolo, Bruno Reichlin (dirs.)
Colmena Verlag, Basel 2025
632 pages, 830 illustrations, mostly in ­colour. Clothbound. 24.5 × 33.0 × 4.3 cm