Materiality and Color: A critical revision of research methods in conservation-restoration and material science of "Berlin Modernism Housing Estates" – past, present and future.

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Thomas Danzl; Professor Dr. Christoph Herm
• Subject Area: Architecture, Building and Construction History, Construction Research, Sustainable Building Technology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 502698612

The UNESCO World Heritage Site "Berlin Modernism Housing Estates" has been continuously restored since its creation in the 1920s. However, fundamental research on the original working techniques, color, and surface qualities is still lacking. Therefore, the critical revision of materiality with respect to the history of restoration is indispensable. The interdisciplinary cooperation of monuments conservation-restoration and science in the planned research project with their specific perspectives enables for the first time a critical revision and appreciation. This is fundamental for the heritage preservation and future desirable conservation management plan of modern housing estates. First, already acquired knowledge will be recorded, secured and made accessible for a wider knowledge transfer. In a second step, the focus will be on the history of restoration of Berlin Modernism Housing Estates between 1975 and 2005, primarily from a restoration and preservation perspective. The goal is to develop scientifically sound methodic guidelines by which the investigations with conservation-restoration methods and material science are recorded and the possibilities and limitations are evaluated. Comparison of minimal invasive and – if possible - noninvasive analytical methods applied on site and to material samples will be focused on.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Major Instrumentation: Ramanspektrometer
• Instrumentation Group: 1840 Raman-Spektrometer