Chapter 5: PAPERS
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chapter 5 – papers Chapter 5: PAPERS 165 the halland model 166 chapter 5 – papers 167 the halland model 168 chapter 5 – papers 169 the halland model 170 chapter 5 – papers 171 the halland model 172 chapter 5 – papers 173 the halland model 174 chapter 5 – papers 175 the halland model 176 chapter 5 – papers 177 the halland model 178 chapter 5 – papers 179 the halland model 180 chapter 5 – papers 181 the halland model 182 chapter 5 – papers Development of management skills within cultural heritage administrations Christer Gustafsson and Jan Rosvall The editor did now allow a printed version of this paper in this dissertation. To inform the reader, below follows a not published abstract of the paper. The paper is to be found in: Gustafsson, C. and Rosvall, J. (2008b) “Development of management skills within cultural heritage administrations”. In: Quagliuolo, M. Herity. Clas- sifying Monuments Open to the Public, pp.28-47. Roma: DRI, Fondazione Enotaria ONLUS. This article describes new approaches to set about boundary-spanning challenges for regional sustainable development and uses as a starting point experiences from the sector of cultural heritage. In the Baltic Sea re- gion a number of regeneration schemes have been carried out 1993-2004 which was based on the experiences from the Swedish region Halland. In the Baltic Sea region new cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary networks was introduced which will be described and discussed with a “multi-prob- lem-oriented” approach. wThe objective with this article is to describe and discuss the creation of such, specifically tailored networks that have been working “pro-actively” with cultural heritage and sustainable develop- ment. New tool-kits have been developed for the protection, maintenance and conservation of the built cultural heritage. Instead of only safeguard- ing the historic buildings from demolition or unnecessary alteration the approach has been to take the role and the initiative in designing projects in which the cultural heritage sector had the central role on a regional level. To achieve this goal the new networks have been established which 183 the halland model have been working cross-sectorally and multi-disciplinarily. The benefit of this collaboration was that the cultural heritage sector was able to act as a driving force in achieving the objectives agreed upon. In such networks the public sector is anticipated to co-operate with SME’s, NGO’s as well as with research teams, where the cultural heritage is anticipated to have a pro-active role, and to co-operate actively in an ambience of Regional Development programmes etc. The impact of the regeneration schemes on a regional level are as follows: • Regional development • Strengthening of democracy • Cultural identity. Keywords: Built cultural heritage, sustainable development, cross-secto- ral networks, multi-disciplinarily approach, regional development. 184 chapter 5 – papers Return on Heritage Investments Some Measurable Results of the Conser- vation of Harplinge Windmill and Rydö- bruk Industrial Site Christer Gustafsson1 and Thomas Polesie In the province of Halland in Sweden construction workers have been trained in traditional building techniques by practising these skills on historic buildings at risk.2 The motto for the cross-sectoral network the Halland Model has been to: • save the jobs; • save the craftsmanship; and • save the buildings. After a while a fourth motto was added: • to find an activity or business, which could contribute to regional sustainable development, for the improved premises. Today, almost ninety historic buildings have been saved and conserved in the Halland Model.3 Almost one-third, 1,100 of the region’s 3,700 con- struction workers, have been employed in these conservation schemes and thereby trained in traditional building techniques. Some 235 new jobs 1 The author is one of the founders of the Halland Model and a member of its steering committee. 2 Gustafsson 1992; 1996; 2000; 2003; Gustafsson and Rosvall 2007; Gustafsson and Polesie 2007. 3 The concept conservation in this article is used in a broad sense (including restoration and preservation) according to Muñoz Viñas’ definition, see Muñoz Viñas 2005, pp.16 ff. 185 the halland model have been created in the improved premises.4 Aims and objectives Preservation cannot be seen as a museum process where a historic object has been taken out from economic circulation.5 The decision to preserve or conserve a historic building is a complex process based on cultural, historical and political aspects. It might therefore be described as a suc- cessfully concluded articulation of meanings and values. The aim with this paper is to investigate the return of investment in two different con- servation projects, the Harplinge windmill and the Rydöbruk industrial site. These two cases have been chosen since they distinctly demonstrate their impacts in two ways: in improved craftsmanship and job creation in the conserved buildings’ new functions. This paper will investigate the complex of problems, the discussions among the decision-makers involved in the conservation team, the priorities of how the problems were solved and what determined the quality. The focus of the analysis is the discussion of preserving a building with its given qualities and its new function, and the gap between these two poles. This difference between existing resources before conservation and after with the building’s new function can be described as the return of investments in building conservation projects. The resources invested con- stitute: the buildings, the financial means, and the participants, including their knowledge and strategies, as well as their organisations. The results could therefore be seen in the increased value of the existing buildings and the new knowledge established among the participants. Further, it is of vital importance to study the adjustments between the interests of various groups and to describe the decisive choices and factors that made conservation possible to accomplish. Both the Harplinge wind- mill and the Rydöbruk industrial site were found in given locations and in their then present conditions. Conservation officers compiled preliminary conservation studies which were presented to the cooperating partners representing other interests. This paper will investigate and discuss how 4 Gustafsson 2003. 5 See e.g. Sörlin 2001; Muñoz Viñas 2005; Gustafsson and Polesie 2007. 186 chapter 5 – papers the aim of conservation was developed together with the other interests during the procedure of the feasibility study. Of certain interest for this article is craftsmanship, especially job creation in the buildings’ new func- tions. All partners in the Halland Model agreed that it was of crucial impor- tance that the historic buildings post conservation completion became accessible to the public. The ambition was to find an activity, or business, which was also important for regional growth and sustainable develop- ment. These new functions could be in the arts and culture sectors, tour- ism, nature conservation, environment protection, as well as more down- right commercial businesses. The common idea among the partners in the Halland Model was that if the public sector invested so much public funding based on tax revenue into one conservation project, the commu- nity as a whole should have as much in return. Delimitation The article will not deal with the overall community impact on the Hal- land Model. It will focus on only two of its conservation projects and their impact on craftsmanship and job creation in new functions which will be further discussed.6 Even if the concept value is centrally used in this paper, the article has no pretensions to find an all-embracing interpretation. Instead, the focus will be on identifying the value of cultural heritage, place and function for the return on investments in conservation. Problem formulation The overall question in every conservation project is whether to do any- thing at all or just to leave the object as it is.7 Before making an invest- ment in conservation of a historic building one has first to deal with the question as to whether to demolish it, and erect something with a greater 6 For a description of the Halland Model’s impact on saving buildings and regional cohesion, see Gustafsson and Polesie 2007; for its impact on sustainable development see Gustaf- sson and Rosvall 2007; and for its impact on collaborating management research see Gustafsson, Adler and Stymne 2007. 7 See for example Muñoz Viñas 2005 187 the halland model benefit to society, or conserve the existing building. One has to ask one- self, can it be justifiable to invest that great amount of public funding for the conservation of an old windmill or a closed-down industrial site? The benefit to society can be expressed as values elucidated in a calculation. This article will discuss and present the values from conservation projects in such calculations. In such comprehensive cooperation as the Halland Model, several per- formers have various agendas, objectives and missions. The cultural herit- age and the labour market sectors represent separate political priorities as well as traditions and cultures. They practically speak different languages. The divergence between the two public sectors became obvious when speaking about their completely different resources with allocated budg- ets. This paper will elucidate the various performers’ and participants’ dif- ferent roles in the Halland Model and what their resources were composed of, which risks they took and what was the return on their investments. All members of the steering committee agreed that if public society finan- cially contributed to the Halland Model conservation projects with such resources, the return to the public should be an equivalent.8 This paper will describe the translation from principles to practice as well as the dis- cussions and negotiations in the trade between various interests. To be able to achieve the targets set, a common language had to be developed.