The Preventive Conservation Theory and Its Usability in Support of the Architectural Heritage

Preventive conservation is an approach which has been devised to support the cultural heritage and it is laid upon the foundations of principle of minimal intervention; moreover, it dates back to the ancient Romans and Greeks. The theory was firstly focused on the preservation of the historical buildings and monuments but later on this theory was expanded to the conservation of the historical objects and collections and then it was broadened to embrace the museums and archeology. According to its increasing application and also based on its comprehensive and thorough nature, it seems necessary to get acquainted with the methodologies and objectives of the preventive conservation. The objective of the present study is to familiarize the reader with the aforementioned concept, its place of origin, and the different and relevant aspects in respect to the architectural heritage; furthermore, the current study presents the experiences gained by the other countries in this area. The study methodology is a descriptive-analytical one and the information provided here have been collected based on the related study backgrounds and through references to the library documents and data. Knowing that prevention is definitely better than treatment, preventive conservation can be adopted as an appropriate solution to the prevention of the architectural heritage damages and in the meantime its Authenticity and integrity can be preserved and also a harmony can be created with the peripheral context.