Contradiction of ancient ruins in the contemporary city

Abstract

Ancient ruins are a significant element in the historical European city’s environment as they are the remains of our past civilizations and the heritage of cultural identity. In the contemporary city, they need to be preserved, studied, displayed and sometimes excavated for the benefit of the urban scenery. Those challenges are related to their functionality, topography, nature, materials and scale. The approach to integrate the ruins vary and are still not accurately defined by the various regions and a common strategy has not been yet developed.This work will examine the obstacles contemporary architects and city planners face when dealing with ruins and propose a strategy for the establishing of a coherent urban environment by preserving the local treats of identity and benefiting from the existence of ruins.