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Replacement of natural stone in conservation of historic buildings, Evaluation of replacement of natural stone at the church of Our Lady in Breda

W.J. Quist
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture, department ®MIT, the Netherlands

In this paper the decision process and the choice for specific types of natural stone for conservation purposes are investigated. Two successive 20th century conservation campaigns at the church of Our Lady in Breda are analyzed. It was specifically investigated in how far the architects involved took aspects of compatibility and durability of the replacement stone into account. It is concluded that in both conservation campaigns arguments of durability and sometimes compatibility have been used. A historic line over the twentieth century interventions runs from attention to aesthetic compatibility over durability to technical compatibility.

Key words: Conservation, restoration, compatibility, durability, natural stone, evaluation