CRITICAL NOTE
Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y,
and Conse a ion: A C i ical No e
Saul Fishe
Me cy College, US
s ishe @me cy.edu
A c i ical no e onPe e Lama que and Nigel Wal e ’s ‘The Applica ion o Na a i e
o he Conse a ion o His o ic Buildings’ (
Es e ika
, 1/2019).
Keywo ds: A chi ec u e; na a i i y; es o a ion; conse a ion
A dis inguishing ea u e o buildings – he ein, buil s uc u es – is ha among a is ic o
aes he ic objec s hey can enjoy he longes li es, p ope ly kep up. Bu wha cons i u es
p ope upkeep, and does ha no ion i sel look he same o a gi en buil s uc u e ac oss
i s li espan? And i i doesn’ s ay he same, wha h ead can we ollow o bes ensu e p ope
upkeep – ha is, op imal conse a ion? Such ques ions a e p omp ed by a pic u e o buil
s uc u es as main aining some so o iden i y ac oss ime, whe e such iden i y may be sus-
ained ac oss a ying s ages, a leas as nominally ied o di e en empo al pe iods, as a ach
o buil s uc u es and whe e some pe sis en ea u es o each buil s uc u e con ibu e o
sus aining i s iden i y, inasmuch as possible, ac oss spans o ime. (Fu he , such iden i y may
include mul iple such s ages concei ably ex ending om he momen hey a e buil o he
momen hey a e no mo e.) In addi ion, di e en so s o ea u es sus ained ac oss s ages o
he buil s uc u e’s exis ence may con ibu e o sus aining di e en aspec s o he s uc-
u e’s iden i y o , on ano he desc ip ion, some o he iden i y al oge he . Wi h his pic u e
o di e se possibili ies and ajec o ies, op imal conse a ion o buil s uc u es equi es, o
a leas s ands o bene i om, guidance ha enables, ac oss s ages, some iable no ion o
ep esen a ion o he buil s uc u e’s long- e m iden i y. Lama que and Wal e sugges ,1 wi h
a ying deg ees o con idence, ha we gain a aluable cha ac e iza ion and unde s anding o
ha long- e m iden i y – and so guide conse a ion e o s well – h ough na a i e accoun s
o buil s uc u es.
He e I assess Lama que and Wal e ’s sugges ion and add ess h ee ques ions. Fi s , I assess
wha he undamen al ea u es o na a i es o buil s uc u es should be. Speci ically, I
conside how we need o cons uc na a i es o buil s uc u es as a unc ion o how such
s uc u es pe sis h ough ime, and I p obe he na u e o he na a o and hei equisi e
ea u es. Second, I iden i y he necessi y and su iciency o na a i e accoun s in guiding
1 Pe e Lama que and Nigel Wal e , ‘The Applica ion o Na a i e o he Conse a ion o His o ic Buildings’,
Es e ika: The Cen al Eu opean Jou nal o Aes he ics 56 (2019): 5–27.
Fishe , Saul. ‘Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y,
and Conse a ion: A C i ical No e.’
Es e ika: The Eu opean
Jou nal o Aes he ics
LVII/XIII, no.1 (2020): pp.93–103.
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.33134/eeja.31
ESTETIKA
THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF AESTHETICS
Fishe : Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y, and Conse a ion94
conse a ion e o s. Thi d, I ask whe he na a i e is he igh o m o ell he s o y o a buil
s uc u e. I ’s no clea we need na a i e when a simple way o desc ibing he s uc u e’s li e
adequa ely cha ac e izes i s iden i y. I s a , hough, wi h he iews o Wal e and Lama que,
who bo h emb ace na a i e accoun s, hough no as equally en hused.
I. Wal e ’s En husiasm
The cen al cha ge o a chi ec u al conse a ion, pe Wal e and Lama que, is managing
change in buil s uc u es, ela i e o hei ‘signi icance’ and ‘cha ac e ’, whe e signi icance
comp ises e iden ial, his o ical, aes he ic, o communal alues.2 Much es s on wha migh be
mean by ‘cha ac e ’ o buil s uc u es, ei he in Wal e o elsewhe e in conse a ion hink-
ing, o bes guide conse a ion p ac ice. Wal e , o his pa , sugges s ha buil s uc u es
ha e cha ac e in he manne o pe sons, o as o he a i ac s ha e ‘cha ac e ’, de i a i ely
unde s ood. Mo eo e , he p oposes, buil s uc u es li e, de elop, and g ow (like li ing
hings), and in hese ways hey ha e, o pe haps e en a e, ‘ongoing’ na a i es. Much as a
pe son may ha e a pe sona ha changes o e ime, as illumina ed by a na a i e accoun , so
oo buil s uc u es ha e a cha ac e o iden i y ha , o e ime, changes such ha i s his o i-
cal dimensions a e be e unde s ood in e ms o i s na a i e. Fu he , a na a i e associa ed
wi h a building endows i wi h some kind o meaning, as na a i es do in he case o pe sons.
These cha ac e -explaining and signi icance- e ealing ea u es ma k na a i e as use ul o
conse a ion analysis and decision-making.
In he landscape o hough on managing change in buil s uc u es, Wal e sees his
na a i i y amewo k as succeeding whe e p io iews ha e no . Thus, es o a ion, pe
Violle -le-Duc, ails as sani ized, e isionis , and ul ima ely conjec u al his o y; conse a ion,
pe Ruskin, Mo is,3 and he SPAB adi ion, p omo es pu ely his o ical unde s anding and
ea men o old buil s uc u es a he neglec o g asping hei p esen use o possibili ies;
and pos mode nis a chi ec u al heo ies oo na owly e alua e old buil s uc u es ela-
i e o p esen , ins umen al o ideological ends. By con as , Wal e sugges s, a na a i e
app oach o e s ou ad an ageous ac o s, namely, ha na a i e is
W1. explana o ily obus , accoun ing o empo al con inui y o buil s uc u es;
W2. p ojec i e, licensing u u e ‘cul u al p oduc ion’, as may include a ied uses o a
gi en s uc u e o e ime;
W3. democ a ic and inclusi e, aluing communi y inpu beyond he specialis ; and
W4. holis ic, elling he s o y o he whole, acc e i e, and de eloping buil s uc u e as a
uni ied a chi ec u al objec , and no jus as e lec i e o i s pa s o aspec s.
Wha makes na a i es explana o ily obus ma ks hem as ixing he espec i e ailings o
adi ional conse a ionis and pos mode nis app oaches: na a i es ecoun a pas s o y
o he buil s uc u e, accoun o he p esen chap e , and en ision u u e chap e s. In his
way, Wal e ’s na a i i y iew wo ks om he assump ion ha o ha e a heo y o change
2 Ibid., 5. Conse a ion is aken o possibly in ol e g ea e in e en ion han a chi ec u al p ese a ion, he goal
o which is o keep buil s uc u es in hei p esen condi ion while doing as li le as migh ha e an impac on
he s uc u e. See John Ruskin, The Wo ks o John Ruskin, ol. 8, The Se en Lamps o A chi ec u e, ed. Edwa d Tyas
Cook and Alexande Wedde bu n (London: Geo ge Allen, 1903); William Mo is and Philip Webb, ‘Mani es o o
he Socie y o he P o ec ion o Ancien Buildings’ (1877), in Be na d Feilden, Conse a ion o His o ic Buildings,
3 d ed. (1982; Ox o d: A chi ec u al P ess, 2003), 359–60, h ps://www.spab.o g.uk/abou -us/spab-mani es o.
A ye ea lie concep ion – a chi ec u al es o a ion – has i ha we may b ing olde , dec epi buil s uc u es
back o hei in ended, o iginal s a es, o a leas s a es ha a e his o ically mo e au hen ic.
3 Ruskin, Se en Lamps; Mo is and Webb, ‘Mani es o’.
Fishe : Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y, and Conse a ion 95
managemen , we need o be able o accoun o change. Indeed, Wal e has i ha all build-
ings a e subjec o change, as is necessa y o hei ‘heal h’ – by which he appea s o mean
a leas hei ongoing in eg i y, hough also hei ongoing and pu pose ul in eg a ion in he
buil landscape and amids o he social in as uc u e. Taking buil s uc u es as objec s ha
mus g ow and de elop o emain use ul in hese o o he ways, Wal e holds ha any accoun
o hei iden i y as ongoing en i ies mus explain hei g ow h ajec o ies, pas , p esen , and
u u e. Tha is o ell a s o y ha wea es oge he all he momen s o change and explains
hem as one explains his o y – whe he by pa e n o anomaly – in na a i e e ms. In his
na a i e concep ion o buil s uc u es, change is unde s ood as p esen ing a no mal and
manageable ange o p oblems, which i in o a de eloping, un inished s o y.
II. Lama que’s Concessiona y S ance
Lama que, o his pa , is a bi less sanguine abou p ospec s o a na a i e accoun 4 bu
in he end acknowledges some me i in such an app oach o conse a ion. In pa icula ,
a na a i e model is a ac i e because, ollowing Wal e ’s p ojec i i y hesis (W2), such a
model p o ides accoun s o buildings ha yield conse a ion choices oo ed in he pas
hough no (as Lama que wo ies abou his o ical na a i es gene ally) bound by he pas .
He e, Lama que sees a connec ion wi h Wal e ’s inclusi i y a gumen (W3). Na a i e
accoun s o he empo al span o buil s uc u es pe mi a mul iplici y o pe spec i es as
o he s uc u e’s ‘ igh ’ s o y, ela i e o ei he nex o pas ‘chap e s’. The ac ha we
may no be able o iden i y a single, bes , o co ec na a i e is a poin in a o o na -
a i e accoun s, no agains hem. On democ a ic g ounds, we wan o allow o as many
pe spec i es as possible on cu en unde s andings o he buil s uc u e’s pas and pos-
sible u u es. Fu he , na a i e accoun s bes o he so s o accoun s o empo al spans o
buil s uc u es in o e ing maximum ideological lexibili y in conse a ion. A nex chap-
e o a buil s uc u e’s s o y can ake many di e en u ns; by con as , in a adi ional
p ese a ionis accoun , dogma ic guidelines ell us wha he nex chap e will look like,
namely, as much like he p io chap e s as possible. Finally, Lama que endo ses some hing
like Wal e ’s holism hesis (W4): Wha na a i e accoun s o e o e o he so s o his o i-
cal accoun s is a sense o cohe ence and uni y among his o ical e en s o ‘chap e s’ in he
empo al span o he buil s uc u e.
The e a e some wo ies he e on Lama que’s pa . Fo one, na a i e accoun s a e use ul as
a guide o conse a ion hinking i hey help in making decisions, o example, by in oduc-
ing cons ain s on conse a ion choices. Bu as Wal e allows, ha ’s no a ea u e o na a-
i e accoun s. So ha is a de ici in Lama que’s es ima ion. And ye , Wal e p oposes, aking
conse a ion deba es as con es a ions among na a i es is s ill an ad ance o e simple appeal
o adi ional, igid p inciples o conse a ion. Lama que concedes ha his makes na a i e
accoun s use ul as heu is ics. Fo ano he , na a i es can be askew o un eliable, yielding
dis o ions o iden i y, and he e may no be any check on his. Then any conse a ion deci-
sions ha depend on an accu a e sense o he buil s uc u e’s iden i y a e a isk. Tha said,
Lama que no es, such dange s o accu acy o in eg i y can a ise in o he so s o conse a ion
guidelines as appeal no o na a i e accoun s bu o s anda d o adi ional p inciples o
alues o conse a ion. So na a i e is a leas no wo se han he al e na i es.
All his speaks o he ins umen al a ac ion o na a i e accoun s in hei plausible explan-
a o y alue and socio-cul u al u ili y. Tha said, he issue o g ea e no e o Lama que, in ligh
4 Indeed, his ini ial hough is ha his ea lie c i ique o na a i e, as pu a i e accoun s o pe sonal iden i y o
sense o sel , is b oadly gene alizable, such ha we should be wo ied, oo, abou a na a i e accoun o he
empo al span o a chi ec u al objec s.
Fishe : Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y, and Conse a ion96
o his conce ns abou na a i e in o he domains, is wha makes na a i es iable o begin
wi h as a ached o, o bes cha ac e izing, he iden i y o buil s uc u es. In sho , a e buil
s uc u es he so s o hings ha uly ha e, o can be assigned, na a i es? He e he no es,
along wi h Wal e , ha we can dis inguish a building wi h a con inuous and long-s anding
exis ence om a building ha no longe exis s as in ac ; u he , his dis inc ion sugges s ha
he o me building is mids eam in a empo al sequence ha we can call an ongoing s o y
o accoun o in an ongoing s o y.5 The la e building, by con as , has go en o he end o
such a sequence, o he end o i s s o y. This much sugges s ha buil s uc u es, in i ue o
hei las ing o e long pe iods o ime, indeed can be desc ibed in na a i e e ms.
Lama que emains conce ned, howe e , abou wo poin s in his ega d. Fi s , buil s uc-
u es migh be he subjec o na a i es bu hey canno be na a i es pe se, a leas in
he sense adi ionally associa ed wi h na a i e sel - epo . This is because e e y na a i e
equi es ha a pe son, a he han an objec , ela e ha na a i e. To a oid an h opomo -
phizing, any iable no ion o na a i e accoun s o buil s uc u es should ake he s uc u es
o be he subjec s, wi h hei na a i es old by people. Second, as na a i e accoun s a e
incomple e and non-comp ehensi e, hey should no ha e disp opo iona e signi icance in
ou explana ions, unde s andings, o decisions. This goes o buil s uc u es as o pe sons.
This las conce n speaks o a mo e gene al p oblem Lama que en e ains be o e mo ing
o his concessiona y s ance. One mo i a ion Wal e p esen s o a na a i e model is ha
buildings, like li ing hings, a e b ough in o being, enjoy a po en ially long-las ing exis ence,
and hen mee hei demise; consequen ly, buildings may be desc ibed in he same na a i e
e ms as we desc ibe li es. In esponse, Lama que o e s ha he li es buildings lead a e no
he same as na a i es. In gene al, he na u e o na a i e – being pa ial accoun s o a li e,
ex e nal o he li e, and no necessa ily accu a e in de ailing he li e – is no i ing o he
no ion o he iden i y o some x ac oss he li espan o x; no do iden i ies end o ely on any
pa icula na a i e.6 Indeed, Lama que sugges s, ha buil s uc u es sus ain hei iden i y
ac oss ime seems mo e a unc ion o he same s uc u al elemen s ha endu e han a conse-
quence o any a endan na a i es o hei elemen s, which end o shi and may be a iable
a any gi en poin in ime.
Two poin s appea o p omp Lama que o mo e beyond his p oblem and adop his con-
cessiona y s ance. Fo one, he ins umen al case: na a i es such as Wal e ’s accoun en ails
may help guide conse a ion o buil s uc u es. Fo ano he , he ongoing s o y case: o say
ha buil s uc u es ha e accompanying na a i es, i is su icien o us o poin o he em-
po al sequences in which hose s uc u es a e c ea ed, exis a a ious s ages, and hen all
apa o a e des oyed – and o be able o loca e he buil s uc u es a one o ano he o
hose s ages as playing a pa icula ole in an ongoing s o y. In emb acing he ongoing s o y
case, Lama que is appa en ly je isoning his equi emen o buil s uc u es o ha e na a-
i es, ha such na a i es p ese e a gi en s uc u e’s iden i y. This is he hea o his conces-
sion o Wal e ’s posi ion, namely, ha buil s uc u es may ha e na a i es because, a om
demanding ha hey be iden i y-p ese ing, we wan na a i es ha ell us mul iple di e en
his o ies o s uc u es and so help o ame hei mul iple possible u u e iden i ies. Wi hin
bounds se by he limi s o hei incomple e and pe spec i al cha ac e , we can d aw on
na a i e accoun s ha p o ide lexible and di e se guidance in conse ing buil s uc u es.
5 Some piece o calling his accoun a s o y leans on a me apho ical unde s anding o he building as a li ing
hing, p esumably because empo al sequences o li ing hings seem mo e amenable o s o y-like accoun s han
hose o nonli ing hings, like ocks.
6 Excep in he case o pe sonas as iden i ies, bu i is ques ionable ha pe sonas lead ac ual li es.
Fishe : Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y, and Conse a ion 97
III. App aising he Na a i i y View
A numbe o assump ions h oughou he Wal e -Lama que dialogue me i assessmen . These
include he no ion ha na a i es o buil s uc u es o e an ob ious, inconsequen ial sense
o who designs and deli e s such his o ical accoun s, o o he ways ha buil s uc u es pe -
sis ac oss ime; ha he u ili y case poin s o ways ha na a i e accoun s su ice o o a e
necessa y o guiding conse a ion o his o ic buil s uc u es; and ha his o ical s o ies abou
buil s uc u es op imally should be in na a i e o m a e all. I examine each o hese in u n.
Me aphysical Conce ns. Taking na a i es as iable his o ical accoun s o buil s uc u es
p omp s a numbe o ques ions abou he unde lying me aphysics. Fo one, he e is he
ma e o cha ac e izing hose quali ies ha a na a o mus ha e. Fo ano he , he e is
he ma e o speci ying he so s o hings ha buil s uc u es mus be, ela i e o hei
pe sis ing ac oss ime – as endu an s o pe du an s – and gauging consequences o he so
o na a i es a ailable on ei he iew.
In aming he his o ies o buil s uc u es as na a i es, he ques ion a ises as o who is
epo ing o c a ing he na a i e. Indeed, as in ilm o li e a u e, we may ask whe he , o
a gi en buil s uc u e, he e is a na a o , and i so, wha hei cha ac e is ic o equisi e
ea u es mus be. As o he i s ques ion: In a chi ec u e, ypically wo pa ies con end o
p o ide na a i es o buil s uc u es – a chi ec s, as c ea o s, and a chi ec u al his o ians,
as guides o he cul u al pas (in mo e ecen imes, de elope s, as ma ke e s, ha e joined
ha lis ).7 Wal e and Lama que discuss ano he possibili y, ha o a ying communi ies o
s akeholde s as na a o s. This p oposal o e s he p omise o p omo ing g ea e democ acy
in conse a ion p ojec s, as di e en s akeholde s ende hei dis inc i e e sions o in e -
p e a ions o a i ing na a i e. Lama que sees po en ial di icul y in pe spec i al di e ences,
hough one could imagine e o s o econcile co espondingly di e ing na a i es. O he
p oblems a e less simple o esol e. Fo one, s akeholde s by he na u e o hei posi ion and
bea ing es ed in e es hwa he e y possibili y o na a i e objec i i y o which his o i-
ans aspi e. Acco dingly, hey b ing o hei na a i es highe isk o che y-picked his o ical
da a, jus -so s o ies, o jus plain inaccu acy. Fo ano he , s akeholde s’ na a i es o a buil
s uc u e a e c a ed a pa icula ins an s along he s uc u e’s imeline, each ins an in u n
being in e es -laden. (No e, o example, he a ying na a i es o e ed by a communi y when
a building is buil in he s yle o i s day, and much la e , when popula con emp o ha
o iginal s yle p e ails.) Each o hese ac o s make mo e likely ha s akeholde s’ na a i es
exploi his o y han do his o y p ope . Wal e ’s esponse o wo ies abou esul ing di e -
ences among na a i es is o poin o a p emium on inclusion. The p oblem, howe e , is
less abou pe spec i al o e abundance pe se and mo e o do wi h main aining ambi ions
owa ds objec i i y o a leas non- ela i is ic e isimili ude.
As o he second ques ion – whe he he e mus be a na a o – as I no e below, he e may
be his o ical accoun s o buil s uc u es o which such a e no equi ed, hough in he cases
I desc ibe we a e no en e aining na a i es s ic o sensu. Supposing ha he e is a na a o ,
we may ask wha minimal equi emen s hey mus mee . Fo example, mus na a o s be
p esen a he momen he c ea ion ‘s a s’ (is buil ), he way na a o s a e o en p esen a
he s a o a no el? O can na a o s be in oduced a a la e poin , including mid-na a i e?
As hei pe spec i es will a y acco ding o hei poin o in oduc ion, his seems a basic
pa ame e o speci y, ye i is no clea how o do so. A u he puzzle abou he na u e o
7 A chi ec u al his o ians may ell all manne o na a i es ela i e o he same buil s uc u e; see, o example,
Nicola Came lenghi, ‘The Longue Du ée and he Li e o Buildings’, in New App oaches o Medie al A chi ec u e,
ed. Robe Bo k, William W. Cla k, and Abby McGehee (Abindgon: Rou ledge, 2016), 11–21, and Dana A nold,
Reading A chi ec u al His o y (Abingdon: Rou ledge, 2002).

Fishe : Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y, and Conse a ion98
he na a o esul s om he s akeholde s ipula ion. On Wal e ’s iew, o ende a na a i e
o signi icance o alue o conse a ion e o s, one has o be in es ed in he a e o a buil
s uc u e – cul u ally, u ili y-wise, inancially, o o he wise. This aises he ques ion o how o
judge he ou e limi o signi ican , o ele an , in es men beyond which poin one may no
be conside ed an app op ia e na a o . This issue is well-known in he annals o he i age con-
se a ionism – wi h which a chi ec u al conse a ionism has signi ican o e lap – and is o
pa icula sensi i i y in ins ances whe e conse a ion e o s a e moun ed a a ansna ional
dis ance o by in e na ional o ganiza ions.8
Talk abou na a i e o buil s uc u es as a simila kind o na a i e o pe sons is an in i a-
ion, ia condi ions o pe sonal iden i y, o see buil s uc u e na a i es h ough he lens o
he me aphysics o pe sis ence. Thus, na a i e accoun s assume ha he buil s uc u es so
desc ibed (o , on Wal e ’s s ong sense, so exis ing qua na a i e) pe sis h ough ime. This
is a b oadly ai assump ion in ligh o wo key ea u es o buil s uc u es: in many ( hough
no all) cul u al adi ions hey a e buil o pe sis o e ime, and in many ( hough no he
majo i y o ) ins ances, buil s uc u es can pe sis o a e y long ime. Bu how do hey pe sis
o e ime?
I (a) by endu ing, hen buil s uc u es a e en i ely p esen ac oss hei his o ical ajec o-
ies, gi e o ake addi ions and sub ac ions, epai s, o uina ion.
I (b) by pe du ing, hen buil s uc u es ha e empo al pa s and a e no p esen in hei
physical en i e ies ac oss hei his o ical ajec o ies.9
Indeed, i buil s uc u es pe du e, i is ha d o see ha hey can be ead as na a i es
(s ong sense) o be ead h ough na a i es (weak sense), a leas whe e na a i es a e adi-
ionally concei ed as iden i y-p ese ing his o ical accoun s. In he pe du an is pic u e, buil
s uc u es a e space- ime wo ms, whe e his o ical accoun s may loca e di e en physical ea-
u es (o hei uses, s a es o epai , e c.) as pa icula o one o mo e in a se ies o empo al
pa s. The his o ical o na a i e ask is hen o say how, and unde wha condi ions, some
pe du an buil s uc u e B pe sis s, o example, om 0 o 1. Bu pe sis ence he e happens
because B has wo empo al pa s B0, B1, and ha ’s no because B has an iden i y equal o B0
o B1 – no is i ue ha hey a e iden ical. Thus, gi en pe du an ism, his o ical accoun s do
no look use ul o iden i y p ese a ion; a he , such accoun s ely on he supposi ion o
es ablishmen o B as he wo m comp ising {B0,…, Bn}.10 So while backwa ds-looking his o ical
accoun s can ell us abou p io empo al pa s o a s uc u e ha he wo m s ings oge he ,
such accoun s iden i y only pa o a uni ied subjec ( om p io empo al pa s) and, conse-
quen ly, a e a bes incomple e na a i es. No being g ounded in a comple e iden i y, such
accoun s canno deli e on Wal e ’s hope ha na a i e gi e oice o a holis ic iden i y and so
guide conse a ion e o s.
U ili y A gumen s o Na a i e. Such issues a e o no e, na u ally, only i na a i e accoun s
a e how we wan o ell he s o y o buil s uc u es – and he p ima y mo i a ion o
Lama que and Wal e is he ins umen al alue o such accoun s, ha na a i es o his o ic
8 See Lynn Meskell and Ch is oph B umann, ‘UNESCO and New Wo ld O de s’, in Global He i age: A Reade , ed.
Lynn Meskell (Ox o d: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015), 22–42; Mo ag M. Ke sel and Ch is ina Luke, ‘Ci il Socie ies?
He i age Diplomacy and Neo-Impe ialism’, in Meskell, Global He i age, 70–93.
9 O he wise pu : on an endu an is eading, a buil s uc u e pe sis s h ough ime IFF ac oss he buil s uc u e’s
imeline, i exis s in i s en i e y a each poin on he imeline. And on a pe du an is eading, a buil s uc u e
pe sis s h ough ime IFF ac oss he buil s uc u e’s imeline, each o i s dis inc empo al pa s exis a some
poin on he imeline.
10 On a S age Theo y a ian o Fou -Dimensionalism, buil s uc u es don’ pe sis a all, bu a he ep esen
empo ally-indexed coun e pa en i ies – o which a e y di e en so o his o ical accoun migh be possible,
hough no likely na a i e in cha ac e .
Fishe : Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y, and Conse a ion 99
buildings guide conse a ion in use ul ways. This appea s no o be he case, howe e , as i
nei he su ices no is necessa y o appeal o such na a i es o p o ide p ope o op imal
guidelines o conse a ion.
The su iciency easoning goes like his: in app ecia ing he his o ical pa hway ha a buil
s uc u e has a eled o da e, we gain guidance o conse a ion e o s, which guidance will
ep esen , and p ojec possible u u es ahead om, iews o he pas . Na a i e p esen s he
de elopmen al a c o a s uc u e, h ough he succession o i s s ages, and ha a c shapes a
sense o di ec ion o he s ages going o wa d as include conse ing he s uc u e. Bu he
me e ga he ing o pe spec i es on he pas , and iden i ying he his o ical ajec o y such as
hey desc ibe, does no p o ide such guidance. In pa icula , o guide conse a ion we s ill
need p ojec ion p inciples ha ell us which o he many ways we should ollow, and why,
om a gi en p io ajec o y o s uc u al change, use, cul u al engagemen , o o he his o i-
cal ac o s. This is as ue o na a i e, wi h i s obus communica ion o he i age and cha ac-
e , as wi h o he his o ical o ms; knowing how he pas is pe cei ed and ead as pa o one’s
communi y in he p esen momen may no by i sel p o ide a guide o wha abou a buil
s uc u e should be kep in ac going o wa d. Conside he case o açadism, in which he
on age o an old building is bu ed o a high sheen while he en i e es o he s uc u e is
aken down and eplaced by a new building, ypically o a g ande scale and gene ally o no
s ylis ic ela ion, be i complemen a y o o he wise in dialogue.11 One may deba e he deg ee
o au hen ici y p oduced by such conse a ion e o s, bu he p oblem o he su iciency o
na a i e he e is s a ke : no na a i es alone would poin in he di ec ion aking his pa icu-
la app oach o conse a ion; no is i clea ha na a i es would su ice o a gue agains such
an app oach, ei he . G ande p inciples come in o play.
The necessi y o na a i e is o g ea e in e es o Wal e , who a gues ha na a i es inco -
po a e communi y oices and d aw on he a ying pe spec i es o expe s and non-expe s,
and as a ma e o social and poli ical ec i ude, conse a ion e o s canno legi ima ely
igno e his ulles ange o judgmen s and sen imen s. Fu he , he p oposes, we need na a-
i es o loca e a chi ec u al objec s ela i e o he pas and he u u e; his is in con as wi h
adi ional conse a ion pe spec i es ha only look o he pas . Lama que ag ees on bo h
coun s. In his las ega d, howe e , we could jus s ipula e addi ion o a u u e o ien a ion
in ou conse a ion p inciples wi hou leaning on ‘na a i i y’. So we don’ need na a i e o
a ain his goal. The i s poin is ha de o esis gi en a p emium on democ acy and inclu-
sion in public choice. Ye wo quali ica ions a e in o de . One, we migh no need his o ical
accoun s o buil s uc u es o g asp a communi y o s akeholde pe spec i e on conse a ion
s akes and choices; pu ely con empo a y conce ns migh su ice. Two, assuming we do need
his o ical accoun s, i ’s no clea we need o ely on na a i es pe se.
Na a i es and O he His o ical Fo ms. To gi e an accoun o his o ical pa hways o a buil
s uc u e, we need o make su e we pick he igh o bes s o y o m – o which na a i e is
only one op ion. S anda d al e na i e s o y o ms include annals and ch onicles. One ques ion
he e is whe he na a i e is bes in his case, and o ge a he answe equi es unde s anding
he na u e o his o ical s o ies old abou buil s uc u es. A cen al ea u e o such s o ies –
highligh ed by Wal e – is ha hey ocus on de ails o he li e o he s uc u e. A u he
ques ion, hen, is whe he na a i es pe se a e needed – o op imal – o ou lining such a
li e. Ano he ea u e o such s o ies – pe Wal e and Lama que, hough in di e en ways – is
ha hey a e iden i y-p ese ing. Rep esen a ion o a s uc u e’s li espan may be su icien
o indica ing ha s uc u e’s iden i y – no only in he mani old, s akeholde -d i en ashion
11 See Thomas L. Schumache , ‘“Façadism” Re u ns, o he Ad en o he “Duck-o a ed Shed”’, Jou nal o
A chi ec u al Educa ion 63 (2010): 128–37, doi: 10.1111/j.1531-314x.2010.01073.x.
Fishe : Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y, and Conse a ion100
ha Wal e asc ibes o na a i es bu also in a way ha co esponds o a singula , physical,
and cul u al his o y o he s uc u e.
To begin wi h, he s o ies o buil s uc u es as o e he bes his o ical accoun s migh
u n ou no o be na a i es. Conside h ee so s o his o ical accoun s, as delinea ed in he
Ca oll-Whi e s o y- o m axonomy. As Noël Ca oll sugges s, ollowing Mo on Whi e,12 s o y
o ms a e discou ses wi h some empo al o de ing and include a leas hese ypes:
1. Annals, o an o de ed se ies o e en s as may lack a uni ied subjec ;
2. Ch onicles, o an o de ed se ies o e en s as ea u es a uni ied subjec ; and
3. Na a i es, o an o de ed se ies o e en s as ea u es a uni ied subjec and sugges s
causal connec ions (o a iable so 13) among he e en s.
Indeed, in Ca oll’s accoun , he e y ma k o na a i e is ha he subjec is uni ied by he
causal ela ions.14 Thus he sees na a i e no simply as a s o y o m bu also as an explana o y
o m: na a i es explain cou ses o e en s and signi ican backg ound condi ions in i ue
o hei ollowing and epo ing on causal connec ions. While he Ca oll-Whi e axonomy
ocuses on s o ies in w i en o cinema ic con ex s, Feagin no es ha a b oade sense o s o y
is a ailable, whe e causa ion – hence na a i e accoun s – need no be human-d i en o pu -
posi e a all.15
Whe e do his o ical accoun s o buil s uc u es i in he e? Fo hei pa , Wal e and
Lama que hink such accoun s should ell a s o y abou p e ious s ages o he s uc u e’s
exis ence, including, bu no limi ed o, ini ial design phase, such ha wha comes nex – in
conse a ion bu concei ably elsewise, o example, in e-use – is cohe en and consis en
wi h ha s o y. Fu he , mul iple pe spec i es on he s uc u e’s pas o u u e a e possible,
each shaped by a ying iews o pas e en s, use, in en ions, communi y o o he s akeholde
in e es s, and so on. No e ha such accoun s ully commi o an o de ed se ies o e en s, and
he e is he assump ion o a uni ied subjec . Howe e , wha ’s missing he e, as would sa is y
he Ca oll-Whi e no ion o na a i e, is any causal o explana o y cha ac e , excep in he
a enua ed sense ha he p io s uc u al condi ions p o ide he physical backg ound condi-
ions o any p esen o u u e s uc u e o con inue o exis . To ake Wal e ’s example, i ’s no
as i he Chu ch o S Nicholas as cons i u ed in medie al imes causes ha same chu ch o
ha e ce ain o he , modi ied ea u es in Vic o ian imes. We don’ ind he e he so o causal
o explana o y cha ac e o na a i e ha Ca oll equi es.
Tha said, and looking a he nex candida e o m in he Ca oll-Whi e axonomy, he
Wal e -Lama que sense o his o ical accoun is no qui e limi ed o wha ch onicles en ail: a
simple se ies o e en s wi h a uni ied subjec . To see why, conside he cons uc o a uni ied
subjec in e ms o Wal e ’s sense o he li e o a buil s uc u e. Such a li e has a bookended,
up-and-down ajec o y, om design and cons uc ion h ough modi ica ion, e-use, and
conse a ion, h ough decline, uin, and des uc ion – his much i s he minimal sense
o uni ied subjec ha make o ch onicles. Howe e , he his o ies o buil s uc u es on
Wal e ’s eckoning also ea u e hose s uc u es as cha ac e s, no in he sense o pe sonali y
12 Noël Ca oll, ‘On he Na a i e Connec ion’, in Beyond Aes he ics: Philosophical Essays (Camb idge: Camb idge
Uni e si y P ess, 2001), 118–33; Mo on Whi e, Founda ions o His o ical Knowledge (New Yo k: Ha pe and Row,
1965).
13 The e en s aken as causes mus be, on Ca oll’s eckoning, causally ele an and a leas causally necessa y o
he e en s aken as e ec s.
14 ‘[…] causal ela ions a e s anda dly he cemen ha uni ies he subjec o he s o y.’ Ca oll, ‘On he Na a i e
Connec ion’, 127.
15 Susan L. Feagin, ‘On Noël Ca oll on Na a i e Closu e’, Philosophical S udies 135 (2007): 17–25.
Fishe : Li espans o Buil S uc u es, Na a i i y, and Conse a ion 101
o empe amen , bu in e ms o playing a ole in a cul u al o social en i onmen . In Wal e ’s
example, he chu ch plays a ole in eligious and communi y con ex s, and possibly in o he
con ex s, depending on e-pu posing. Wha migh be seen as an accoun o owne o occu-
pan use o in en ion, adjunc o he co e physical o aes he ic his o y o he s uc u e, is
o Wal e wo en in o he s o y o he s uc u e’s li e ajec o y. This pic u e o hings akes
us beyond he buil s uc u e as me e uni ied subjec and indeed in oduces causa ion and
explana ion o he s o y. Howe e , we don’ qui e a i e back a na a i e, a leas in he
Ca oll-Whi e axonomy, because i ’s no he s uc u e ha has agency o pu pose he e bu
a he he people in ol ed wi h he s uc u e. I i ’s a na a i e by ha axonomy, i ’s a na a-
i e o he s uc u e and i s a ious engaged communi ies o e ime.
This migh gi e us a sui able amewo k o his o ical accoun s o buil s uc u es as na -
a i es, ei he o guiding conse a ion o mo e b oadly. Bu he e is ano he way o hink o
such accoun s as highligh s he li es o s uc u es. This o he app oach does no necessi a e
b inging o he , agen i e cha ac e s in o he pic u e – and also may help a oid he ipwi e
o needing o i he s o ies’ ea u es in o a o mal na a i e a c o a egula pa e n. This
o he way o ell his o ies in his domain is he li ecycle concep , which we ind in cons uc-
ion, main enance, and en i onmen al p ac ice and schola ship ela ed o buil s uc u es.
Acco ding o he li ecycle concep , buil s uc u es ha e li es ha may ollow s ages in he way
ha Wal e no es, and hey a e desc ibed as sys ems wi h pa s, dimensions, and dynamics.
Thus, li ecycle conside a ions in he managemen o buil s uc u es ypically comp ise he
egula o y, especially as conce ns en i onmen al pe o mance, including ene gy conse a ion;
main ainabili y, including cos and isk; aes he ic, as ela i e o con ex o in some absolu e
sense; and ade-o s – all o which may be b oadly economic in scope.16 As his lis o consid-
e a ions sugges s, his o ical accoun s on he li ecycle model ea u e causa ion and explana ion
and so mo e beyond me e uni ied subjec s. On he o he hand, such accoun s a e ocused on
his o y o he sys em o he s uc u e pe se – a he han his o y o he g ea e sys em o s uc-
u e plus builde , use , enan , o communi y. Li ecycle his o ies, unlike hei a endan social,
cul u al, o en i onmen al his o ies, don’ gi e us na a i e-s yle accoun s o goal-di ec ed
change o e ime (excep inciden ally and a punc ua ing momen s) o o mo i es as a ach
o he agen s ope a ing on o wi hin he buil s uc u e’s sys em. No do li ecycle his o ies i
ixed pa e ns beyond he looses cons ual o gene a ion and co up ion. Wha hey do gi e
us, howe e , is a his o y o a buil s uc u e as may be said, me apho ically, o li e; and o he
so s o conside a ions ha ie he s uc u e oge he o e ime as a uni ied subjec .
This cohesion as a pe sis en and single li e is a majo ea u e o his o ical accoun s o buil
s uc u es o Wal e and Lama que because ha ing such a his o y is wha p o ides guidance
o u u e s a es o he s uc u e. Wha comes nex o he s uc u e, in sho , should in some
way con inue he adi ion o wha came be o e in he s uc u e – which dic um assumes
he e is a disce nable pa e n o he p io his o y, as cha ac e izes he uni ied subjec . This is
why his o ical accoun s ha e o be iden i y-p ese ing in a leas some ega d, e en as buil
s uc u es ha e a mu able iden i y. As Wal e and many o he conse a ionis s no e, sus-
ained iden i y does no equi e pe ec s asis, and some deg ee and kinds o change in buil
s uc u es may acili a e o e all pe sis ence. Indeed, change may ep esen g ow h in de el-
opmen al e ms we associa e wi h people and hei capaci ies. As an example, a s uc u e
buil as a ac o y exhibi s de elopmen i epu posed as an apa men building, whe e he
basic design as conse ed he eby ‘g ows’ u he capaci y o unc ion in ways wholly o he
han hose o which i ini ially was designed. A all e en s, we don’ need na a i e his o ies
16 See, o example, Ka h ina Simonen, Li e Cycle Assessmen (Abingdon: Rou ledge, 2014).