The Relationshipof Authenticity and Integrity in Architectural Heritage Restoration

Authenticity and integrity are key concepts in communicatingthe values and better understanding of an artifact/site. The ambiguity in the definition of these concepts regardingarchitectural heritage has posed challenges to their effective application. Throughout history, the concepts of authenticity and integrity were not major concerns for builders, as the materials, and more importantly, techniques remainedlargely unchanged for centuries; while today, they are essential criteria for the conservation and reuse of historical monuments.The concepts of authenticity and integrityare closely related to each other, butslightly different. There is more transparency about the authenticity of architectural heritage in expertanalyses and international documents, while there is a kind of gap in the precise definition of integrity. The present study explores the role and relation of authenticity and integrity and their application in the process of architectural heritage conservation. Using a qualitative method and a strategy of content analysis and logical reasoning,initially,international documents and expert analyses are reviewed and the two concepts are defined and their criteria introducedwithin the context of architectural heritage. After summarizing the findings, in the second stage, the relationship of authenticity and integrity is examined from various perspectives, and several approaches are presented fortheir implementation. Given the unique characteristics of any architectural heritage property, the assessment of authenticity and integrity is proposedwithin a comprehensive framework of seven design factors: materials, construction techniques, context, function, traditions and intangible aspects, and the spirit of place.