Degradation of Cultural Heritage Buildings

Abstract

Preservation of cultural heritage buildings is an action in maintaining the sustainability of architectural diversity in Indonesia. Indonesia, which is a former colony of the European nation, certainly has cultural ties with European nations who have inhabited this country, where during these times, Europeans will experience a natural adaptation process which indirectly brings their culture into Indonesia, especially the city of Surakarta, one of which is in its architectural form. In the process of adaptation, a cultural assimilation occurred which caused European buildings in Indonesia to have different characteristics from European buildings in Europe. With the independence of the Indonesian nation, the ownership and function of these buildings were transferred, either to the Indonesian government or to private or individual property. Conservation means all the processes of looking after a place so as to retain its cultural significance. It includes maintenance and may according to circumstances include preservation, restoration, reconstruction and adaptation and will be commonly a combination of more that one of these (Burra Charter,1981). This research is designed to be used as a guide in maintaining cultural heritage buildings for the owners or users of cultural heritage buildings with European architectural characteristics, with the hope that it will help preserve the important value contained in a building and a sustainable architecture. The method used in this study is a descriptive analytical method of European-style cultural heritage buildings in Surakarta with a level of maintenance approach to these cultural heritage buildings.