(Re-)Building Heritage: Integrating Tangible and Intangible

This chapter explores heritage discourses with reference to the built environment. Historically, castles, palaces, and cathedrals were monuments designed to impress as well as control the common people. More recent iconic buildings have signaled an approach to power that communicates with people, rather than merely communicating to them. This chapter examines changing discourses of power and an expanding concept of heritage, emphasizing the confluence and interdependence of tangible and intangible elements in creating meaning. From a comparative perspective on the interpretation of heritage and changes in the way people think about architecture, the authors assess the impact of various ICOMOS and UNESCO documents to explore an approach to “organic architecture”.