facadism

alternative façadism

1. uncountablearchitecturethe practice of retaining only the facade of an old building when redeveloping a site.

   Façadism, with its emphasis on show and its disregard for authenticity, is very much a postmodern approach.

   2008, John Pendlebury, Conservation in the Age of Consensus, →ISBN, page 177

   3 more examples

   The Construction of new buildings behind historic facades, better know as facade retention or ‘facadism’, is a unique phase in the history of architecture.

   1991, David Highfield, “Preface”, in The Construction of New Buildings Behind Historic Facades, →ISBN, page ix

   In Chapter 10 the author goes on to explore the ways in which new development can be inserted in cityscapes through various means. In particular he examines the increased use of facadism...

   1998, Sir Patrick Abercrombie, editor, The Town Planning Review, volume 69, page 355

   Local officers are happy with façadism because it means the townscape stays intact — and nobody should ask what happens behind the facing walls

   2003, International Council on Monuments and Sites, edited by Dinu Bumbaru, Heritage at Risk: ICOMOS World Report 2002/2003 on Monuments and Sites in Danger, →ISBN, page 105

2. uncountablearchitecturea method where the facade is designed and/or constructed independently of the remainder of the rest of the building.