Prof. Dr. Architect Hoang Dao Kinh. Photo: QT
Urban heritage exists and changes over time.
First, I want to clarify the difference between the two concepts of relics and heritage. If it is a relic, we need to preserve it intact. When we restore or renovate, we must ensure to retain its originality and integrity.
As for heritage, especially urban heritage, it is impossible to raise the issue of preserving it intact. Because heritage, urban heritage are living residential structures, historical structures, and cultural structures. Urban heritage lives, exists and changes over time, over the era.
Hoan Kiem Lake area today is an urban heritage with many meanings in terms of history, urbanism, architecture - planning, society, urban culture... And Hoan Kiem Lake heritage cannot stop in one place but must change and adapt to time.
The era will decide how it exists. If the era has a way of cultural perception and behavior, the urban heritage of Hoan Kiem Lake will both preserve all its existing values and will have to go through the process of adapting to the era in which it lives and exists. It must undergo renovation, transformation, adaptation, especially adaptation to time and the needs of the era.
Besides, we have to adapt and get used to the concept that all those values cannot be preserved as relics but must accept that urban heritage must integrate with today's life.
The urban heritages that we want to preserve for the future must combine preservation and conservation with continued development, must have inheritance, must exist today and look to the future.
Identifying the core values of Hoan Kiem Lake
For half a century now and even longer, the landscape of Hoan Kiem Lake and the surrounding street structure have changed a lot. However, the core, basic values of the Hoan Kiem Lake area still remain, which is that there is nothing too massive, formal, large, beautiful, or magnificent; there are no major streets, major roads, etc.
The urban heritage space of Hoan Kiem Lake with many special values. Photo: Quang Thai
All are moderately small on the 3.5-hectare Hoan Kiem Lake platform. But the streets of Hanoi, both ancient and modern, are arranged and arranged to coexist around this small lake without any conflict with each other.
The architecture of the 19th century, then the French colonial period, and now are all blended together. The most outstanding value is the blending of space organization, the nature of the types of buildings, architecture, the roads surrounding the lake, and the streets according to the soft, flexible transformation of space from the Vietnamese neighborhood to the Western neighborhood, from water to land, to roads, to street surfaces.
There is nothing that creates a challenge or contrast. It is the soft transformation of spaces that interweave with each other, living together, not challenging each other. That is what creates the face and soul of the Hoan Kiem Lake area, which is attractive and alluring to people, but not as massive and majestic as other central cities in the world.
If we talk about the outstanding value of the historical center of Hoan Kiem Lake, we must mention the uniqueness of a smooth, eternal, humane, close, and cozy urban landscape with society, community, and life, creating a special attraction. Hanoians, people from other places, and foreigners all feel this smoothness and harmony.
Clearing constructions that do not beautify the lake
When we start to renovate, upgrade and modernize the Hoan Kiem Lake space, we must pay attention to this. Because if we do not defend, protect and cherish the unique landscape of the area, Hanoi will lose one of its outstanding values. The lovely Hanoi is the center of Hoan Kiem Lake. It is the place where our feet can walk, our eyes can see, and our hearts can touch...
Of course, in every policy and intention to implement the planning of upgrading the area, it will follow a certain order and roadmap, and the intervention and investment must be quantified.
The basic elements including water surface, trees, roads and streets must be calculated to maintain and not change the rare harmony, balance, compatibility and symbiosis here.
Strongly intervening in the Hoan Kiem Lake landscape is a "surgical" act, demolishing and clearing constructions that do not beautify the lake, deform and lose the overall character of the lake.
So we must understand urban morphology very well. What is necessary and unavoidable must be discarded; what is tolerable must be renovated and upgraded and left behind.
Preserving the elements that create the scenery of Hoan Kiem Lake
Demolishing the "shark jaws" building is the right thing to do. Photo: Do Tam
Regarding the “shark jaw” project that the city is about to demolish, since the 1990s, when this project was built, many of my colleagues reacted, considering it as breaking the connection between the old quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, creating too strong a difference. In other places, the technique of inserting new buildings into old, ancient spaces can be used to create contrast, but in this case, I think it is a bit too bold. Hanoi’s Old Quarter does not accept strong intervention, speak loudly but softly.
“Shark Jaws” has existed for more than 30 years, living together for a long time has become a habit. But if you get used to it, don’t mistake it for heritage. Objectively, this is too strong an intervention, a bit too big. Therefore, the demolition of the “Shark Jaws” house should be done and Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square should be expanded. How much expansion is another issue. Hoan Kiem Lake does not accept spaces that are too large, because if expanded too much, it will create arrogance, challenge, and break the smooth space.
Renovating some spaces around Hoan Kiem Lake is necessary and should be done. The electricity agencies near the city People's Committee headquarters are not unique and do not beautify Hoan Kiem Lake, so they should be demolished to create a fairly large area.
If a square is created here, it will challenge the continuity, connection, and integration of the Hoan Kiem Lake area. Therefore, the demolition needs to be calculated. Valuable and relatively valuable works should be retained in an interlaced, open space style, not completely turned into a large concrete yard, but should create green areas, creating a flexible space, softly transforming from the water surface to the trees to the road.
It is especially important to note that we must maintain the correlation between the elements that create the Hoan Kiem Lake landscape as mentioned above. The solution must be skillful, harmonious, and as careful as someone doing the dissection. I think that this way of behaving is appropriate for the living cultural heritage of Hoan Kiem Lake.
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