designed by a committee as many buildings of this type are today. I immediately thought about the new British Museum Reading Room which I see every time I come out of Kings Cross Station. The comparison was not a favourable one. Politicalconservation While I was taking a photograph of the two elements of the Palais de Chaillot, a German visitor asked me why I chose it as a subject. I said that 1930s buildings of this scale and design needed space and a good site to be properly appreciated and in England they rarely had these luxuries. Although we were in Paris, he associated the buildings even today simply as adjuncts of the Nazi regime regardless of their merit as works of architecture. He described the buildings as a 'Hitleresque monstrosity' which should be flattened. In this country, over the centuries, political parties have been associated with particular architectural styles and more recently there have been politicians who have not been particularly favourably inclined towards the historic built environment. Fortunately however, although we all have views on politics and conservation issues, the direct association of the two - a style of architecture with an evil political system - is not something we have had to cope with in Britain. We can therefore judge buildings and townscape on what, as individuals, we perceive as their intrinsic merit without having to worry about who was ruling the country at the time. Conclusion This article is not intended as a political treatise from the conservation candidate in the European elections and Paris too has its conservation problems. In addition, each count1y in Europe has its own approach to conservation and a system which works in one country may well not work in another for a whole range of reasons. Nevertheless, even after work ha's begun to erode the recuperative effects, two particular points from the visit which have relevance here have stayed with me. The first is the overall townscape quality of Paris. This does not mean that our conservation areas should be swamped with French Renaissance architecture but the detailed quality of the townscape - not just the set piece tourist features - is to be admired and has relevance to our towns. The second is the pyramid at the Louvre. This does not mean that daring modern design is always the right approach. Fortopographical, townscape or some other reason, it may be inappropriate for a particular part of a town or adjacent buildings of quality may be swamped if they themselves are not of an equally bold design. Neve1theless if after a proper appraisal a site could accommodate modern development, tl1enboldness has a lot to recommend it. Tailpiece The food is a very positive feature of the character Paris. I am therefore now looking for a client in who needs an appraisal of Paris following a long and thorough on-site survey. Chemicaltreatmentsandtreatment residuesinhistoricbuildings David Watt explains what to look for Introduction Having recently been asked by a local authority Conservation Officer for a copy of a conference paper that I had presented on the subject of chemical treatment residues in buildings, it was suggested that a short summa,y might be of interest to Conservation Officers in general. The following text is therefore presented both as a summary of this pa per and as a means of drawing attention to this particular subject. Awarenessofchemicaltreatmentsand treatmentresidues Chemical treatment residues may be defined as that part of a treatment that remains after application is completed. Such residues may arise from surface 32 deposition and absorption, gaseous emissions, contamination (e.g. dust, debris, contents), spillage, and subsequent redistribution (e.g. by further use of solvents).· Past and current uses of chemical treatments to control or eradicate fungal infections and/ or insect infestations have led to reported cases where occupants and users of these buildings have expe1iencedvarious physical symptoms (such as headaches, coughing and other respiratory problems, chest pains, profuse sweating, blurred vision and chemical sensitivity) and suffered often severe medical conditions (particularly affecting respiratory, neuro-muscular and digestive systems). The role of chemical treatments, whether as biocides, fungicides, insecticides or wood preservatives, has therefore come under scrutiny and various countries are now reviewing their use in favour of a more benign approach to the management of decay in buildings. Growing concern for the environment and the health of those treating or livingin treated buildings has also led to changes in the way we perceive and deal with buildings and building defects. As a result, the conventional approach to survey, defect diagnosis and remediation has to be re-thought and placed in the context of a wider environmental agenda. The nature and use of chemical treatments have similarly changed to take account of recent and on-going research and development. This has resulted, for Context62June1999
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