Survey and restoration proposals for building facades in the Historic Center of Tegucigalpa: a contribution from academia to the capital city.

Abstract

This article presents the experience carried out at the request of the Management of the Historic Center of the Central District through the Architecture and Heritage course of the Architecture Program. These projects involved the development of a survey and restoration plan for the facades of two avenues in the Historic Center of Tegucigalpa: Avenida Miguel Cervantes (2022) and Avenida Cristóbal Colón (2023). The objective was to support the mayor's office with studies on the condition of the buildings on these avenues and proposals for their conservation. The project was carried out in four phases: an initial training phase for the students, where a theoretical and methodological framework was constructed, and documentary research was conducted. An executive phase included a diagnosis of the condition of the buildings and conservation proposals. A third phase comprised a review of the quality of the work, and a fourth phase comprised project delivery.

In the third phase, different variables of the buildings were analyzed, and the restoration and conservation proposals were reviewed. This analysis concluded that, although most buildings feature traditional architecture, modern buildings create a dissonant impact on the city's skyline, a testament to the city's evolution. The deterioration of the buildings' construction is related to the abandonment of buildings, and façade defects are common, reflecting a lack of maintenance.

Currently, the proposals proposed by UNAH are being implemented by AMDC on Miguel de Cervantes Avenue.