Forget 3D-printing Palmyra – this is how to rebuild ruins

Before we replicate lost wonders, we should study Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, the visionary architect whose winged imagination resurrected an entire French city

Should old buildings be left in ruins or rebuilt? Does restoration bring beauty back to life or is it a betrayal of truth? We’re confronted with these questions more than ever as digital technology makes it ever more practical to repair or replicate lost masterpieces. From the possibility of resurrecting the tragic ruins of Palmyra to the more comedic tale of English Heritage upsetting Cornish antiquarians by carving Merlin’s face near Tintagel Castle, restoration is an electric issue.

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