Polyvocality and Conservation Practices: Montaging the Gaps of History in Somerset House through the Walkway Gallery of Asynchronous Experiences Part 1 Project 2024 Nathan Cheung University of Westminster | UK The proposal attempts to critique conservation practices that prioritise visual characteristics over user experiences and knowledge. The grade I listed Somerset House, London, challenges assumptions that old is better and valued, and the preference for classical ideas of symmetry and proportion. Crucially, this attitude overlooks experiential and tactile qualities that enhance user engagement and participation in historical buildings. The notion that history is seamless and linear are further challenged through techniques of montage that include Manfredo Tafuri’s discourse on intellectual dialogues that rely on fragments to facilitate user-specific interpretations. The design methodology begins with an architectural toolkit composed of theoretical, historical, material and experiential information. A Walkway Gallery concocted from site-and-narrative specific landscapes, and articulated through fractal forms is suspended above the courtyard of Somerset House. The asymmetrical geometries of this new promenade selectively reveals and recomposes existing and new fragments to create additional readings, meanings and experiences. The contents of the embedded workshops and galleries utilise a range media from drawings, models and films to expand on conservation discussions. Polyvocality enables multiple interpretations of the architecture through habitation and use. The design approach encourages a more nuanced and interactive engagement with history, and offers a richer, multi-faceted experience of Somerset House. Nathan Cheung Tutor(s)