INSTRUCTIONS FOR DEAD BUILDINGS
A project of deconstruction and cladding of urban interstices
Alice Bonicelli
The term DECONSTRUCTION, in the realm of building, refers to a form of reverse assembly: the careful dismantling of the constituents of a building. Contrary to traditional demolition, which is destructive, deconstruction aims at the re-use of components.
Rotor wall-text of the exhibition “Deconstruction�, 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction 2. Method 2.1 Identification of a building 2.2 Shearing layer diagram 2.3 Application of shearing layer digram 2.4 Deconstruction and quantification 2.5 Urban interiors 2.6 Design 3. References and bibliography
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1 INTRODUCTION This book is a manual of instructions. It proposes a list of steps (process) to be followed in order to give new life to abandoned, forgotten, or unused buildings. The method bases on deconstruction, situtating itself in between demolition and neglect, which seems to be the two most recurring options when it comes to the afterlife of a building. By understanding what is that prevents a building from being reconverted to a new function, we can “rip it apart”, removing everything that is a burden: installations, claddings, external skin, furniture etc. By leaving the building naked in its mere structure, we bring it to new life, providing it with a chance to be reconverted. On the other hand, we obtain a wide library of materials to be re-used in other sites. One building becomes the vehicle to revitalise dozens of other neglected sites. This book explains how to deconstruct a building, how to identify sites to be reconverted, and how to transform them in “urban interiors”. 7
The Akragon tower in Rotterdam (1970), by architect Maaskant, is a perfect example for understanding what kind of buildings this method applies to. The 10-story tower was designed and built to fulfill one specific function - the one of gym and sports centre for high school kids. Being the demand for these services decreased, today the upper half ot the tower lays unused. It can’t be demolished, being the lower half current in use by the group David Lloyd, and it can’t be reconverted to a new function, being the building unsuitable for hosting offices or housing and not fulfilling the current criteria for sustainability and comfort. 8
2. method 2.1 Identification of unused buildings e.g. Akragon tower, Maaskant, 1970
Photo by Bart van Hoek
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2. method 2.2. Understanding the shearing layer diagram
Skin 20 years
STRUCTURE 30-300 years
Installations 7-15 years
Floor plan 3-30 years
Stuff 1 day - 1 month
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The structure of a building is normally the longest-lasting layer, also being the most expensive part to construct and to replace (most likely demolish). What usually prevents a building to be reconverted to other uses is the floor plan, including the presence of internal partitions; the external skin, which in case of, e.g., the Akragon tower, is not compliant with the current criteria of sustainability and comfort; last, but not least, the location of the installations. In this example, the unused part of the Akragon tower has been “undressed� and left naked in its structure, so to be ready to be occupied by other activities. 12
2. method 2.3. Application of the shearing layer diagram on the selected building
Photo by Alice Bonicelli
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2. method 2.4. Decontruction: quantification and cataloguing of materials and elements
The classification of the materials and elements available in a building follows specific criteria, in order to build a clear library: - availability in sqm - material - format - finishing - number of unities 15
Glass panels 200 x 45 cm 32,4 sqm 36 pieces
Glass panels 170 x 54 cm 99 sqm 96 pieces
Glass blocks 20 x 20 cm 128 sqm 3220 pieces
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Glass panels 200 x 160 cm 500 sqm 140 pieces
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Ceramic tiles - white - 10x10 173 sqm 3584 pieces
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Ceramic tiles panels - white - 250 x 200 cm 1254 sqm 672 pieces
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Wood panels - painted red - 180 x 6 cm 100 sqm 965 pieces
Wood panels - painted red - 200 x 80 cm 134 sqm 76 pieces
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Wood panels - painted white - 100 x 5 cm 218 sqm 4360 pieces
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Wood panels - painted white - 200 x 5 cm 246 sqm 2360 pieces
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Wood panels - 50 x 5 cm 411 sqm 14690 pieces
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Wood panels - 380 x 10 cm 1484 sqm 2825 pieces
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Rubber - green 1110 sqm
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What makes a space into an interior? - the presence of activity - the presence of people - awarness and aknowledgement of the space - prolonged stay
What is NOT an interior? - void (of activity) - void (of people) - transitional stay (just a transit) - no aknowledgement and awareness 32
2. method 2.5. From neglected spaces to urban interiors: The strategies for transformation
What to do with the bank of materials that derive from the deconstruction of an unused building? They can be scattered and applied in (many) other sites that need revitalisation. In this project we focus on the revitalisation of neglected urban exteriors. In the case of this specific project, which deals with the Akragon tower in the context of Expo Rotterdam 2025, the more locations are turned into spots of interest, the best is for the visibility and the economy of the city. There are three strategies to be pursued in order to turn a neglected urban exterior into a urban livable and lively interior:
- slow down the pace of the passer by - enclosing/demarcating the space - introduce activities 33
The urban fabric is made of voids and solids (Attiwill, 2011). Every void could be potentially turned into an interior, a place that encloses activities to be consciously carried on by people. We chose transitional and interstitial spaces (spaces in between) in Rotterdam to be activated as catalysts for people. We identified those spaces in bridges and underpasses, which are many in Rotterdam and are usually lived just as places to get from A to B. The totality of bridges and underpasses consitutes a big network of sites to be turned into spots of insterest, covering the whole city. 34
2. method 2.6. Identification of neglected urban exteriors to be activated as interiors e.g. bridges and underpasses in Rotterdam
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2. method 2.7. Design: application of available materials on the selected sites e.g. The Hef bridge in Rotterdam turned into a temporary event space
What follows is a spatial design that serves as a paradigm for many other spatial interventions that could take place in Rotterdam using the materials that would derive from the deconstruction of an unused building. The Hef bridge has been turned into a temporary event space, to be requested and used by whoever would like to launch an event in the context of Rotterdam Expo 2025. The segment of the abandoned bridge has been devided in modules to be arranged and set up accordingly to the needs of the organisers. The design derives strictly from the characteristics of the bank of materials coming from the Akragon. It depends on the quantity available, on the format and size. Of course, materials that used to be employed for one specific function (e.g. ceiling), could now be use with a different purpose (e.g. seatings). 37
Red wood - 180 x 6 cm 100 sqm 100% off availability
Wood - 380 x 10 cm 774 sqm 27% off availability
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Wood - 50 x 5 cm 163 sqm 39% off availability
Ceramic tiles 178 sqm 14% off availability
Glass blocks 67 sqm 52% off availability
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Glass panels 200 x 160 cm 197 sqm 39% off availability
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3. references
- Attiwill, S. (2011) Urban and Interior: Techniques for a urban interiorist, in: R. U. Hinkel (Ed.)
Urban Interior, Spurbuchverlag, Baunach - Rotor (2015) Deconstruction, exhibition, Liege 41
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A project by Alice Bonicelli 2015 MIARD - Piet Zwart Institute
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