CONTENTS IMAGES
1
INTRODUCTION
5
OLD HABITS
12
NEW DIALOGUES
16
CASE STUDY - I
25
CASE STUDY - II
30
CASE STUDY - III
36
CASE STUDY - IV
40
CASE STUDY - V
45
PERSONAL CONTEXT / CONCLUSION
49
BIBLIOGRAPHY
54
IMAGES fig. 1.1
'King' chair by Shao Fan, 1996. http://www.vam.ac.uk/users/sites /default/files/chair_king_shao_fan.jpg
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fig. 1.2
'Moon' chair by Shao Fan, 1996. http://www.vam.ac.uk/users/ sites /default/files/chair_king_shao_fan.jpg
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fig. 1.3
Gogaku, Martha, ‘Hamlet In Mark’. Visualized Text. 25.September 2013, 3:15 p.m.
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fig. 1.4
Grothe Collection at Küppersmühle Museum. http://onedesignaday .blogspot.co.uk/2007/12/kuppersmuhle-museum-duisburg-germany .html
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fig. 2.1
Draughtsman’s Arms by Gundry & Ducker. http://static.dezeen.com /uploads/2011/08/dezeen_Draughtsmans-Arms-by-GundryDucker_1.jpg
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fig. 2.2
Draughtsman’s Arms by Gundry & Ducker. http://static.dezeen.com /uploads/2011/08/dezeen_Draughtsmans-Arms-by-GundryDucker_3.jpg
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fig. 2.3
‘Reading between the lines’ by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads /2012 / 11 /50b50471b3fc4b163400007b_reading-between-the-lines-gijs-vanvaerenbergh_004_rbtl.jpg
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fig. 2.4
‘Reading between the lines’ by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. http://www. archdaily.com/298693/reading-between-the-lines-gijs-vanvaerenbergh/50b50475b3fc4b163400007f_reading-between-thelines-gijs-van-vaerenbergh_010_rbtl-jpg/
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fig. 2.5
Dovecote Studio by Haeworth Tompkins. http://www.architizer.com /projects/dovecote-studio/media/407675/
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fig. 3.1
Great Court at The British museum by Foster and Partners. http://www.fosterandpartners.com/data/projects/0793/img3.jpg
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fig. 3.2
Great Court at The British museum by Foster and Partners. http://www.fosterandpartners.com/data/projects/0793/img11.jpg
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fig. 3.3
The British museum façade. http://www.sharmillfilms.com.au/wpcontent/gallery/pompeii/exterior-british-museumaabritish_museum .jpg
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fig. 4.1
Astley Castle from the driveway. http://www.designboom.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/04/astleycastle_02.jpg
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fig. 4.2
Astley Castle; main hall exemplifying moments of the new intervention and the old construction. http://www.designboom.com /wp-content/uploads/2013/04/astleycastle_03.jpg
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fig. 4.3
Wooden window amidst distressed wallreview.com/Journals/2012/05/23/e/g/j/Astley-Castle-Detail.pdf
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fig. 4.4
Detailed Sections showing new brickwork filling gaps in the old remains. http://www.architectural-review.com/Journals/2012 /05/23/e/g/j/Astley-Castle-Detail.pdf
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fig. 5.1
The building façade. http://assets.inhabitat.com/wpcontent/blogs.dir /1/files/2012/08/Palazzo-di-Vigonovo-Campiellovenice-by-Philippe-Daverio-Georgio-MIlani-3ndy-Studio-2.jpg
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fig. 5.2
Letters laser cut on Corten steel. http://www.designboom.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/12/cortenapartment15.jpg
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fig. 5.3
Light filtering through laser cut letters in the steel at night. http://www. designboom.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/12/cortenapartment04.jpg
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fig. 5.4
Glowing façade at night. http://www.designboom.com/wp-conten t/uploads/2012/12/cortenapartment03.jpg
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fig. 6.1
Marquis de Sade’s Castle at the top of the village. http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lacoste.jpg
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fig. 6.2
‘Windshape’ temporary installation lit up amidst historic remains. http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08 /442376501_na-windshape-oliv-02-528x351.jpg
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fig. 6.3
The installation against the background of the Castle. http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/ 1480182197_na-dz-windshape-img-3218.jpg
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fig. 7.1
Casa REX, ‘Architectural Archaeology’ in reception area. http://www .archdaily.com/378491/casa-rex-fgmf-arquitetos/ 519e35a9b3fc 4b6215000026_casa-rex-fgmf-arquitetos_img_21-jpg/
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2
fig. 7.2
Casa REX, piled stone gabions in the façade. http://www.archdaily .com/378491/casa-rex-fgmf-arquitetos/519e3518b3fc4b62150000 19_casa-rex-fgmf-arquitetos_img_3678_79-jpg/
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fig. 8.1
Stepwell in Rajasthan, India. http://rogerdhansen.files.wordpress .com/2011/01/stepwell-india.jpg
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fig. 8.2
Darya Khan’s Tomb at Mandu, M.P., India. http://www.panoramio. com/photo_explorer#view= photo&position=5&with_photo_id= 68290929&order=date &user=3797403&tag=Mandu
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fig. 8.3
Devotees praying in the remains of Kotla Mosque complex; New Delhi, India. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/2011/11/ e857cbdc-aa74-44bd-b851-2cc483798525Wallpaper1.JPG
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3
4
INTRODUCTION
We are living in a rapidly changing world where everyone at every level is trying to defy convention. An attempt is being made across disciplines to make reforms in order to upgrade lifestyles. From cash to electronic cash where a swipe of the card could buy temporary happiness now does the same without even touching it. A simple device of communication which was reason for boundless excitement the world over, has been made redundant by glowing apple signs on little devices that people keep rubbing their index fingers on.
Simple sets of machines made to accomplish complex tasks are now getting more complex and far more exciting with the same basic goal - making tasks simpler. And if a house is a machine for living in; a school – to study in, a restaurant – for eating in, then they have been reforming rapidly as well. Resolving the function as the main goal, they work wonderfully well without the machines even looking like the conventional house, school or restaurant.
As the ‘new’ abounds, the ‘old’ is piling up, and the more evolved and environmentally conscious we become, the more we feel responsible for all that we used and discarded in the pursuit of a better living. The drive to recycle and re-use is at its strongest, more than ever. The adaptive reuse of buildings started with a similar concern to curb waste of energy and manpower and material in demolition.
I’m consciously aware that by now much has been written about architectural revitalization under various names – remodeling, converting, transforming, and reviving – 5
the list is endless. Introductions exploring the history of building re-use from The Roman Arena in Nimes, France, which became a small-fortified town in the Middle ages; to Sir 1
2
John Soane and more sophisticated works later by Carlo Scarpa in Northern Italy . The causes of these transformations are described to be ranging from practical to symbolic and economic concerns.
Probably due to the hesitation to undertake works of remodeling by many architects, and 3
the eventual loss of remodeling to the dogma of modernism, such projects have been under immense scrutiny. Some of these have been surrounded by an air of seriousness due to the sheer scale of the project. Criticism by many preservation agencies has contributed to this debate as well. In the recent years though, there have been smaller conversions displaying the same wit and comprehension as any large works of this nature. This has led to a more open discussion on revitalization probably because less has been at stake.
There has been a clear shift from transformative works restricted to heritage sites with national importance to those more personal and experimental in their approach. The newer works exhibit an apparent sense of playfulness and a similar sense of wonder to these spaces as a group of children venturing into abandoned ruins to play hide and seek.
Stressing this point, I start to think of playful construction – building sand castles on the beach, playing ‘House’ under the dining table. In an innocent attempt to create a space 1
‘From the book ‘Rereadings, History of Remodelling (London, UK: RIBA enterprises Lts, 2004) From the book ‘Old and New’, In Dialogue Between Epochs (Basel, Switzerland: Birkhauser GmbH, 2010) 3 From the book ‘Rereadings, History of Remodelling (London, UK: RIBA enterprises Lts, 2004) 2
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of their own - an alternate reality where an unused piece of furniture can become a home, children seem to have inspired professionals to create similar spaces. Let me stress that by no means do I consider the newer works as non-serious; I find interesting the parallels between the playful sense of creation of the sand castles and the finely finished architectural works - often with nothing more than creative instinct and great ambition at its core.
In my dissertation, I’ve attempted to look at this lighter side of revitalization. There are great examples of adaptive reuse from other disciplines. Shao Fan, a Chinese artist, designer and sculptor has crafted some fine examples of the present invading an older context. His series of re-appropriated furniture combining traditional furniture with contemporary materials and form is a philosophical reflection on the ‘cultural changes and contrasts that faced China today’.
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Visually, the form of his series of chairs titles Chairs(?) is humorous take on the modern man’s fascination on the graphic nature of the Chinese characters. The three dimensional form of his furniture carry the same fascination with them, but they have a great bend towards art, rather than furniture.
Another fascinating example of re-appropriation of an existing classic is an experimental work of text – the tragedy of ‘Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’ fragmatised in black ink by a 5
creative writing student as a part of a project . She wanted to create visualized text inspired by the ‘cut-up-technique’ used by Dadaists in the 1920s in which text on a 4 5
Victoria & Albert Museum website (http://www.vam.ac.uk/) Hamlet In Mark by Martha Gogaku; privately published
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fig 1.1 'King' chair by Shao Fan. Beijing, China. 1996 A modern take on the chair associated with status. The central position of the contemporary chair reinstates that importance.
fig 1.2 'Moon' chair by Shao Fan. Beijing, China. 1996 The chairs are modelled to be reminiscent of Chinese ideogram.
fig 1.3 'Hamlet In Mark' by Martha Gogaku. Privately published, 2013
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piece of paper is cut up and rearranged to create a new text . “I am an avid reader and 6
greatly inspired by existing writing. They say that none of our thoughts is our own, that when we are writing we are carrying inside us all of the writers of the past. I wanted to explore the implications of this inter-textuality in a direct and visual manner”
This is a very restrictive piece of work. Nothing new has been introduced into the original text of play. Most of the original text has been cut-up with black lines leaving out few words and phrases. The resulting content doesn’t have a consistent tone or mood. It is funny in parts, poetic in others and the rest just whimsically contemplative. But it is an interesting piece of work nonetheless demonstrating the reversal of conventional technique – deletion for creation. Can there be a direct application of this to construction – demolish to build?
One spatial example I can think of in the context of this literary work is the Grothe Collection at Museum Küppersmühle in Disburgh, Germany, where the façade has particularly austere character. While remodeling the space, Herzog and de Meuron subtracted by eliminating specific parts of the building cutting out tall thin slots to create window openings. Visually they reinforce the monumentality of the façade by increasing 7
its verticality while controlling the amount of natural light that goes in.
In the context of revitalization, I’m trying to look at conversions at a smaller scale. Another aspect that I have tried to look for is the ‘art-installation’ or sculptural quality of 6
The Dadaists attached much less importance to the sales value of their work than to its uselessness for contemplative immersion. The studied degradation of their material was not the least of their means to achieve this uselessness. Their poems are "word salad" containing obscenities and every imaginable waste product of language. (Walter Benjamin, 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction', 1936) 7 From the book ‘Rereadings, case studies (London, UK: RIBA enterprises Lts, 2004)
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 the entire conversion or parts of it. I start with some of the more popular examples, which are well-known due to the importance of the site, or/and wide critical reception by architectural and preservation agencies. Another factor for their popularity could be accredited to the architects involved with those projects. Then I move on to some lesserknown ones mostly because they are privately developed. But all of these have the common thread of intuitive, imaginative, empathic and intelligent approach to revitalization of spaces.
10Â Â
fig 1.3 Externa façade of Grothe Collection of Küppersmühle Museum in Disburgh, Germany Parts of the façade have been sliced off to create long windows
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OLD HABITS revitalize verb
imbue (something) with new life and vitality
At any mention or discussion about revitalization, the focus largely remains on function. Most publications and online magazines tend to focus on the shift between the original and new function of a space and the success of this conversion largely depends on the eventual efficiency of the intended new function and not much else.
The power of a revitalized space is often under-estimated. A meticulously revitalized space can be like a stunning art installation. It has depth and layers in multitude, compared to something newly built. The heightened contrast that can be achieved by juxtaposition of the old and the new, the textured and smooth, the opaque and the translucent, the physical and the ephemeral is incomparable to any other space. The narrative of this combination of the new and the old, of different styles and approaches make the remodeled building a spectacle. They are a work of conservation - preserving a sense of history and aspiration; a work of refurbishment – mending the obsolete to provide meaning and relevance; an embellishment and a geographical trace of history, all at once.
In the process of its perpetual and simultaneous construction and decay, buildings would appear and disappear; they would be built on top of one another, out of one another, or inside one another. They would do battle, and then they would mate and produce monstrous offspring. Not a single building would survive as its makers had intended.
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Excerpted from ‘The Secret Lives of Buildings’ by Edward Hollis 8
There is an apparent conversation – disagreement, silent acknowledgement and quiet bliss, between various elements in the space. Each element lends its story to the complete narrative – the stone, cement, mortar, bricks and the new engineered plastics, the contrasting textures of the painted frescoes in the original and lacquered cabinets introduced later. This theatricality of contrast is as admired as it is ridiculed.
The aesthetic value of the ruin combines the disharmony, the eternal becoming of the soul struggling against itself, with the satisfaction of form, the firm limitedness, of the work of art. For this reason, the metaphysical-aesthetic charm of the ruin disappears when not enough remains of it to let us feel the upward tendency. The stumps of the pillars of the Forum Romanum are simply ugly and nothing else, while a pillar crumbled – say, halfway down – can generate a maximum of charm. Extract from ‘Die Ruine: Ein asthetischer Verusch’ , by Georg Simmel, 1911 9
Historical architecture, even when divorced from geographic location, is a very important part of any cultural heritage. It forms one of the most important links to the fabric of any cultural, social and symbolic history. While most other traces of history are perishable, architecture is said to ‘stand the test of time’. Although it rarely survives as it was intended, it does carry forward and conveys the passage of time.
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'The Secret Lives of Buildings', published in 2009 by Portobello Books in London Translated by David Kettler, in Essays on Sociology, Philosophy and Aesthetics (New York: Harper & Row, 1965) 9
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It is not difficult to understand strong emotional ties that people have with historical architecture. Adjectives like charming, haunting, poetic etc are often associated with its description. Strong ancestral ties that people can feel between their own identity and the building and its history have often been a cause of political disorder, even communal riots. This sense of importance for these structures is one of the major reasons for the formulation of strict landmark preservation laws the world over. Their purpose was/is to preserve the most physical evidences of history.
Over the years, these ‘heritage sites’ have become rather static and lifeless. Their preservation, as they were, made more sense in the nineteenth century, when these laws were made, as there was a different context to these structures since less time had passed. With the advent of time, history and technology these structures are not as engaging as they once were. They may still hold large importance for architects and designers, but for the general population they need an added dimension to re-engage, re-invoke and re-vitalize strong emotional response from the viewer.
One rather fitting example in this case would be the city itself. The city – a complex body made of smaller architectural units is a completely different visual experience in the day when it is defined by the apparent – form, colour, material, texture and a host of other physical aspects of architecture. In the night though, this complex of structures is defined by
the
absence.
The
physical
disappears
and
city
materializes
by
the
ethereal/insubstantial. The light escaping from the missing planes in the structure is the physical in the dark which makes the architecture engaging.
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Much like the city, ancient buildings need to transform into more engaging spaces, simple conservation or restoration is not enough. A reinterpretation of the architectural elements in the context of the symbolic and cultural would be a true ‘return to their former glory’.
You can’t bring your old habits here ... If you want to participate, you will have to reinvent yourself. 10
Woods, Lebbeus and Nicolai Ouroussoff (Reviwer)
"An Architect Unshackled by Limits of the Real World", by Nicolai Ouroussoff; New York Times. August
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25, 2008
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NEW DIALOGUES Art noun
the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power
Installation Noun the action of installing someone or something, or the state of being installed a large piece of equipment installed for use
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often sitespecific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; 11
however, the boundaries between these terms overlap.
One of the reasons revitalized buildings are exciting spaces is because they assume the properties of an immersive art installation - immersing the viewer by merging different eras; at times completely contrasting one era against the other. It is a decoupage of surviving architectural details, remains and absence of surfaces highlighted by contemporary precise materials and digitally ephemeral developments.
It is largely the setting of objects (material or otherwise) that are recognizably out of context from their surroundings that creates curiosity for the ethics of this unconventional mix. A space built to be a barn has amplified proportions for a restaurant that it is now being run as, the amenities of a residential apartment have a grander relationship with the space when set in a power station building. Without even fabricating a complete
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Installation Art; From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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interior scheme, just a set of contemporary glass table and chairs make for a dramatic setting when placed in a ruin, completely independent of each other.
Just like the narrative provided by a set of contextually themed artworks, an object placed out of context evokes an equally strong emotional response – often weaving a completely new context altogether. So, at the fundamental level for any existing space reinstated, it is the contextual relationship between the objects and spatial elements that fabricates an intriguing visual. The familiarity with the historical narrative enhances this experience. In many ways, this placement of different objects with different identities in a common context is a sort of discourse on showmanship.
In recent years there has been a steady rise in production of artistic temporary architecture. These ‘pop-ups’, as they are widely known, have been populating galleries, expositions, concerts and public areas. These can be seen as extension of large sculptures installed in public parks over the years. These sculptures were commanding objects usually due to their scale, content and its relationship with the surrounding park, square or courtyard. The pop-up installations have added elements of surprise, both in terms of time/duration as well as often in its materiality.
Gundry and Ducker, the London based architectural firm created a temporary bar for the duration of ‘The Architect: What Now?” The exhibition was held in the crypt of a former church designed by one of England’s most distinguished architects, Sir John Soane.
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fig 2.1 Temporary Waiting Area & Bar ‘Draughtsman’s Arms’ by Gendry and Ducker The box floating at dado height in the crypt of an old church initiates a bold dialogue between the permanent and the temporary.
fig 2.2 Interior of ‘Draughtsman’s Arms’ by Gendry and Ducker The interior has been printed on white cardboard to resemble a CAD drawn etching
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Essentially a large cardboard box hung upside down to dado height, the transient space made for a focal point with a curious setting amidst the arches of the crypt. The idea was to create a reception area for the rest of the exhibition but with a dimension that alters our perceptions of closed space. To that effect, the ‘room’ is complete with a doorway cut out sliced off at knee height revealing the visitors partially, instantly altering it to an object of enquiry – is it an object or a space?
Plain on the outside with only the name, inside visitors are surrounded by the line drawing of a typical English pub. It is a 1:1 scale representation of the interior of a room but in line drawing. “In response to the antique surroundings the CAD drawn interior is in the form of a etching. We imagined that full of thirsty drinkers it would be like a living Hogarth print. In expectation of the architect clientele, the pub interior has been modified to suit, for example, the view through the window is of the RIBA and the cigarette machine is branded by Rotring”.
Although temporary, the use of such a simple object to alter the historical space is one of the clever and relatively quick ways of revitalizing existing buildings. Apart from the concept of the ‘hanging room’, there is a fetishization of material and process here. Considering that it may usually be difficult and practically unsuitable to use a material like cardboard as shelter in daily architectural practice, the designers have realized their fantasy by using it in a covered space for a short duration. Works like these are reminiscent of the pleasures of childhood – making transitory homes in unreasonable places; under bed-sheets, behind curtains, in wardrobes. Building within a building is a
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particularly naïve fantasy present in many works fictions like the wardrobe entrance to Narnia.
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Projects like the draughtsman’s arms also point towards a play with symbolic imagery In this case, a typical English pub. A number of young experimental architects/designer are using this symbolism to form bridges between art and design with tributes to various symbolic forms and representations. The aspect of improvisation involved in this case is reminiscent of states of emergencies – the interim usage of buildings during wartime and other natural contingencies, for instance, the people of London taking refuge in the 13
underground stations during World War II ; or triage centers setup on basketball courts 14
for the New Orleans flood victims.
Such a work on the edge of art and design is ‘reading between the lines’. The ten meter high structure is composed of ribbons of flat iron sheets piled over each other with support of small wedge-like columns. The structure is realized in such a way that the building changes visually from being a solid structure to partly physical to just horizontal lines in air. This seemingly raw application of architectural drawings into a built space challenges the notion of physicality for the viewer playing between the physical and metaphorical.
Like many other works of Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, ‘Reading between the lines’ is a playful yet assertive work that moves on themes of 12
Lewis, C. S., The Chronicles of Narnia, HarperCollins, 1950 ‐ 1956 ‘London Passenger Transport Board (1933‐1947)’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Underground 14 FoxNews.com, published September 06, 2005 13
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fig 2.3 ‘Reading Between the Lines’ by Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh The volume of the structure changes with the position of the viewer
fig 2.4 ‘Reading Between the Lines’ by Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh At certain angles, the structure looks like line drawings super-imposed on the surrounding landscape
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experimentation, speculation and a dialogue with the physical environment and the viewer. This part building part installation stands as a eulogy on the decrease in churchgoers and other churches lying out of use in the area in attempt to encourage their reuse. With this as the intent, the piece draws parallels with a vast number of churches in the region on a visual and metaphorical level.
“As the title displays, the burden of transparency is not only on the church, or on the 15
artwork, but on the spectator as well, who must learn to read between the lines.”
The structure, in form, looks like the steeple churches typical of the area. The themes of transparency and vacancy are intertwined. The transparency of the piece which sometimes looks like a set of architectural drawings mark are super-imposed on the surrounding landscape, much like the vacant churches dominating the skyline around. “The application of steel – a rather bold material - metaphorically makes a statement 16
about the bold relationship of church and religion in the Netherlands” , while its rusting and transforming over time is further suggestive of the change in this relationship.
“When I think of God, it does not matter where and how you talk to him or think of him. When I think of the church, imagine a place where you could always get, at any time of the day
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http://designenvy.aiga.org/reading‐between‐the‐lines‐gijs‐van‐vaerenbergh/ http://yatzer.com/See‐through‐Church‐by‐Gijs‐Van‐Vaerenbergh
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and night, a place with no doors, gates, fences, gold … just a little shelter from the rain, wind and thoughts … and at the same time .. available for the same ….”
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In both cases, the projects try and engage the viewer in the extended association of the space and the objects in it. They illustrate an interweaving of narratives and associations - in some ways it guarantees a kind of 'authenticity' even though the structure and the function are completely at odds with one another. The former, more than the latter, implicates the element of time compression and the compromises that the designer has to make to ensure the best economy between disparate contexts.
An excellent work of revitalization that can be viewed as a combination between both the projects is the Dovecote Studio by Haworth Tompkins in Suffolk, UK. The monolithic structure inserted within the remaining walls, while a reflection on the interiors of the original structure, is also a benevolent projection of the juvenile image of a ‘house’.
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Comment by ‘Nebojsa’ on http://www.archdaily.com/298693/reading‐between‐the‐lines‐gijs‐van‐ vaerenbergh/;
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fig 2.5 Dovecote Studio by Haworth Tompkins in Suffolk, UK The monolithic structure inserted between remains of the boundary wall
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CASE STUDY – I The Great Court at British Museum The redesign of the great Court at the center of the British museum is a simple yet grand intervention that has revitalized the 150 year-old building as a whole. The redesign takes back the building plan restoring it to its original layout, while instilling a highly contemporary spirit at its very core.
The renovation addresses many issues and requirements literally under one roof. It now brings in ample natural light at the center of a historic landmark revealing a crucial space that had been hidden and inaccessible to the public for a long time. It provides a more sensible circulation for the visitor to move about and explore the museum exercising their freedom of choice.
The redesign of the Great Court stands as a fine example in the context of revitalization as an approach. Its approach towards resolving the many issues of the space growing with changing times is a lesson, at a small scale, on how to mould the existing fabric to make it work on a constantly changing world. This renovation swiftly resolves the recurring questions that come with renovations – How much to change? Which areas to preserve? Here, addressing one major aspect (the roof) in the space largely resolves the major issues at hand. This approach of intently observing and identifying the most important aspect of the renovation and concentrating on it rather than making numerous smaller changes can be applied to renovation at various levels and scale.
The British Museum, in the original designs of Robert Smirke, was meant to be a rectangular block having galleries around the perimeter of a garden courtyard in the
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fig 3.1 Great Court at The British Museum View of the glowing glass ceiling at night from a rooftop
fig 3.1 Great Court at The British Museum With the renovation, the central Reading Room looks like an assertive architectural deity in the center
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center. From 1852 –57, a circular tower with a domed top was built in the courtyard as the reading room of the library department of the museum. The remaining space of the courtyard was filled with book-racks for the library books and to protect this library department from rain, the courtyard was covered with a roof and made inaccessible to public. In 1997, when the library was moved to its new location at St. Pancras, the courtyard was freed up and came under consideration of improving the museum space and services.
The redesign sets the courtyard as the nucleus of the museum space. It sorts various activities expected of a first-time visitor in a logical order making the way they interact with the museum more relaxed, welcoming them and giving them time to acquaint themselves with the museum and make a choice of where they’d like to begin. Earlier the visitors had to follow a strict route passing through one gallery to get to the next – in the process making the spaces crowded and wasting a lot of time. Now as the visitor is ushered in the very center, he can get information from the welcome desk, move around, browsing through the shops, get glimpses of galleries and temporary exhibitions to make an informed choice making an itinerary for this visit.
The freedom to choose the parts of the museum one would like to visit, works very well as a system of circulation for the regular visitor as well. Considering the size of the museum galleries and abundance of its collection it is almost impossible, and more so, inconvenient for anyone to see everything in one go. The new fluidity is a good solution for picking out yet unexplored collections for those visiting again.
In terms of the visual elements used in the great court, they make a very bold statement indeed, something that was essential for a landmark of this stature. As an answer to the 27
imposing ceiling that covered the courtyard for all these years, a glass and steel roof radiates out from the circumference of the Reading Room dome reaching out to the surrounding facades on all four sides. The Glass roof is the hero of the entire renovation in a sense, creating an exciting public square that has all the qualities of an outdoor space yet protecting the users from natural hindrances like rain. “Passing through the museum entrance to the courtyard, the contrast between old and new is pronounced but harmonious. With its dark, stone, load-bearing walls and Ionic colonnade, the museum evokes all the gravitas that Neo-classical architecture presumes. Message received, culture resides here. Then there is the courtyard, so filled with light and composed of such ephemeral- seeming materials as to appear ready to float away. Indeed, this walk from the street to the courtyard is a quick trip through architectural history, from the solidity of stacked stone to the soaring shapes that structural steel made possible late in the 19th century. This sequence from dark and stately to a radiant modern core evokes both surprise and pleasure. It feels like a release, like being told it's O.K. to laugh in church. There is a pure hedonistic delight in 18
this combination of beautiful materials, open space and natural light.”
Not only does the ceiling make for an unexpected surprise walking through the imposing regal façade of the museum entrance, it creates a soothing ambience filtering natural light and a sense of lightness for all the other elements in the space. The Reading Room, visually free from any physical supports reinstates its importance in the surrounding area as something of an architectural deity that one orbits around. 18 “A London Museum Itself Is Now a Treasure on Display”, by Cheryl Kent; The New York Times. May 27, 2001
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fig 3.3 External façade of The British Museum The post-renovation contemporary court inside makes for a surprising contrast against the Greek Revival architecture of the façade
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CASE STUDY - II Astley Castle – Warwickshire, UK Among the many similar or known approaches to the various renovation projects, a designer either restores the building or lends it a new identity. In the former, purpose is reinstated in the building by reiterating and extending the surviving architectural elements and details to restore the space close to the original. Alternatively, introducing new contrasting materials, colours and processes, lends it a newer identity often letting go of much of the history as may be commanded by the present condition of the structure or future objective. Different as these approaches may be, both have been appreciated and applauded with great enthusiasm - for the return to the familiar and departure to something unusual.
Then there are tricky questions about ethics and morality of historic architecture. How much to be saved? How to preserve the character of the building and sometimes the intent of the former architect? How much of new elements and materials to be introduced? Examples of an almost perfect balance rarely do come by. This is the sort of meditation on revitalization that is the Astley Castle.
Astley castle is a grand holiday accommodation, now being run by the Landmark Trust in Warwickshire, England. It is essentially a manor house from the medieval period originally owned by the Astley family which was moated and fortified due to which perhaps it came to be known as a castle.
Originally built in the 12th century, it underwent a major rebuild in mid 1500s and most remains of the building are from this period or later. It has been in constant occupation 30
19
for the last 1000 years being extended and altered under various ownerships . All these additions and alterations added many new layers to the original site. Ironically, these layers hardly remain to be seen owing to the sad state the property has been for the last three decades.
In 2006, Landmark Trust launched an architectural design competition inviting ideas for revitalizing the site into a holiday accommodation, which would be run by the trust itself. As it was for WWM Architects, the winners of the competition, designing a historical building without any surviving details must have been difficult for all participants. The site was large and complex, the scale and the lack of surviving details made a conventional restoration impossible. To find context to create something new that has a meaningful dialogue with the old must have been a very difficult task.
There were largely two main issues that the architects wanted to address with this revitalization. They had to insert a house amidst the ruins considering its relationship with the ruin - what the house would do for the ruin and vice-versa. So, a frame of new masonry work was placed amidst the remains with a dual goal - that to stabilize and strengthen the ruins while also providing a rigid grid to which the new timber housing could be attached to. Using minimal intervention within the existing fabric was also extremely economical.
19
‘Astley Castle’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astley_Castle. Last updated on 27 September 2013
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fig 4.1 Astley Castle revitalized by Witherford Watson Mann Architects The historical remains are proudly on display, encasing the new construction; view from the driveway
fig 4.2 The ‘sculptural’ chimney stack and the old walls alongside the new in the Main Hall
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 The other issue was to define what the experience of being in this site could be like and how the viewer could interact with the historic narrative of the space. This is what I think was the stroke of genius in the entire approach. The state of ruin of the site has been used as the narrative. Derelict structures and architectural features within them attain sculptural qualities over time and this unique dimension can only be achieved over a long period of time. The conscious choice of not 'rectifying' and not inserting newer features and instead celebrating this passage of time to ultimately create a majestically theatrical setting makes one feel like a curious explorer venturing into derelict structure viz. the broken block of the fireplace in the 'main hall'.
Considering the setting of the structure in the surrounding landscape, the layout of the 'holiday house' is unlike the conventional home where the living and other public areas are on the ground floor while the bedrooms and other private spaces on the first. Considering the availability of natural light and maximizing on the vistas looking out from the building, it has been laid out as an inverted form of a conventional house. Looking at the size and amount of openings on the first floor providing extensive view and some of the constraints on the ground floor, the architects put the a large open-plan living room with a kitchen and dining on the first floor. The ground floor although has a common area in the form of the 'main hall' along with the bedrooms and toilets.
In terms of new treatments with the old structure, the design approach is very subtle and minimal. The choice of materials is extremely sensitive to the original ones visually and texturally conscious to not be at odds with the surviving materials yet has been laid precisely to clearly highlight and separate the old and the new. To fill and complete parts of broken walls of the original structure, special smaller bricks have been used which are
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fig 4.3 Empathic insertions like the window sit comfortable with the distressed medieval wall
fig 4.4 An element of playfulness in the massing of the new brickwork in the gaps of the original walls
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 much thinner than the regular bricks so that the irregular edges of the broken walls could be followed, preserving whatever has remained, in the state it has been found. Thus, a lot of the surfaces of Astley look like tapestries of the same cloth with varying weaves. Other features like the wooden paneling and kitchen in the newer parts of Astley are also complimentary to the rest of the space and both work together as a whole.
The revitalization of Astley is a milestone of sorts - As a derelict structure in a state of complete ruin, reinstated to a functional and highly characteristic piece of architecture. And also as an example of an extremely sensitive approach to renovation with minimal intervention using the weakness, the ruinous state, as the hero of the final product by exposing and showing off what is usually covered and rectified. Unlike many who commented on online design magazines featuring the project suggesting that the architects of this project should have taken similar approach to some early Italian architects and renovators, I think this project represents the imaginative, surprising and extraordinary possibilities while confronting existing buildings in the worst condition.
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CASE STUDY - III Corten Apartments (formerly Palazzo di Viganovo) Revitalization of the Camplleio, as Palazzo di Viganovo is locally known in the old town of Vigonovo, is a brilliant demonstration of an amusing revitalization of a historic landmark. The Campiello (literally translates to ‘little square’) was one of the oldest existing municipalities set up in the late 17th century. Much before the municipality was built, the site of the building was an important center of archaeological and historical writings of the Greeks and Romans during the first century BC. About 30 years ago, the building was the victim of a tragic fire. The fire spread uncontrollably ruining the structure, hardly leaving any remains of the building.
Real-estate developers Cosmo Realty took an interest in the site with an aim to develop it into apartment block with areas for social interaction. Considering the location in the town centre, the long history and the symbolic relevance, great sensitivity and a clever solution were essential for the revitalization - an understanding and motivation to explore the history of the building and the site, keen observation of architectural and craft details and above all, a consideration of the contemporary and future response to a landmark of this stature. The project was handled by architectural studio ‘3ndy’, also based in Vigonovo. They had an enthusiastic approach to the project, ready to “take up the challenge to believe that even a small provincial town, can become place of great artistic performance.” After three years of extensive research and renovation works, and a grand collaboration with art historian Philippe Daverio and artist Giorgio Milani for the façade, the project
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reached its goal of resuscitating this building with not just a new function but a majestic and intriguing narrative
One of the most important aspects of good space revitalization is to be able to express the narratives held within and around the space. In order to recall and express the stories held within a historical site, it is essential to not only pursue the architectural techniques and details but a more wholesome approach to the space including daily life practices, symbolic importance of the space in the history and over the years. It can be quite difficult to express all these intangible aspects of a site in just an architectural form. I especially admire how this aspect was dealt with in this particular site.
The façade, a large part of which was destroyed by the fire, could have been reconstructed back to what it was, but the team chose to keep away from the approach of a phony recreation. Instead of ‘recreating’ they chose to ‘re-invent’ the façade, incorporating the long history of the site – both, as the 17th century municipality that was destroyed by flames of a fire and that of a center of archaeological and historical writings. The existing facade was sequence of elegant mullioned windows on the first floor and a thick battlements crowning. 3ndy Studio restored the facade back to its nearoriginal architectural state, but Milani filled in the facade with an artistic exploration of poetry and Corten steel.
Art historian Philippe Daverio traced the rich history of the Italian language and lettering. Expressing the research as a piece of art, artist Giorgio Milani used small excerpts from famous poems balancing 22 different alphabets, upper-case and lower-case letters, of different fonts and sizes in order to have an aesthetic and cultural harmony. This
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fig 5.1 The façade of Palazzo di Viganovo before the renovation and addition to the structure fig 5.2 Letters in various fonts, lower and upper cases, laser cut in sheets of Corten steel
fig(s) 5.3, 5.4 Light filtering through the laser-cut letters and the façade glowing at night
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composition, named “footfalls echo in the memory”,
20
is essentially the new façade,
letters laser-cut on steel panels that come together to form the entire wall. It follows the architectural rhythm of the original façade wall with the windows to frame views. The excerpts of the poems are subtly and cleverly hidden within the pattern (which looks like plaster that has been distressed on wall, over the years) appearing only for the keen observer who wants to take time to reflect on the design and the past.
In addition to these exciting interventions, the entire façade becomes a light box in the dark, where the laser-cut letters might be confused with a projection. Once the dark metal sheets disappear in the night, the letters seem to be hanging in the air. In the words of Milani, “At night, the work is revealed through the light that filters through the panels highlighting the verses to disclose them to anyone who wants to keep alive the memory and history of the place”
20
Quoted from ‘The Four Quarters’ by T.S. Elliot
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CASE STUDY - IV ‘Windshape’ installation Lacoste is a historic village which has a long history of defying the social norms of the local society. Predominantly Protestant even today, Lacoste doesn't have a Catholic church. Meynier d'Oppede and his Catholic Forces tried (unsuccessfully as it turns out) to change the demographics by slaughtering all the villagers in 1545. Then Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade was exiled to his chateau at the very top of Lacoste in 1768. All this turbulent history kept the population fairly steady over the years and kept modernity out. It's just over 400 people now, but the population easily doubles in the summer.
The castle of the Marquis de Sade is now owned by Pierre Cardin21. His second residence, the castle is being renovated. In summer each year, he organizes a musical artistic festival in the quarries to the west of the castle22.
For the aforementioned festival, Windshape was an ephemeral structure commissioned by the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD)23 as a venue and gathering space near their Provence campus in Lacoste, France. Built by nARCHITECTS and a team of SCAD students over a period of five weeks, Windshape became the small town’s main public meeting space, and hosted concerts, exhibitions, and ceremonies throughout the summer of 2006. 21 Pierre Cardin is an Italian‐born French fashion designer. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Cardin, http://www.pierrecardin.com/ 22 http://www.festivaldelacoste.com 23 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_College_of_Art_and_Design
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Windshape was conceived as two eight-meter-high pavilions that dynamically changed with the Provençale wind. The winds of Provence, particularly the Mistral, have long had an
influence
on
the architecture
of
Provence.
The traditional
Provençal
farmhouse traditionally faces southeast; with its back to the Mistral, and many Provençal churches have open iron grill bell towers, which allow the Mistral wind to pass through.24
“Behind the Mistral is the beauty of Provence. Its fierceness blows away clouds and grime and doubt, leaving colors the depth of dreams and a freshness that can come only after the Mistral's scouring. Provence needs the Mistral or it ceases to be the Provence of my dreams. I need the Mistral to cut through those dreams to truth - beauty comes after the wind.” Kamiah A. Walker
A vine-like structural network of white plastic pipes, joined together and stretched apart by aluminum collars, emerged from the limestone walls and terraces of Lacoste’s hillside. Fifty kilometers of white polypropylene string was threaded through the lattice to create swaying enclosures. The string was woven into dense regions and surfaces and pinched to define doorways, windows, and spaces for seating.
By varying the degree of tension in the string, nARCHITECTS built Windshape to respond to the wind in several ways, from rhythmic oscillations to fast ripples across its
24 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winds_of_Provence
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fig 6.2 Daniela Zimmer & nArchitects. ‘Windshape’ installation lit amidst the ruins
fig 6.1 Marquis de Sade’s Castle at the top of the village; Lacoste, France
fig 6.3 Daniela Zimmer & nArchitects. ‘Windshape’ installation against the background of the castle
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surfaces. During heavy winds, Windshape moved dramatically, and made a hissing sound akin to dozens of jump-ropes. The pavilions took on a multitude of temporary
forms over the course of the summer, as they billowed in and out, and momentarily came to rest. In this way, the local winds and the Mistral gave shape to constantly mutating structures. The pavilions were illuminated at night against the backdrop of the Marquis de Sade’s castle, and were visible from as far away as the village of Bonnieux, 5 kilometers away.
The pavilions’ design reflects a desire to remix the hard and soft landscapes of Provence in an innovative tectonic system. The village of Lacoste appears hewn out of limestone, its streets and network of terraces seemingly chiseled out as voids in the hillside. In contrast, the surrounding fields, vineyards, and lavender bushes form a luminous, soft, and changeable landscape. Windshape refers in its exterior form and angular geometry to the medieval townscape, while echoing the mutating, softer agricultural landscape in its internal experience and dynamic qualities.
Windshape was a laboratory of sorts to test the idea of a building that can respond to natural stimuli. Rather than simply sheltering us from the elements, buildings of the future could connect inhabitants to their environment, reminding them of its strength and beauty.
The team exploited the different properties of two weak and supple materials to create a strong yet elastic structural network. Similar to an archer’s bow, the pipes were placed in bending and the string in tension to achieve structural integrity as well as a desired 43
 range of movement in the wind. The interdependent structural system of string, pipes and collars required a flexible fabrication method. An initial stitching of string through the pipes allowed for improvisation in weaving strategies to provide enclosure, openings or stability.
Considering that most landmark preservation authorities and heritage organizations have strict laws, temporary interventions like these can be an excellent initiative to raise awareness and generate interest in overlooked historic architectural gems. While transitory rituals like music/art/performance festivals and concerts allure the public to a specific site, an engaging ambience with a strong narrative and context (in this case, climatic influence on geographic location and architecture) can go a long way in making people think and take interest in the history of their surroundings.
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CASE STUDY - V Casa Rex Studio fetishize verb
have an excessive and irrational commitment to (something)
I’m aware that most of the case studies up to this point are from within the UK, while the others are based in the rest of Europe. So until now I’ve been looking at a European model of revitalization. But were this a longer project, I would’ve liked to look at the aspect of adaptive reuse on a global scale. With this in mind, my last case study is from Brazil.
Often a ‘new’ intervention takes the foreground against the ‘old’ remains, while in some cases the ‘old’ is preserved, as it is, to be emphasized against a series of ‘new’ elements. Yet in this unique case the ruin has been fetishized to another level. An existing space has been “upgraded” to create a new interior by demolition of existing architectural elements. As the result, a fantasy ruin comes to life, confirming and defying this quote by Edward Hollis:
“Si monumentum requiris, circumspice,” ‘If you seek a monument, look around you.’ All 25
architects hope that the buildings they have designed will memorialize their genius, and so they dare to hope that their buildings will last forever, unaltered. Excerpted from ‘The Secret Lives of Buildings’ by Edward Hollis
25
Text on Sir Christopher Michael Wren’s tomb at St Paul's Cathedral
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When Casa REX, an important Brazilian design office, decided they wanted to reform their new office space, the initial goal was to create a new identity for the physical space of the office, which didn’t exist before because of its rapid expansion.
A former residence in Pacaembu, (Sao Paolo, Brazil) built in the 1940’s, was chosen. The property had had several reforms poorly made through the decades that hid almost entirely the building’s original architecture.
Since the beginning, the clients’ program was divided in three parts: the meeting area, where there would be the reception and a place exhibiting the office’s projects. The studio’s area completely separated of the first one, where everybody would work together in an open space, and finally, the external front area, with restricted and controlled access.
Having issues such as the limited budget in mind, they decided to use some unusual resources while designing the building: a lot of demolition and the usage of some infrastructure pieces.
In the façade stone gabions were piled, a material used as an earth retaining on the roads and the like; together with the REX team the architects made a specific pagination where they used red sandstone and big gray gravel to form a visually remarkable façade. One of these modules was suppressed and they put a plate with negative cuttings indicating the office.
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fig 7.1 Rafaela Netto. Celebration of ruin at Casa REX reception area
fig 7.2 Rafaela Netto. Casa REX façade
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In the reception and meeting area, there was extensive demolition: a two-story high ceiling was created, the floor was destroyed and every plaster of the original walls removed, in a form of “architectural archaeology”. Inside this space with a demolished aspect, a pure, clean, white path was created leading the visitor to the two meeting rooms – entirely white blocks inside those ruins. The rest of the space was filled with the same gravel of the façade, and it is in that “inter-space” that the exhibition of the office’s projects would be mounted, almost as a gallery amidst the building’s ruins.
As for the studio’s area, it was designed as a two-story high ceiling – which was built – occupying a little more than a half of the entire space, and a section of normal ceiling, original from the construction, where the upstairs acts as a large room for the company’s president. In the two-story high ceiling, a “cloud” of luminaires helps lightening the place, in addition to delimiting spaces. On the two-story high ceiling back wall, behind which were the bathrooms, the financial area and the models area, a 70-m2 bookcase was made with piled pre-shaped concrete pieces that are normally used for channeling streams, consigning the façade. Into this big bookcase, some wooden flights of stairs have been incorporated, in addition to the modules themselves, in order to reach the footbridge connecting the director’s office to the rest of the agency.
Using heavy building materials in an innovative way as well as demolishing tiles and slabs creates a unique space, very different from the existing offices. It is almost as a mix of a gallery and a corporative space, something different for an unusual company.
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PERSONAL CONTEXT AND (a sort-of) CONCLUSION During one of the discussions about adaptive reuse of spaces with my mentor he said “For people of my generation it’s still surprising (even today) to find people living in churches, or drinking in a bank or going to see art in a power station. But for anyone under forty, it’s kind of normal and I imagine this will become more and more the case all over the world”. This got me thinking that in my country, India, people from my generation will have the same reaction to these conversions, if and when they start happening there.
Historical buildings, not just in India, but the entire Indian sub-continent have been neglected. The most notable exceptions would probably be the Taj Mahal, Humayun’s tomb and a few others. Large heritage sites are frozen in time by heritage preservation authorities making them static spaces occasionally visited by tourists, leaving them lifeless and disengaging. Most other sites have experienced gradual decay and eventually complete or part-demolition. While in some cases this has left very little of the original to be reused or even seen, in some others this decaying and crumbling has added a dimension of humility to the surviving structure.
As a design professional, especially one dealing with spatial entities, the neglect towards the existing architectural fabric in my country
2627
has been a cause of great frustration.
26 ‘
IANS ‘Plight of ancient Indian heritage in focus’ http://twocircles.net/2011mar31/plight_ancient_indian _heritage_focus.html 27 Hebbar, Prajakta ‘Monumental Change’ Indian Express. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/monumental‐change/1095471. Published on 31 March 2013
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fig 8.1 Escher-esque Step-well in Rajasthan, India
fig 8.2 Anupam Mukherjee. Darya Khan’s Tomb at Mandu, M.P., India
fig 8.2 Puneet Chandhok. Muslims perform congregational Eid al-Adha morning prayers amongst the ruins of the Feroz Shah Kotla fort and mosque in New Delhi.
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Having played host to several welcome and more often un-welcome guests over the last millennium, India has developed a rich and varied fabric. Preservation of major historical monuments as tourist sites is an understandable solution for sites of national importance since they also serve as centres of historical research and study. But at the same time there are hundreds of smaller derelict structures like tombs, mausoleums, residences, step-wells etc that can be revitalized into functional usable spaces.
Compared to the developed countries in the West, developing nations like India are experiencing rapid growth of economy, and with it, large purchasing power and grand investment opportunities, are on a construction spree. Constructing from scratch on large pieces of land in suburban and rural zones, or reconstructing after demolition is currently the general formula for any real-estate development. Some institutional buildings opt for part-demolition due to lucrative usage of the built structure.
To name handful examples of reuse, in some urban and semi-urban centers, few abandoned textile mills and stockyards have been converted to retail and leisure 28
centers. Some colonial residences have been made into cafes and retail spaces. The greatest evidence and probably the sole understanding of revitalization for the general public come from the uber-luxury heritage hotels. These were originally residences of the erstwhile royal families which have now been leased/sold to International hotel chains to be run as the token ‘Indian luxury holiday resort’.
28
‘Redevelopment of Mumbai mills’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redevelopment_of_Mumbai_mills. Last modified on 26 August 2013
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But in all such works of reuse, including the ones stated above, there is an apparent lack of the ‘outrageous imagination’. For instance, the converted shopping mall lacks empathy for the original structure, nor does it display any attempt to create a dialogue between the two. In some of the more successful examples, like Tate Modern, London, there is a radical approach to spatial usage. There is a declaration of the original form housing the new function even as one walks in to the space. Basic aspects like the proportions of the interiors let you know that this is not just any gallery but a celebration of architectural revitalization. The existing building is treated like a gift from the past.
Is it the preservation policies there that restrict any informed conversions? Is it due to the economical changes and real-estate rush? Or is there a lack of interest and inclination towards this area of design in the country? Maybe the answer lies in smaller quieter interventions that can start generating interest among the public; temporary installations and exhibitions within these derelict structures inviting the unsuspecting visitor to marvel at what lies within. Maybe a few years from now we will be surprised to find people living in barns, buying books in tombs and watching concerts in step-wells.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS Dillon, Brian. Ruins – Documents of Contemporary Art. Whitechapel Gallery and The MIT Press, 2011 Jager, Frank Peter. Old & New: Design Manual for Revitalizing Existing Buildings. Birkhauser GmbH, Basel, 2010 Binney, Marcus. Save Britain’s Heritage 1975-2005 Thirty Years of Campaigning. Scala Publishers, Italy, 2005 Brooker, Graeme and Stone, Sally. Rereadings: Interior Architecture and the Principles of Remodelling Existing Buildings. Riba Enterprises Ltd, London, 2004 Cormack, Patrick. Heritage in Danger. Quartet Books Limited, London, 1978 Klanten, Robert. Build – On: Converted Architecture and Transformed Buildings. Die Gelstalten Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 2009 Scott. Fred. On Altering Architecture (New Edition). Routledge, London, 2007 Bloszies, Charles. Old Buildings, New Designs (Architecture Briefs). Princeton Architectural press, New York, 2011 Littlefield, David. Architectural Voices: Listening to Old Buildings. John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, 2007 Hudson, Jennifer. Interior Architecture: From Brief to Build. Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London, 2010 O’Kelly, Emma. Conversions. Laurence King Pubishing Ltd, London, 2007
JOURNALS & ARTICLES Griffiths, Anthony. ‘Great Court’: A Yolkless egg?, The Burlington Magazine , Vol. 137, No. 1102 (Jan., 1995), pp. 3-4. The Burlington Magazine Publications Ltd Hussain, Andreas. Nostalgia for Ruins. Grey Room, No. 23 (Spring, 2006), pp. 6-21. The MIT Press Jinhua, Dai, Chen, Judy T. H. Imagined Nostalgia. boundary 2 , Vol. 24, No. 3, Postmodernism and China (Autumn, 1997), pp. 143-161. Duke University Press
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Fry, Roger. Si Monumentum Requiris, Circumspice. The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs , Vol. 38, No. 216 (Mar., 1921), pp. 105+107. The Burlington Magazine Publications Ltd Meigh-Andrews, Chris. The Monument Project. Leonardo Vol. 42, No. 5 (2009) (pp. 474475). The MIT Press
Lazzaro, Claudia. Rustic Country House to Refined Farmhouse: The Evolution and Migration of an Architectural Form. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians , Vol. 44, No. 4 (Dec., 1985), pp. 346-367. University of California Press
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“Great Court” British Museum website. http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/the_museums_story/great_court.aspx. (16 September 2013) Frearson, Amy. “Astley Castle Renovation” Dezeen. http://www.dezeen.com/2013/07/20/astley-castle-renovationby-witherford-watson-mann. Published on 20 July 2013 (18 August 2013) “STIRLING PRIZE WINNER: ASTLEY CASTLE RENOVATION BY WITHERFORD WATSON MANN” The Architectural Review. http://www.architectural-review.com/bricklayers-astley-castle-renovation-by-witherford-watson-mann/8630748.article. Published on 27 September 2012 (28 September 2013) “2013 RIBA Stirling Prize winner – Astley Castle, Warwickshire” RIBA Stirling Prize website. http://ribastirlingprize.architecture.com/riba-stirling-shortlist-2013-astley-castlewarwickshire. Published on 26 September 2013 (30 September 2013) Barton, Gem “Palazzo di Vigonovo: Fire-Damaged 17th Century Building Restored With a Laser-Cut Corten Façade” Inhabitat website. http://inhabitat.com/palazzo-di-vigonovofire-damaged-17th-century-relic-restored-with-laser-cut-corten-facade. Published on 8 July 2012 (20 May 2013) "Corten Apartments / 3ndy Studio” ArchDaily. http://www.archdaily.com/301947. Published on 5 December 2012 (19 May 2013) http://www.archdaily.com/298693/reading-between-the-lines-gijs-vanvaerenbergh/#comment-3252363 (11 August 2013) http://www.architizer.com/projects/dovecote-studio/ (23 August 2013)
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"CASA REX / FGMF Arquitetos" . ArchDaily . http://www.archdaily.com/378491 . Published on 29 May 2013 ( 30 May 2013) http://www.homedsgn.com/2013/07/14/dovecote-studio-by-haworth-tompkins/ (25 August 2013)
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