DEFAMILIARIZATION

Defamiliarization in architecture is the process of creating a new perception of an entity that has already been perceived countless of times before through the addition or subtraction of an unknown. Defamiliarizing a structure is more than simply renovating a structure, but rather it is to give it new meaning in a way that is unfamiliar to its original. In De Petrus, a church now converted into a library/exhibition hall/meeting space/ restaurant, defamiliarization takes the original meaning of the church building and shakes it up. Here, the building is now a modern library as well as a place to study, gather, and eat; a stark contrast from its conservative origin. In the decomposition and recomposition of Walden 7, defamilirazation takes place by creating a composition that reflects the inverse of the original composition. Walden 7, an apartment complex characterized by symmetry and verticality, is given a new meaning in the recomposition that focus on assymmetricality and horizontality.

Decomposition of Walden 7

Molenaar & Bol & van Dillen Architects 2018

De Petrus Recomposition of Walden 7, focusing on asymmetry and horizontality