19 questions for the Noordwijk on adaptive reuse

for the

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Noordwijk

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questions on

a d a p t i ve

reu se

H E R I TAG E

archaeological angle

artistic angle

architectural angle

relocation repurpose components

ADAPTIVE REUSE

materials resources

LINEAR economy

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REUSE economy

CIRCULAR economy

Real Estate Architecture

IDE N T I T Y

Urban Trauma

DESIGN FOR CHANGE Design for Disassembly Design for Reuse Design for Recycling

WTC & NQ

Lisa Eisen

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Contents 4

Real Estate Architecture

Purposetowards circular economy Linear-, reuse- and circular economy What makes buildings „green“?

How can we define ‚sustainability‘?

Is functional formalism the solution?

What if we give waste an identity?

Can I get light without buying a lamp?

Tooladaptive reuse

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Design for change Adaptive reuse Limitations and benefits

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Is (adaptive) reuse the solution?

Is this still ‚adaptive‘?

Is Architecture a practice of addition or subtraction?

Can ‚subtraction‘ be more than entertainment?

Could old buildings be the mines of the future?

Demolish everything in order to better rebuild?

28 30 32 34 36 38

Examples

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Effectidentity and heritage

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Heritage

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Aren’t there enough archaeological sites?

Can destruction lead to new imagination?

What determines the identity of a building?

How does architecture impact the identity of a place?

Is architecture denying the traces of use?

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Traces of use - in the apartment

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Case studyWTC and the Noordwijk

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Is the ZIN project a good example for circularity?

Is Brussels a bad city for good architecture?

Can adaptive reuse heal the trauma of the North District?

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References

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Lisa Eisen

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Purpose 6

Real Estate Architecture

We live in a world with ending resources that still favors a linear economy based on the never-ending supply of resources.

Looking at the latest climate protests to stop the global warning a change of our economy system is more than necessary.

Instead of using resources and throwing them away when they are no longer useful, the concept of ‘circular economy’ includes the resources in a closed material loop. With ‘be.circular’ the government engaged in shifting the economy towards circularity in Brussels.

But how do we shift from a linear economy towards a circular economy? And how do we deal with the existing building stock that was not designed with circularity in mind?

towards CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

linear

economy

reuse

economy

circular

economy

Lisa Eisen

Our economy currently operates on a linear principle: Natural resources are collected, transformed into products, used and finally discarded as waste.

Value is created in this economic system by producing and selling as many products as possible.

The principle of reuse is an intermediate step from a linear to a circular economy. Instead of discarding used products to waste, part of it will be recycled while some of it still goes to waste.

Some companies already use this practice in order to reduce waste.

This economic system eliminates waste completely. Every product stays in the cycle and is resource for the production of new products.

There are two sub-cycles: one for biological materials that can be decomposed and another one for technical materials that will be reused.

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Real Estate Architecture

What makes buildings „green“? „DECONSTRUCTION“ symposium on Offsite Reuse in Architecture with Rotor Starting in the 1960s and early 1970s the concept of environmentalism became part of the discussion about architecture.

Looking at the oil crisis and ending resources, the aim was to reduce consumption of fossil fuel in a building. Later, the parameters shifted towards the CO2 emissions of a building during its operational life. Today however we look at the entire life-cycle of a building in order to evaluate it. This so called life cycle analysis takes into account a building’s impact from origination until demolition. But isn’t there an other way of looking at it? Could the building materials economy shift from following a linear arrow towards a circular loop?

This concept of circular economy (craddle-to-craddle) favours the reuse and recycling of materials instead of wasting them. Figuratively speaking the life cycle never ends and the building materials are part of a never ending cycle. “the world’s first zero carbon city, a custom designed settlement called Masdar. It would rely entirely on renewable energy and would produce zero waste.”

- The Economist Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

How can we define ‚sustainability‘ ?

Exhibition „Behind the Green Door“ and the concept of ‚reverse archeology‘ The term „sustainable“ originates in forestry and is connected to an eco-conscious usage of ressources.

Today, however the term is used inflationary in the field of economy, education, marketing, etc. and no longer directly connected to its origin.

For this exhibition at the Oslo Triennale, Rotor looked at various architecture projects that claim to be sustainable using the methodology of ‘reverse archeology’: the collection of physical and digital objects, fragments and relics that retrace and show the environmental aspirations.

Based on the exhibition of these objects the visitor is invited to rethink the term “sustainable” and reflect on environmental conscious architecture.

“Behind The Green Door manages to pinpoint the contradictions and dilemmas contained within the contemporary understanding of ‘sustainability’.”

- Kjetil Trædal Thorsen Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Is functional formalism the solution?

The Materials Village in Brussels by Tetra Architects (2018) Tetra Architects designed for the building materials trade company ‘Mpro’ a warehouse at the Vergote Dock in Brussels.

The aim of this relocation was to minimize the heavy weight transport in the city center. Located next to the canal the goal is to increase the waterway traffic and relocate the delivery from the street onto inland navigation in the future.

The complex includes open and closed spaces following a strict grid of 10 x 36m. This enables an easy adaptation for different needs in the future.

The steel construction forms an asymmetric folded roof inspired by saw tooth roofs. Due to the grid it consists of only two forms.

All elements were prefabricated and screwed together on site, leaving an easy option of deconstruction for later.

The modular building follows the principles of “functional formalism” for maximal flexibility and future adaptation. If this still leaves room for architectural design and creativity lies in the eye of the observer.

Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

What if we give waste an identity ?

Thomas Rau and the concept of “material passports” in the Madaster Foundation The Dutch architect Thomas Rau developed the concept of “material passports”. Every material in a construction project gets a digital record of its specific characteristics and values. This database acts as a virtual material depot within every city. In case of renovations or a demolition the available materials will be instantly visible.

The Madaster foundation, a nonprofit organization realized this vision of ‘material passports’ in an online library. By uploading the BIM-model (=Building Information Modelling) of a project, one click shows the information of the library.

This philosophy is implemented in the new headquarters of Tridos. It claims to be “the world’s first totally demountable office building”.

Every component is designed for future disassembly and registered in the library by using reversible mechanical fixings and joints.

“We worked in North station, demounted some lights there that were installed in the 1950s.

On the inside of these lights were writings in marker ‘balast changed in 1980’ [...] and so on.. that is a building information model with a proven track record. Very good practice.”

-Maarten Gielen Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Can I get light without buying a lamp ?

Thomas Rau and the concept of buying services rather than building elements We are all used to streaming music, videos and movies. Paying for a service or the access to something replaces the traditional concept of owing. But what happens if we translate this concept onto buildings and technical installations?

Instead of buying a certain amount of lamps for example, RAU ordered the needed light for the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. In this case the company Philips offers light as a service - for rent. This concept is not limited to lightning or technical installations it can be transferred onto the whole building and its components. Consequently, the materials never leave the owner who will be responsible not only for construction and maintenance but also for the deconstruction. This shift in property and ownership enables closed material cycles, where old materials and resources get reused or transformed into new ones avoiding waste and down-cycling.

“I have a hard time to think that all of a sudden Philips saw the (green) light. More plausible: There is a market for corporate green ’solutions’ and there is a market for pretentious single portion coffee packaging… and so it goes.”

-Maarten Gielen Lisa Eisen

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Tool 20

Real Estate Architecture

The solution lies within ‘adaptive reuse’ or ‘reuse’ in general.

By disassembling obsolete buildings, the different components reenter the material loop instead of being destroyed or thrown away.

This changes not only how buildings are destroyed but how new ones are built. The construction with salvaged materials from obsolete buildings changes the design process of architects fundamentally. The design process does no longer stop with the construction but encompasses all stages until the disassembly of its components. The practice of architecture can no longer be seen as mere addition to the urban landscape but considers the subtraction equally – either the disassembly of existing buildings or the designing of new ones for future reuse.

ADAPTIVE REUSE

Lisa Eisen

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BUILDING

PRODUCT

COMPONENT

DESIGN FOR CHANGE

BUILDING

redesign

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Real Estate Architecture

BUILDING

PRODUCT

COMPONENT

recovery

BUILDING

PRODUCT

COMPONENT

reuse

Lisa Eisen

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ADAPTIVE REUSE

building

relocation

[1]

obsolete heritage [2]

repurpose

[3]

component

[4]

different use different building

same use same building

material

[5]

recycling

[6]

resources downcycling

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[7]

Real Estate Architecture

Lisa Eisen

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2

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Farmhouse; Brussels;1010 (2014)

Bois le PrĂŞtre; Paris Lacaton&Vassal (2011)

Kolumba Museum; Cologne Zumthor (2007)

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Golden ceiling; Brussels; Jules Wabbes (2018)

Fuyang museum; Hangzhou; Wang Shu (2008)

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Upcycle Studios; Kopenhagen; Lendager Group (2018)

filled ground

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LIMITATIONS

physical restrictions of the existing building legal constraints and zoning laws inaccurate or lack of information risk of delays and additional costs maintenance effords (decay, contamination, ...) limited standards (fire regulations, technical furnishing, ...) lack of specific materials and skills in construction

complexity of the project creative limitations heritage regulations

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Real Estate Architecture

BENEFITS

reducing the urban sprawl and increasing density preservation of neighborhood structures and local identity

sustainable impact (circular economy) faster construction urban revitalization of the whole neighborhood less energy and ressource consumption less costs for new materials acknowledgement of the layers of history (urban traumas)

new typologies added value to the heritage

Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Is (adaptive) reuse the solution ?

Looking at the projects and winners of the be.exemplary competition in Belgium The be.exemplary competition is organised by the city of brussels (urban.brussels administration) every year since 2016. The winners are chosen regarding four main factors: architecture and town planning, environment, social and circular economy. The winning projects get between 150₏ and 250₏ per m² out of the whole competition budget of around 2,2 million euros.

In 2019 one of the nine winning projects was the Recypark, a design project by 51N4E, Witteveen&Bos and Rotor. The ambitious proposal called for the reuse of an existing structure to serve as the hall protecting the users of the future container park.

In general 16% of the participating projects reused salvaged materials or components of old buildings in cooperation with Rotor or RotorDC. This demonstrates the growing importance of reused materials.

But only half of these projects were accepted; most of them due to a lack of transparency regarding the origin and the process of the materials.

Consequently, reusing materials is growing in importance but is not a guaranty for a sustainable and ecological design or project.

Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Is this still ‘adaptive’ ?

Port House in Antwerp, Belgium

by Zaha Hadid (2016) The term ‘adaptive reuse’ is mostly associated with minimal interventions in existing buildings in order to adapt the architecture to a different use.

But other examples of dealing with old buildings follow a completely different approach; such as the Port House in Antwerp by Zaha Hadid.

The opinions about her design differ as shown in the following quotes: „a new volume that ‘floats’ above the old building, respecting each of the old facades and completing the verticality of the original design’s unrealized tower.”

- archdaily.com „isn’t there something aggressive and impolite about the way this new headquarters for the port authority seems to stridently leap over“ - Felix Mara (AJ) Did the strong ‘wish for an icon’ of the bright future of Antwerp overpower the rich history?

How do we define the limitations and contradictions of the term ‘reuse’?

Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Is Architecture a practice of addition or subtraction?

Preliminary reading for “Arguments” by Maarten Gielen in June 2018 The worlds economy is based on infinite growth whereas we live in a world with finite resources.

Architecture is equally a profession in crisis, unable to lead the change.

A profession that derives its mandate from convenience has no power regarding the chaos of the crisis.

Looking at the example of marble tiles they represent a certain luxury when used in a building. On the other hand however they justify the existence of a quarry changing the landscape at another place.

In the common discourse one is considered architecture but the other only quarrying. Shouldn’t we consider both impacts on the landscape in our architectural projects - not only the addition but also the subtraction of materials - especially in the current state of the world with gigantic cities and alternated landscapes?

“Has this already happened, do we live on a planet covered in its entirety by a single sprawling infrastructure? Certainly, in such a place architecture should be concerned with subtraction, not addition.”

- Maarten Gielen Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Can demolition be good for more than entertainment ?

Keller Easterling about ‘Subtraction’ as an additional way of form-making Miley Cyrus sings about a wrecking ball, there are demolition TVshows and in Las Vegas hotels are demolished as a New Year’s firework attraction. But is there more to the concept of subtraction?

Keller Easterling analyses the interrelation of un-building and building, demolition and construction, making and unmaking, ... Therefore, subtraction is inseparably related to architecture and could become another way of form-making. Currently the term is still negatively connoted and related to failure, loss and error - the disposal of an accident. But cities like the financial market are subjects of fluctuations, constantly inflating and deflating or expanding and shrinking. Just that we design buildings in a static, durable manner but expect them to behave like money. Changing the perception of subtraction it can be seen as an exchange and opportunity of growth .

“Architects trained to make the building machine lurch forward may know something about how to put it into reverse.”

- Keller Easterling Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Could old buildings be the mines of the future ? „DECONSTRUCTION“ symposium on Offsite Reuse in Architecture with Rotor In medieval times or even after the second world war people built their houses with bricks from former city walls or dilapidated buildings.

Today however buildings that no longer serve a use are forcefully demolished using dynamite and wrecking balls. Looking at the global environmental issues and the scarcity of resources it might be time to switch back from demolition to deconstruction.

Rotor works around this topic of deconstruction and the reuse of the salvaged materials. The term “Urban mining” describes this process of dismantling old buildings in order to reuse the components or materials. This process varies from site to site and requires seven times more personnel than brutal demolition.

Finished projects however show that it is possible without additional costs and even small profit. Besides, it can be seen as an opportunity to create manual jobs.

“All Architecture is but waste in transit.”

- Peter Guthrie Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Demolish everything in order to better rebuild?

Positions on the FABA-FEGC conference in Batibouw (L. Devlieger and M. Ghyoot) On the 4th march 2020 the FABAFEGC (Federation of general construction contractors in Belgium) organized a conference about the lowering of the turnover taxes on demolitions. Until now the taxes for demolition and reconstruction were at 21% whereas for renovations they were only 6%. The construction industry wants to lower the taxes in order to increase the Belgian stock of sustainable buildings with zero energy by 2050.

Rotor reacts to this discussion with a press release. They argue that lowering the taxes is only possible in combination with other demands regarding deconstruction and reuse: 1. To promote the recovery of reusable materials by setting up an inventory of reusable materials before each demolition and supporting buildings with ambiguous reusing goals as well as prohibiting to throw away materials that could be reused.

2. To facilitate the integration of salvaged materials in new projects by setting ambitious rates for reusing materials in new constructions and lowering the taxes for the materials as well as facilitating the regulations for professionals to work with reused materials as easily as possible.

Lisa Eisen

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Examples 40

Real Estate Architecture

Fuyang museum

Wang Shu - Hangzhou

Upcycle Studios

Lendager Group - Copenhagen

Resource Rows

Lendager Group - Copenhagen

CIRCL

de Architekten Cie - Amsterdam

Bois le PrĂŞtre C-Mine Brigittines

Lisa Eisen

Lacaton&Vassal - Paris

51N4E - Genk

SumProject & Bruno - Brussels

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Wang Shu

Fuyang museum

Hangzhou China

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Wang Shu’s Amateur Architecture Studio has designed a cultural complex clad in recycled tiles near Hangzhou, China.

The Fuyang Cultural Complex comprises of three buildings: the Fuyang Museum, Fuyang Archives and Gongwang Art Museum.

The complex’s wave-shaped rooftops are clad in mixed tiles, and traversable via staircases and paths accessed from external galleries, offering sweeping views over lush mountains.

The upward curve of the overhanging roof tips is designed to echo the fly eaves of traditional Chinese architecture, while punctures in the roofs allow stairways to rise to the rooftop-level, connecting them to the buildings and creating light wells into the spaces below.

Wang Shu and his wife only took the commission to design the Fuyang Cultural Complex on the condition they could also work on the preservation of the local village of Wencun.

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Real Estate Architecture

Lisa Eisen

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Lendager Group

Upcycle Studios

Copenhagen Denmark

“we can decouple growth from emissions by looking at local waste as a resource and making sustainability and growth each other’s prerequisites.”

Combining ‘Sharing Economy’ and reused materials Lendager Group designed 20 town houses in Denmark.

75% of the windows are salvaged from abandoned buildings. In order to meet modern standards of insulation two layers of double glazing windows are installed.

The load bearing concrete construction (1400t) is made of concrete recycled from the Copenhagen metro construction using a newly developed technique

by Lendager Group.

The floor, walls and facades are made of wood. Due to a close cooperation between the planners and wood supplier ‘Dinesen’ it was possible to use offcut wood that would have normally gone to waste.

Despite the high percentage of reused materials it is commercial project defined by market conditions and designed to scale up.

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Real Estate Architecture

Lisa Eisen

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Lendager Group

Resource Rows

Copenhagen Denmark

“What if we could create homes with history? What if we could build new dwellings out of waste? What if we could build exclusive sustainable housing at no additional cost? ” This housing block with a central courtyard claims to be ‘Denmark’s first residential project built out of materials from abandoned homes’.

The facade is made with panels of recycled brickwork from the demolished Carlsberg site as well as old schools and industrial buildings around Denmark.

Old lime mortars crumble as buildings are demolished. Therefore, the single bricks can be salvaged, cleaned and re-laid. Modern cement mortar (since the 1960s) however is stronger than the brick itself and the bricks cannot be separated without damage. This lead to the innovative solution by Lendager Group in cooperation with Lendager UP. They deal with resource optimization and up-cycle product development.

Although it is an independent company, they were founded due to a lack of suppliers of up-cycle products for the projects of Lendager Group.

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Real Estate Architecture

Lisa Eisen

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de Architekten Cie

CIRCL

Amsterdam Netherlands

This ‘green pavilion’ was designed by de Cie Architekten in cooperation with the TU Delft and BAM for the ABNAMRO bank in the Netherlands.

An untypical cooperation that raises the question of how banking and finance go together with sustainable development.

The aim was to design a building with the lowest possible environmental footprint.

Therefore, some materials are salvaged from old buildings like window frames. Others like the insulation material in the ceiling is made of old jeans. Finally, the furniture is from ABN-AMRO and was restored.

The rest of the materials like the wooden construction and the aluminum panels of the facade are designed for assembly as well as disassembly in order to be reused in the future.

The CIRCL pavilion as well as the extensive roof terrace are open to the public with meeting and exhibition spaces as well as a restaurant.

Everything evolves around the topic of sustainability and circular economy with lectures, discussions, etc.

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Real Estate Architecture

Lisa Eisen

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Lacaton&Vassal

Bois le Prêtre

Paris France

“Never demolish, never remove or replace, always add, transform, and reuse!”

Built in the early sixties along the ring road of Paris, this high rise block of 16 floors includes 96 apartments.

The project of Lacaton & Vassal proposes a generous extension of the apartments and thus avoided demolition.

New floors, built as a self-supporting structure, were added on the periphery of the existing building at every floor, to extend the living rooms and create close-able terraces and balconies. The existing facades with small windows were removed and replaced by large transparent openings, so that the inhabitants are now enjoying the exceptional view on Paris all around.

The structure was designed with prefabricated elements so that the inhabitants could stay in the apartments during the construction works.

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Real Estate Architecture

2011, chantier en site occupé

PROJET

Extensions chauffée

Jardins d'hiver et balcons

RIDEAU THERMIQUE INTÉRIEUR CHÂSSIS VITRÉ COULISSANT PAROI LÉGÈRE TRANSLUCIDE

GARDE-CORPS RIDEAU D’OMBRAGE

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APPARTEMENT T2 + EXTENSION (JARDIN D'HIVER 15 m2 + BALCON 7,5 m2)

Les structures existantes sont conservées, les baies sont ouvertes, les balcons préfabriqués de trois mètres de profondeurs sont empilés et juxtaposés aux façades existantes, les intérieurs sont adaptés aux besoins locatifs, la consommation des énergies est réduite de plus de 50 %, en particulier grâce à la gestion des énergies passives des jardins d’hivers.

Le calcul de base des loyers est conservé. (la surface des jardins d’hiver n’est pas prise en compte).

Lisa Eisen

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51N4E

C-Mine

Genk Belgium

The architectural office 51N4E redesigned in 2010 the former mine in Genk into a cultural center including a theater, cafĂŠ, exhibition spaces and offices.

The central turbine hall will become the new pivotal point of this brownfield operation, becoming the future cultural infrastructure node for the wider area.

By extending the base with two new concrete additions, a deep and fascinating ground level comes into being a labyrinth-like foyer including exhibitions spaces, offices, a cafĂŠ, a restaurant, meeting rooms and accesses to the two new theaters.

The theaters are conceived as day lit machine rooms, inside which the old brick infrastructure becomes the backdrop for a new stage.

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Real Estate Architecture

Lisa Eisen

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SumProject & Andrea Bruno

Brigittines

Brussels Belgium The chapel is one of the few remains of the urban fabric after the demolitions in the 1950s.

Since 1997 it was used by the NPO ‘Les Brigittines’ the contemporary centre for movement arts. Responding to the growing center and increased need of space the municipality launched the architectural competition which was won by Andrea Bruno in collaboration with SumProject.

The chapel itself, a listed monument, is left untouched as a multi-functional performance space.

The extension mirrors the original chapel and has the same volume.

It hosts the reception rooms for the public, a restaurant, offices, a small theatre for 100 spectators, a repetition room, a residence for artists as well as all technical facilities for both buildings.

Within highly fragmented urban fabric this new building emerges as a guardian angel towards the fragile baroque building, that gets revitalized by the support services in the extension.

The two volumes are connected by a subtle inter-space, a glass slice with a monumental staircase and the elevator.

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Real Estate Architecture

Lisa Eisen

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Effect 56

Real Estate Architecture

This fundamental change in the work of architects and in the entire construction industry raises several questions. Suddenly each building component has a history and carries an identity from before. How do we deal with these questions of identity?

And how could the reuse of building materials become an opportunity for the city of Brussels, its heritage and identity?

IDENTITY and HERITAGE

Lisa Eisen

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HERITAGE

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Real Estate Architecture

What was the site ?

Forum Romanum; Rome (8th century BC)

What could the site become ?

C-Mine; Genk 51N4E (2010)

What could the site evoke ?

Bunker 599; Culemborg; RAAAF & Atelier de Lyon (2010) Bunker 599 – Culemborg, 2013 i.c.w. Atelier de Lyon (material: cut reinforced concrete, 5 x 5 x 6 meter ) In a radical way this intervention sheds new light on the Dutch and UNESCO policies on cultural heritage. At the same, it makes people look at their surroundings in a new way. A seemingly indestructible bunker with monumental status is sliced open, revealing the minuscule interior of one of the New Dutch Waterline’s 700 bunkers, normally completely cut off from view.

Paradoxically, after the intervention Bunker 599 became a Dutch national monument.

Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Aren’t there enough archaeological sites ?

The concept of adaptive reuse in comparison with the traditional approach of conservation Dealing with built heritage offers various opportunities: Understanding the history, learning from other centuries, etc.; but also comes with challenges: Dealing with the negative aspects of the past, high preservation costs and a lack of visitors for less prominent sites.

Most of the time archaeological sites get restored and conserved, changing as less as possible of the ruins.

A totally different approach not only for archaeological heritage sites but also industrial heritage and obsolete buildings is the concept of adaptive reuse. It refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. The aesthetic process adapts buildings by means of alterations, additions and remodeling for new uses while retaining their historic features. „ We need to consider preservation through the act of adaptive reuse instead of mere conservation and restoration.

Rather than relying on an archaeological perspective, it emphasizes a designer approach as to give new and unexpected energy to buildings“ - 51N4E Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Can destruction lead to new imagination ?

‘Hardcore Heritage’ by RAAAF (= Rietveld Architecture - Art - Affordances) The multidisciplinary studio ‘RAAAF’ operates at the intersection of architecture, visual art and philosophy.

Under the term of ‘Hardcore heritage’ they developed a new way of dealing with heritage.

Instead of conservation and the slow fading from public imagination and memory they develop build manifestos towards imagination and activation.

The Bunker 599 is one of the most famous projects. Cutting through the seemingly indestructible bunker changes the perception of the visitors. Thus, offering new perspectives in the tension field of conservation, destruction and creation.

Their actions try to transform invisible, intangible heritage into a tangible and visible experience in order not to forget a past that might trouble us.

Shortly after the finalization of the project, the bunker became a Dutch national monument. „ Through deliberate destruction, radical changes in context and seemingly contradictory additions a new field of tension arises between present, past and future.“ - RAAAF Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

What determines the identity of a building ?

The Golden Hall of the ‘Hôryû-ji Temple’ in Japan and “the Ship of Theseus”- paradox The philosophical thought experiment “the Ship of Theseus”

by Plutarch questions, whether an object that had all its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. Therefore, it questions the essence of what determines a building - form, function, context, material, or something else?

The Golden Hall (=Kondô) of the ‘Hôryû-ji Temple’ in Nara Prefecture, Japan is called the world’s oldest wooden building.

But due to several severe fires most of the building was damaged or destroyed over the centuries.

Parts of the damaged building though was able to be rebuilt in a warehouse nearby.

Only 15-20% of the restored temple is still made of the original material from 670 A.D.. The rest of it was replaced using exactly the same materials, tools and ancient techniques. But is it still the same temple even if most of the materials are new?

Today, the restored and rebuilt damaged temple are considered as one building: the worlds oldest wooden building.

Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

How does architecture impact the identity of a place ?

Prof. Dr. Martina Löw about a changed or new identity through new buildings (e.g. Spacelab; Graz) The city of Graz in Austria is the second biggest city in the country.

Is is known for is historical old town, a declared cultural heritage and attraction for many tourists. Thus, the preservation of the historical old town in its whole is essential for the city. Nevertheless, since 2003 the ‘Kunsthaus Graz’, a futuristic organic building made out of glass is located next to the historic fabric of the city. The building designed

by Peter Cook und Colin Fournier is often referred to as the “friendly alien”. In addition to the added cultural value of the museum the building plays an important role in the identity of the inhabitants. The history of the city that is inscribed in the old buildings, involved a strong connection to the Nazis during the second world-war. The new building stands out from the surrounding buildings manifesting the different mindset and politics of today.

Löw describes this break through the constrictions of the old town as a liberation in the minds of the inhabitants. The building is a powerful symbol of change in the perception and identity of the city and its inhabitants.

Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Is architecture denying the traces of use ? „usus/usures“; Belgian pavilion at the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale by Rotor

Looking at the overly pretty renderings for architecture competitions and designs in general everything appears to be perfect: perfect sunshine, green trees, white walls and no traces of usage.

In contrast to this perfectionism Rotor developed an exhibition about use and wear in architecture at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

People react towards traces of wear often repulsive while sometimes even showing attraction of fascination. Traces of wear show the encounters between materials and their users and enables us to read the environment.

The explicit display of traces of wear forces the visitors to listen to the material, examine it more closely and explore it. This process of reflection is able to enrich the design process by anchoring it in real and complex situations, thus provoking a discussion about the discipline of architecture.

Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Traces of use - in the apartment -

Lisa Eisen

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cutting mat

coaster - cardboard

tabletop - marble 72

Real Estate Architecture

window frame - coloured wood

kitchen worktop

deadbolt Lisa Eisen

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flooring - wooden planks

wall - plastering

beam - wood 74

Real Estate Architecture

stairs - coloured wood

commode - wood

wall - paint Lisa Eisen

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Case study 76

Real Estate Architecture

In order to build the business district next to the Brussels North Station existing neighborhood structures were destroyed in the 70s and 80s. The destruction of this big part of the city lead to an Urban Trauma in Brussels concerning the Noordwijk.

The new ZIN-project tries to improve and revitalize the area as well as several other plans.

But could the adaptive reuse of buildings, elements or materials change the perception towards history and identity? Or could it even play a role in healing the modernist Urban Trauma?

WTC and NORTH QUARTER Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Is the ZIN project a good example for circularity?

The advertising of Befimmo and comments of Maarten Gielen The ZIN project was designed by 51N4E and hosts offices for the flemish government, housing and a hotel as well as several public functions. In the two towers the different functions are layered following a ‘zebra-concept’. This aims to create maximal flexibility for the future in adapting the functions according to the needs.

Everything except the underground floors and the circulation cores will be deconstructed. 63% of the salvaged materials will be retained, 32% recycled and only 5% will go to waste. The new materials will be 97% C2C-certified (a label following the craddle-to-craddle concept).

As a winner of the be.exemplary competition the ZIN project gets funding by the government for its efforts in sustainability.

But despite these selling arguments the WTC towers are the... “...single biggest demolition project in Brussels since at least 15 years: 100.000t of building waste [whereas] the whole of Brussels produces ‘just’ 700.000t annually.”

-Maarten Gielen Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Is Brussels a bad city for good architecture?

L. Vermeersch, S. van Garsse about JaspersEyers and concrete in Brussels (Bruzz, 2015)

Jaspers-Eyers is the most successful architecture office in Belgium having built countless projects in Brussels: office-tower after officetower but nothing extraordinary.

Or as Marc Dubois puts it: “He hasn’t taught the city what we can be proud of”.

None of these projects are of an exceptional Architecture. But how come that the biggest architecture firm of the country is not even known for their architecture?

One reason is the strong building and concrete culture in Belgium.

Traditionally the construction industry is more powerful that architectural concepts.

This is also due to the lack of economic incentives for good designs. The more you work on a good design as an Architects, the less you will get payed (Ward Verbakel).

Additionally, the land prices in Brussels are quite low compared to other mayor cities in Europe; high architectural costs therefore way more in the total budget.

“Concrete is dirt cheap.”

-Maarten Gielen Lisa Eisen

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Real Estate Architecture

Can adaptive reuse heal the trauma of the North District ?

M. Van De Weijer „Traces of trauma Initiating adaptive reuse of the North Quarter in Brussels (2018) The demolition of big parts of the city of Brussels in the 60s and 70s such as the North Quarter followed the ideal of modernism and the example of big American cities. (“Manhattan Plan”). Traditional neighborhoods that grew over generations were broken down. Besides, the urban tissue of the bigger area in the city was destructed by leaving a blanc gap.

This rupture with the local history of the northern quarter, where no official heritage values were acknowledged created a sense of loss in the minds of the people. The denial of the heritage in the demolished areas created the intangible heritage of a so called “collective trauma”, which is still relevant today.

The WTC towers as icons of the failure of the Manhattan Plan and the demolition thus stands as a symbol and reminder of this urban trauma. „But designing and planning adaptive reuse equally involves decision-making on how to incorporate, translate, mitigate or exacerbatev negative connotations inscribed in the built environment.“ -M. Van De Weijeer Lisa Eisen

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REFERENCES Devlieger, Lionel; Gielen, Maarten (2017). ‚Urban Mining, Salvaging Materials. Conference statement‘.

DECONSTRUCTION - An International Symposium on Off-site Reuse in Architecture. TU Delft Rotor vzw-asbl (2014). ‘Behind the green door’.

Architecture Triennale. Oslo. Retrieved May 2020 from https://rotordb.org/en/projects/behind-green-door Pieters, Dominique (2018). ‘Formalisme fonctionnel’.

Info_steel 55. Retrieved May 2020 from https:// mouton.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NWS1312-20180830-Infosteelnr54-p26-31-industie-1312. pdf Wainwright, Oliver (2020). ‘The case for ... never demolishing another building’. The Guardian. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.theguardian.com/ cities/2020/jan/13/the-case-for-never-demolishinganother-building Madaster services (2020). ‘Madaster Origination: Material Matters’. Retrieved May 2020 from https:// www.madaster.com/en/about-us/why-a-materialspassport Galle, Waldo (2017). ‘Design for Change - towards a circular economy in construction (handout)’. Vrije Universiteit Brussels De Silva, Dilantha; Perera, Kanchana (2016). ‘Barriers and Challenges of Adaptive Reuse of Buildings’ urban.brussels (2019). ‘Rapport du jury – Juryverslag’.

Retrieved May 2020 from http://www.beexemplary. brussels Mara, Felix (2016). ‘Zaha’s ‘diamond ship’ is a clash between old and new’. Architect’s Journal. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/ buildings/zahas-diamond-ship-is-a-clash-betweenold-and-new/10012631.article Archdaily (2016). ‘Antwerp Port House / Zaha Hadid Architects’. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www. archdaily.com/795832/antwerp-port-house-zahahadid-architects

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Gielen, Maarten (2018). ‘Preliminary reading for Arguments’. Retrieved May 2020 from http://rotordb. org/en/stories/unglued Easterling, Keller (2014). ‘Keller Easterling in conversation with Nikolaus Hirsch and Brian Kuan Wood’. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=HPvvho9uAVE Gorman, Tom (1997). ‘Las Vegas Has a New Year’s Blast--Literally’. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm1997-01-01-mn-14504-story.html Rotor vzw-asbl (2020). ‘Tout démolir pour mieux reconstruire? Vers une TVA réduite... avec des conditions’. Retrieved May 2020 from http://rotordb. org/en/news/tout-demolir-pour-mieux-reconstruirevers-une-tva-reduite-avec-des-conditions FABA - FEGC (2020). ‘Congrès FEGC : construction durable dans un nouveau contexte économique’.

Retrieved May 2020 from http://www.fegc.be/files/ files/Congrès%20Batibouw%20FEGC.pdf Block, India (2018). ‘Wave-shaped roof of recycled tiles tops Wang Shu’s Fuyang Cultural Complex’.

Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.dezeen. com/2018/11/07/wang-shu-fuyang-culturalcomplex-amateur-architecture-studio-hangzhou-china/ Lendager Group (2018). ‘Upcycle studios’. Retrieved May 2020 from https://lendager.com/en/ architecture/upcycle-studios-en/ Copenhagen design news (2018). ‘Resource Rows, Ørestad Syd by Lendager’. Retrieved May 2020 from http://danishdesignreview.com/ kbhnotes/2019/1/25/resource-rowe ABN - AMRO (2017). ‘Circl: international symbol for circular innovation’. Retrieved May 2020 from https:// www.abnamro.com/en/about-abnamro/in-society/ sustainability/social-impact/circular-economy/ circular-construction/index.html

Real Estate Architecture

Lacaton & Vassal (2011). ‘Transformation of Housing Block - Paris 17°, Tour Bois le Prêtre’. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.lacatonvassal.com/index. php?idp=56 51N4E (2010). ‘C-Mine’. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.51n4e.com/projects/c-mine Sum (2016). ‘Brigittines, Brussels’. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.sum.be/brigittines Tv TRACE (2020). ‘Discover the mission and vision of Tv TRACE’. UHasselt, Faculty of Architecture and Arts.

Retrieved May 2020 from https://sites.google.com/ uhasselt.be/trace/what?authuser=0

Befimmo (2019). ‘ZIN project Befimmo - living building’. Retrieved May 2020 from https://vimeo. com/324152612 Vermeersch, Laurent; van Garsse, Steven (2015).

‘Jaspers, of waarom middelmatige architectuur goed gedijt in Brussel’. BRUZZ. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.bruzz.be/samenleving/jaspers-waarommiddelmatige-architectuur-goed-gedijt-brussel-201503-11?fbclid=IwAR24kRiumJ5ve8oFm1UmAUCvUVo0 qOfXG2JcfalFNFEsx2s--BJWSrhzVFY Research Unit TRACE (2018). ‘Trace - Notes on adaptive reuse’. Faculty of Architecture and Arts Hasselt University.

Rietveld, Erik; Rietveld, Donald (2017). ‘Hardcore Heritage: Imagination for Preservation’. Frontiers in Psychology. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www. frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01995/ full RAAAF (2019). ‘RAAAF - portfolio’. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.raaaf.nl/downloads/Portfolio%20 RAAAF%20-%20ENG%202019.pdf Larsen, Knut Einar (1992). ‘A note on the authenticity of historic timber buildings with particular reference to Japan’. The Norwegian Institute of Technology Hosey, Lance (2018). ‘The Ship of Theseus: Identity and the Barcelona Pavilion(s)’. Journal of Architectural Education The Funambulist (2020). ‘ Philosophy /// the ship of Theseus’. Retrieved May 2020 from https:// thefunambulist.net/literature/philosophy-the-ship-oftheseus Rotor vzw-asb (2010). ‘usus/ usures - How things stand’. Éditions Communauté françaiseWallonie-Bruxelles.

Vervack, Gaëlle (2019). ‘ZIN, un exmple d’économie circulaire à Bruxelles’. ecobuild.brussels. Retrieved May 2020 from https://www.ecobuild.brussels/fr/ professionnel/news/zin-un-exemple-deconomiecirculaire-bruxelles

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Looking at the North Quarter in Brussels there is one thing politicians, architects, refugees, developers and the family living around the corner can agree on:

something has to change.

BUT WHAT? - You will find no answers to this question in the booklet. Instead I challenge each and everyone by asking even more questions.

Based on the collected informations about circularity, reuse, heritage and identity I want to confront you with new concepts and theories - challenging common ideas and perceptions of what should happen.

This booklet wants to be a catalyst for your imagination and creativity.

The unsatisfying answers and provocative statements spark new ideas, visions and never seen possibilities that may lead towards the future in a different way for the better or the worse.

Claim this future through new ideas! But first, have fun with it and most importantly don’t accept the current state.

Let’s make something different!

Lisa Marie Eisen Brussels - 2020