REUSING THE RUIN: Building upon the fragmentary fabric (R-10966)

The project REUSING THE RUIN begins from the hypothesis that recognition of the process of ruination as a given condition of the built environment and embracing the qualities and characteristics derived from this process will generate new insights and concepts concerning the continuous use, reuse, and adaptation of buildings and structures. The values and principles derived from the reuse of the ruin—both as object and metaphor—contribute to the goals of sustainable design. The reuse of the ruin serves as an alternative to the traditional way of approaching buildings: as static objects that are at their best at the moment of their completion; after losing their functionality, or failing to perform owing to the degradation of their fabric, they could be either demolished or restored to their original condition. The objective of this project is to contribute to the theory of architecture and adaptive reuse by investigating the (1) characteristics of the ruin as an object and process, (2) role of the ruin in architectural theory, and (3) architectural strategies that can be derived from embracing the process of ruination. The methodology shall include literature study, in-depth analysis of 7 precedents and research by design. Research by design is an innovative method that suited this project in terms of introducing new insights on the topic. For this project, I shall collaborate with Professors dr. C. Grafe (Uni Wuppertal), Ing. A. Fonteyne and dr. M. Delbeke (both ETH Zurich)

Keywords:building adaptation, reuse, ruin

Disciplines:Architectural heritage and conservation, Architectural history and theory