PREFACE by Lukasz Zagala
Why is there so much interest in traces of the
past instead of Excitement in modern glassy buildings?
It is possible that increased use of technology
in everyday life and newfound dependence on virtual systems such as virtual money,
mobile phones, and the Internet evoke a nostalgia for objects and space of past
times. Old warehouse walls, mysterious empty turbine halls, and simple old
mechanisms and tools are more aesthetically appealing to many than the shiny
high-tech glass facade of the present. For architects and
some developers, it is often far more
interesting to transform old abandoned objects and buildings into new space,
rather than to build on an empty plot.
Of course the post-industrial remains evoke
different emotions. Mostly they were not created to possess the
values of beauty but still they seem inspiring to many of us.
'The beauty created by
an engineer arises from the fact that he is not conscious about its
creation." 1
Others have a different reaction to these
spaces.
"Only people who
do not know the steam and sweat of a real factory can find industrial space
romantic or interesting. "2
The collapse of the industry era in the second
half of the 20th century created unexpectedly post-industrial
zones and buildings. Closed factories and coal¡ mines were no longer the
generators of the social and urban order and this shift broke the continuum of
the city tissue. Areas and structures were created that need rehabitation or
demolition in order to be used in new ways.Chimneys and halls became dead landmarks
telling the story of a former prosperity and past necessities.
A completely new architectural and urban
approach was required.
There was a lack of one strong architectural
movement and a coexistence of many directions in
architecture
and design. Architecture did not follow a black
and white design methodology and system of values.
Designs that reuse the richness of symbols and metaphors of
the past became extremely common. Although the movement was launched in the fifties by artists in New York New York
When we observe contemporary adaptations or
reuse of the former building tissue they all appear
to follow the following rules:
- the preeminent value
of the old remains its authentic, rather than its historic, symbolic,
emotional, utilitarian, or economic value
- the beauty of the
old buildings lies in their originali0 and authenticity and this esthetic value
is dependent on the place of the viewer in relation to the piece of
architecture
- the industrial
symbolism of the piece of architecture is preserved
- the new
architectural elements do not follow the industrial elements from a formal
standpoint, but instead fill the new needs and gaps in the old tissue rather
than overriding the existing structure
- "old" and
"new" are, easily distinguishable
- technical solutions
to construction issues are dominated by the need to preserve the original
industrial character of the architecture and are not fully rational and
economical
Morphology of the new architectural complexes
is dictated by the new needs and the range of
possibilities
offered by the post-industrial remaining
substance. it means that any former object can be adapted for
any
function creating the new extension in proper
scale and form just because of the authenticity of The old
tissue.
space. it takes time but this new language and
these new esthetic values are being pumped into the
society.
Starting with the vanguard artists, writers,
architects and musicians through al¡ different classes of the
society the message is being launched worldwide:
The old is Beautiful,
Reuse it if, you can!
1.Henry Van de Velde, 1899
2.Sharon Zukin, Loft Living: Culture and
Capital in Urban Change, 1989
Prefacio del libro Transformer, Gingko Press, Inc, de SANDU PUBLISHING www.gingkopress.com
