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The Great Repair

THE GREAT REPAIR!

CAN ARCHITECTURE BE A REPARATIVE FORCE?

Craftsmanship
Semester 03 Brussel, EN
How to Review?
Individual work
Tutor: Tomas Ooms

Architecture as Upkeep: Can Architecture Heal? Upkeep as Transformative Practice

“In a world scarred by the exploitation of resources and people, and torn apart by wars, architecture holds the potential to serve as a powerful reparative force.”(Source: The Great Repair) The Great Repair studio invites you to explore how architecture can act as an agent of healing, advocating for a new architectural ethos centered around the concept of repair.

< Image left: HS135 COCON The Concrete half © STTUW

A New Fountainhead? Studio Premise

As we confront the stark reality of the irreconcilable conflict between unchecked growth and ecological balance, the role of architecture must be redefined. This studio expects you to rethink the traditional goals of architecture and instead focus on its potential to mend and restore. From the care provided by often-marginalised workers in maintaining buildings to the political decision to refrain from demolition, every architectural choice carries weight in today’s ecological and social emergencies.

In this context, architecture can no longer be seen merely as a means of creating new forms. Instead, it must be understood as a tool of justice, with the capacity to address the deep-seated issues of our time. Whether through preserving existing structures, repurposing materials, or creating spaces that foster social cohesion, every decision you make in this studio will either contribute to the non-destructive, genuine and meaningful repair.

Through Design

Your design exploration will begin with an existing site—perhaps a neglected building, an abandoned industrial complex, odd looking office building or a forgotten public space. Your approach works from an understanding of the site’s current condition to the discovery of potential futures. Through observation and thoughtful intervention, you will craft a design proposal that embodies (and discover) the principles of repair.

This repair can take many forms:

  • Material Repair: Addressing the physical degradation of structures and materials.
  • Cultural and Social Repair: Reinvigorating spaces with non-programmatic spatial qualities that respond to the community, Creating inclusive spaces that foster community interaction, reduce social isolation, and promote equity.
  • Architectural Practice Repair: Exploring architectural practice as a study object, towards a new fountainhead?

Instruments and Methodology

In ‘Ingenious Pursuits’, Lisa Jardine illustrates the symbiotic relationships between researchers and their instrument makers through historical narratives. She delves into the intricate collaborations that have historically fueled scientific and technological advancements, highlighting how these partnerships were crucial in developing the tools that enabled groundbreaking discoveries. Jardine’s narratives reveal the often-overlooked contributions of instrument makers, whose craftsmanship and innovation were indispensable to researchers.

By meticulously crafting bespoke instruments, these makers facilitated precise measurements, observations, and experiments, thereby directly influencing the trajectory of research. This historical perspective underscores the profound interconnectedness between those who conceive ideas and those who build the instruments that bring these ideas to fruition, demonstrating that significant advancements are often the result of collaborative ingenuity.

As architects, we assume both roles, becoming our own instrument makers. This unique position allows us to innovate continuously, creating both the tools and the designreflectins that define our architectural practices. This dual capacity fosters a deeper integration of research and application, enhancing our ability to craft transformative practice.

This approach not only enriches our own practice but also promotes a collaborative nature of knowledge development, where insights and innovations are shared and refined within a community of practitioners. Through this collaborative framework, we can collectively push the boundaries of architectural knowledge.

Throughout the studio, you will develop and employ a range of instruments to explore and articulate your ideas, including:

  • Field Research: Conduct site visits to understand the physical and social context of your chosen location.
  • Drawing and Modeling: Develop detailed drawings and models that reveal the existing conditions and propose thoughtful
  • Narrative Development: Construct a compelling and engaging narrative that explains how your design contributes to the broader theme of

This process will be iterative, with feedback and collaboration playing a crucial role. You will be encouraged to experiment, test ideas, and refine your design based on real-world constraints and opportunities.


HS135 COCON Ceiling, detail © STTUW

‘I am a firm believer that without speculation (nor imagination), there is no good and original observation’.
Charles Darwin

Outcome(s)

The culmination of The Great Repair studio will be a comprehensive design proposal that not only rehabilitates a specific site but also serves as a model for how architecture can act as a tool for broader urban and social repair. Your work will demonstrate careful, thoughtful, but maybe even brutal interventions. This can range from the documentation of a scale 1/1 in situ intervention to a large-scale architectural ‘drawing’.

Collaboration and Engagement

Though the design work will be individual, the studio will foster a collaborative environment where ideas and resources are shared. Group discussions, critiques, and peer reviews will be integral to the studio, ensuring a rich exchange of perspectives and expertise.

Please contact me if you have questions: tomas.ooms@kuleuven.be

Sources

The Great Repair, https://archplus.net/en/the-great-repair/

Rudofsky, Bernard. Architecture without Architects: An Introduction to Nonpedigreed Architecture. Museum of Modern Art : Distributed by Doubleday, Garden City, N.Y, 1964.

Rigley Mark, Returning the Gift. Running Architecture in Reverse. In Space Caviar (ed), Non-Extractive Architecture: On Designing without Depletion, Sternberg Press, 2201, p47-48

Klinger, Julie, Rare Earth Frontiers: from Terrestrial Subsoils to Lunar Landscapes, Cornell University Press, 2017, p11-12

Hutton, Jane, Reciprocal Landscapes. Stories of Material Movements, New York, Routledge, 2019

Elhacham, Emily et al., Global Human-made mass exceeds all living biomass, Natue, 2020, n°588, p442-444

Graedel, Thomas, The Prospects for Urban Mining, The Bridge, 2011, vol.41, n°1, P43-50

Timing

Week 1>3 site selection + in-studio seminar on Repair
Week 4 > In-studio Symposium
Week 5>8 Proposals
Week 7 Master Dissertation week
Week 9 Peer Review CRFTSHP BXL
Week 10 >13 Execution of outcome
Week 14 Supersalon