Lecture

Architectural Transformation: Preservation and Adaptation

Graph Chat

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.

In course

AR-481: Architecture in the age of acceleration

This course proposes to investigate six strategies for architecture in the age of acceleration: Acceleration, Regionalism, Participation, Transformation, Commonality and Resilience. Anchoring these strategies in recent architectural history, it will explor ...

Description

This lecture explores the concepts of architectural transformation, preservation, and adaptation through historical examples like Carlo Scarpa's Castelvecchio Museum and contemporary projects by LACATON & VASSAL, NOA, and others. It delves into the definitions of transformation, preservation, adaptive reuse, and upcycling, emphasizing the importance of resilience in architectural design. The lecture also discusses the work of Austrian architect Hermann Czech, highlighting his approach to tradition, everyday architecture, Umbau, and the significance of silence in design. Through a critical lens, the lecture examines the cultural and methodological aspects of transformation in architecture, challenging the traditional notions of preservation and change.

Official source

Related concepts (18)

Historic preservation

Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philosophical concept that became popular in the twentieth century, which maintains that cities as products of centuries' development should be obligated to protect their patrimonial legacy. The term refers specifically to the preservation of the built environment, and not to preservation of, for example, primeval forests or wilderness.

Adaptive reuse

Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the operational and commercial performance of built assets. Adaptive reuse of buildings can be an attractive alternative to new construction in terms of sustainability and a circular economy. It has prevented thousands of buildings' demolition and has allowed them to become critical components of urban regeneration.

Digital preservation

In library and archival science, digital preservation is a formal endeavor to ensure that digital information of continuing value remains accessible and usable. It involves planning, resource allocation, and application of preservation methods and technologies, and it combines policies, strategies and actions to ensure access to reformatted and "born-digital" content, regardless of the challenges of media failure and technological change. The goal of digital preservation is the accurate rendering of authenticated content over time.

Cultural heritage

Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by society. Cultural heritage includes tangible culture (such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, archive materials, books, works of art, and artifacts), intangible culture (such as folklore, traditions, language, and knowledge), and natural heritage (including culturally significant landscapes, and biodiversity).

National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support the preservation of America’s diverse historic buildings, neighborhoods, and heritage through its programs, resources, and advocacy.

Related lectures (33)

Interpreting Heritage: Strategies for Transformation

Explores heritage interpretation, transformation strategies, and the architect's role.

Public Space: Urban Development

Delves into the revitalization of a neglected site into a vibrant public space.

Architecture Critique: Reconstruction and Preservation

Explores the critical analysis of architecture, emphasizing the concepts of reconstruction and preservation in urban spaces.

Groundscape Manifestation

Delves into a contemporary staircase at Versailles, transforming underground spaces and preserving heritage through innovative design.

Urban Conservation Paradigms