אדריכלות ישראלית

2018

אוגוסט

114 #

אדריכלות ישראלית

הסבת מבנים

always exists) between form and function,

comparing the existing situation with its

future potential. Moreover, unlike planning

in a void, the meeting between the two

situations constitutes an opportunity to

enrich the architectural layers that have

accumulated in the course of time.

It is not without reason that interventions

in historical buildings are usually

accompanied by artistic criticism in the

form of exhibits located in abandoned

buildings, musicians who compose works,

blogs and events. Such works point to

the potential inherent in intervention -

whether conservation, reconstruction or

demolition, emphasizing the importance

of architectural heritage.

Examples of building conversions are

common, the successful among them

turning points in the history of architecture

- Parc de la Villette and The Musée

d'Orsay in Paris, the High Line in New

York and Tate Gallery in London. They all

refer to a critical re-articulation of the past,

enriching intellectual, artistic discourse

among architects; in all of them the starting

point was a practical one, but before long

they entailed social, theoretical content.

Contrary to professional and academic

discourse that takes place primarily in the

field of conservation (inter alia by defining

various levels), the conversion process

was recently defined at MIT as "adaptive

reuse". Unlike conservation, the term

focuses on the artistic/cultural value of the

building, before dealing with conventional

items such as 'form', 'function' and

technical considerations.

In this context, it’s important to note two

approaches that have contributed to the

development of the adaptive approach. In

1999, Architectural researcher and critic,

Kenneth Powell, suggested an historical

approach that distinguishes between

building conversions in Europe as a critical

phenomenon after the Second World War,

and building conversions for reuse as part

of urban evolution.

An earlier article published in 1992 by a

research team dealing with public building

conversion, argued that institutional

buildings like prisons and hospitals that

express physical configurations related to

their social meanings (usually negative),

constitute an opportunity for sustainable,

critical reuse.

An example of such critical conversion is

the Panopticon Prison, proposed in 1980

by Rem Koolhaas to be converted into a

residential compound. Another example of

critical conversion was the blacks’ prison

in Cape Town, successfully converted into

the Graduate School of Business at the

University of Cape Town, student dorms,

and a prestigious hotel.

In this light, the real question is not "what

one can do with an existing building or

how to change it" But rather what might

be the significance of the conversion".

Architectural intervention is usually related

to in terms borrowed from the biological

or medical milieu - "resuscitation",

"endoscopy", "radiography" etc.

Such a technological "healing" approach

facilitates a broad range of actions in the

"treatment" of existing buildings, from

changing and reinforcing the structure,

through the integration of advanced

systems, to stripping down and re-

assembling its parts at a different location.

Technological solutions are almost

unlimited - dismantling, reassembling -

building above and below, etc. However,

since technically almost everything can

be carried out today - the issue of content

and meaning becomes more and more

significant and interesting. That is - the

"aura" (in Walter Benjamin’s concept), the

building’s heritage, its artistic aspects, or

its cultural and social context from which

it emerged.

Frequently, historical events that took

place in the building or historical figures

who lived there - Ben Gurion’s house,

Bialik House, or Anna Frank House all

considered points of interest in the history

of architecture – irrespective of their

architectural quality or whether they are

worthy of being imitated.

Contrary to planning a new building,

the adaptive approach maintains that

the conceptual tension created is

an opportunity for spatial action and

innovative spatial formation.

The programme usually responds to

general requirements, needs, and usage,

time frames and a given budget. In

contrast, Bernard Tschumi argues that

although there is no architecture without

programme, it may include components

that are not perceived as "useful". And the

best example of this is the most important

project of his career – Parc de la Villette

in Paris.

This project undeniably proves that

(seemingly) purpose-less structures

may play an important role as urban-

event promoters in undefined later

developments. An interesting conversion

project by Tschumi planned at the time

is the Le Fresnoy Art Center – one of the

most important art schools in Europe.

Built in northern France during the

twenties’ as a popular leisure center, for

the first two decades the place was lively

and active until it began to deteriorate

during the forties’. An attempt to revive

the center over the years included

spontaneous addition and conversions.

For instance, the swimming pool became

a horseback riding area and the ice rink

became a boxing ring. During the sixties’

the compound was abandoned and the

buildings were inactive for over forty

years, falling into a poor state, requiring

significant and expensive improvements.

However, instead of trying to adjust

the buildings to their new programme,

Tschumi decided to cover the compound

with a huge technological roof, creating

a deliberate, conceptual discrepancy

between the programme and the space

supposed to express it. That is - instead of

resolving theprogrammaticproblemsof the

existing buildings, he created a controlled

combination of three programmes: one -

the art school’s list of uses; the second -

the pedagogical significance of a school

as an inter-disciplinary system (similar to

the Bauhaus); and the third - a programme

that examined the act of covering as a

work of art in itself.

Itwas the tensionbetween theprogrammes

and their various values that enabled

Tschumi to extricate himself from falling

into the conventional problem/solution

trap, or the questions of conservation and

reconstruction – a conceptual, formal,

complicated (and expensive) procedure.

The unique experience of walking in

the space between existing building

roofs

the artificial sky and remnants of

the past constitute an additional layer

- an additional value for the revitalized

complex.

To an extent, the Le Fresnoy project that

explored the boundaries of a building and

its relationship with the programme was

a direct continuation of the cinematic

montage technique as a basis for creating

frames between buildings, which Tschumi

developed in Parc de la Villette in Paris.

Interestingly, Architect Zvi Harel used this

technique in 1999 when he designed the

Radio Tel Aviv Studios in a deserted ware

house in the renewed Tel Aviv port.

Such a type of intervention in historical