Time and the unfinished

Abstract

The Urban Architecture graduation studio focuses on the topic of spolia, a term from archaeology that defines the leftovers of a building that find themselves back in a new structure. Spolia is about reuse, finding value in what is there, and how it can acquire new meanings by being transformed or relocated. It is also about stratification, of adding layers to a story that continues when the spolia is given a new life. The research focused on time and the unfinished, exploring the relationship between architecture and time. Architecture is subjected to the social forces of time, defined by the change of users and functions over time. Buildings are usually designed to be a finished product, with a specific use, leaving the time factor out of the equation. This often leads to vacancy or underuse, due to the inability of the building to adapt to new uses or undergo a transformation to accommodate new uses. Aiming for the unfinished allows time to take its course. Like spolia, a building can acquire new meanings – or a new life – when transformed. This stratification of layers of time, materials and uses, turns the building into a story that will never be complete, evolving and adapting to respond to occurrences over time.