Cite this article
Bujdáková, K., Schleicher, A. (2024) ‘Impact of temporary conversion on the community: Categorisation and current case studies from Europe’, Architecture Papers of the Faculty of Architecture and Design STU, 29(4), pp. 43-47. https://www.doi.org/10.2478/alfa-2024-0022
SUMMARY
In the life cycle of objects and spaces, the function for which they were intended to serve is sometimes prematurely terminated, leaving them empty and unused. In the life cycle of buildings and spaces, the in-between stage, when the space is not fulfilling its original function and is waiting for a new purpose, may not be a limit but on the contrary it may be a potential.
The paper presents a categorisation of conversions based on duration and period of repetition. Based on the categorisation of conversions we describe a combination of two approaches. By combining them we gained a one-time temporary conversion—the subject of our interest. The paper traces the impact of a temporary change in the function of spaces, objects or parts of them, and uses a comparison of case studies to evaluate the different form and degree of impact the intervention has had on the community after the temporary conversion had ceased to exist. The research works with case studies in a European context to trace the impact of temporary architecture on the local community.
The paper follows contemporary case studies of temporary conversions from the 21st century that have been conducted over the last 15 years. In selecting the case studies, the research focuses on the realisations of conversions that meet the conditions of categorisation in terms of duration as temporary conversions, in terms of repetition as conversions performed once, and at the same time, it is possible to track their impacts on the local community after their duration is over. The paper works with three selected case studies from Europe, namely one example from Italy, one from England and one from Slovakia to pursue the impact on the local community once the temporary conversion no longer exists.
The first case study is The Theatre of the useFULL. The project was created on the occasion of the fifteenth Venice Architecture Biennale (2016) and presents the temporary conversion of part of a building into a temporary theatre. The temporary theatre was designed using suspended spring mattresses and insulating panels, cabinets that form a labyrinth leading to the theatre in which benches are made of stacked insulating panels. The choice of materials or elements of which the theatre was composed was not random but based on the list of needs of two local initiatives that deal with the rehabilitation of abandoned social housing and the provision of shelter for homeless people. After the 15th Biennale, the materials and furniture were donated to the aforementioned community-based initiatives and re-used. Thus, this case study presents a temporary conversion that, at its inception, contemplates the consequences of its existence and presents a responsible approach to the awareness of its temporariness and the certainty of its demise, to which it responds in terms of sustainability and, at the same time, in terms of supporting the local community.
The second case study is the Folly for Flyover project. The temporary structure depicted by his house is designed so that the peak of the gabled roof is sandwiched between the east and west lanes of the motorway. The function of the temporary structure was cultural and communal, focusing primarily on performative forms and screenings. The building was designed as a giant building block that allowed volunteers with any level of skill or commitment to participate in its construction which took less than a month. As the temporary installation of Folly neared the end of its duration, it brought an investment to the site that transformed the space under the motorway bridge into a permanent public space that allows for the continued use of the site by the general public and brings a new quality to the local community.
The third case study is the Transformation of the Vazovova-Mýtna intersection. The case study focuses on the transformation of the space adjacent to the Vazovova Primary School in Bratislava. The temporary conversion of a public space at the intersection of two streets involved the demarcation of a space that served as a lane of the road into a public space mindful of children. The original traffic solution offered a relatively generous unused space in the middle of the intersection. During the temporary conversion, the traffic layout and empty space were streamlined, creating a safe, physically defined zone for play and recreation. The temporary conversion was planned by the City to trigger a participatory design process for the future, permanent change of this space, with the greatest consideration for the needs of the local community.
The article highlighted the complexity of the terminological grasp of the issue of conversion changing the function of architecture and indicated the wide possibilities of grasping and interpreting this concept. It focused on a more detailed definition of temporary conversions created for a single use and analysed their impact on the local community by means of case studies. The phenomenon of temporariness in this type of conversion prompts a more intensive reflection on the life cycle of these objects, sustainability, circular economy and the impact on the community. By comparing the case studies, a possible spectrum of approaches to the creation of temporary interventions that have a direct impact on the community was suggested, which makes it possible to conclude that the community aspect of temporary conversions could prolong the life cycle of temporary conversions that may not end in their physical demise.