Memory mosaics: Aa cultural collage strategy for architectural revitalization in Kvillebäcken

Abstract

Gothenburg, as one of Sweden's most important industrial cities, preserves 20th-century industrial architecture that carries unique historical memories. The Kvillebäcken district in the north stands as a prime example—its industrial buildings, shaped by the principles of adhocism, have accumulated fragmented, collage-like spatial layers that form a stratigraphy of memory. These memories resonate persistently on-site, making the area a living testimony to the material culture of the industrial era. However, with the decline of manufacturing, the rise of commerce, and shifting demographics, Kvillebäcken is undergoing an organic transformation into a multifunctional mixed-use community. Yet the municipal "Backaplan" redevelopment plan seeks to demolish this industrial heritage outright, which would sever its inherent urban fabric and collective memory. Within the discourse of sustainable urban development, the question of how to reactivate these "outdated" yet narratively rich industrial spaces has become an urgent issue. This paper proposes the "Memory Mosaic" regeneration strategy, which creatively transforms industrial heritage through three operations: First, by analyzing the structural stratigraphy of industrial buildings, their ad hoc characteristics are extracted and translated into a refined design vocabulary—a process of translatio that reinterprets historical forms for contemporary needs. Second, the traces of everyday community life are decoded as spatial ciphers, with selective restoration and functional interventions preserving the "lived memory" (imitatio) of the place. Finally, through typological aemulatio, the industrial heritage is reconfigured into a three-dimensional narrative collage, interweaving material memory with cultural functions. In practice, existing on-site structures serve as a "background canvas," optimizing interior spaces while maintaining the original commercial community, allowing old and new to coexist in layered symbiosis and sustaining the neighborhood's vitality. This strategy offers a sustainable approach to urban fabric regeneration that does not erase collective memory. The authors hope this framework can address the awkward predicament of industrial heritage in modern cities—providing an alternative that is neither museum-like preservation nor bulldozer-style eradication, but rather a dynamically balanced form of rebirth.