Reversible transformation; From pavilion schools to housing and back again

Abstract

Among decision makers in Gothenburg, there is a lack of nurture of the city’s built environment. The demolition wave of buildings during the 1960s are today being widely condemned, while buildings from the 1960s are simultaneously being demolished much in the same way. Although all of these buildings might not be widely loved, there are almost always qualities to be found and reasons for them to be preserved. One such building type being the pavilion school. The municipality of Gothenburg faces a problem where a decrease in children being born forces schools to close. The first schools to close are often the smallest ones, making the pavilion schools the most likely can didate. Due to their history of not being maintained, cared for or preserved, they also risk demolition. To prevent the demolition of these school buildings, they are in need of new functions. The decreased need for schools is however temporary, meaning that the schools buildings will be needed again. To make this possible, a reversible transformation is instead proposed, with shared housing as its temporary replacement. This thesis explores how the reversible transformation of pavilion schools can be used to both preserve and improve them. The qualities found in shared housing can be used to steer the transformation of the school buildings to better match the modern requirements for schools, thus leaving a better building than before behind. Similarly, qualities found in the pavilion schools can be used to improve the conditions for the shared housing, creating qualities that might not otherwise be found. In addition to this, qualities can be found in reversible design strategies that improve both the pavilion schools and the shared housing. It is then the relation between these three that creates the foundation for the principle reversible transformation. The design proposal in this thesis investigates an alter native to the suggested demolition of Trollängsskolan, set to close in 2026 due to the decreased need of schools. It illustrates the qualities that can be gained through such a transformation, and how it can be used to both preserve and improve the school.