Adaptive decay: Investigating ruins through architectural filming

Abstract

In the mid-19th century, the sawmill industry in Ådalen experienced a significant boom, with numerous sawmills operating in the area. One of these was the Köja sawmill, notable for being the first in the region to feature a steam-powered saw. However, as time passed, economic conditions worsened, leading to the sawmill’s closure in 1940. Over the decades, the building has deteriorated, with its facade developing holes, and its windows losing all their glass. The only remaining building is the engine house, along with part of the foundation of the sawmill where the timber was cut. The documentation highlights and visualizes the aesthetic elements of a ruin and its essential characteristics through Tim Edensor’s Industrial Ruins and Christopher Bretecher’s Abandoned Potential conceptual framework. The design approach incorporates Jonathan Hill’s concept which suggests that the design process should integrate new fragments with the old, creating a palimpsest of layers. These layers should not only coexist but actively interact, evolving as a living entity. The design strategy focuses on preserving the ruin’s aesthetics while simultaneously introducing new materials and functions. Proposal for Köja ruin is a space where the ruin is both preserved for the future and allowed to continue its natural decay. This dual approach is achieved by designating a portion of the ruin where no interventions are made, allowing the decay to unfold naturally. This process serves as a way to interpret and contextualize the site’s history and future. Preservation, on the other hand, is realized by repurposing the ruin into a ruin experience centre. The proposal is presented through conventional architectural drawings as well as a film. The film helps the viewer understand the different spatial, conceptual layers and nuances that Köja ruins has with a structural sequence of, showing the existing ruin, its construction, the proposed transformation and a speculative future scenario. This project contributes to a deeper understanding of how we can repurpose the ruins but still keep its characteristics. “How can a ruin be investigated through filming?” “How can a ruin’s aesthetics and process of decay be preserved when re-adapted?”