TO READ A BUILDING: Negotiating and Translating Value(s) of Smedjan 12

Abstract

Contemporary planning processes often favor the already-built as static objects of proclaimed heritage value or determine plans on residual land value and densification arguments. Preceding outdated planning frameworks are still being executed which favour tabula rasa - despite current local and global ambitions of preservation, transformation and ‘sustainability goals’. This systemic tension is evident in the urban transformation of Malmö’s oldest industrial site, Norra Sorgenfri. Contextualizing the thesis within this area and the demolition-threatened building block Smedjan 12, To Read a Building emerges through the identification of a perception shift in previous cultural heritage assessments. A facade alteration is seemingly used as the main argument for extensive demolition. Furthermore, this raises questions relating to value, authenticity and perception(s) of our built environment. This thesis aims to research whether adaptive reuse can be repositioned as a critical architectural act by evaluating complex realities. By considering multiple value perspectives, the thesis investigates whether a building can inform its own narrative, present-day agency and future relevance. Moreover, it investigates the architect’s role as a mediator and negotiator in architectural transformation processes. Which values are to be considered in favour or against a building’s continuous lifecycle? How may the architect identify and negotiate between conflicting values? Discussing these questions through a value-based analysis and design iterations, the thesis addresses the following values: resource, emotional, heritage, exchange, social use and functional use. The purpose of the approach is to challenge established reasoning related to transformation. Additionally, evaluating the state of a building, not overlooking the existing condition and informalities within, provides room for varying conditions. This ‘As Found’ approach, coined by Alison and Peter Smithson in the 1950s, holds the potential to shift current perceptions and advocate for the already-built. Rather than striving for a static end-product, the thesis proposes a future scenario based on carefully curated interventions and a phasing strategy as an alternative transformation process for Smedjan 12. To Read a Building makes room for the already-built’s never-ending story, demonstrating that “more than any other human artifact, buildings excel at improving with time, if they are given a chance” (S. Brand).