Cahier Trace

The first edition presented reflections on students work of the initial year of the new master’s degree and, at the same time, envisaged to initiate concepts of the emerging theory of adaptive reuse. The concept was therefore On Tradition, inspired by a 1919 essay by TS Eliot: ‘Tradition and the Individual Talent’. Meant for young writers, its core argument seemed valid for students in adaptive reuse too. An engagement with the ‘tradition’ so Eliot argued, should generate an historical condition acting as a compass for the future: ‘historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence.’ This dynamic and creative engagement with the built environment of the past sets the framework for this series of essays. The cahier presents the work of two studios, a two-week workshop and theoretical essays that emerged from the research seminars.

The second edition of this cahier is a reflection on modernity, taking as a starting-point the work of the students on the International Masters program in Adaptive Reuse at Hasselt University during the academic year 2017–2018. The contributions to this cahier reflect on modernity in different ways. Most are directly or indirectly linked to the collaborative research mentioned and reflect the students’ work during the academic year. Others broaden the subject beyond church architecture. While most articles take a historical view as a starting point, they also question the concept of modernity in a contemporary way. What remains, or is still relevant, of the urge to adapt to the present (‘new’) timeframe? What might its meaning be today?  The continuous but unavoidable struggle with modernity therefore forms the underlying theme of this cahier. The articles approach the theme critically but empathically. They try to portray modernity with an alternative tone, coming to terms with the past while reaching towards the future, perhaps with some hesitation, seeing modernity as a mediating concept for the transformation in time.

The question of shaping our built environment is in essence a question on the relationship between public and private spheres and spaces. Although public and private, or individual versus collective, are often seen as opposite to one another, this polarization is artificial as architecture and the urban environment are marked by varying gradations of intimacy and collectivity. The adaptation and reuse of the existing built fabric is hence also an exercise in rethinking the collective versus the private realm and redefining borders and interactions between these different spheres. The third issue of this cahier discusses the results of the master program on adaptive reuse at Hasselt University during the academic year 2018-2019 and selected projects of the research group TRACE, in the light of collectivity.

A beautiful drawing or a well-told story can unlock unsuspected knowledge and reveal unexpected possibilities. This cahier contemplates the intentions of architectural projects and the meanings that are given to them. Iconological research can disclose hidden layers of interpretation, regardlessof the author's intentions. These intrinsic meanings of drawings or buildings can in themselves then inspire new designs. The power of signs and drawings in iconic modernist developments, in government architecture, in quick sketches... it adds new layers to the academic field of adaptive reuse and to the research on heritage that we have been developing at our faculty over the years.

The designer's view plays a pivotal role in this research. The connection with our international master on Adaptive Reuse therefore remains essential. Nikolaas Vande Keere props up his reflections on contentious heritage, and how its original intentions can turn within a shifting timeframe or in light of a historical perspective, with design exercises by our international students. Saidja Heyninck and Stefanie Weckx also use student work as a basis for their observations on rational and emotional techniques of representation in architecture. Our educational courses are a tool that we consciously use to enrich the research at the Faculty of Architecture and Arts. They help us look at issues of reuse and heritage from a variety of (international) perspectives. They help us explore the space that exists between artistic imagination and scientific metier.

-Stefan Devoldere