"Only that Endures which Changes" - Janis Rainis

2008-06-07T10:14:00.003+02:00

Tallinn, Estonia! A few drawings from the past 2 weeks here- there are several sites of interest to me, and I'm still working on narrowing it down a focusing on a few for the upcoming month here.

Here's just a glimpse , more to come soon.

2008-05-29T21:21:00.007+02:00

Leipzig: Baumwolle Spinnerei (Cotton Spinning Mill)

behind the doors...

2008-05-22T22:08:00.005+02:00

BERLIN UPDATE> First, thanks again to my amazing friends, for hosting me once again, "the International House of Manteuffel Str."- what a place.
On the way north from Budapest, I managed to check up on a few familiar sites and check on some new leads, back in Berlin. Here's some quick photos and drawings from three old sites, which have evolved and are looking good for the future.

Below, artist Leo Koningsberg (director of Bat15) in front of the nearly renovated Bat15 studio project. The ground in front has just been remediated (toxins in the soil left from operations as battery factory), and will soon be planted as a garden.

Elsewhere in the industrial region of Schonewiede, other renovations are moving slowly but solidly ahead- below, to be the Schauhallen art museum/gallery complex.

Improvements to the public areas have been completed since my last visit in Sept/Oct, such as this bridge. The postindustrial waterfront is being rediscovered, and well allocated between public and private use.

The RAW Tempel association, located in an old rail station in Friedrichstain, continues the struggle for their existance with the new land owners, who have in mind private housing blocks. RAW Tempel, however, has gained the overwhelming public support for a professionally drafted masterplan, which includes preservation of current operations and housing and retail units.
Below, the buildings which are not under historical preservation and are jepordized by the new ownership. RAW Tempel does not officially occupy these buildings.

Drawings, from the sites mentioned, and others from the past.

Bat 15
Stralauer Alle, glass factory
Stralauer Alle view

... take 2.
RAW Tempel
RAW Tempel
Schauhallen

Public space in Schoneweide

2008-05-19T12:07:00.009+02:00

Skipping ahead to Leipzig for a moment, where I have been focusing on the "Leipziger BaumwollSpinnerei" (cotton spinning mill), which now houses many different kinds of artists and galleries.

Before the Baumwolle, however, I will just share a few quick impressions of the surrounding area. These photos and drawings are from an empty factory/housing complex in Gohlis, which you can see is very close to the city center. Leipzig and the surrounding area is, to a large extent, characterized by the symptoms of severe urban decline, which occured after the GDR dissolved. This factory is one of many, which, unlike the BaumwolleSpinnerei, remains empty and rotting.

Some quick impressions, drawn on scraps of the peeling wallpaper.

2008-05-14T23:46:00.006+02:00

Budapest, Round Two!

This first site is located in the south-west, industrial outskirts of Budapest in District X, the neighborhood is called Kobanya. The site measures 20 hectares (roughly 50 acres), excluding 20 kilometers (12 miles) of underground tunel systems. The Dreher Brewery was constructed between the 1880- 1900, and the site has since hosted various temporary industrial uses. Many of the remaining Dreher buildings are now under protection.

"S1" is a very large scale and long term redevelopment plan, which includes reusing the site, including the tunel system, for housing and cultural functions. The leading architects are Erick Van Egeraat, Zoboki & Demeter, and Noas/Sporaarchitects.

View from one of the preserved buildings, slotted to be a theatre. Between the "S1" site and the city, you can see the typical ring of large communist style housing blocks.

Above is a trace of the master plan by Erick Van Egeraat; the black slices are new entrances to the tunel system which lies below the northern half of the site.

An unusual attic space in one of the buildings that is planned for demolition.

Below, a different, tentative plan to reuse two warehouses along the Danube, in the city center, as a commercial center/living units.. I did not go very in depth here, because the design and implementation strategies seemed too top-down for my interest.

Below, another quick glimpse at a converted electric factory, which is now a recreation park, called Millenaris Park.

Below, the Wax Gallery, part of which was originally a 1900's tannery in the northern industrial region of Buda. In 1996 Inarchi Design Team of Budapest made the addition which you see in front- "eye candy" for passerbys and museum goers who ventured so far out of the city. For political reasons the museum, originally called the MEO, was renamed the WAX and changed into a strictly private gallery. Access was difficult, to say the least. Oh well, the thin and insulating polycarbonate siding of the new addition was enough to visit.

2008-04-30T22:47:00.009+02:00

I am behind on this website. The past three weeks I have spent between Budapest and attending the annual Trans Europe Halles conference in Brussels. The following photos are from two, unnamed sites in the southern district X, on the Pest side of Budapest. They are both to be renovated as upscale housing, part of much larger redevelopment schemes that are becoming common this ex-industrial outskirt of the city. Although the two following buildings were not formally part of my study, and I was not allowed inside, their beauty could not be ignored.

view from the main approach. building is parallel to canal and railway, perpendicular to highway.
The second "unnamed" building. This was a slaughterhouse, and will also be housing. This building and one next to it, an old water tower, are rightly under conservation.

one approach... what goes on at this "campus"?

a section of the roof collapsed the day before I arrived, so from now on, no one is let inside.

below, a quick sketch of the surrounding neighborhood and new housing developments..

finally, a few photos from the train ride coming into Budapest. There are many industrial buildings in the Hungarian countryside, in fact! Especially along the Danube.

40th something hour of the ride... closing in on utter desperation.

2008-04-11T21:12:00.006+02:00

I had the chance to try out a borrowed camera lens, while I made a short visit to this very unique artist collective, located in a warehouse. Two sculptors and one multi-media artist share this very personalized, industrial space. I was there for fun and out of curiousity, more than for study, but now I am back at it, on my second visit to Budapest. Drawings and photos from the new sites to come.

2008-03-20T12:15:00.005+01:00

A few new drawings from Kadikoy Gazhane.

This is a new site I'm excited about, called Nakkastepe Gazhane. It's in the middle of a large cemetary on the Asian side of Istanbul. It is partially restored and renovated as a cultural center of some sort, but the construction is incomplete and seems abandoned for the moment.. More infortmation on this site to come.

Another new site, in the city center near Galata Tower. This was a small cement factory that stopped production decades ago, and was reclaimed by a friend I met in Istanbul (German), as an art center/ cafe. Very impromptu but creative and sensitive alterations were made to this simple structure. The government has shut it down, for the time being, but it may reopen under more formal conditions of use.

Not a comment about Muslim women. Just thought they looked like pigeons, eating seeds.

2008-03-11T13:43:00.003+01:00

On a long walk I came across a half-demolished factory building in Zeytinburnu, on the outskirts of Istanbul. It is not relevant to my project since the building is clearly on it's way out, but I found it beautiful nonetheless. Maybe with some great strike of fortune this main building (below), the only one still in tact, could be saved.

Recent drawings from Santral, Yedikule, Kadikoy sites.

2008-03-02T20:11:00.009+01:00

Yedikule Gasworks. lifetime: 1881- 1988. In 1894 all privately run gas production and distribution operations came under the control of IETT, a city government branch. Yedikule, along with Kadikoy, were the primary distributors of gas for the city until roughly 1993 when the city switched to natural gas for environmental and economic reasons. Both sites, located in run down fringe areas of Istanbul, have been left to rot but are still heavily guarded by IETT.
There are no clear future plans, although both the sites are being gaurded for the sake of posterity (yet no one is allowed to enter!). Perhaps with the funding and vision, this amazing landmarks in Yedikule could be transformed into a purposeful and not-so-dangerous space, and it's architecture appreciated by a new user group.
Currently the only ones enjoying the space are stray dogs- this is where the government deposits the unvaccinated wild dogs (scary!).. and wrecked buses, shot tires..

A huge thanks to the excellent gaurds for their protection and tea offerings!

2008-03-02T19:38:00.003+01:00

2008-02-29T16:21:00.005+01:00

2008-02-23T10:43:00.007+01:00

The Santral Istanbul is a massive and important example of post industrial adaptive reuse in Istanbul. Bilgi University is working to conserve and renovate the 118,000 square meter site of the Silahtaraga powerplant, which was the 1st and largest power plant in the history of the Ottoman Empire. The plant retired in 1983, and the Santral opened in Sept. of last year, now hosting a variety of artistic and cultural venues.

The engine room is now, predictably, an Energy Museum, open to the public. The interactive installations are nicely done and suited to the cave like architectural spaces below the engines. They demonstrate how electricity is conducted and energy produced.

The control room. Beautiful modernist/deco-ish design. This power plant is truly one of the more beautiful I have seen- much attention was given to detail in the original designs, such as the tiled floors, views from the control room, colors and layout.

The campus/museum grounds are enlivened with installations, student activity and interaction with the public.

The modern art museum (on the left, above), seems irreverent to the historical buildings at first glance, but the modern elements are carefully woven throughout the site (like the concrete stairway/platform on the right), which eases the transitions betweent the two. Below, a sculpture piece in the new museum.

This small, yellow shed has been sensitively restored in order to serve as a small gallery. I admire how well the old architecture has been re-crafted to serve the function of displaying artwork. Soon I will post the plans, which explain flow and focus throughout the rooms- to the affect of making the space feel much larger than it is.

2008-02-23T10:31:00.004+01:00

I was looking for another site when I came across this small, early 1900's factory/depot, which turned out to be more exciting than the site I was searching for originally. It's a simple building, on the waterfront on the Asian side of Istanbul. The roof collapsed a long time ago but the walls have remained amazingly intact. It feels part ruin, part secret garden, part trash yard. No signs or word of its future, besides the occasional site for an offbeat fashion photoshoot, or such other improvisational use.

2008-02-15T18:23:00.003+01:00

some fun ones from exploring the city. the sites and contacts are coming along well so far, the internet is few and far between, however. so, much more to come soon on the next rainy afternoon in istanbul.

2008-02-05T17:16:00.001+01:00

Budapest, Hungary. I had great luck here finding potential sites to spend more time with, and hope to return on the way back north from Istanbul.
On the outskirts of Budapest there is a major post industrial area, undergoing sporadic redevelopment attempts. The following two photos are of one building that I particularly loved, I'm curious to see what changes occur here.

Directly in front of the decaying building (above), a new private gallery has refurbished a warehouse. It is a sensitive response to the surrounding industrial materials, but little of the original building's structure is visible from the exterior. An old brick factory was left relatively untouched behind the gallery, which now houses offices. The connection between the two compliments both, I think.

This pair of identical warehouses is located in central Budapest along the Danube River. Now mostly derelict, it will be converted into a major modern art museum over the next 5 years. A wavey, glass roof will bridge the two warehouses, creating an indoor/outdoor reception area, while the collections will be housed in the original structures.

The following are just of Budapest, a beautiful city, and the train rides to and from Hungary.

2008-02-04T16:00:00.001+01:00

Zagreb, Croatia. I was only here long enough to find two sites of interest, the first (below), is the Badel Factory. A large group of architects who discuss and plan installations to provoke public debate, by the name of Platforma 9,81, once installed neon red lights inside this building for several weeks on end. My guess is that they were trying to call attention to this unused and exciting building. It's future remains unclear, and unfortunately I was not able to get inside to see whether saving it would be feasible. For now it is home to cats, boxes, occasional neon lights...

Tvornica Fabryka was built in 1840 as an oil refinery. It is one little Italianate palace of a factory that I stumbled upon while lost one afternoon. Although it was clearly squatted at one point, it's future is grim. The last photo tells much about the future of this particular factory, and many such places in Zagreb.

2008-01-30T14:39:00.001+01:00

Photos from Linz, Austria. First, thank you so much to my good friends- host, (Drew, left), and travel partner Kate (right). For the last month I have been moving quickly from Austria, through the Balkans, toward Istanbul, in search of warmer climates. I stopped drawing outside for the past month, because of the cold, but the photos continue. The drawing will hopefully resume in Istanbul, where I'll spend up two months and be able to dive deeper into sites.

The following are of Voest Alpine, steel manufactory, which was originally under the Third Reich, with Hitler's intention to transform Linz into the industrial capital of Europe. Production is still underway, the site is massive and looks like an industrial moonscape, sim city of sorts.

2007-12-10T22:55:00.001+01:00

Ruhr area, Germany. I've been waiting for my camera from the repair shop for a week, so haven't been able to upload photos of drawings. Here are several recents for now, which I'll reshoot with better light. More to come soon.

2007-11-23T22:50:00.001+01:00

2007-11-21T11:41:00.000+01:00

2007-11-18T17:24:00.000+01:00

Zollverein. Essen, Germany

2007-11-09T19:39:00.000+01:00

The first 3 photos are of Fabryka Trzciny, the hosting venue of the 2007 EFAH Conference (European Forum for Arts and Heritage- the culture branch of the E.U.). The conference is titled "Inside Out", because new and daunting challenges are on the table this year. Many that have been raised so far include: the need for increased communication and support between the East and West (including countries outside the EU and even in the Middle East), the silencing of the avant-garde by "pop" culture, the commodification and psuedo democratization of culture in western countries wrought by capitalism... This list goes on.

I've been greatly impressed and humbled by the attendants' ambitions for the role of culture and the diversity of artistic forms of activism. I'm amidst the highest echelon of cultural and artistic decision makers in Europe and the Middle East, who are butting heads, determining the key issues and the role of culture in upcoming years.

And how this relates to architecture? Not in a direct way, but I'm positive it does. I will report soon, once the conference is through and with some time to process what, exactly, I'm witnessing here in Warsaw.

2007-11-05T14:51:00.001+01:00

Inspiring use of concrete all around Warsaw, especially in these small structures- railway entrances, kiosks, flower stands, etc.- that can be so easily overlooked amid the advertisements, street signs, traffic and trash. These two were my favorite couple. Not far from one another, they were nice compliments.

2007-11-01T19:35:00.001+01:00

Settling into Warsaw now.. The photo is a shrine in front of a famous old vodka distillery (now housing theatre and artist studios, and shrines..)

The drawings are a mix from Berlin and Warsaw; too diverse to explain simply.

More to come soon from Fabryka Trzciny, Warsaw.
Does anyone know another better, free website service?? The formatting is driving me crazy here...

2007-11-01T18:59:00.001+01:00

2007-10-22T12:14:00.001+02:00

Back at Straulaer Alle, the glass factory. The
two buildings on site blow me away everytime I visit. The quality of natural light is incredible, as well as the views to the West of Berlin.

Evidence of use and a sort of haphazard adaptation scheme is evident in the grafitti, and spontaneous uses, which repsond to the parculiarities of these building's architecture, and which differ from day to day.

Unfortunately the formal agenda for reuse on this site is demolition (not reuse at all in fact). And prefab housing complexes thereafter. This stack of concrete pavers- on the right- was symbolically telling of the future, I thought.

Below, the subtle evidence of how people interact with the space. The man fixing his bike; consciously or not, he discovered the perfect use for this ramp. On the sunny and wind protected side of the building, he could stand eye level with the motor and listen to his battery powered radio, saying hello to neighbors on their shortcut route across the site.
Grafitti here, too, is often a particularly site specific form of expression.

Above, the top, 6th floor of the glass factory; amazing views and cathedral like feel. There is a catwalk around the very tip top; I can't imagine its original purpose, but it is a wonderful feature nonetheless.

Above, where the rail penetrated the factory. This path is a well used shortcut, and the unloading platform is a nice, indoor/outdoor feature of the building, where people often meet and sit when the sun is low in the afternoon.

Very graceful steelwork; the arc form, which you cannot see all of in this photo, reminds me of bird wings

the crest of the "bird wing" opens with a skylight, allowing an even natural light that fills the whole space. There are windows along the walls as well, which have been boarded up.

2007-10-15T20:15:00.001+02:00

more recent drawings from berlin...

Straulaur Alle. This site will become expensive condos, 2009

nice deco detail clock on old brewery building at KulturBraurie

view from roof at artist colony, "Work Etage!"

cable/battery factory

AEG Turbine Hall by architect Peter Behrens, 1910

cable/battery factory, (second attempt)

current elevation drawing over 1835 plans of KulturBrauerie

Pfefferburg (Pepper Mountain) brewery, serial sketch of views from courtyard

cable/battery factory, crane building converted into cafe

Straulaer Alle plan

R.A.W. Tempel, old ammunition storage/national rail buildings, now a skatehall/ gallery/ climbing wall..

old map of KulturBraurie location

Straulaer Alle

Recent Photos

2007-10-11T18:12:00.000+02:00

Hello! I've been having serious computer trouble, so I apologize for the scant entries. Here are two drawings and several pictures from the Berlin-Factory site.

The following sketch describes the plans for the new "Bat/15" building, which will host 15 or so artists, plus a gallery and common space. This building was part of a battery production complex, part of which, I learned, is still operating.

2007-09-09T23:24:00.002+02:00

Hello- These are from two adjacent sites I've been delving into, located in very southeast Berlin. I was drawn there by "Factory-Berlin"- an artist project located in the midst of a huge ex-industrial site, containing all sorts of adaptation projects and a wide variety of factory types dating the late 1890's. All industry stopped by 1990, thousands left unemployed...
While checking out "Factory Berlin", I literally stumbled upon a sneak preview of plans for the largest museum/gallery complex in Berlin, due for 2009, called "Schauhallen". This site is off limits for further drawing, but I was lucky enough to get a few photos and meet the communications manager, architects, and see plans. I will continue with "Factory Berlin" in the meantime- http://factory-berlin.de/.

Plan for Schauhallen below, followed by exterior, then interior shots of their future site. They're plan is bascially to encase four existing warehouse/factories, in a glass skin; the building will be massive, and I am skeptical to be honest; the scale nor light of these structures does not need enhancement in my opinion.

?

Loading crane station converted into cafe- same industrial site.

Above, the old battery factory. Still stocked apparently.
Reminiscent of Peter Behren's Turbine Hall, no? (see sketch in previous post, I think...)

The four below are shots approaching from the south bank of the Spree; the bridge is new (2006), and lands at the entry of "Schauhallen"- located left of the bridge in the low warehouses.

This view shows the diversity of architectural stock on this one, massive industrial site. I'm still uncovering the uses (past and present) for much of the complex, but trying at the same time to stay focused on which buildings pertain to my project. Besides Schaullen and Factory-Berlin, some remain derelict, one is a radio broadcating station, another a supermarket, a club, etc. Fun to explore!

OK, so the collection of buildings below is a retired brewery, (1894- although some newer have been built since)- located directly across the Spree River, south of the "Berlin-Factory", etc. complex. This side of the river seems like a different world, and far from realizing the extensive regeneration efforts that the north bank will see in upcoming years.

Compelling buildings regardless- the light was great that afternoon. I was bit by a dog here- was it him, or I who didn't have permission?

All for now! ciao. C

2007-09-03T22:49:00.001+02:00

ok now for what counts- some sketches. sorry for the lighting in the shots- you'll have to wait and see the real thing, the books- with explainations and all- but here's a hint at how i spend my days. beginning with a few from london, ending with some recents from berlin

2007-09-03T14:50:00.000+02:00

This is RAW-Tempel, a cultural organization that has taken over 1/2 of a major train depot- this is the gym, former warehouse, which includes an indoor climbing wall

2007-08-31T18:46:00.000+02:00

Berlin, BerliN!

gasworks gallery

2007-08-22T23:06:00.001+02:00

2007-08-21T00:27:00.000+02:00

tradgedy at Battersea Power Station. Meeting with London-based architects working in Moscow. Meeting Alessandra Chile- photographer who also deals with the "terrain vague"- issues of gentrification and marginal urban spaces

2007-08-08T09:28:00.000+02:00

London is going well. The pound is killing me though. I circumnavigated the downtown by foot yesterday, searching for the remote addresses of several sites. I guess there is some charm and romanticism in doing things the old fashioned (i.e. Cheap) way, versus the Tube.

2007-08-03T01:30:00.000+02:00

Site 1! The TATE MODERN.
Unbelievable intervention- the light (through the skylights over the old generator room, now the main reception hall)- prominent position on the Thames... Electrical generators still hum beneathe the building- adding a whirring kind of silence and awe to it..
London is not afraid to juxtapose new and old- the skyline is ecclectic and quickly changing in anticipation of the 2012 Olympics. Big stuff going on, in the poorest district of London- another failed attempt at "urban regeneration"?

2007-07-30T18:16:00.000+02:00

Leaving for the U.K. tomorrow