PERSPEKTIVE open call—Architecture Ideas Competition

In many cities today you can come across a department store that has been converted into a public library, a factory into a shopping centre, a church into an exhibition space for contemporary art, a power station into a discotheque, a shopping mall into flats, an airport into a refugee camp or a water tower into a residential building... In France, as in Germany, many buildings are suddenly out of use. Systemic crises and instabilities, which are increasingly difficult to anticipate and control, are turning new construction projects into uncertain adventures. At the same time, existing buildings that are functionally unsuitable or financially unprofitable are being abandoned, contributing to the freezing of suburbs and town centers. Stripped of their substance, inaccessible to the public, they mark urban spaces with their ghostly presence. Faced with this growing problem, it is becoming imperative to consider strategies for transforming and revitalising these neglected buildings. The aim of this competition is to convert vacant or disused buildings by giving them new functions that are both useful and original. Demolishing to build is no longer the norm. This virtuous attitude allows us to preserve the existing buildings—which contribute to the genius of the place and the constitution of a collective unconscious—while limiting the environmental impact of construction.