How to Socialize Unfinished Buildings: Urban Strategy

In the context of the ongoing discussion on how to reduce consumption, production and the ecological footprint in the construction industry and in general, the project is focused on the unfinished buildings as an existing potential and yet an unutilized resource.

The concept develops around the ways of bringing the uncompleted structures to benefit society, to fulfill a useful function or even to bring income to the owners. The research includes two stages. First one - generating a database about all of the unfinished buildings in the chosen area. Second one - development of an adaptable strategy /scenarios/ for their functioning. The strategy is based on a number of criteria - the constructive serviceability of the structures, type of ownership, access, etc. Scenarios: S1 "Sculpture" - This scenario is suitable when the access to the unfinished building is prohibited. Then the structure can be perceived only visually. Using just the visual characteristics of the construction, it can serve as a screen to display art or advertising, to project movies or 3D mapping. S2 "Free space" - If the access is free, then the site can work as an open public space, which will reflect the needs of the local communities. With minimal architectural interventions the structure can be transformed into a playground, a recreation area, a community garden, a composting area, a skate park etc. S3 "City within a building" - When the private interest meets the opportunity of the free space, the utilitarian functions will start to pop. Pavilions that serve as cafes, shops and libraries, or a temporary market will appear on site. S4 “Just a building” - The structure will be completed to a traditional function - residential, public, industrial. Specific building was selected, on which all scenarios were tested. The proposals for all of them are low-budget, with the former requiring minimal intervention. Each subsequent can upgrade the previous one, without losing the used materials so far. Based on the growing problem, the project tries to raise the question of the potential of unfinished constructions and to discover the opportunities they can offer. The idea refers to the principles of circular economy for optimal use of resources. A similar model applied in architecture would guarantee useful and sustainable existence of the buildings even in the cases, when they have remained unfinished.