Post-War Building Convalescence Ravi Handa April 1st, 2008 (Second Draft)

While war-torn buildings can be evocative of suffering and loss, they also have the

potential to convey healing. Informed by the notion of convalescence, I intend to

intervene upon an architectural vestige in Sarajevo, such that the incorporation of a

primary school within the ruins will reframe the physical testimonials of conflict. In

Sarajevo, ethnic tension stems from the range of interpretations of the war’s events.

Hearing these readings is an important component of healing, in as much as is looking

forward. Design cues will be taken from a body of films on the Bosnian War, particularly

in relation to articulating space for layered activities.

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Thesis Premise: Convalescence

Instead of razing war-torn buildings and starting anew, Lebbeus Woods, in his work

Radical Reconstruction, suggests acknowledging what has been suffered and lost, and

articulating the differences between the old and the new - in a similar way that a scab

operates on a healing wound. The notion of convalescence is appropriate for a primary

school, an institution charged with the task of fostering the values of a young, pluralist,

post-war generation. Before the war, Sarajevo was hailed as a model for inter-ethnic

relations. Today the interpretations of what happened are as varied as the city’s ethnic

diversity. Gianni Vattimo states that history is more aptly described as “histories”, that is,

“stories that have been narrated and whose meaning depends on the perspective […]

adopted for their narration” (Vattimo 152). The commemorative aspect of the

intervention (which inherently entails allusion to history) relies on this understanding that

there is no single interpretation of what happened or who suffered. The idea, rather, is

to heal collectively. Juhani Pallasmas proposes that “a positive architectural experience

is basically a strengthened experience of self which places one convincingly and

comfortingly into the continuum of culture, enabling one to understand the past and

believe in the future” (Pallasmas 46). Like great film, it turns our attention outside itself.

Its value is in the “images and feelings that the film entices from our soul.” In the spirit of

this intimate kinship between cinema and architecture, design cues will be taken from

the wealth of critically acclaimed Balkan films on the Bosnian War, such as “Pretty

Village, Pretty Flame”.

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Primary Area of Study: Sensitive Ruins

An intervention attempting to reflect a community’s convalescence by reframing the

physical testimonials of war must do so with a particular degree of sensitivity. It is

paramount to understand the histories of the ruin and the community affected before

making decisions. Although not dealing necessarily with the same intent, there are

precedents that shed light on the sensitivity required. In Pfalz, Germany, a pigsty

damaged during WWII was turned into a showroom. The project, awarded and well-

received, consists of a solid timber showroom placed within the existing (physically)

sensitive ruins (Figure 1). Another example is the Coventry Cathedral, where in the

wake of a bombing in 1940, a new cathedral was built entwined and in dialogue with the

ruins of the old (Figure 2). The approach adopted for commemoration is overt and on

site, as the ruinous courtyard has become a memorial garden (Bevan 190). The City of

Berlin has also incorporated war-damaged buildings into contemporary urban works,

such as the Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche that comments on Germany’s identity

after The Fall (Figure 3). Similarly, Matta-Clark’s works, such as Splitting or Day’s End

reveals the remarkable potential of altering seemingly useless, abandoned vestigial

structures into spaces that move and inspire (Figure 4). The following secondary

sources offer insight on post-war reconstruction as well as provide support for the intent

of this intervention:

Bevan, Robert. 2006. The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War. London: Reaktion Books.

Hasic, Tigran. 2004. “The Reconstruction Business” in At War With the City edited by Paola Somma. Great Britain: The Urban International Press.

Pallasmaa, Juhani. 2001. The Architecture of Image. Helsinki: Rakkennustieto.

Tschumi, Bernard. 1994. Architecture and Disjunction. Cambridge, MIT Press.

Vattimo, Gianni. 1988. The End of Modernity. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.

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Program: The Potential for Layered Activity

Recall how the remains of the Coventry Cathedral were turned into a public memorial

garden after being bombed during WWII. The intervention was regarded as an

opportunity to remember suffering and promote forgiveness. The space is non-

prescriptive in nature; visitors can sit and contemplate the past or read the daily news.

As such, a layering of activities occurs and the space becomes depoliticized. A similar

approach ought to be taken with the incorporation of a primary school within the ruins.

Primary schools, where the values of a pluralist, post-war generation are being fostered,

are burgeoning with activity. Bustling playgrounds and crowded dining halls dissolve the

heavy associations between ruins and war. They are indicative of a society that is

healing, in part by re-appropriating abandoned space for the public domain. At night,

when the schools public grounds are empty, the place can serve any variety of ends, be

it for contemplation, memorial, or an unfinished soccer game. However, such a program

can only achieve success on condition that the former building is vernacular. Lebbeus

Woods notes how once destroyed, vernacular architecture is less likely to codify the

same intensity of meaning and purpose as, say, monumental architecture. In the event

of inserting a new program, new meaning is more accessible. This preliminary program

illustrates the variety of activities possible:

LIBRARY: 70 HALL: 50 PLAYGROUND/PUBLIC SPACE 160 CLASSROOMS: 30 (X60) BATHROOMS: 15 (X3) CAFETERIA: 70 MECANO-ELECTRICAL: 15 TEACHER’S LOUNGE: 30

TOTAL: 500

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Site: Sarajevo’s Scars

Between 1992 and 1996 Sarajevo was held under siege and as a result, buildings and

infrastructure were heavily damaged. Prior to the siege, the city was experiencing

exemplary economic growth and development. When war erupted, economic growth

and development was stunted along with much of the celebrated harmony among ethnic

groups. From the point of view of a tourist, the city has undergone a great deal of

reconstruction since the end of the war, in spite of there being buildings and

infrastructure still in ruin. Recovering from the conflict is no small feat. Underlying ethnic

tensions still exist but are no longer manifested by violent conflict. They are part of a

general set of realities alluding to the fact that most healing processes are time-

intensive. The outflow of professionals, the corruption and weakness of government

institutions and the relatively recent international military presence, suggest that

Sarajevo is undergoing a crisis of identity (Tigran 78). While the primary school may

only underline the ambivalence of the community’s identity, this would be an

accomplishment in itself. Incorporating the building within an architectural vestige of

Sarajevo would be reflective of the city’s healing character and perhaps physically mark

the first steps in cultivating a contemporary identity, by acknowledging scars that

commemorate the past, yet allow for healing and looking toward the future. In order to

find an appropriate site for the school, I have devised a research strategy that includes

consultations with the Bosnian embassy in Ottawa and the European Commission

Reconstruction Program for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as professors of

architecture at the University of Sarajevo. A follow-up trip to Sarajevo for the summer of

2008 is planned.

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Mode of Production: Cinematic and Architectural Space Collide

Beyond their concern with temporal and spatial structure, the kinship between cinema

and architecture is defined by their primary preoccupation of articulating lived space. In

film, however, the director determines how lived space is to be used (and largely

perceived) by carefully positioning the camera relative to the activity in question.

Architects do not have that luxury. In his book Architecture and Disjunction, Bernard

Tschumi states how “bodies carve all sorts of new and unexpected spaces, through fluid

and erratic motions” (Tschumi 42). In his words, action therefore qualifies space as

much as spaces qualify actions. In the spirit of conceiving spaces intended for a variety

of purposes, I am undertaking a study of how the cinematographer invites layered

activity. Critical war films on the Bosnian War, such as “Pretty Village, Pretty Flame”,

address the fickle reality of conflict situations; war can set the stage for the tragic, the

absurd or even the euphoric. In this particular film, the filmmaker orchestrates

dramatically different activities in the same space. Because the activity is known before

hand, there is care taken in calculating spatial conditions (light, shadow, depth,

perspective and composition) so as to enhance the activity’s effect on the viewer. Such

information, extracted from a body of related films, will provide cues to design space

that is articulated for varying activities and emotions, depending on variables, such as

time of day. In addition, a rigorous photo survey of the existing ruin will lend light as to

where these spaces ought to be.

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Conclusion

For many, a war-torn building in Sarajevo is likely evocative of the conflict that occurred

not long ago. The idea of incorporating a primary school within the ruins of such a

building is inspired by the notion of convalescence. The ruins would undoubtedly

acknowledge suffering and loss. However, more importantly the intervention would

articulate the contrast between the old and new, thus accepting what has happened

while demonstrating the process of healing. This process is appropriate for a primary

school, an institution established to cultivate the values of the next generation. This

program also invites layered activity that blurs any notion of a ‘prescriptive’ memorial

site. The focus is convalescence; this entails looking forward, in as much as it implies

coming to terms with the past. Today’s interpretations of the war are as varied as the

city’s ethnic diversity. Regardless, the intent is to approach convalescence collectively,

providing space for all the different interpretations and activities that deal with going

about daily life. Considering where cinema and architecture collide, design cues will be

taken from the wealth of critically-acclaimed Balkan films on the Bosnian War, such as

“Pretty Village, Pretty Flame”. The purpose is to learn from filmmakers who have

succeeded in poetically articulating space for layered activities and emotions, within this

particular socio-historical context.

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List of Primary Sources:

Matta-Clark, Gordon. 1975. Day’s End. New York: Electronic Arts Intermix [2003].

This film documents Matta-Clark’s cuttings of Pier 52 in New York, an abandoned industrial hangar. This work is reference as Figure 4 in the Appendix.

Spence, Basil. 1962. Coventry Cathedral in Coventry, West Midlands, England.

This church is referenced as Figure 2 in the Appendix. Eiermann, Egon. 1962. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, Germany.

This church is referenced as Figure 3 in the Appendix. Woods, Lebbeus. 1997. Radical Reconstruction. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Besides Woods’ theories, this book holds a wealth of his illustrations that aptly convey the idea of a scab. The work also provides insight on experience of Sarajevo.

List of Secondary Sources:

Bevan, Robert. 2006. The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War. London: Reaktion Books. Hasic, Tigran. 2004. “The Reconstruction Business” in At War With the City edited by Paola Somma. Great Britain: The Urban International Press. Pallasmaa, Juhani. 2001. The Architecture of Image. Helsinki: Rakkennustieto. Tschumi, Bernard. 1994. Architecture and Disjunction. Cambridge, MIT Press. Vattimo, Gianni. 1988. The End of Modernity. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.

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Appendix: Figures

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 3

Figure 4 (Day’s End)