EDITORS

Jean-Pierre CHUPIN
Tiphaine ABENIA

AUTHORS

Tiphaine ABENIA
Georges ADAMCZYK
Denis BILODEAU
Pierre BOUDON
Jean-Pierre CHUPIN
Jean-Louis COHEN
Anne CORMIER
Camille CROSSMAN
Carmela CUCUZZELLA
Louis DESTOMBES
Cynthia HAMMOND
Bechara HELAL
Jonathan LACHANCE
Alessandra MARIANI
Louis MARTIN
Marie-Saskia MONSAINGEON
Michel Max RAYNAUD
Nicholas ROQUET
David THEODORE

BACK COVER

Bâtiment abandonné, ruine moderne, fantôme urbain, squelette immobilier, structure désaffectée… Une variété d’appellations pour tenter de circonscrire, au moins par les mots, le phénomène d’abandon de fragments entiers de villes. Cet abandon, qu’il soit partiel ou total, temporaire ou durable, est examiné ici au prisme du « potentiel » que pourrait représenter la survivance de ces structures. Ciblant 12 études de cas, cette première édition des Cahiers du Laboratoire d’Étude de l’Architecture Potentielle (LEAP) convoque autour de cette thématique la discipline architecturale, l’histoire de l’art et la sémiotique. De Montréal à Berlin, de Détroit à Turin, la variété des contributions est organisée autour de quatre tensions interrogeant le statut de ces structures (monumentalité/monument), leur échelle (architecture/urbanisme), les figures qu’elles cristallisent (utopie/ruine) et les imaginaires qui s’y développent (résistances/potentiels).

Les auteurs le montrent : les grandes structures urbaines abandonnées, loin d’être condamnées à l’inertie, sont des vecteurs de mémoire collective, de projets potentiels, d’imaginaires multiples, mais aussi de réévaluation critique de nos sociétés contemporaines. Dès lors, la grande structure urbaine abandonnée ne peut plus seulement être du ressort de l’économie ou de la planification foncière : l’entrelacement complexe des dimensions matérielles, techniques, sociales et culturelles la constituant invite les architectes à investir les réflexions portant sur sa survivance.

Abandoned building, modern ruin, urban ghost, skeleton property, deserted structure … these are some of the words used in an attempt to circumscribe the phenomenon of abandoned city fragments. This abandonment, whether partial or total, temporary or long-term, is examined through the “potential” that the survival of these structures would offer. This first edition of the LEAP Research Notebooks gathers 12 case studies, each structured around a common theme in the disciplines of architecture, art history, and semiotics. From Montreal to Berlin, from Detroit to Turin, the various contributions are structured around four tensions calling into question the status of these structures (monumental / monument), their scale (architectural / city planning), the figures they materialize (utopia / ruin) and the poetics they embody (resistance / potential).
As revealed by the authors, these large abandoned urban structures are far from being inert. Not only are they vectors of a collective memory, of potential projects, of multiple imaginations, but they also act as a trigger for a critical re-evaluation of our contemporary societies. Therefore, the large abandoned structure cannot be restricted to the fields of economy or land planning: such complex interweaving of material, technical, social and cultural dimensions calls for architects to reflect on its survival.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Includes illustrations and bibliographical references.

KEYWORDS

Abandoned buildings

Urban renewal

Architecture and society

Contemporary architecture

Potential architecture

Architectural history

Theory of the architectural project

LANGUAGE

contains text in both French and English

FORMAT

Softcover (perfect bound)

COLOR

Full Color

PAGES

116 pages

DIMENSIONS

9.25″ x 7.5″ x 0.3″ │ 235 x 191 x 7 mm

WEIGHT

0.6 lb │ 290 g

ISBN-10

0-9921317-9-0

ISBN-13

978-0-9921317-9-1

PUBLICATION DATE

March 27, 2017

EXTERNAL LINKS

Google Books

WorldCat

WHERE TO BUY

FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC

The book is available worldwide at local bookstores or through online resellers.

FOR LIBRARIES, BOOKSTORES AND OTHER RESELLERS
The book is available worldwide through IngramContent and is listed on its OASIS and iPage platforms.