2023
Finding Kronos
Guests:
Takaharu + Yui Tezuka
Krešimir Rogina
Alisa Andrašek
Dean Lah
Korado Korlević
Time:
August 2023
What can we leave for the 22nd century?
There are many divinations about oldness, but unlike trees or fossils, the age of architecture is too young for radiocarbon dating. There are only the stories written by human beings. However, history is not science but memorandum, memorandum is nothing more than data, and data is nothing more than a result.
We want to discuss the future, not the past. There are world heritage buildings older than a millennium where most of the materials have been replaced during restoration processes. It is necessary to replace some materials to meet modern needs, and thus the longevity of a building has nothing to do with the durability of material—most old architecture is fragile and needs to be taken care of. The inclined wall and aged floor are seen as authenticity of the architecture. Functionality has nothing to do with the life span of a building—old architecture is usually inefficient compared to modern architecture.
Nothing is old at the beginning of its existence. If the architecture was built as old, it wouldn't last long. What makes a city old? No architect knows how long the architecture will last when they build it. Only Kronos knows which one will last.
People admire old architecture and cities. People travel to the other side of the planet to experience old cities. The travelers appreciate thick stone walls corroded by weather. The corrosion is called not defective but taste. People try to find authenticity to make sure it's not a fake. People can't easily be tricked by a fake. The past became a story, yet they don’t truly know how the town used to be. The city walls were made for their survival. There was no sentimental reason. Ruin is not architecture. A ruin is nothing more than a remnant of life. Ruin used to be architecture but not anymore. Architecture is not a thing but an event.
The function of architecture changes from time to time. There are many castles, houses converted to hotels. These changes are easier to imagine, because both contain dwellings. Yet there are building types far from original usage. There are churches used as Bars. There is no more sacredness required. Most of the time, it is more expensive to convert old buildings than building new ones.
What makes an architecture to last long? The longevity has nothing to do with the durability of the material. Mostly old architecture is fragile and needs to be taken care of. Inclination of wall and floor by aging is sometimes appreciated to ensure the authenticity. Functionality has nothing to do with the life span. Old architecture is usually inefficient compared to modern architecture.
Nothing was old at the beginning of its existence. St. Paul in London used to be the most avant-garde and technologically advanced modern building. If the architecture was built as old, the one wouldn't last long. What makes a city old? No architect knows how long the architecture lasts in the long term, when they build the architecture. Only Kronos knows which one is going to last long. How can we cheat time? How we architects can evade the crows of the Kronos.
Maybe the answer doesn't exist in the architecture itself nor the materials. What you think is old is not old at all. There are more than ten times our body cells. What we call humans is nothing more than an administrator for the immune system to balance countless lifeforms. You are not the same person as last year. None of the people around you are the same as last month. Most of the body materials are replaced every four months. It is possible that you are seeing only illusions. The water of a river is not the same as a second ago. The ground cover of mountains gets replaced and the shape of the angulation gets deformed by rain and wind. There is nothing permanent.
Grožnjan Summer School of Architecture
JMI CENTRE GROŽNJAN
Umberta Gorjana 2, 52429 Grožnjan, Croatia
groznjanschoolofarchitecture@gmail.com
