AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.03.2004, Blaðsíða 40

old district of Sevilla wish to enlarge
their flats? Their proposal is deemed
illegal. Proposed additions to flats in
these districts do not get a building
permit, although the intention was
only to make the flats more spacious
and such alterations were quite com-
mon earlier on. Santiago Cirugeda
found a way to make this possible. It
consisted of buildíng the room on
top of scaffolding. The only permis-
sion the client had to obtain was one
for small work, like painting the front
of the house intended to be
enlarged. The only requirement,
according to the preservation rules of
the old district, was to respect the
existing colours. Cirugeda suggested
that if the front did not need painting,
one could always paint some graffiti
to justify the undertaking. After hav-
ing applied for the permit that
is granted, without completing the
box that defines the duration of the
undertaking, the construction of the
scaffolding can start. This shelter
is built by the flat’s owner using form
and materials according to their
own taste and is permitted to stand
for an undefined period.
Another project, also in Sevilla, is
based on using empty sites and
using only standardised units that
can easily be put together and
dismantled. In this way, Cirugeda
has put together office space in very
different places. Nowhere within the
building preservation law does it
mention building materials such as
this. Cirugeda does not accept the
control aspect of the law and has
made the old district a lived-in theme
park. Electricity obtained from an
adjoining site and movable chemical
toilets are some aspects that make
these vagrant objects of the city
liveable. Clause nr. 3.40.1 .c in the
development plan for Sevilla relating
to temporary construction deals with
the positioning of a standardised
unit. However, as this particular type
can be moved without causing
damage to the inmovable it is con-
nected to (clause 335 of the city
law), is not connected to the site „in
such a way that the units can not be
separated without breaking the build-
ing material or destroying the
object“ (clause 334.3 of the city law),
and is not permanently fixed or
intended to be fixed to the adjoining
buildings, it can be understood that
we are in fact dealing with a piece of
furniture. As a result, the location of
these objects can be chosen freely
on different sites independent of legal
requirements stipulating a permit.
„The Insect House or the
Cunning Blood-Ant“
When Santiago Cirugeda was invited
to participate in the discussion
Alameda Viva („Living tree-lined
roads“), to protest the destruction of
tree-lined roads in Sevilla, he created
the „Insect House.“ Besides being
the shelter for guerrillas in a tree, fit-
ted with protection for possible
attack of rubber bullets or water jets,
the project serves „to reverse the
development of the city. Individuals
and societies have become less and
less able to take an active part in the
decision- and policymaking and use
of the city." As the projects already
mentioned, the „Insect House“ is a
solution intended to awaken the
moral awareness of the residents
and encourage them to take a posi-
tion towards the environment without
taunting the local councils.
The work of Santiago Cirugeda is
architecture that contributes to make
it possible for city residents to have a
say in the use and creation of their
environment and gain freedom
through their participation. ■
AALBORG PORTLAN)
__________________________________________
BYGGTTIL FRAMTÍÐAR www.aalborg-portland.is
Bæjarlind 4 - 201 Kópavogi - Sími 545 4800