The main research in question regards what is Bricolage in architecture. This topic is strikingly valuable to contemporary demand, given the fact that there is a considerable amount of buildings and building elements that do not carry a value that is strong enough to be considere
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The main research in question regards what is Bricolage in architecture. This topic is strikingly valuable to contemporary demand, given the fact that there is a considerable amount of buildings and building elements that do not carry a value that is strong enough to be considered historical or cultural. In fact, often the meaning of Bricolage crosses the line with the one of Spolia, which consists of a twist respect to the first one, in the sense that a Spolia gains a further value, recalling a former life, a significance that revives identity and history. The questions of this research investigate the role of bricolage and spolia in today’s context and the way in which bricolage can be applied to architecture, and the value that bricolage assumes within it, in particular, related to monetary value, durability, and sustainability. There is a limited amount of resources available, and even if the moment in which they are going to be over seems distant, it’s going to be reached. Thus, it is of extreme relevance to start learning now the possibilities of second hand construction materials, the processes and limits to overcome, as well as the potentials. There are many ways in which the subject of Bricolage in architecture could be approached, leading to different orientations within the field. Nevertheless, the focus of the thesis is directed more towards the material sphere, in which the potentials of re-use and adaptation of building elements of various nature are investigated.Simultaneously, the possibilities of integration of both the new and the old materials are pivotal aspects to be scrutinized, while on the other side, the material properties should be taken into consideration for the components and elements to work together. In addition, the portion of the research that is most relevant to be described consists of the study and onsite observation and analysis of the practice of dealing with the concept of bricolage in these terms, that regard the reuse of materials and any available elements of architecture. The design results in a series of buildings realized with the most reused materials possible, with a program and a composition responding to the needs of the area. To be more specific, it will involve the realization of a promenade composed on one side by a work of sew and cut, dealing with existing buildings combined with new ones.Eventually, the design is based on actual resources found available, partially from site demolitions, partially from contemporary demolitions around the city of Brussels, and, as a third source, in the moment in which the first two ones are not enough, from Opalis, an online database presenting all the major resellers of second hand construction elements in Belgium. These material resources, instead of a design limit, will represent a potential for future design approaches that will inevitably be taken into consideration in future times.