Contemporary Spolia: Afterlives of Ruins in Fragments
Contemporary Spolia: Afterlives of Ruins in Fragments

Summary/Abstract: The employment of spolia, building materials taken from ruined structures, has been a prevalent practice throughout the history of architecture. Reusing architectural pieces from ruins designates a relationship with fallen structures in terms of culture, building techniques and symbolic meaning. The employment of spolia is not only a pragmatic and economic use of materials since it entails the deliberate exhibition as well as the reconceptualization of the architectural fragment in its afterlife. Therefore, it performs as a way of cultural cohesion, appropriation, and continuity. Although use of spolia is conceived as a historical praxis, the habit also prevails in contemporary architecture. Many recent projects utilize the architectural pieces of ruins, either formerly existing on the construction site or elsewhere. The interest in spolia of contemporary design primarily resides in the desire to restore the connection with the place and memories of the past, illustrated by the works of Dimitris Pikionis and Carlo Scarpa in the post-war era. Within present-day building practices, the integration of spolia becomes a polyvalent act, which encompasses the establishment of links with previous values and the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage, while achieving a harmonious adaptation to a new environment. Concurrently, it presents a novel aesthetic in which fragmentation, heterogeneity and complexity are all embraced. Within this scope, this article seeks to explore various means of spolia utilization in contemporary projects and to investigate the multifarious meaning and connotations that reuse fosters, by alluding to the heterogeneity and palimpsest-like context of the constructed environment.

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