The Seminar Genius Loci sits close to the design studio of the first semester and aims at providing the students with a 'reflective space' (denkraum) to explore theoretical concepts related to the design studio. Often it examines a specific typology or historical condition, unraveling it in order to look for concepts and narratives that contribute to the new design proposals. A new project for the years to comes is: An Iconographical approach to Adaptive Reuse of the built Heritage. Methodological enquiries into changing meanings and design parameters.

This project wants to expand architectural theory of adaptive reuse by borrowing vocabulary and methods from other disciplines: iconography from art history and theory of translation from linguistics. Firstly: Erwin Panofsky’s extended methodology on reading and interpreting images – based on ideas of Aby Warburg – will be discussed in its potential for articulating meanings in heritage sites and their changing programs over time. These meanings relate to material iconography (style, applied art, statues, reliefs, drawings, plans, typology, etc.) as well as immaterial aspects relating to memories, functions and rituals. We want to explore the attractive idea how a mature grid of methods and related concepts can operate in an emerging theory of adaptive reuse. The common ground between image and building is hermeneutics and its changing character over time.

Secondly: In linguistic theory we are interested in reflections on the art of translating literature and poetry from one language into another in negotiating original quality, meanings and intentions. The conceptual frame of Benjamin’s essay ‘The Task of the Translator’ (1921) offers, for example, conceptual space for establishing analogies between the métier of architecture in adaptive reuse and that of translators handling their source similarly as trading zones of quality and meaning.

As a synthesis of parts 1 & 2, we argue for a theoretical framework where the past is considered as an active force generating design parameters for the adaptive reuse of heritage. It could be considered as an ‘empathic’ condition for approaching historical sites in a designerly way.

Image: chorography of the beguinage in Hasselt, Atiyeh Akrami, 2021.