This issue of a+t magazine is the third and last volume in the RECLAIM series, which arose from an environmental sense of reclaiming land, objects, infrastructures and materials. ‘RECLAIM. Domestic Actions 2’ focuses on the refurbishment of dwellings, analysing actions carried out on both private residences and collective housing.
Through works by Lacaton & Vassal, for instance, the collective housing passed down from the last century is reconsidered, demonstrating that selective redemption of architectural heritage is becoming an increasingly viable option for today’s cities. This is being argued in the article ‘demolition or redemption’, where this a+t starts off with. Taking a look at nine case-studies this article introduces the subject of demolition and the former residents of these buildings. Also the well-known Dutch projects Amsterdam Bijlmermeer and the Rotterdam Wallisblok are being reviewed in this context-shaping introduction.
