“Ikea” architecture : from dismantled factories to low cost housing

Alejandra Beaujon Marin

“Ikea” architecture : from dismantled factories to low cost housing.

Rel. Michela Barosio. Politecnico di Torino, Master of science program in Architecture Construction City, 2016

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The following research and project has the objective of approaching a current issue in the architectural context and defining architectural modular elements for adaptive reuse of dismantled factories. The design of the elements aims to match internal flexibility and architectural regeneration together with low cost housing. Through the research, it is easier to understand the new phenomenos of adaptive reuse, re-qualification and transformation of old buildings. It also facilitates the idea of "self-building." The main goal of this research is to identify the criteria of not only the selection of buildings candidates for an adaptive reuse but the requirements for its new function and program, as well. It will focus on the creation of modular designs with easy construction methods in order to allow the future owners self-construction and self-adaptability.

For each specific problem, there are different solutions for the transformation of old dismantled factories into low cost residences, answering a specific context issue. Therefore it is fundamental to explain definitions, concepts and requirements to obtain design and construction strategies. There are two different themes that will produce the final solution, one being the cause and the other the effect: adaptive use and low cost construction

respectively. However, both of these themes have very exact requests. The combination of diverse ambits, such as architecture, urbanism, restoration and social, cultural and economic aspects allows a better understanding of these terms.

Nowadays, most architects have to deal with the fact that cities and streets have already been built, and new buildings in many cases, either do not have space or are successions to previous demolitions. Due to this, in the architectural context we often use the terms "adaptive reuse", "re-qualification" "restoration" and "renovation." All these terms consist of working on things that already existed previously.

In the European context for this particular issue, it may be harder to develop, seeing as the majority of European cities are well-established. Every building is part of an urbanistic system and as such, making substitutions and modifications could be extremely difficult. Turin has an industrial past, which provides interesting opportunities by taking advantage of factories that are no longer in use, not by demolishing, but by reusing and recycling the structures.

Statistics show that the most popular criteria in high demand in cities are housing and public spaces. One should address said demands taking into consideration both the economic and social context in order to truly benefit

each particular city. The question to ponder should be: why is it useful to recycle these abandoned buildings instead of creating new ones?

Many urbanism situations can answer this question, by involving a variety of subjects. The most important are the decrease of the urban sprawl and a control of the socio economic investment that lead to a new construction. The profit of using these abandoned structures could also be an opportunity to revitalize the area, such as the case of Turin, and could potentially reduce soil consumption.

Regarding the reuse of industrial buildings, the motive should involve the urban profile of the city and the maintenance of the city's cultural history through the specific landmarks.

Understanding the building and the new function for reuse is the main topic of this research. It will summarize and systemize pieces in order to simplify the reuse. This is the reason why we have chosen the popular franchise of IKEA, known for easy assembly and standardization to enunciate our investigation. This in turn will help us make a direct reference to our main goal: the systematization of elements that can be repeated in different abandoned factories.