Interior Conversions: Redesigning The
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NUMERO 11 - maggio 2017 Marcus van der Meulen Conversioni interne: He studied Architecture and Interior Architecture at Leuven Catholic Ridisegnare la chiesa parrocchiale per un riuso adattivo University ( St. Lucas Institute for Architecture, Ghent ) and Monument Preservation at the Institute of Conservation & Restoration. He did courses in Architectural History at Cambridge University. As an Interior Architect he has been active in several reuse designs and Interior conversions: projects in the past years. Currently Marcus is director at Square, a platform for adaptive reuse and redesign of religious architecture. At Redesigning the Village Church for Adaptive Reuse present he focusses on the reuse of post-war churches in the urban landscape. As an Interior Historian he researches ecclesiastical interiors with special interest for the medieval and modernist periods, his book Brass Eagle Lecterns in England: 1470-1520 is due next year. Così come sempre più chiese parrocchiali perdono la loro As more and more village churches loose their original funzione originaria di luogo di culto, il riuso adattivo è function as a house of worship adaptive reuse is an una strategia sempre più popolare per la conservazione increasingly popular strategy for preservation of religious del patrimonio religioso. Trasformare il locale luogo di heritage. Transforming the local house of worship to stage culto per mettere in scena una nuova scenografia implica a new scenography implies a redesign of the interior. Three una riprogettazione degli interni. Tre tipi di architettura types of ecclesiastical architecture in rural Groningen, ecclesiastica sono riscontrabili nelle aree rurali di Groningen, the Netherlands, have been redesigned in recent years to i Paesi Bassi, sono stati ridisegnati negli ultimi anni per house a new functionality. Architectural interventions by ospitare una nuova funzionalità, con interventi architettonici, definition change context. However it can be a accepted as attraverso la definizione di un contesto in cambiamento, a valid preservation strategy. The addition of new layers to accettabile come strategia di conservazione valida. L’aggiunta the existing heritage has resulted in interesting spaces which di nuovi strati al patrimonio esistente ha determinato reveal the qualities of these ecclesiastical buildings. Parole chiave: Patrimonio religioso; Architettura interessanti spazi che rivelano le qualità di questi edifici ecclesiastica; Chiesa; Riuso adattivo; Riprogettazione ecclesiastici. Keywords: Religious heritage; Ecclesiastical architecture; Church; Adaptive reuse; Redesign http://in_bo.unibo.it NUMERO 11 - maggio 2017 Schonen is etwas im Wesen lassen not an exception. As the population of the repairs due to quake damages has become a Martin Heidegger; Bauen, Wohnen, Denken eponymous capital increases the depopulation new worry. The redundant church of Krewerd, of rural Groningen continues. Figures of 2014 Delfzijl municipality was restored9. Preserving The death of Gregor was a relief to the Samsa show a decrease in rural municipalities like a building without a function however Family. His transformation into a vermin had Delfzijl or De Marne of 20 % since 19904. can be regarded the creation of a defunct alienated him from family and society. The Unemployment in this province is the highest monument. For decades the poor state of a relation between Gregor Samsa and the world in the country affecting mostly the rural areas5. structure in need of a costly restoration has surrounding him had changed. Adaptation to Several villages have seen the closing of the last been regarded a valid reason for demolition this new reality became a struggle for survival shops in a region that has the highest number in the Netherlands. Ecclesiastical architecture finding an end in death. A death the Samsa of vacant retail space in the Netherlands. was not an exception. In Groningen the family experienced the loss of a burden. In his Associated with modernity is secularization6. cathedral of Saint Martin was pulled down novel Die Verwandlung Franz Kafka explores Church attendance and membership has been in 1982 after plans for adaptive reuse as a the transformation of men in modern falling for decades. In the Netherlands, a country library were abandoned10. Throughout the society1. Modernity has brought many typified by a fragmented religious landscape, country ecclesiastical architecture regardless changes to society. Rural areas were not left this has instigated the unification of three of denomination was and is being destroyed, untouched. Depopulation and secularization denominations embodied in the Protestant in recent years targeting modernist and post are a reality changing local communities Church in the Netherlands7. Diminishing and war edifices. The Cross church in Geleen was beyond compare. The adaptation to this new merging congregations give up their churches demolished in 1994, the Resurrection church reality has become a constant struggle for as costs to maintain these houses of worship in Apeldoorn in 2006. Only a very limited survival for these smaller communities. For can no longer be supported. Ecclesiastical number of these modernist buildings has centuries the heart of the village, of social buildings become redundant at a break-neck some form of protection. The possibility of and cultural life, was centered around the speed never seen before. destroying post war history, this important church2. The village church connected past period in the twentieth century, is a reality. and present, locals to a community, creating Another threat for the preservation of religious A few years ago in the Netherlands a contest place (Fig.1). Decreasing population and heritage in the province of Groningen comes was held electing the best demolished house church attendance forces congregations to unexpected. The 2012 earthquake of Huizinge of worship11. Unfortunate winner of this give up their house of worship. Abandoned damaging several churches came as a shock8. contest was the protestant Queen’s Church in buildings are in risk of becoming alien bodies Over eighty quakes have been reported in Rotterdam, its demolition still regarded a loss. (Fig.2), after redundancy the age old ties the region this year, however nothing on the As a process of place destruction is a form of between church and community gradually scale of central Italy, not surpassing 2.0 on the transformation. For communities however the evaporate3. scale of Richter. These dutch earthquakes are church functions as a connection to collective The world is urbanizing at high speed and the man inflicted and a result of the extraction memory12. For rural areas demolishing the province of Groningen in the Netherlands is of natural gas in the area. In recent years the church would destroy the village. Monuments http://in_bo.unibo.it 322 NUMERO 11 - maggio 2017 Fig.1 A bucolic landscape can deceive. Decreasing population and increasing unemployment, even earthquakes shake up the peaceful countryside. Photo by the author. http://in_bo.unibo.it 323 NUMERO 11 - maggio 2017 are protected from demolition by law. Yet its long tradition of religious architecture reused designated status as a monument could not as a house of worship for another religion prevent the demolition in 1990 of the ‘Kleine or denomination17. After the Reduction of Sint Eusebius’ in Arnhem13. The building had Groningen in 1594 (note 2) the Calvinist been abandoned for five years. A similar fate liturgy was forcefully imposed in this northern has struck the church of Saint Dominicus in province and catholic churches turned Alkmaar14 an early masterpiece by Gothic into protestant temples. This conversion Revival architect Pierre Cuypers. After a involved a redesign of the interior with the decade of redundancy and neglect it was whitewashing of walls, stripping of altars and ultimately destroyed in 1985. The biggest statues18. Even the organ was treated with threat therefore to religious heritage in is not mistrust, several instruments were destroyed a decreasing population, or even earthquakes, and others removed19. Paradoxically the but alienation; a community that has lost the adaptive reuse has safeguarded elements connection and has lost interest to support of the medieval church interior otherwise the edifice. lost through changes in liturgy and taste. Mural paintings were whitewashed which Reuse can preserve has preserved them for later generations, In Warfhuizen, municipality De Marne, the examples can be found in Noordbroek, local house of worship became redundant Middelstum or Loppersum20. Choir screens , in the 1970’s. This Waterstaatskerk (note 1) repeatedly demolished in Catholic churches was built for the protestant congregation in in later centuries, retained their function as the middle of the nineteenth century. After a space divider as the choir was regularly years of desolation and redundancy it was given a new function. The wooden screen in bought by some Catholics in 2001. A redesign Holwierde is a fine example21. And in Krewerd, converted the former Calvinist interior to a mentioned above, a stone screen supports chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Enclosed a sixteenth century organ in a situation Garden15. A statue of the Sorrowful Virgin unchanged since the Reformation22. Today was placed in this redesigned space and the province of Groningen can boast some has become the attraction of many visitors. of the most interesting medieval church Today the sanctuary is a popular destination