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The contemporary city is littered with derelict sites: once active commercial or industrial zones, now void of human occupation, contain architectural remains left to atrophy. These ruins often exhibit a rich palimpsest of cultural and material history, ripe with latent potentialities to be revealed. How can these wastelands, remnants of the technological landscape, be reactivated, transforming artifacts of industrial obsolescence into cultural catalysts through minimal intervention?
In service of attempting to answer this question, the Roofless Gallery for [Con]temporary Art is a design/build project undertaken to reinhabit a specific abandoned artifact. A dry-cleaning facility lies in a state of ruin along a heavily traveled spine in Charlotte, the seam between two underserved urban neighborhoods. The roofless character of the building, a space defined only by walls as a result of neglect and weathering, creates an unintended but fortuitous Terrellian skyspace. The inherent boundaries of its urban context offer solace solely in the vertical dimension, providing the opportunity to transcend physical and societal limitations and reconnect with the boundless firmament. This artifact has the potential to reactivate the urban corridor: interventions into the structure will provide a means of reinhabiting the site and engaging in a dialogue with the community.
This roofless structure has been envisioned as a temporary arts space that would encourage interaction between local artists and residents. The architectural intent is to provide partially protected but unconditioned space for episodic arts and music events, including lighting, display mechanisms, and weather protection for the artwork. Recognizing the rich spatial and haptic experience of the space as a result of the ambiguity between exterior and interior, students have explored ways to construct a canopy, or integument, of found materials that preserves the roofless nature of the building. This integument is kinetic: in its horizontal position, it offers mounting surfaces for artwork, lighting, and weather protection, while providing exterior lighting of event signage on the existing building shell. In its vertical position, the integument creates an illuminated fin, calling attention to passers-by as it proclaims its role in the new life of the building. The project culminates in post-installation testing through an arts and music event, bringing together students, artists, and neighbors – the reactivation of a vestigal urban site through minimal architectural intervention.