iii. misuse + ambiguity
[f20]
Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, Spain. A building that was built as a small mosque and continued to grow as the Muslim population kept increasing. Eventually, it was taken over by Christians and converted into a cathedral. The roof distinctly shows the organization of rows of columns from when it was a mosque, and the cathedral’s central nave popping up through. Today, the building functions as museum.Designed objects inevitably surpass their original intention. They can be “mis”-used while actively serving their original function, put through a process of adaptation to allow for a new use, or be reused in their existing state. Relative to architecture, Aldo Rossi has claimed and argued that the program of a building inevitably changes, releasing the form of architecture as an artifact in the city (13). The inevitable change of use begs the question and desire of multi-functional, flexible design.
(13) Aldo Rossi and Peter Eisenman, The Architecture of the City.