CUltures of MAINTENANCE

In times of climate emergency and scarcity of resources, it is impossible to ignore that practices of maintenance become increasingly important for architects. Research on the subject shows efforts to reuse and repair building components, the upcycling of materials, and problematic practices of extraction. However, there is a knowledge gap between the materialistic understanding of maintenance practices and the cultural and socio-economic environments in which they are exercised. In line with cultural theorist Elke Krasny´s concept of architecture as an interface of human beings´ careful or careless engagement with the environment, this project addresses the complex, entangled environments in which all living and non-living bodies co-exist and aims to contextualize actions and tools of maintenance tied to cultural environments. How do these practices,for example, differ between the global south and north, east and west?

The hypothesis of the project is that in the state of the current climate emergency, the traditional paradigm of architecture as concerned with building-up inevitably begins to transition to practices of upholding. Consequently, the responsibility of the architect to work with others toward a building´s performance over time and its maintenance becomes crucial. But who upkeeps, who repairs, who cleans, how, what, and where? How can we detect parameters that promote maintenance, beyond quantifiable methods, such as material specifications and a building´s CO2 footprint? How do practices of maintenance and actors differ, given the specific cultural context in which architects operate? What knowledge is to be exchanged and which practices can be learned?

The project will investigate these questions through critical case studies, interviews with architectural practices from various cultural backgrounds and historical studies, and new theoretical positioning of the subject. The project will connect to disciplines outside architecture such as anthropology, economics, facilities management, and politics.

As a first step in the Spring of 2023 the project hosted 5 lectures and discussions with research partners locating issues of maintenance in various locations: Japan (Keigo Kobayashi), Former Yugoslavia (Maroje Mrduljas), Finland (Jonas Malmberg), Belgium (Victoria van Kan, ROTOR) and Seychelles Islands (Helene Frichot).

Research on the role of maintenance from a cultural viewpoint as a practice that prolongs the endurance of buildings and places and their capacity to promote the well-being of materials, structures, environments, and societies is lacking. In the past, technology and research around technical solutions have been considered to be the answer to upholding our buildings and cities. Architects of the modern period have neither taken maintenance into serious account when designing their buildings, nor has it been treated as a concern within disciplinary research. This gap in research has led to a lack of knowledge that is differentiated according to cultures and places.

Project leaders (contact person): Ruth Baumeister/Carolina Dayer
Participating AAA researchers: Urszula Kozminska, Nuria Casais

This research project is a part of Research Lab 2