Transformation of constructed situations, Canal Architecture

Following the publication of “Construire Réversible” in 2017, the new work by CANAL architecture presents a set of references, reflections and positions in the face of the growing challenge of transforming existing structures. This issue, which extends to the transformation of cities and is accentuated by the growing housing shortage and the increasing scarcity of land resources, forces us to pause in order to design new models that focus more on repair than on major rehabilitation. The 12 chapters involve nearly 70 contributors, including Franck Boutté.

“In France, due to an ancient and deeply rooted heritage culture, we have equated durability with perpetuity. On the contrary, I like the idea that duration is the expression of the capacity to transform, of the reversibility that allows us to anticipate short usage cycles and at the same time to withstand several transformations and programmatic changes in the long term.”