Einar Bye and Ola Sendstad's 2012 thesis project focused on their fascination with abandoned houses and the usual thought attachment to them as "useless" or, in another sense, of having a negative connotation. I share this fascination with them, and have often found myself wondering, "why is this bad, sad, looked-down upon?" To me, the degradation of a house is merely the life-cycle. One could argue it is akin to the human body. Even so, this process of degradation is not merely factual, it has emotion, it has a sense of time passing, and for many brings back painful memories and feelings.
Bye and Sendstad's thesis project sheds light on this subject and they offer a third approach when facing abandoned buildings and question, "what now?" For them, the opportunity to restore and develop parts of the building is important. Furthermore, these methods "may allow us to make better use of and develop the qualities of an existing building, and to challenge the attitude that a building is at its best the day it is first completed."
Check out their wonderful work here: http://www.architecturenorway.no/stories/other-stories/most-beautiful-house-2012/
