Article 6 of the Europan 18 Results Catalogue
Check out the articles of the Europan 18 catalogue!
Learn more about each theme and sub-theme, through the articles of the catalogue.
Read the article «The New Normal of Elephants », extracted from the E18 Catalogue of Results
The article written by Julio de la Fuente (ES) architect, urban planner, co-founder of Gutiérrez-delaFuente Arquitectos in Madrid (ES), examines Europan 18 projects that reinterpret oversized, derelict buildings “elephants” as catalysts for wider urban and rural transformation.
Two core questions guide the analysis: which strategies can seed evolving new uses over time, and how can onsite resources drive circular, lowfootprint reuse?
1-Timeliness frameworks: Instead of fixed end-states, projects create adaptable structures that host changing programs.
2-Multilayered landscapes: Entries reconnect elephants to territory and communities, treating reuse as livinglab processes tied to seasons and everyday needs.
3-Circular material banks: Buildings become reservoirs of components.
The article argues for a “new urbanism of modesty,” where time-based frameworks, landscape reconnection, and circular materiality make resourceaware reuse the norm. Just as timber has become a new normal in construction, these strategies point to a new normal for transforming cities and villages through existing “elephants.”
>> Click here to read more about the article from Julio de la Fuente