ABSTRACT
This study delves into the concept of architectural spolia and highlights its potential to generate hybrid structures combining fragments of the old and the new. Spolia traditionally refers to reusing deconstructed building parts in an architectural composition – a reincarnation or a relocation of a building element – belonging to different eras. As a result, these fragments of buildings are granted ‘afterlives’ and a ‘hybrid’ structure is created. The research aims to expand the conventional definition and provide an overlooked perspective on spolia, rethinking it as a catalyst of unexpected combinations and unique spatial situations and characterizing the practice of incorporating spolia in architectural design as experimental. By engaging with recent literature, the study situates spolia within the contemporary discourse in relation to adaptive reuse and hybrid architecture. The study highlights the instances of reuse through spolia and the transformative processes of restructuring, rematerializing, and rethinking. The coexisting nature of old and new builds a bond across time and space, presenting the transformation of material, constructing distinctive expressions inherent in each example. By displaying the various ways spolia is used in contemporary architecture, these examples fill the gap between old and new and create a visual narrative that reflects the layers of history in the built environment.
