OASE 124 -

As Paul Valéry says, a work is never ‘finished’; it can only be abandoned and let go Incompleteness as a design tool to give residents and users space The incomplete project as a challenge to prevailing values and practices in architecture Even after construction and completion, a building is never truly ‘finished’. Everyday use continually reveals the need for adaptation. What if we elevated this incompleteness of architecture to a design principle, thereby literally giving residents and users room to shape their environment? The most recent, well-known and evocative example of deliberately unfinished architecture is Elemental’s design for the Quinta Monroy project in Iquique, Chile (2003), where the practice intentionally designed ‘half-good houses’, expecting residents to complete the other half themselves. Elemental’s project is not an isolated case, but part of a broader range of attempts to create consciously ‘unfinished’ architecture. This issue of OASE documents a selection of these projects, each of which challenges established architectural practice in terms of its values, the position of the designer and the very definition of a project. As Paul Valéry says, a work is never ‘finished’; it can only be abandoned and let go Incompleteness as a design tool to give residents and users space The incomplete project as a challenge to prevailing values and practices in architecture Even after construction and completion, a building is not ‘finished’. Daily use consistently reveals that adjustments are needed. What if we elevate this incomplete nature of architecture to a design principle, thereby literally giving residents and users the space they need? The most recent, well-known and evocative example of literally unfinished architecture is Elemental’s design for the Quinta Monroy project in Iquique, Chile (2003), where the firm deliberately designed ‘half-finished houses’ with the intention that residents would complete the other half. Elemental’s design does not stand alone but is part of various attempts to build a deliberately ‘unfinished’ architecture. This issue of OASE documents a number of these projects, each of which challenges current established practice regarding its values, the designer’s position and the definition of a project.