Docomomo Journal

When Leisure Ends in Loss

2025-11-26T10:47:01+01:00

The article aims to analyze how the large-scale buildings designed to host entertainment activities during the 1960s and 1970s in socialist Romania transitioned from iconic experimental architecture to an obsolete problematic heritage. During those years, leisure activities became part of the propaganda while state-funded infrastructure was built around them. Organized leisure time is directed towards shaping the ‘new man’. The paper focuses on two different architectural programs that fit into the leisure section: restaurants and commercial centers within holiday resorts and multi-purpose sports halls in cities. The objects in question are defined by different types of post-war modern architecture, varying from mid-century modern up to brutalism. During the socialist period, both case studies were directly managed by the state, from financial aspects to functional ones. After the fall of the communist regime, their status changed, and they endured the transition from a closed socialist economy to a capitalist one. While the sports halls remained under public administration, the restaurants and commercial centers in the holiday resorts were privatized. Alongside a series of unfortunate events that occurred during the 1990s, the general public developed a negative perception of this kind of architecture due to its connection with the former regime. While both case studies are relevant to the entertainment of the general public before 1989, after the fall of the socialist regime, there is a difference in their management and subsequent use, resulting in their presentation in parallel in this paper. The research is centered on how the changes after 1989 led to the fragile state of this heritage today and aims to propose contemporary approaches to properly address them. The buildings suffered both reversible and irreversible transformations, lack funding, and are improperly exploited. Since the late modern socialist heritage is often disregarded in Romania, this paper aims to establish possible guidelines for preserving and adapting these buildings for the present and the future.

Interrupted Modernity in Santiago de Chile

2025-11-26T10:46:58+01:00

The Ochagavía Hospital serves as a tangible reminder of Chile’s interrupted modernist aspirations and shifting political ideologies. Conceived in the late 1960s under the principles of the Welfare State, it was envisioned as the largest public healthcare facility in the country, bringing high-complexity services to Santiago’s southwestern periphery. Designed with a “tower and slab” typology and influenced by international references such as the Saint-Lô Hospital in France, the project embodied hygienic principles and the role of modern architecture in promoting social equity. However, construction was halted following the 1973 military coup, and for four decades the building remained unfinished, informally appropriated by nearby communities, artists, and activists. This article analyzes the architectural, political, and symbolic trajectory of the Ochagavía Hospital, focusing on how its form, location, and evolving uses reflect broader transformations in Chile’s political economy. Combining critical architectural analysis, historiographic research, and the study of visual and literary archives, the article examines how the hospital became both a symbol of abandoned utopia and a stage for memory and resistance. Particular attention is given to the building’s resignification during the dictatorship, including the performance “Suda-mérica” by Pedro Lemebel and interventions by Lotty Rosenfeld. In 2013, the hospital was sold and converted into a logistics and office center, erasing its original public intent and marking the final step in its privatization. As an unfinished modernist project turned commercial infrastructure, the Ochagavía Hospital exposes the effects of neoliberal reforms on public architecture, while also revealing the layered meanings that emerge from spatial abandonment and reappropriation. The building’s transformation stands as a poignant reminder of Chile’s intricate political, social, and economic history. Its unfinished state offers a critical lens through which to understand the broader urban consequences of Chile’s political transitions and the enduring legacy of neoliberalism.

From Nubia to Khartoum

2025-11-26T10:47:02+01:00

In April 2023, just weeks after the armed conflict broke out in Sudan, the National Museum was damaged by fire and later broken into by the militias of the Rapid Support Forces. In the months to come, it would be reported that a part of the museum’s collection of over a hundred thousand priceless antiquities was looted. These events chronicle the most recent entanglements of the Sudan National Museum with politics and power relations in Sudan. However, examining the museum’s history unveils deeper connections to pivotal moments in the nation’s history. The museum’s colonial roots, as a building, archive, and educational institution, reveal how the British perceived it as a potential tool for establishing sovereignty over Sudan through the politicization of archaeology. As the project was given new life after Sudan’s independence, external influences continued to shape the museum when it became entangled in the geopolitics of the Nile Waters Agreement and the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, launched by UNESCO in response, was a vital moment during which the endangered Nubian antiquities were ‘displaced’ to the museum. While the museum was positioned as a repository for cultural heritage protected by conservation law, the museum building itself fell outside of this protection because it does not apply to modern heritage.
Since the museum is a national project, it would come to be governed by the politics of Sudan’s successive military governments, each leaving its imprint on the project. All these political influences cannot be separated from the museum, rendering it an archive of critical moments that shaped the country. Unraveling this archive allows us to trace the interwoven threads of displacement, national identity, and representation embedded within the museum complex. It allows us to understand the museum not merely as a static collection of objects, but as a dynamic reflection of Sudan’s evolving socio-political landscape.

Shifting Paradigms Between Modernism and Tradition

2025-11-26T10:47:04+01:00

The global dissemination of modernist architecture reflects an intricate interplay between universal principles of design and regional adaptations, often shaped by sociopolitical ideologies and local traditions. Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, serves as a compelling example of this phenomenon, illustrating the fusion of global and socialist modernist ideals with Central Asian heritage. This paper explores the emergence of Tashkent’s modernist architecture, focusing on its transformation in the 20th century through three interconnected dimensions: a brief theoretical framework focusing on the global origins and regional responses of Modernism, its reinterpretation in Tashkent’s Soviet-era urban development, and the localized adaptations that integrate regional decorative and architectural elements, climate-responsive features, and cultural narratives. The study traces Modernism’s journey from its European roots to its adoption in socialist and postcolonial contexts, emphasizing how, in the second half of the 20th century, Tashkent became a laboratory for architectural innovation. Through the analysis of emblematic buildings, the paper highlights how modernist principles were reimagined to address regional conditions and to integrate Eastern ornamentation and traditional spatial practices. Despite the rich cultural synthesis achieved in Tashkent’s modernist heritage, these buildings face challenges in preservation due to post-Soviet identity shifts and rapid urban development. Thus, the paper concludes by examining emerging conservation efforts, highlighting the importance of these architectural achievements in advancing a deeper understanding of the dynamic interaction between global modernism and local influences. Tashkent’s 20th-century architectural legacy not only represents a significant chapter in the history of modernist architecture but also serves as a unique lens through which to reconsider the complexities of cultural identity, globalization, and architectural preservation.

Paradoxical Modernism in Singapore’s Mosque Architecture

2025-11-26T10:46:57+01:00

This paper examines the paradoxes of applying modernist architectural principles, rooted in secular, functional ideals, to mosque design during the initial phase of Singapore’s Mosque Building Fund (MBF) from 1977 to 1983. Drawing on archival plans, photographs, and newspaper articles, it explores how national objectives shaped mosque construction, resulting in what this paper terms “paradoxical” Modernism: architectural outcomes that adapt modernist ideals to meet the Malay/Muslim community’s spiritual, symbolic, and communal needs. Rather than signalling deficiency, the term highlights the negotiated tensions between state planning and religious expression in a postcolonial context. It examines the collaboration among the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), architects from the Housing Development Board (HDB), and the Mosque Building Committee (Jawatankuasa Pembinaan Masjid, JPM), focusing on how these partnerships balanced planning objectives with community feedback. The resulting mosque designs attempted to reconcile modernist forms with Malay/Muslim perceptions of appropriate mosque aesthetics and functions. The study analyses how modernist idioms, the International Style and Brutalism, were used to reinterpret Indo-Saracenic elements such as domes, minarets, and arches into simplified, geometric forms across seven MBF mosques: Muhajirin (1977), Mujahidin (1977), Assyakirin (1978), An-Nur (1980), Al-Ansar (1981), Al-Muttaqin (1980), and En-Naeem (1983). The analysis is structured around three key areas: first, a discussion of mosque designs influenced by modernist idioms; second, how Indo-Saracenic forms were adapted to fit these idioms; and third, the integration of elements such as open courtyards and balconies. Finally, the paper addresses how redevelopment pressures have led to modifications or demolition of these buildings. These changes reveal the “paradoxes” not as flaws, but as signs of how architecture responded to evolving community needs and planning priorities. Instead, these mosques should be recognised as culturally significant reflections of their time’s socio-political conditions, raising broader questions about conserving modernist religious architecture in Singapore.

Processes of Ruinisation and Revitalisation

2025-11-26T10:47:05+01:00

The formation of Kharkiv’s image as an industrial city in the late 19th-early 20th centuries was accompanied by ups and downs, which were caused by changes in the political status of the city. The aim of this article is to trace the processes of formation, ruination, and revitalization of Kharkiv’s industrial architecture during the period of Modernism and their reflection in the authentic features of the city; to outline possible ways to rehabilitate the iconic industrial territories and structures. The method of historical and genetic analysis applied in the study showed that during the industrialization period of 1919-1934, there was a sharp change not only in the ideological program and strategy of the state, but also in the stylistics of industrial construction towards Avant-garde Constructivism, and then towards historicism, which were later replaced by the neutral features of Modernism. The analysis revealed several breakdowns in the search for authentic features of the city of Kharkiv, which are now expressed in a combination of artistic features of the Avant-garde and historical styles. With the achievement of Ukrainian independence and the restructuring of the entire industrial complex from state to private ownership in the 1990s, the process of degradation and decline of Kharkiv’s industrial infrastructure began, necessitating a reevaluation of the significance and utilization of valuable historical buildings. In addition, Russia’s military invasion in 2022-2025 makes the risk of losing modernist industrial architecture monuments in Kharkiv very real. The article discusses several strategic directions for revitalizing deteriorating industrial territories and constructions, which represent historical and cultural value and contribute to the authenticity of these districts. It develops the possibility of selecting and combining the proposed directions for revitalizing iconic industrial territories and structures.

Adaptive Modernity in Times of Scarcity

2025-11-26T10:47:08+01:00

Urban housing built between 1949 and the commercialization of the housing market in the 1980s in China has gained increasing attention from architectural historians and conservationists. Once colloquially dismissed as ‘old, dilapidated, and small’ during China’s rapid urban renewal, these housing projects are now being reconsidered for their heritage values amid growing criticism of large-scale demolitions. However, the preservation of these buildings faces significant challenges due to their outdated floor plans, concerns over structural stability, limited research, and the absence of a shared framework for value assessment. This paper traces the historical evolution of urban housing construction in China from the 1950s to the 1980s, drawing on a range of sources, including academic journal articles, as well as official guidelines and reports. It argues that, while early housing planning in the 1950s was heavily influenced by the Soviet system that emphasized standardized design and industrialized construction, Chinese housing practices made ongoing, incremental adaptations to address technological constraints, material shortages, and regional differences. As a result, instead of aiming for a perfect solution to modern living, designers worked with imperfect solutions using available resources during a time of scarcity. Unlike the ideology-driven, standardized mass housing often associated with Soviet-influenced countries, China’s housing projects from the 1950s to the 1980s exhibit a more localized, organic response to both social and material conditions. The paper contends that this adaptive approach to housing design during this period is essential for understanding the challenges in evaluating these housing legacies today.

Digitizing Modernist Heritage

2025-11-26T10:47:03+01:00

This study investigates the vulnerability of modernist architectural heritage and the multifaceted challenges it faces in contemporary society. The analysis focuses on the inherent difficulties of conserving these structures, considering their cultural and historical significance alongside the need for adaptation to current social, functional, and regulatory requirements. Through the lens of a key case study, the architectural legacy of the distinguished Argentine architect Miguel Ángel Roca, the research examines how digitization can address these challenges by generating multi-scale and multi-resolution models that support detailed analysis and conservation strategies. The research stems from an interdisciplinary collaboration among the National University of Córdoba in Argentina, the University of Salerno, and Federico II University of Naples in Italy. It showcases the potential of digital tools for modernist heritage conservation, providing innovative solutions for its management, enhancing community engagement, and establishing a comprehensive digital archive. This archive ensures the long-term preservation and dissemination of Roca’s work, contributing to future research and educational initiatives. By integrating digital technologies, the study addresses the technical, social, and economic challenges associated with heritage conservation. The creation of detailed digital archives offers a sustainable framework for managing modernist architecture, ensuring its adaptability to contemporary demands while preserving its historical integrity. Furthermore, this research aligns with the objectives of the journal’s special issue, Imperfect Modernism, by exploring how changing social and political conditions across different countries shape contemporary attitudes toward modern architecture. It explores weaknesses in preservation and protection practices that can affect its legacy, and the challenges and solutions inherent in its conservation, and highlights how the interdisciplinary and digital methodologies introduced set new standards for the sustainable management of architectural heritage, promoting a balance between conservation and the need for modernization in response to evolving societal needs.

The Kurnėnai School

2025-11-26T10:46:59+01:00

This article presents the history of the funding, construction, and restoration of Kurnėnai School in the Alytus district—an exemplary project of interwar Lithuanian architecture. In 1934, Laurynas Radziukynas, a Lithuanian American born and raised in Kurnėnai, donated 160 thousand litas for the construction and furnishings of an elementary school in his hometown. The project for the school was drafted in the U.S. Most of the construction materials and furnishings were also bought in the U.S. and brought to Lithuania by sea. The school was equipped with highly modern plumbing for its time, including central heating, a biologically processed sewage system, and a shower. Next to the school, a wind turbine was built, with a pump that pumps water from an artesian well (97 meters deep) up into a water tower reservoir. The school tower was adorned with a ceramic Vytis (Lithuanian coat of arms) designed by Vytautas Brazdžius (1897-1969). There was also a schoolyard for physical exercise and a garden. Against the architectural backdrop of interwar period educational facilities, the school of Kurnėnai stood out as exceptionally modern. In 1990, the school’s architectural ensemble was entered into the Register of Cultural Properties of Lithuania and is considered a protected heritage piece of regional significance. The school was closed in 2008, following a demographic decline. As the building fell into disuse, its condition steadily declined, and it was restored from 2019 to 2020. This article discusses the construction, use, and restoration of the school in a chronological manner, in line with the principles of formal and historical analysis, as well as the factors enabling the preservation of this school as a time capsule with perceptible interwar optimism and maximalist pursuit of modernity.

The HYPA Building in Šabac

2025-11-26T10:47:06+01:00

This paper explores the architectural and social significance of the Homes of the Army in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1992), a specific typology of objects, built and managed by the army, yet utilized by citizens across generations as community and cultural centers. The Homes of the Army represented the materialization of the doctrine of the Yugoslav People’s Army in strengthening the unity of the young multi-ethnic nation. In this sense, their design emphasized monumentality, while also promoting openness, following the trends of Western European modernist practice of the time. However, with the change in socio-political circumstances in the early 1990s, the disintegration of Yugoslavia, and the deregulation of public space in a corrupt system, in which political instruments are used to support the economic interests of private investors, the fate of these buildings—which had become focal points in the social and cultural life of cities—was, in many cases, left to the market. Preservation efforts, led by architects and cultural activists from the local communities, are focused on the potential of these buildings as spaces for culture and community interaction. The paper presents a case study of the protection of the Home of the Yugoslav People’s Army in Šabac, one of the seven most endangered heritage sites listed by Europa Nostra for 2024. By analyzing this example, the paper offers insights into current challenges as well as strategies for protecting modernist heritage across former Yugoslavia. Analyzing the pressure of the market on the one hand and the preservation of local identity on the other, this paper provides a critical analysis of the contemporary narrative on the rehabilitation and reuse of modernist structures that no longer align with contemporary economic frameworks. These insights offer lessons that can be applied to similar conservation efforts globally, making the case study relevant to the broader international context of modernist architecture conservation.

Layers of Modernism

2025-11-26T10:46:55+01:00

The idea for this special issue was born during the Imperfect Modernism conference in a discussion with the guest editors Liutauras Nekrošius and Kateryna Didenko. Held in Vilnius in May 2024 and organized by the guest editors of this special issue, the conference brought together scholars, architects, and experts in heritage preservation from Canada, Cyprus, Eritrea, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Ukraine. A wide range of issues was discussed, highlighting the uniqueness of regional adaptations in conservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the Modern Movement shaped by each country’s political, economic, and socio-cultural factors, while also revealing shared patterns.
Turning to the discussion on the concept of Modernism, it is worth noting that different manifestations and perceptions of modernist heritage have evolved throughout the 20th and 21st centuries across diverse contexts and value systems. Scholarly debates, conservation practices, international initiatives, and local experience have shaped the concept as layered and flexible, now encompassing not only doctrinal modernist works and interpretations but a broader spectrum of modernities.

Imperfect Modernism

2025-11-24T20:20:46+01:00

In this special issue of the Docomomo Journal, we introduce the concept of “Imperfect Modernism” and continue enriching the ongoing debate on Modernism, highlighting that it exists not only as an ideal but also as a fragmented, locally interpreted practice. It was shaped by geopolitical, economic, and socio-cultural constraints: shifts in power and political upheavals, resource shortages, the needs of local communities, and the integration of traditional architectural practices. Within this “imperfection” are encoded highly informative layers of heritage, which enable the reconstruction of the lived experience of 20th-century architecture, rather than merely its abstract ideals.
“Imperfect Modernism” does not contradict earlier interpretations but extends an integrative logic, emphasizing that the value of modernist architecture lies not in the perfection of forms and concepts, but in the imprints of historical and political constraints and local adaptations, which render it a vibrant, vulnerable, and diverse heritage of the 20th century.
In the special issue Imperfect Modernism, we aimed to highlight the geographical and civilizational diversity of modernist architecture, while also examining how it served not only as a witness to the pivotal moments of the 20th century—such as political and social utopias, technological breakthroughs, and aesthetic and social experiments—but also as a reflection of the dual forces of globalization and a unified architectural vision on one hand, and the struggle to preserve ethnic and religious identities on the other.