Marie-Stella Livrieri

Regenerating perceptions

The life story of l’Arlequin 

Regenerating perceptions is about looking at buildings in a different way and adopting a feminist approach to engage with space. It is about telling stories and building new ones. It is about the life story of l’Arlequin. 

Grenoble, 1970s. The Arlequin is born. A new ideal building in a new attractive neighborhood, new people moving in and new stories beginning. Fifty years later, where is the story at? And what is coming next? 

The project investigates how to undertake this building and how to work together with its community in order to heal the architecture, change the perceptions and make space for new stories. 

In the process, engaging with the building and with its community was essential, in order to see beyond what is visible at first sight. Looking inside, outside, zooming in, out, go around and under, playing, stop looking and looking again. regenerating perceptions became a dance with the building. 

In a time where we consume architecture and tear it down when its value does not seem to be high enough anymore, regenerating perceptions proposes an approach of preservation and care. Through immersion in the building, engagement with the community and research, combined with a vision for the future of the area, regenerating perceptions became a project of surgical architecture. 

Surgical architecture refers to approaching a building like a living being, a patient that needs healing and care, and to treat it with precise interventions. A non-invasive treatment that aims to preserve the body and reinforce it, for a healing now and a healthier future. The interventions are focused on the plint, key element of the initial project and main artery of the building connecting its community and its environment. Two types of surgeries are performed, the stitches and the placement of a stent. These serve three goals : connecting, programming and inviting. 

The story is told in the form of a play, relating the story of l’Arlequin as a living element and the story of my (re)discovery of this building. When telling this story, I hope to take you along with me and encourage you to make your own, taking home with you what caught your eye, to regenerate the perception of l’Arlequin, in Grenoble and beyond. 
 

Afstudeerdatum: 21 oktober 2024 
Afstudeercommissie: Paul Kuipers (mentor), Jolijn Valk, Tess Broekmans & Jan van Grunsven
Toegevoegde leden t.b.v. het examen: Gus Tielens & Pnina Avidar