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Browsing BI Theses by Author "Al-Nahas, Nura"
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Publication Restricted ADAPTIVE REUSE STRATEGIES FOR CONTENTIOUS BUILDINGS(2025) Al-Nahas, Nura; Stone, Sally; Ebert, Carola; Interior Architecture/Interior Design (MA) (Two-Year); Berlin International University of Applied SciencesExamining how historically loaded architecture can be reinterpreted without denying its past, this master’s thesis focuses on the example of wartime bunkers. Commonly perceived as reminders of the violence and trauma, these concrete structures oftentimes remain abandoned. Nonetheless, their mysterious presence and their unique spatial qualities evoke something captivating in the eye of the contemporary. Rooted in the dilemma of how to engage with architecture that originates from a sinister past, this research investigates how a reinterpretation of a bunker’s genius loci can inform the transformation and identity of contemporary spaces. Structured as a journey through four thematic “chambers“, this thesis first provides an understanding of contentious buildings, using bunkers as a particular of loaded heritage. Considering bunkers as a challenging site of intervention, leads in the second chamber to an analysis of their spatial, material, and typological nature, and explores their transition from wartime structures to cultural sites, supported by case studies of reimagined Berlin bunkers. A third chamber works out design strategies for building with the history, that transform the spatial identity, emotional atmosphere, and cultural potential of contested spaces, particularly bunkers. It includes an interview with a contemporary musician, Pablo Mirò, reflecting on creativity in isolation. In the final chamber, the master’s project “Shelter for Culture” is presented, which turns a Berlin Hochbunker into an expressive space for artists, without erasing its history. Rather than neutralizing the past, this master’s thesis proposes that meaningful transformation results when architectural interventions are grounded in the spirit of a place. Leaning on concepts such as the palimpsest and architectural memory, it proposes that new spatial identities can coexist with previous narratives, even with sinister ones. Layered, instead of replaced. Thus, bunkers become more than just relics of war; they become sites of a dialogue between past and present.