In those areas in which spontaneous and unauthorized construction is widespread, overwhelming good architecture, one should consider that informal phenomena are a tangible manifestation of the social relationship with built environment. Structural or decorative elements are figured out and crafted to quickly respond to two important needs: spatial appropriation and self-representation of the builder. Often lying in the grey area of building regulations. Those elements adapt their form to any concrete frame construction and the modus operandi of the builders; absorb imperfections of the self-made building; speed up work; reuse or recycle existing materials.
SPONTANEOUS’s survey aims at rising the following operative questions: can an illegal/informal architectural element, which is widely employed in a community, become a subject of design interest? How does architecture practice anticipate and re-elaborate an established way of transforming the built environment driven by immediate needs? How can these elements be officially produced to meet a higher aesthetic and safety standard?
