De Urbanitate

TALES OF URBAN LIVES AND SPACES

(Re)Structuring the City

The Role of Industrial Heritage in the Search for an Identity
PhD. Student Trifa Raluca-Maria

Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbansim Bucharest, ROMANIA

trifa_raluca@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
The existence of abandoned industrial sites within the urban centers is one of the
pressing problems in our present society: if in the early twentieth century, these units were
located outside the cities, today with the expansion of urban limits, the industrial buildings
have become an integral part of the city, dominating a vast territory. Over time, the factory
not only provided a functional role, but was also a witness to the various stages of
technological, economic, social transformation and political life undergone by the European
society. Through their location and size, the former production facilities have left their mark
on the city, conditioning its structure and influencing the future urban development.
However, the industrial unit, outstanding for its architectural quality, construction technique,
integrated technology or the use of space has become today a ravaged witness of a
bygone era.
As a result of technological change, an impressive number of industrial units have
closed their gates since the second half of last century, part of the former producing
buildings being abandoned, mutilated and subsequently demolished. Once an expression
of prosperity and progress, the industrial units have become today symbols of decay,
victims of a system in transition. Nevertheless, the industrial unit constitutes a place of
memory - the industry became a catalytic element of a region, providing identity to the
members of its community. Over the years, the industrial heritage has created a specific
way of life, being directly related with the working class that it created.
The industrial buildings have lost along the years their original function and therefore
their use value. The cultural values attached are still present and reclaim the saving of this
type of heritage. The objects of industrial architecture can retrieve new forms of expression,
being easily adapted to functions required by the contemporary society. Although neglected,
the resources produced by the industrial age play an important role in the urban
regeneration. In the present context, however, the need to preserve the relics of the past is
balanced by the need for sustainable interventions. In this regard, a number of questions

arise: Can the conservation requirement be reconciled with the current needs of new
users? Can industrial heritage regain a stable reference, becoming once again a landmark
for the community? How can the regeneration of industrial units restructure the city and
what are the implications driven by these interventions? This article tries to answer these
questions, based on the analysis of the industrial heritage (yet) existent in Romania.