La Boca, district near the port of Buenos Aires, originated as a traditional worker class barrio of Italian immigrants at the end of the 19th century. Today the “caminito” between the Boca Juniors stadium and the old docks, loaded with souvenir stands and tango shows, attracts thousands of tourists. The old houses in these streets, made of steel cladding, are colorfully painted and house only souvenir shops and restaurants on the ground floor.

Tourists are dropped in masses by organized bus tours, and warned not to wander around the neighborhood, especially the open wasteland behind the stadium with the slums and the area underneath the flyovers, because they could get mugged. There is indeed a bizarre contrast between the small colorful centre and the rest of the former dock worker´s neighborhood in the middle of post-industrial remains.

Does this kind of revitalization, with its thematic scenery and dollars from the tourist industry, help to preserve the culture of the Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires and the local industrial heritage?
Does it reduce the social differences and segregation within La Boca and Buenos Aires as a whole?
And finally, what does it say about the role of architectural heritage in all this?

Investments are made to maintain and transform shantytown-like cabins, favorites of the public, wearing colors they never possessed. At the same time industrial sheds and infrastructure, highly appreciated by the academic world, are rusting away a hundred meters ahead. Perhaps we should alter our standards regarding the value of these structures and their meaning, or try to discover why the “valuable” is not being economically viable at this moment.

Article on industrial heritage in Argentina
www.vitruvius.com.br/arquitextos/arq091/arq091_03.asp
General info on La boca
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Boca

Abandoned buildings of NDSM Shipyards in Amsterdam North were occupied in the 1990´s by groups of artists who later organized themselves under the name Kinetisch Noord. In 2001 the group gained access to the NDSM shed (20.000 m2), the Docklands shed (6.000 m2) and two concrete shipbuilding ramps, to develop the whole site (84.000 m2) into the biggest “incubator” in The Netherlands. Affordable and flexible studios were created, in the sheds and under the ramps, while event infrastructure was installed in the open spaces.

The site now carries the name Mediawharf and is inhabited by MTV Networks Benelux and IDTV. Among other events, the theater festival “Over het Ij” 2007 took place around the ramps of the wharf in tents and containers.

IDTV: Re-use of concrete crane rail, project by Trude Hooykaas (2007)

MTV: Re-use of carpenter workshop, project by Max van Aerschot Architecten (2007)

www.ndsm.nl

.

.

01. Inside the NDSM shed

02. Outside space

03. Crane and shipbuilding ramp

04. Bar / restaurant in polycarbonate cladding

Former Bus Depot of the Berlin transport company – built in 1927 by architect Franz Ahrens, at that time with 7.000 square meters the largest shed in Europe – was confiscated by the nazis during the war, used as refugee camp afterwards and became isolated in the Wall zone from 1961.

In 1995 organisation ART Kombinat starts to develope a cultural “microcosmos” in the complex: In the middle the big hall, surrounded by extraordinary locations like Glashaus (1920´s style theatre and nightclub), Hoppetosse (nightclub and restaurant on a boat), Badeschiff (floating swimming pool in the river Spree) and Magazin (shed exhibition space). All programs are connected by an empty industrial paved riverfront (Freifläche) where outdoor events take place.

Until 2004 the area was partially rented by YAAM (Young and african art market), which organized music and sports events by the riverside.

www.arena-berlin.de
www.yaam.de

.

Project Badeschiff by AMP arquitectos, Gil Wilk and Susanne Lorenz
Project Yaam club by www.peanutz-architekten.de

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

01. Overview

02. Bus Depot

03. Badeschiff

04. Badeschiff during winter time (photograph by Inge Kanakaris-Wirtl; www.structurae.de)