Title

Author(s)

Aleksandra Pešterac

Affiliation

Sub-Department of Arts and Design, Department for Architecture and Urbanism, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad

DOI

https://doi.org/10.65686/EBNH7952

Keywords

Poetics, Abandonment, Architecture

PP

762-769

How to Cite

Pešterac, Aleksandra. “The Poetics of Abandonment in Architecture.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 762–769. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.

Abstract

The phenomenon of abandoned spaces represents a significant area of inquiry within architectural discourse, giving rise to a distinct spatial typology characterized by the absence of their original utilitarian function. This paper posits that such spaces can embody a unique form of poetics—an aesthetic and affective dimension that arises not through functional transformation, but through subjective experiential engagement.
The poetics of abandonment in architecture are rooted in the capacity of such spaces to evoke memory, introspection, and presence. These qualities often emerge through both deliberate interventions and unplanned processes—such as physical decay, neglect, or temporal erosion—that allow the architectural environment to resonate with layers of historical and emotional significance. As material traces of time accumulate, abandoned spaces become sites of interpretive potential and emotional depth.
Within this framework, deterioration is not merely a process of loss but can be reconceptualized as a form of creative transformation that renders space legible and meaningful in new ways. The poetic dimension of abandonment thus does not serve to restore or refunctionalize space, but to animate it—to cultivate a silent, introspective dialogue between place and person. In this sense, the poetics of abandonment may be understood as a specific mode of adaptive reuse, grounded not in functional replacement but in perceptual, atmospheric, and narrative reactivation of space.
Accordingly, this paper seeks to illuminate how the poetics of abandoned spaces can serve as a mechanism for revealing latent values, derived not from imposed architectural programming, but from the internal mechanisms of human perception, memory, and imagination.

Edited by
Andrea Crudeli
Francesca Molle
Emanuele Carrai

Publisher
STH Press, Firenze

ISBN Paperback – 9791281661141
ISBN Ebook – 9791281661158
DOI – https://doi.org/10.65686/SISY7263

Year
2026

Proceedings of
International Conference on Adaptive Reuse
hosted by The University of Pisa, Italy
15-19 September 2025, at the Gispoteca di Arte Antica dell’Università di Pisa.