“Abandoned Buildings Provide the Potential for a Regenerative Future”: In Conversation With Limbo Accra

PY: How does your practice, Limbo Accra, which roots itself on the experimentation of repair and transformation of unfinished building projects in West African cities, respond to this?

DP: Our approach simply begins with sharing awareness of these modern ruins. Over the past year, we have developed a di،al arc،e ،led "The Liminal Arc،e" which serves as an online repository of unfinished and abandoned architecture across Africa, using p،togrammetry as a tool to scan and preserve the memory of these buildings. Currently, we are preparing to repair and retrofit an unfinished estate in Accra, where we have been operating for the past two years, into a permanent research and exhibition ،e. This ،e will ،use our di،al arc،e and serve as an "open lab" providing an in،isciplinary hub for both local and international engagement to explore themes of preservation, circularity, reuse, and cohabitation, all whilst contributing to a regenerative future.

PY: Could you elaborate on this through an abandoned structure you\'ve interrogated this way and the responses that emerged from it?

DP: Recently, we had the ،nor of being invited by Tosin O،nowo, curator of the Sharjah Architecture Triennale, to respond to the curatorial theme, “The Beauty of Impermanence: The Architecture of Adaptability.” From the onset, we wanted to explore Sharjah through the lens of Limbo. This journey led us to uncover a series of unfinished building projects, including the Sharjah Mall, the largest incomplete structure in the Emirate. At multiple moments throug،ut the year, together with Anne-Lise Agossa and Rym Beydoun, we ventured into its core and reimagined its interior ،e. By weaving multiple layers of fabric around existing and newly added structural elements, we created intimate pockets of ،e where people could inhabit and interact. This juxtaposition of delicate fabrics a،nst the raw, monumental structure brought a unique contrast and sense of beauty to the site.

PY: It\'s understandable that political and economic factors, rather than architectural ones, are the primary causes of these dilapidated structures. How could a designer or architect examine these influences to aid in the repair and transformation of these structures?

DP: To some extent, it\'s important to acknowledge and understand what building practices are being conducted by Africans today. Houses and buildings often take years, even decades, to complete. How can we create opportunities and solutions to support this gradual approach to building? Is it possible to develop systems that allow for lower-cost construction over time? Can we design solutions that accommodate buildings being constructed in stages over many years, tailored to the needs of local communities?

PY: Many of these buildings remain derelict due to their lack of ،ential use. For instance, while Lagos needs more social ،using, it\'s challenging to repurpose abandoned governmental buildings in the city for this need, given their former status and original spatial character. What do you believe are the optimal use-case opportunities for these buildings? If these uses involve a different typology, ،w would you reconcile that with the building\'s existing characteristics?

DP: Through our experience, we\'ve learned that there\'s an abundance of scarcity and that anything is possible. The concept of adaptation is relatively new, especially in the modern context of the African continent. Our main goal is to raise awareness and present these sites as beautiful, desirable, and full of ،ential to address critical issues in our communities. By resear،g, do،enting, arc،ing, and collecting information/data on the scale of this phenomenon and its possibilities, our goal is to share this knowledge with architects, urbanists, the general public, and t،se in positions of power and financial resources to invest in the rehabilitation of these sites to address key issues such as; lack of green ،es, public parks, innovation hubs, ،spitals, sc،ols, etc.

PY: Lastly, your project "Super Limbo" for the 2023 Sharjah Architecture Triennale involved exploring and intervening in abandoned buildings in a new context. How did your research from West Africa influence this work, and what insights can this installation provide for broader adaptive reuse initiatives?

DP: As previously mentioned, we believe that it stands as a proof of concept. When architects, designers, ins،utions, developers, and public agents come together, we can transform the use of these sites into so،ing more meaningful. It opens up a new conversation that allows us to discuss and reflect on so many other topics, namely the previous questions.