OASE 124

• As Paul Valery says, a work is never ''finished''; it can only be abandoned and let go


• Incompleteness as a design tool to give residents and users space


• The incomplete project as a challenge to prevailing values and practices in architecture

Even after construction and completion, a building is never truly ''finished''. Everyday use continually reveals the need for adaptation. What if we elevated this incompleteness of architecture to a design principle, thereby literally giving residents and users room to shape their environment?

The most recent, well-known and evocative example of deliberately unfinished architecture is Elemental''s design for the Quinta Monroy project in Iquique, Chile (2003), where the practice intentionally designed ''half-good houses'', expecting residents to complete the other half themselves. Elemental''s project is not an isolated case, but part of a broader range ofattempts to create consciously ''unfinished'' architecture.

This issue of OASE documents a selection of these projects, each of which challenges established architectural practice in terms of its values, the position of the designer and the very definition of a project.

• As Paul Valery says, a work is never ''finished''; it can only be abandoned and let go


• Incompleteness as a design tool to give residents and users space


• The incomplete project as a challenge to prevailing values and practices in architecture

Even after construction and completion, a building is not ''finished''. Daily use consistently reveals that adjustments are needed. What if we elevate this incomplete nature of architecture to a design principle, thereby literally giving residents and users the space they need?

The most recent, well-known and evocative example of literally unfinished architecture is Elemental''s design for the Quinta Monroy project in Iquique, Chile (2003), where the firm deliberately designed ''half-finished houses'' with the intention that residents would complete the other half. Elemental''s design does not stand alone but is part of various attempts to build a deliberately ''unfinished'' architecture.

This issue of OASE documents a number of these projects, each of which challenges current established practice regarding its values, the designer''s position and the definition of a project.