A research project conducted by KOSMOS Architects, HEAD Genève, Gili Merin
October 28–November 1, 2025
Milan 20125
Italy
KOSMOS Architects, HEAD–Genève and Gili Merin present their research project in an exhibition in Dropcity for Milano Arch Week.
It is a result of a two-year long research project that investigates FORCED REUSE—practices all over the globe that rethink the construction and design methods in cases when necessity overrides systems.
The exhibition will open on October 28 at 11am and will last for five weeks, but the main opening event will take place on Saturday, November 1, at 6pm and will be accompanied by the presentation of team, lectures from the authors, questions and answers and an Apéro.
Forced Reuse is a research project investigating the phenomenon of adaptive reuse of objects and spaces driven by acute community needs and conducted by users independently from architects and designers. The project is not limited by geography, economy or scale, but by a drive to uncover the driving force behind non-professional reuse of building elements and spaces. In particular, it is interested in the reasons that push communities to rethink conventional building practices in regions where necessity overrides formal systems; where people are forced to reuse.
At the core of this research lies a critique of the extreme conventionalism that dominates current adaptive reuse practices today and the profession at large. It argues that the field is governed by standardized codes, outdated legislation, and rigid frameworks that restrict possibilities. These limitations fail to capture the ingenuity and pragmatism of those who, often out of necessity, operate outside formal systems—often in politically unstable and economically disadvantaged regions, where communities must navigate a reality where social regulations and professional norms simply don’t apply or are financially out of reach.
The research project differentiates from other contemporary practices of adaptive reuse, driven by historical preservation, environmentalist, or sentimental reasons. It looks at the contexts, where reuse emerges from urgency —whether due to scarcity of materials, political turmoil, or climate crises. By focusing on the particulars and peculiarities of such inventive responses, the project seeks to uncover a form of intelligence born from necessity, crisis, and need.
A refugee shelter made from oil containers, a house built with used car tires, an old bus repurposed as a countryside barn, a bridge constructed from a train wagon, a war bunker transformed into a car repair shop, and a cooperative garage converted into an improvised gym—these are just a few examples of unique typologies, discovered in the “Forced Reuse” research. Structures built not from what is traditionally meant for building, built from scarcity and poverty, and at the same time always smartly reusing something that is in excess, what is conventionally considered “waste”. These structures are crafted with immanent smartness, wit, and beauty, making them inherently ecological.
The research project will be presented in two exhibitions: one in Geneva, one in Milan; and includes various research cases represented with 3D models and drawings, 1:1 prototypes, and images taken by professional and non-professional photographers and users in the various case studies. The exhibitions will be followed up with a publication in mid-2026.
Read more in the article on E-Flux. Project is conducted by KOSMOS Architects, Valentina de Luigi and Gili Merin and developed in HEAD — Genève.
Research core team: Leonid Slonimskiy, Artem Kitaev, Gili Merin, Valentina De Luigi. Research team: Janna Aleksanyan, Alex Alyaev, Cuadrado Laure, Natasha Krymskaya, Kristina Kramarenko, Melina Meyer, Dmitrii Prikhodko, Manuel Rossi, Kateryna Shushynska.
Research contributors: Anadis González, Asif Salman, Blanca Garcia Gardelegui, Suzan Abu Kosh, Damir Faizulin, Patcharada Inplang, Ernesto Oroza, Malkit Shoshan, Grigoriy Sokolinskiy, Mitul Desai, Robert Heckmann.
HEAD—Genève students: Biache Aurore, Crettiez Mathis, Cuadrado Laure, Dupraz Ian, Gidi Mireille, Giraud Hippolyte, Hemidi Stéphanie, Negro Luca, Sushynska Kateryna, Théophile Matton, Trouvin Marie, Tshala Noemi, Verrillo Matteo.
Dean of the Department of Space Design/Interior Architecture: Javier Fernández Contreras. Head of IRAD, the research institute at HEAD—Genève: Anthony Masure. Financing: HES-SO RCDAV / Co-financing: HEAD – Genève (HES-SO).
