Fidel Meraz delivers his talk about re-using historic buildings. Image credit @Khali Photography
Our Heart & Soul project celebrated people's major life events at Trinity and ran alongside our current building conservation works. As part of the project we wanted to explore further the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings. The project included a series of talks, inviting both national and international speakers to share their knowledge and experience on the positives and pitfalls of re-imaging historic buildings.
Speaking from an architecture perspective about how a space can be adapted to better serve the community, Trinity Trustee and UWE Senior Lecturer Fidel Meraz delivered the first talk of this programme, and talked about buildings around the world where the function has changed over time, Feb 27 2018...
Most churches were originally built to hold a service once a week - by giving them a second life, the building accommodates for a far larger audience.
What was really compelling about Fidel’s talk was that he spoke in metaphors of the human life, about the way buildings are born as beautiful and well attended sacred buildings, then decline over time until finally they are not active. He used the example that when an elderly person struggles to walk, we give them crutches, and this is also the way he likes elderly buildings to be treated.
An interesting point was made that most churches were originally built to hold a service once a week, therefore in some cases by giving them a second life, the building accommodates for a far larger audience.
When we approach a church we have a predetermined view of what will be inside, Meraz explained, so it is exciting to be surprised by what we find. In Asturias, Spain, the Santa Barbara Church was abandoned and crumbling until the community took action. They raised money and with sponsorship from Red Bull too, it was converted into a vibrantly colourful indoor skate park.
Through time the architectural intention has changed from a place of worship to a space of activity, but the purpose of the building as a space to serve the community remains. He compared the Santa Barbara Church with the Trinity Centre because in both cases what you find on the inside is unexpected and fun.
A lively discussion began after Fidel's talk around Old Market and gentrification. Image credit @Khali Photography
From Fidel’s talk I learned that the world is full amazing ideas of how to reuse spaces. Tess Sieling, project intern
After the talk, Edson Burton invited a discussion between the audience and Meraz, in which the future of the Trinity Centre, Old Market and Bristol were spoken about. Concerns were voiced about the gentrification of Old Market area, which highlights the role the Trinity Centre plays in serving communities.
There is a sense that it is now in a crucial era where the Trinity Centre’s responsibility is to remain accessible to all communities without judgement and, from, Fidel’s talk I learned that the world is full amazing ideas of how to reuse spaces.
This write up was by Tess Sieling, who was the project intern on the Heart & Soul heritage project. The talk was part of a series exploring the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings and was programmed in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).
How to get involved
Click here to sign the Hotwells and Cliftonwood petition to Save Jacobs Wells Baths
Further reading
Read more from our Heart & Soul talk series - Father Paul, - Dr Katie McClymont, and A Million Bricks of Love.
Read more about the Save Jacobs Wells Campaign here.
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