From Nubia to Khartoum: The Politics of Constructing the Sudan National Museum

In April 2023, just weeks after the armed conflict broke out in Sudan, the National Museum was damaged by fire and later broken into by the militias of the Rapid Support Forces. In the months to come, it would be reported that a part of the museum’s collection of over a hundred thousand priceless antiquities was looted. These events chronicle the most recent entanglements of the Sudan National Museum with politics and power relations in Sudan. However, examining the museum’s history unveils deeper connections to pivotal moments in the nation’s history. The museum’s colonial roots, as a building, archive, and educational institution, reveal how the British perceived it as a potential tool for establishing sovereignty over Sudan through the politicization of archaeology. As the project was given new life after Sudan’s independence, external influences continued to shape the museum when it became entangled in the geopolitics of the Nile Waters Agreement and the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, launched by UNESCO in response, was a vital moment during which the endangered Nubian antiquities were ‘displaced’ to the museum. While the museum was positioned as a repository for cultural heritage protected by conservation law, the museum building itself fell outside of this protection because it does not apply to modern heritage.Since the museum is a national project, it would come to be governed by the politics of Sudan’s successive military governments, each leaving its imprint on the project. All these political influences cannot be separated from the museum, rendering it an archive of critical moments that shaped the country. Unraveling this archive allows us to trace the interwoven threads of displacement, national identity, and representation embedded within the museum complex. It allows us to understand the museum not merely as a static collection of objects, but as a dynamic reflection of Sudan’s evolving socio-political landscape

Interrupted Modernity in Santiago de Chile: The Political Afterlife of the Ochagavía Hospital

The Ochagavía Hospital serves as a tangible reminder of Chile’s interrupted modernist aspirations and shifting political ideologies. Conceived in the late 1960s under the principles of the Welfare State, it was envisioned as the largest public healthcare facility in the country, bringing high-complexity services to Santiago’s southwestern periphery. Designed with a “tower and slab” typology and influenced by international references such as the Saint-Lô Hospital in France, the project embodied hygienic principles and the role of modern architecture in promoting social equity. However, construction was halted following the 1973 military coup, and for four decades the building remained unfinished, informally appropriated by nearby communities, artists, and activists. This article analyzes the architectural, political, and symbolic trajectory of the Ochagavía Hospital, focusing on how its form, location, and evolving uses reflect broader transformations in Chile’s political economy. Combining critical architectural analysis, historiographic research, and the study of visual and literary archives, the article examines how the hospital became both a symbol of abandoned utopia and a stage for memory and resistance. Particular attention is given to the building’s resignification during the dictatorship, including the performance “Suda-mérica” by Pedro Lemebel and interventions by Lotty Rosenfeld. In 2013, the hospital was sold and converted into a logistics and office center, erasing its original public intent and marking the final step in its privatization. As an unfinished modernist project turned commercial infrastructure, the Ochagavía Hospital exposes the effects of neoliberal reforms on public architecture, while also revealing the layered meanings that emerge from spatial abandonment and reappropriation. The building’s transformation stands as a poignant reminder of Chile’s intricate political, social, and economic history. Its unfinished state offers a critical lens through which to understand the broader urban consequences of Chile’s political transitions and the enduring legacy of neoliberalism

Processes of Ruinisation and Revitalisation: Kharkiv Industrial Architecture in the Modernist Era

The formation of Kharkiv’s image as an industrial city in the late 19th-early 20th centuries was accompanied by ups and downs, which were caused by changes in the political status of the city. The aim of this article is to trace the processes of formation, ruination, and revitalization of Kharkiv’s industrial architecture during the period of Modernism and their reflection in the authentic features of the city; to outline possible ways to rehabilitate the iconic industrial territories and structures. The method of historical and genetic analysis applied in the study showed that during the industrialization period of 1919-1934, there was a sharp change not only in the ideological program and strategy of the state, but also in the stylistics of industrial construction towards Avant-garde Constructivism, and then towards historicism, which were later replaced by the neutral features of Modernism. The analysis revealed several breakdowns in the search for authentic features of the city of Kharkiv, which are now expressed in a combination of artistic features of the Avant-garde and historical styles. With the achievement of Ukrainian independence and the restructuring of the entire industrial complex from state to private ownership in the 1990s, the process of degradation and decline of Kharkiv’s industrial infrastructure began, necessitating a reevaluation of the significance and utilization of valuable historical buildings. In addition, Russia’s military invasion in 2022-2025 makes the risk of losing modernist industrial architecture monuments in Kharkiv very real. The article discusses several strategic directions for revitalizing deteriorating industrial territories and constructions, which represent historical and cultural value and contribute to the authenticity of these districts. It develops the possibility of selecting and combining the proposed directions for revitalizing iconic industrial territories and structures

Adaptive Modernity in Times of Scarcity: Urban Housing in Maoist China

Urban housing built between 1949 and the commercialization of the housing market in the 1980s in China has gained increasing attention from architectural historians and conservationists. Once colloquially dismissed as ‘old, dilapidated, and small’ during China’s rapid urban renewal, these housing projects are now being reconsidered for their heritage values amid growing criticism of large-scale demolitions. However, the preservation of these buildings faces significant challenges due to their outdated floor plans, concerns over structural stability, limited research, and the absence of a shared framework for value assessment. This paper traces the historical evolution of urban housing construction in China from the 1950s to the 1980s, drawing on a range of sources, including academic journal articles, as well as official guidelines and reports. It argues that, while early housing planning in the 1950s was heavily influenced by the Soviet system that emphasized standardized design and industrialized construction, Chinese housing practices made ongoing, incremental adaptations to address technological constraints, material shortages, and regional differences. As a result, instead of aiming for a perfect solution to modern living, designers worked with imperfect solutions using available resources during a time of scarcity. Unlike the ideology-driven, standardized mass housing often associated with Soviet-influenced countries, China’s housing projects from the 1950s to the 1980s exhibit a more localized, organic response to both social and material conditions. The paper contends that this adaptive approach to housing design during this period is essential for understanding the challenges in evaluating these housing legacies today

Body and Distance: Learning Connectedness and Belonging from Modern Movement – Case Study New Belgrade

The boundaries between the private, shared, and public spheres are challenged in completely new ways in times of pandemics, and we need new strategies to redefine them. During pandemics, prevailing requests for physical distancing in the urban space eliminated the programs from everyday lives that all have included social interaction, exchange, and connectedness. So, the request for physical distance caused actual social distance, which further brought new problems of solitude and isolation to the individual in the urban environment. How can architecture and design help to provide physical distance while maintaining social closeness, empathy, and solidarity in cities?Modern Movement heritage, especially in the countries that were under socialist political regimes, teaches us that shared spaces, collective spaces as part of public spaces, are places in which community is being formed and strengthened, where new forms of affiliation and belonging arise. The socialist paradigm emphasizes the importance of open public spaces within the residential zone as places for maintaining physical activity and health, as well as social interaction. By examining the modernist development of New Belgrade through a comparative analysis of two case studies focusing on the same area—specifically, the blocks known as Blok 22—we can reinvigorate the concept of the connection between the interior and shared spaces.The specific values of open spaces within the residential modernist block have proven to be particularly important during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, especially regarding the degree of connectedness or separation between private and public spaces. During the pandemic, a student workshop was organized, resulting in projects that offered new architectural scenarios and models for using shared spaces in a residential block. These models allowed for the preservation of physical distance among individuals while enabling social interactions and even the emergence of new programs as an extension of housing. The workshop highlighted the importance of this concept not only during crises but also in contemporary living conditions in large cities, which struggle with issues of alienation and loneliness

The Kurnėnai School: A Unique Example of Interwar Lithuanian Modernism and Its Preservation

This article presents the history of the funding, construction, and restoration of Kurnėnai School in the Alytus district—an exemplary project of interwar Lithuanian architecture. In 1934, Laurynas Radziukynas, a Lithuanian American born and raised in Kurnėnai, donated 160 thousand litas for the construction and furnishings of an elementary school in his hometown. The project for the school was drafted in the U.S. Most of the construction materials and furnishings were also bought in the U.S. and brought to Lithuania by sea. The school was equipped with highly modern plumbing for its time, including central heating, a biologically processed sewage system, and a shower. Next to the school, a wind turbine was built, with a pump that pumps water from an artesian well (97 meters deep) up into a water tower reservoir. The school tower was adorned with a ceramic Vytis (Lithuanian coat of arms) designed by Vytautas Brazdžius (1897-1969). There was also a schoolyard for physical exercise and a garden. Against the architectural backdrop of interwar period educational facilities, the school of Kurnėnai stood out as exceptionally modern. In 1990, the school’s architectural ensemble was entered into the Register of Cultural Properties of Lithuania and is considered a protected heritage piece of regional significance. The school was closed in 2008, following a demographic decline. As the building fell into disuse, its condition steadily declined, and it was restored from 2019 to 2020. This article discusses the construction, use, and restoration of the school in a chronological manner, in line with the principles of formal and historical analysis, as well as the factors enabling the preservation of this school as a time capsule with perceptible interwar optimism and maximalist pursuit of modernity

Interiors Between Privacy and Togetherness

Docomomo International is proud to present the second issue of the Docomomo Journal co-edited with the International Specialist Committee on Interior Design (ISC/ID), represented by guest editors Zsuzsanna Böröcz and Deniz Hasirci. Established at the Council Meeting during the 16th International Docomomo Conference in Lisbon in 2016, the ISC/ID has since grown and evolved, as evidenced by significant activities, including seminars, discussions, and publications. Already before the establishment of the ISC/ID, interior design and modern living have been explicit themes in two Docomomo Journal issues: no. 46 Designing for Modern Life and no. 47 Global Design, both published in 2012, extended beyond the architectural scale to encompass the qualities of interior space and the constituent elements and materialities of daily life

Shifting Paradigms Between Modernism and Tradition: The Case of Tashkent

The global dissemination of modernist architecture reflects an intricate interplay between universal principles of design and regional adaptations, often shaped by sociopolitical ideologies and local traditions. Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, serves as a compelling example of this phenomenon, illustrating the fusion of global and socialist modernist ideals with Central Asian heritage. This paper explores the emergence of Tashkent’s modernist architecture, focusing on its transformation in the 20th century through three interconnected dimensions: a brief theoretical framework focusing on the global origins and regional responses of Modernism, its reinterpretation in Tashkent’s Soviet-era urban development, and the localized adaptations that integrate regional decorative and architectural elements, climate-responsive features, and cultural narratives. The study traces Modernism’s journey from its European roots to its adoption in socialist and postcolonial contexts, emphasizing how, in the second half of the 20th century, Tashkent became a laboratory for architectural innovation. Through the analysis of emblematic buildings, the paper highlights how modernist principles were reimagined to address regional conditions and to integrate Eastern ornamentation and traditional spatial practices. Despite the rich cultural synthesis achieved in Tashkent’s modernist heritage, these buildings face challenges in preservation due to post-Soviet identity shifts and rapid urban development. Thus, the paper concludes by examining emerging conservation efforts, highlighting the importance of these architectural achievements in advancing a deeper understanding of the dynamic interaction between global modernism and local influences. Tashkent’s 20th-century architectural legacy not only represents a significant chapter in the history of modernist architecture but also serves as a unique lens through which to reconsider the complexities of cultural identity, globalization, and architectural preservation

Paradoxical Modernism in Singapore’s Mosque Architecture: Secularism, Indo-Saracenic Elements, and Mosque Upgrading in the Inaugural Mosque Building Fund Phase (1977-1983)

This paper examines the paradoxes of applying modernist architectural principles, rooted in secular, functional ideals, to mosque design during the initial phase of Singapore’s Mosque Building Fund (MBF) from 1977 to 1983. Drawing on archival plans, photographs, and newspaper articles, it explores how national objectives shaped mosque construction, resulting in what this paper terms “paradoxical” Modernism: architectural outcomes that adapt modernist ideals to meet the Malay/Muslim community’s spiritual, symbolic, and communal needs. Rather than signalling deficiency, the term highlights the negotiated tensions between state planning and religious expression in a postcolonial context. It examines the collaboration among the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), architects from the Housing Development Board (HDB), and the Mosque Building Committee (Jawatankuasa Pembinaan Masjid, JPM), focusing on how these partnerships balanced planning objectives with community feedback. The resulting mosque designs attempted to reconcile modernist forms with Malay/Muslim perceptions of appropriate mosque aesthetics and functions. The study analyses how modernist idioms, the International Style and Brutalism, were used to reinterpret Indo-Saracenic elements such as domes, minarets, and arches into simplified, geometric forms across seven MBF mosques: Muhajirin (1977), Mujahidin (1977), Assyakirin (1978), An-Nur (1980), Al-Ansar (1981), Al-Muttaqin (1980), and En-Naeem (1983). The analysis is structured around three key areas: first, a discussion of mosque designs influenced by modernist idioms; second, how Indo-Saracenic forms were adapted to fit these idioms; and third, the integration of elements such as open courtyards and balconies. Finally, the paper addresses how redevelopment pressures have led to modifications or demolition of these buildings. These changes reveal the “paradoxes” not as flaws, but as signs of how architecture responded to evolving community needs and planning priorities. Instead, these mosques should be recognised as culturally significant reflections of their time’s socio-political conditions, raising broader questions about conserving modernist religious architecture in Singapore

Imperfect Modernism

In this special issue of the Docomomo Journal, we introduce the concept of “Imperfect Modernism” and continue enriching the ongoing debate on Modernism, highlighting that it exists not only as an ideal but also as a fragmented, locally interpreted practice. It was shaped by geopolitical, economic, and socio-cultural constraints: shifts in power and political upheavals, resource shortages, the needs of local communities, and the integration of traditional architectural practices. Within this “imperfection” are encoded highly informative layers of heritage, which enable the reconstruction of the lived experience of 20th-century architecture, rather than merely its abstract ideals.“Imperfect Modernism” does not contradict earlier interpretations but extends an integrative logic, emphasizing that the value of modernist architecture lies not in the perfection of forms and concepts, but in the imprints of historical and political constraints and local adaptations, which render it a vibrant, vulnerable, and diverse heritage of the 20th century.In the special issue Imperfect Modernism, we aimed to highlight the geographical and civilizational diversity of modernist architecture, while also examining how it served not only as a witness to the pivotal moments of the 20th century—such as political and social utopias, technological breakthroughs, and aesthetic and social experiments—but also as a reflection of the dual forces of globalization and a unified architectural vision on one hand, and the struggle to preserve ethnic and religious identities on the other