Disruptive Joint: The Silent Revolution of Weeds

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Published: May 12, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3917/clara.011.0138

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Chiara Pradel
TU Delft

Abstract

The pavement joint in urban spaces has, in recent years, become a controversial detail, particularly when unexpectedly colonized by wild plants and pioneer species. This article, however, highlights that this is not a spontaneous phenomenon but rather a process: the evolution of this overlooked interstitial space was revived during the immediate post-war period, when ecological awareness emerged globally. By considering examples such as the Ecokathedraal by Louis G. Le Roy, the Jardin des Joyeux by Wagon Landscaping (Paris, 2016), and Gilles Clément and Coloco’s urban regeneration project for the Manifatture Knos (Lecce, 2012–18), this investigation illustrates the transformative process of pavement joints. It emphasizes the relationship between inert matter, soil, and interstitial vegetation, while underscoring the increasing role of craft knowledge, collective practices, and the radicalization of the principle of minimal intervention.


Photo: Spinaspacca, Chaumont-sur- Loire, 2000, Antonio Perazzi. © Studio Antonio Perazzi.

Article Details

Issue
No. 11 (2025): The Ethics of Detailing
Section
Thematic section
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Author Biography

Chiara Pradel, TU Delft

Chiara Pradel, PhD Arch., is a landscape architect and postdoctoral researcher at TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture. From 2007 to 2020 she lived and practised in Switzerland. In 2022 she was awarded her PhD with honours from Politecnico di Milano. Her research work Monumental Ground, which was exhibited at the 10th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam in 2022 and at the 19th Biennale di Venezia in 2025, explores ground movements originated by construction activities. Currently, as part of the Situated Architecture research group at TU Delft, she is investigating adaptive reuse in architecture and landscape.