Maintenance
Résumé
There is nothing original in stating that architecture is a matter of time. Architects deal withand dream of -duration. And architecture is one of the primary ways through which humans intentionally inscribe a lasting and visible presence in the world. This enduring presence occurs through a very specific vehicle, the vehicle of art and creation, which means that the duration at play in architecture is a projected one. It is mainly imagined, calculated and modelled "upstream" during the complex and uncertain process of design. It is delegated to shapes and materials that, once assembled, are entrusted with the duty of lasting on their own. This is not so simple, though. Anyone who has spent a few days walking in a city or a few years living in a building, knows that no house, no skyscraper, no monument and no infrastructure can endure by itself. For these things to actually last, they must be cared for (see Denis and Pontille 2025). Indeed, most of them are inspected, monitored, repaired, cleaned or serviced by a host of people, whether qualified or not, on a daily basis. Yet, this cast of maintainers doesn't seem to belong to the world of architecture and architects. Their stories do not fit among those of creativity and material sturdiness. Maintenance is the dirty secret of both architecture and modernity.
