Paper short abstract:

Much is written on ruins. We should give equal consideration to the half-built building. This paper will explain why.

Paper long abstract:

Urban archaeology is obsessed with ruins as the bearers of many mystical qualities, in particular the haunting presence of a neglected past.

I would argue that more attention needs to be given to the ruin's temporal opposite, the half-built building, the nearly there, the not yet, the maybe. As well as being ubiquitous in the contemporary landscape (and part of the life of every building), the half-built building represents a time of temporal uncertainty in which the spectre of non-completion can be said to characterise the modern city, a haunting not by a neglected past but by a series of uncertain futures (see global financial meltdown).

This paper seeks to describe, through archaeology and art, the spectre of non-completion, its presence throughout the built environment, on building sites, in 'finished' buildings, and in ruins, as well as in uncompleted planning schemes.

Not only can such an investigation give a new perspective to contemporary urban archaeology, it can provide a useful socio-political role in investigating the different kinds of liminal space created by the uncertain time of 'becoming' represented by the half-built building and offer solutions as to how such spaces may be productively inhabited.