As architects and interior designers we are often asked to renovate certain buildings and spaces for our clients into a facility that is suited for their specific needs or use.
Many times we are presented with facilities that originally were not built for our clients purposes or the building is part of a rebirth of a certain area of a city. These projects are often times referred to as an adaptive reuse project. The program for these projects may come in many forms such as added program or spaces that the client needs in their existing facilities where an expansion is not possible or a structure, such as a soy been silo, that a client wants to turn into housing as part of the redevelopment of an industrial waterfront district.
All of these types of projects require a great deal of imagination and creativity so we as designers can create projects that embrace our client’s vision and goals. We feel that that a designer must adapt a strong approach or attitude toward the renovation of such facilities. One must use a critical eye to assess the core strength of the existing building, the goals of the client and the goals of the area or district in a city that the property is located within to fully realize the potential for such projects.
Today the adaptive reuse process extends past the renovation of just the basic structure, of an existing building, to the materials used within it and around it. One must be creative in selecting the items contained within or around each project that can be repurposed or recycled. The projects of some designers creatively reuse or recycle materials to form landscape features or garden walls. Others creatively reuse interior features to remind new clients of the building’s past
All projects have the potential to reach beyond a client’s expectations, but adaptive reuse projects are especially essential in reviving areas of a city or restoring the urban fabric in any part of the city in which we live and work. As architects and interior designers. in addition to meeting our client’s goals, it is our job to reimagine, exploit the possibilities and to effect change in our environment.
Project in Copenhagen – soybean silos converted into housing:
Existing
Renovated
Interior
Attendant – London England – reuse of an abandoned underground public restroom into a coffee shop:
Existing
Renovated
Chamber of Commerce – Hamburg, Germany. Additional program space added into the building in an under utilized great hall:
“Waste Not Want Not Concept” for creating Green walls and pathways – reused of shipping palettes and soda bottles:
Note: All projects and images are from the website http://www.inhabitat.com
