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If you hear the phrase adaptive reuse, what involves thoughts? Maybe it’s the acquainted picture of a warehouse-turned-loft or an previous factory-turned-art gallery — textbook circumstances of repurposing buildings the place the construction stays largely intact. However adaptive reuse isn’t all the time so simple. It exists on a spectrum, with initiatives starting from sensible updates that subtly prolong a constructing’s use to radical transformations that change its goal fully.
At its core, adaptive reuse is about extra than simply preserving what exists — it’s about reimagining what an area can grow to be.
This concept was the main target of two talks at Future Fest 2024. Whereas MVRDV’s Atelier Gardens in Berlin is a playful redesign that turns an previous campus right into a vigorous neighborhood area, PAU’s The Refinery in Brooklyn is a daring mission that preserves the economic heritage of the Domino Sugar advanced whereas taking an sudden and radical method to its transformation.
Impressed by the 2 talks, this text explores how these two initiatives take a distinct method to adaptive reuse — one utilizing vigorous updates to refresh an area, the opposite taking a radical path to reimagine a historic constructing from inside — actually. Readers may even discover alternatives to entry the total recordings of the 2 Future Fest talks, 100% free.
MVRDV’s Take: A Artistic Assertion with a Function
“It all the time feels good to be acknowledged for one thing you’ve labored on for therefore lengthy,” mirrored Klaas Hofman, senior affiliate at MVRDV, throughout his discuss at Future Fest, which centered on an A+Award-winning adaptive reuse mission in Berlin. Hofman defined that though most of the agency’s initiatives achieve international recognition, it’s normally those thought-about extra ‘iconic.’
“And after we labored on this mission, not many individuals — even within the workplace — knew about it. It’s a really sympathetic mission, working with very small interventions. There are loads of hidden qualities right here that don’t scream out loud that that is award-winning structure.”
HAUS 1 is a part of the Atelier Gardens mission, reworking the BUFA movie studios at Tempelhof Airport right into a campus for activists, creatives and organizations centered on social and environmental change. MVRDV embraced a light-touch method to adaptive reuse, specializing in retaining the constructing’s construction intact whereas upgrading its use and sustainability options.
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Inside, the redesign launched adaptable workspaces, assembly rooms and a café, with new insulation, underfloor heating and energy-efficient lighting to enhance the constructing’s environmental footprint. Water-saving methods utilizing recycled rainwater have been additionally put in, making certain the constructing aligns with the campus’s sustainability targets.
The choice to color your complete constructing yellow gave it a brand new id. Initially, solely the brand new parts have been going to be painted, however the consumer felt a stronger assertion was wanted. Yellow was chosen to distinction with the encompassing tones and mirror a way of happiness, brightness and vibrancy.
The addition of the rooftop pavilion and staircase additional redefined the constructing’s function. Initially, the roof was inaccessible, however the crew noticed a chance. “That is the very best constructing on web site and we noticed that it was a missed alternative if we didn’t present entry to the rooftop someway,” Hofman stated. “We satisfied the consumer to let the general public take pleasure in this stunning view. So we proposed this pavilion on prime, sitting within the roof backyard and added this staircase. This allowed for the rooftop to grow to be a public vacation spot with out interfering with the interior logistics of the constructing.”
The zig-zagging staircase wrapping across the constructing grew to become a key function, serving each as a useful fireplace escape and a public gathering area. “The zig-zag stairs grew to become fairly an expressive component — one thing the consumer was on the lookout for,” Hofman famous. Alongside the steps, small chairs and tables encourage guests to take a seat, meet and chill out. Over time, as bushes develop round it, the staircase will meander by way of greenery, providing a peaceable area for guests to attach with nature.
The transformation of HAUS 1 exhibits how adaptive reuse doesn’t all the time want radical interventions to have radical influence. By working inside the current construction, MVRDV gave the constructing a very new id and goal, utilizing coloration as one of many mail instruments to attain impactful outcomes.
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PAU’s Take: Radical Reuse and the Artwork of Layering Historical past
At Future Fest 2024, Vishaan Chakrabarti, Founder and Artistic Director of PAU, shared his perspective on adaptive reuse by way of what he describes because the “structure of the palimpsest.” This idea displays the concept that cities, buildings and communities are composed of many layers of historical past that shouldn’t be erased however carried ahead. Chakrabarti emphasised that adaptive reuse applies not simply to particular person buildings however to complete city environments, permitting their historic narratives to evolve slightly than be cleaned.
“What this picture conjures is that this notion that after we take into consideration progress, we don’t give it some thought as a clean slate, like they did within the twentieth century, however as layers of historical past, like a palimpsest, the place you pull the previous ahead with you into the long run. And we strive to try this with all our work,” he defined.
This philosophy guided PAU’s transformation of the Domino Sugar Refinery, the place the crew inserted a brand new constructing inside the historic construction, respecting the location’s industrial heritage whereas creating areas match for contemporary use.
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“We did this drawing to elucidate to the landmarks fee and the general public what this constructing was. That it was an envelope for equipment. The fenestration, the façade, was largely pretend — the home windows didn’t correlate to particular ranges, however to the equipment inside.”
Moderately than attempting to pressure trendy capabilities right into a construction not constructed for human use, PAU selected a daring method: they’d insert a brand-new constructing inside the historic shell, leaving a 10-12 foot hole between the previous masonry and the brand new inside. This design allowed them to create workplace flooring with standardized heights, enhancing accessibility and performance whereas celebrating the unique structure.
“The design course of for the structure of the palimpsest should start by studying the layers of historical past earlier than we lay within the up to date. We started by studying the historic construction, particularly the masonry facade. A complete masonry survey was performed to make sure that what we have been proposing was acceptable and would on no account compromise the constructing’s integrity,” Ruchika Modi, Principal at PAU defined.
Throughout their discuss, Modi additionally went over structural and engineering particulars, providing deeper insights into how PAU introduced this formidable imaginative and prescient to life.
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The perimeter atrium between the previous and new partitions now serves as a light-filled area with hanging gardens, the place guests can admire each the historic brickwork and views of the East River and Manhattan by way of the unique home windows. The design preserves the economic grit and patina of the previous facade whereas offering trendy consolation inside.
On the prime of the constructing, the brand new addition culminates in ‘The Vault,’ a glass barrel-vaulted penthouse with 360-degree views of town. This rooftop occasion area attracts inspiration from the unique constructing’s American Spherical Arch fashion and permits guests to work together with the long-lasting smokestack and neon signal.
PAU’s method exemplifies how adaptive reuse can transcend preservation by introducing fully new capabilities whereas respecting the historical past embedded inside an area. Their design not solely revitalizes the Refinery but in addition connects it to the bigger city cloth, making certain the constructing stays related and helpful for generations to come back.
Improvise, Adapt, Overcome
From Berlin’s Atelier Gardens, the place small interventions breathe new life right into a artistic campus, to Brooklyn’s Domino Refinery, the place a completely new constructing emerges inside historic partitions, these initiatives showcase the spectrum of adaptive reuse. Whether or not by way of delicate updates or radical transformations, every mission serves as a reminder that structure evolves by constructing on the layers of the previous, creating areas which can be related, useful and future-ready.
With a various jury of world specialists and a worldwide voting public, Architizer’s A+Awards champions corporations all over the world. Get your work in entrance of the trade’s finest by beginning your submission right now.