7 Excellent Examples of Adaptive Reuse


It’s often hard to imagine that a building can be used for anything
other than what it was intended, yet when they are left abandoned,
having outlived their original purpose, many dilapidated structures cry
out to be transformed rather than fall fowl to the demolition ball.
Whether due to conservation issues, the limited availability of
space for new ventures or because public campaigns are successful in
saving beloved landmarks, adaptive reuse projects are on the increase.
Old buildings breathe new life, albeit in an altered state, offering a
chance to embrace past designs while looking to the future. Here we
share seven excellent examples of adaptive reuse from around the globe.

1. Battersea Power Station



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Easily one of the most recognised landmarks on the banks of the
River Thames in London, Battersea Power Station has been lying
abandoned for decades. Like the old power station just around the bend
of the river – the Tate Modern – there have been calls to pull down the
dilapidated structure, for a number of reasons. Some said that due to
its size it would be too expensive to redevelop, others claimed that
the elements had given it such a bettering over the years that it had
become relatively unsound. Now, after numerous failed attempts to
revive the building and immediate area, plans for one of the biggest
redevelopments the south bank of London is yet to see are afoot, and
they certainly look impressive.
Proposed by Dublin-based Treasury Holdings, the new design will see
a mainly industrial area of London go green, which is what the
potentially lucrative Nine Elms area around Battersea has been crying
out for. The new £5.5bn scheme includes plans for 3,700 homes built
alongside offices, shops and restaurants on the 40-acre site. The
famous chimneys are to be restored to their former glory and the
landmark building will house a conference centre, among other things.
The new plans will also offer uninterrupted views of the Palace of
Westminster on the opposite banks, one of the stipulations of the new
development, and the reason Treasury Holdings earlier plans, which
included a huge ‘eco-dome’ (pictured above) were rebuked.
2. Sewage Silos, Netherlands



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Early in 2009, Amsterdam city planning ran a competition for an
adaptive reuse project concerning a former sewage treatment plant in
the Zeeburg district of the city. The winning design was a proposal for
a multifunctional cultural centre, which would house exhibition spaces,
a media centre, movie theatre and theatre hall, crowned by a rooftop
restaurant in one silo and an open rooftop playground in the other.
The winning plan was inspired by Holland’s most popular children’s book
author, the late Annie MG Schmidt, hence the playfulness of the design.
Arons en Gelauff, architects involved in the project, said the main aim
was to “breathe new life into the silos, transforming them into an
inspiring and lively place, which will help shape the character of the
new Zeeburgereiland housing district.” The Annie MG Schmidt House is
marked for completion in 2011.
3. Gasometer City, Vienna



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One of the most successful residential reuse projects is Gasometer
City, in Vienna Austria. Four immense disused gasometers were
successfully revamped in the late ‘90s and have since become infamous
in the world of adaptive reuse.
Built in 1896, when Viennese authorities decided to invest in
large-scale coal gas and electricity supplies, the gas plant serviced
the locale and beyond for a good 88 years, until it was shut down
permanently in 1984 after natural gas supplies took over. Although,
life in the cylinders didn’t completely disappear; raves were hosted
from time to time, popular because of the acoustics inside the drums,
and one housed a set for the movie James Bond: The Living Daylights.
Then, in 1995, the decision was made to revitalize the gas plant.
With the proviso that the brick exterior of the gasometers was to be
kept intact, each gasometer was remodelled by a particular architect:
Jean Nouvel (Gasometer A), Coop Himmelblau (Gasometer B), Manfred
Wehdorn (Gasometer C) and Wilhelm Holzbauer (Gasometer D), all four
with specific zones for living, working and entertainment. The result
produced a vast walled city within a city. The unique redevelopment has
since become a sought after place to live with a close-knit inner
community, and is looked upon as a very successful example of adaptive
reuse.
4. Tate Modern, London



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Reaching high into London’s skyline is the Tate Modern, a
magnificent old oil-fired power station, which now houses an
international collection of contemporary art dating from 1900 onwards.
It has become the most visited tourist attraction in London, surpassing
even the National Gallery and the British Museum, and the most visited
modern art museum in the world.
Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who incidentally also designed
Battersea Power Station and one of Britain’s other iconic symbols – the
red telephone box, the original Bankside Power Station was built in two
stages from 1947 to 1963, finally turning off the pumps in 1981. For a
long time the building was under the beady eye of developers who were
quick to mark it for demolition, but after impassioned pleas by
campaigners to save the building were heard a competition for
redevelopment ensued, and at the beginning of 1995, Swedish architects
Herzog and de Meuron won the battle to build London’s next big thing.
The gallery opened to much acclaim in 2000 and has attracted more
than 30 million visitors since. Its success is partly due to its
situation on the banks of the Thames but also because of the use of
space within the building. The main Turbine Hall, a huge space of 3,400
square metres that once housed the main electricity generators, was
fortunately left in its original form, providing a vast gallery for art
installations that often require public interaction and appreciation of
the space. It is this space and its ability to be so successfully
transformed time and time again that has changed people’s perceptions
of art, which is no doubt so much more than the architects were hoping
for in their redesign.
5. Water Plant, Berlin



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When two artist friends, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, decided
to set up a live/work space, they didn’t bargain on getting such a good
deal. For just US$700,000 the Danish/Norwegian pair purchased a disused
water pumping station in suburb very close to Berlin City Centre. The
building had been left empty since the early 1990s, with few interested
buyers as it was located in the middle of a residential district – no
longer right for industrial use, and too awkward to be tackled by some
developers – so Elmgreen and Dragset jumped at the chance to work their
magic on the generous space.
The artistic partners, who have exhibited around the world, enlisted
the services of two young architects, Nils Wenk and Jan Wiese to help
transform the pump house into an artist’s workspace and home. It was
important they applied concepts from their art into the redesign, and a
love of spatial challenges saw them breaking down more walls than were
built.
“We deliberately made the borders between the work and living spaces
fleeting,” Ingar Dragset told the New York Times. “The combination of
vast floor space and the small, quirky nooks means you can be very
hidden here, or very exposed depending on your moods or needs.”
Even after getting happy with a sledgehammer the old water pumping
station now accommodates two separate private areas for the artists, a
generous kitchen, four bathrooms, an attic living room and some of the
most spectacular light-filled living and working spaces.
6. Café Restaurant Amsterdam



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Housed in a former water-processing plant, Cafe Restaurant Amsterdam
is one of the city’s chicest eateries. Dating back to the late 1800s,
the building is left mostly intact, with the main pumps proudly on
display in the main part of the restaurant. The large space is lit with
huge floodlights in the evenings, reclaimed from the former Ajax and
Olympic football stadiums in the city. The interior may look crude to
some, but to other it offers a unique dining experience, and will
always provide a talking point when there’s a lull in the conversation.
7. CasaComvert, Milan



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A number of years ago, clothing design company, Comvert asked
Milan-based interior architects Studiometrico to find a new HQ for
their growing company that would fit a very particular brief. Comvert –
a company founded by four skater friends in 1994, design, produce and
distribute snowboards, clothing and accessories for both skate and snow
boarders under the brand name bastard – wanted their new space to house
their flagship shopfront, a design studio, office, warehouse and a
useable skate bowl, all within the one building. And in spring 2005,
Studiometrico came up trumps; they had found an old 1950’s cinema big
enough to fulfil all Comvert’s needs.
Studiometrico retained as much character of the old building as
possible; in fact, the foyer, which is now the administration centre of
the building looks relatively untouched, while the dress circle has
been converted to an amazing design studio and office space, providing
the perfect creative working area. But it is the suspended skate bowl
that makes the refit so successful. Hanging six metres about the
warehouse space, the skate bowl, affectionately known as bastard bowl,
fills what was once the void above the seating area in the cinema, and
is the main pride and joy of the Comvert partners, who must have to
pinch themselves when they go to work every morning – if only everyone
was so lucky.link:archi