Workers dismantle the old coal-fired power plant on the Burlington waterfront which closed down in 1986. The long-awaited redevelopment is removing the outer brick layer of the building and retaining the interior steel framework, the centerpiece of a new city park on a waterfront that was once devoted to industry.
Tag Archives: adaptive reuse
Timber unlocks adaptive reuse options for new Melbourne hotel
The thing about constructing with timber, Bates Smart architectural firm director Julian Anderson says, is it’s “a very quiet process” compared to steel and concrete. “Which means the impact on adjacent residents and then also the tenants within the commercial building was pretty minimal.”
Source: Timber unlocks adaptive reuse options for new Melbourne hotel
Hilco buys Potomac River Generating Station in Alexandria for mixed-use project – The Washington Post
The Potomac River Generating Station is a former coal-fired power plant that has been dormant since 2012. (Hilco Redevelopment Partners)
“We’re excited about the chance to reintegrate it into the surrounding urban fabric, open up that access to the waterfront and create a really dynamic district with world-class architecture,” said Melissa Schrock, the senior vice president of mixed-use development at Hilco. “We think the city of Alexandria deserves nothing less.”
Hauser & Wirth gallery, where adaptive reuse and art thrive
The concrete blocks were sustainably sourced and partially made with recycled waste glass and aggregate.
Source: Hauser & Wirth gallery, where adaptive reuse and art thrive
How a drab office building was repurposed into gorgeous, affordable ap
[Photo: Studio One Eleven]
“Many times, for better or worse, these types of developments can help uplift an area and to some extent gentrify an area,” he says. “And I think the most economical way, if an area is going to gentrify, is to get the affordable housing in there first so that the affordable housing developers aren’t competing at higher land costs and there’s already an embedded affordable housing population there.”
Source: How a drab office building was repurposed into gorgeous, affordable ap
Retrofits versus building new: we need whole of industry change | The Fifth Estate
More than 20 million tonnes (or megatonnes, MT) of waste was generated in 2017 from the construction and demolition industry – more than a third of Australia’s waste production. And nearly all of it is sent to landfill.
Source: Retrofits versus building new: we need whole of industry change | The Fifth Estate
WEISS/MANFREDI selected to transform former jail as part of massive Dallas park project
A view of the skyline-marring old Dawson State Jail in Dallas from the Commerce Street bridge. Reunion Tower can be seen to the right of the building. (Courtesy Trinity Park Conservancy)
As for how exactly the old jail will be reused, that has yet to be determined although restaurants, retail, affordable housing, and administrative office space for the park have all been floated in local media as early speculative ideas.
Source: WEISS/MANFREDI selected to transform former jail as part of massive Dallas park project
Tulane researchers receive grant to repurpose abandoned “separate but equal” schools in Louisiana | News | Archinect
View of the gymnasium at the old Sabine High School in Many, Louisiana, one of several facilities that could be impacted by the study.Photo courtesy of Laura Blokker.
The schools, built as part a last-ditch attempt to establish “separate but equal” educational facilities in the state, were abandoned as racial integration began to take hold in 1970, and have sat empty for many years.
Explore a modern converted lighthouse home in London | Livingetc
Built in 1938, The striking boat has an interesting history; the vessel acted as a North Sea lighthouse up until 2004 when it was converted into a six-bedroom home by its current owner, a photographer.
Source: Explore a modern converted lighthouse home in London | Livingetc
Weed Dispensary Planned For Old Bucktown Emissions Testing Site Aims To Put The ‘Park Back In Parking Lot’ – Block Club Chicago
Under plans, the existing Webster Street building will receive new cladding, windows and entranceway.
“The addition of many more trees and trying to remove as much asphalt as possible put an additional cost onto the development team, but these are improvements that will last for decades and has the support of the neighbors.”
Unused buildings will make good housing in the world of COVID-19 | Micky News
The building that formerly housed a telephone exchange and post office at 118 Russell Street, Melbourne, has been converted into apartments. Author provided
Buildings that are no longer fit for purpose, or not required in a new detached working environment, could be repurposed as housing. Empty office blocks, shops and stores and unused teaching facilities could all be recycled for social and community low-cost rental housing.
Source: Unused buildings will make good housing in the world of COVID-19 | Micky News
Adaptive reuse projects are happening across the country. Here are som
Oakland’s Creative Growth Art Center was converted from an auto shop into a studio for artists with disabilities; Buffalo’s Northland Workforce Training Center was a former factory that became a site for job training and education; and in Pittsburgh, a Masonic temple became a space for City of Asylum, a nonprofit that supports writers who are threatened in their own countries.
Source: Adaptive reuse projects are happening across the country. Here are som
Hyatt Hotels to Unveil Restoration of Historic Architectural Landmark, Cook County Hospital – Hospitality Net
Drawing inspiration from the history of this remarkable piece of infrastructure, the project will restore and preserve the historical pieces that have been rooted there for over 160 years, which includes the original Beaux-Arts masonry detailing and terracotta ornamentation of the exterior, the wood-framed windows, interior decorative plaster work, the double height main lobby and 106-year old restored marble stone staircase, elevator cores, as well as the double loaded corridor and terrazzo flooring of the
Sustainability: Net zero carbon | Features | Building
Source: Timothy Soar
In reworking 160 Old Street, Islington, new brick and glass cladding was added but the essential structure was largely retained
To meet the UK’s net zero carbon targets, an increasing number of urban projects are likely to repurpose buildings that already exist rather than replace them with new ones.
Source: Sustainability: Net zero carbon | Features | Building
Redeveloping, Repositioning Existing Assets for a New Generation – Colorado Real Estate Journal
The Vault Office tenants enjoy ground-floor retail amenities.
The Brookings Institute forecasts that 82 billion square feet of existing space in the United States will be demolished and replaced between 2005 and 2030 – roughly one-quarter of today’s existing building stock. Further, as noted by the American Institute of Architects in its recent statement on climate action, in the U.S. alone nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to carbon produced by buildings during construction and everyday operations. Embodied carbon from construction represents a
Source: Redeveloping, Repositioning Existing Assets for a New Generation – Colorado Real Estate Journal
Barn house for sale in Nebraska has horse stalls for bedrooms – Curbed
The farmhouse-inspired kitchen employs tractor seats repurposed as bar stools, floating cabinets, and exposed brick.
Upstairs, the architectural salvage continues in the open-concept living areas, with repurposed light fixtures, a tin accent wall, and galvanized buckets for sinks. The farmhouse-inspired kitchen boasts tractor seats as bar stools.
Source: Barn house for sale in Nebraska has horse stalls for bedrooms – Curbed
An ode to silos- The New Indian Express
Silos after the transformation (Right) The metal silos that previously served as storage units.
The silhouette of these metal silos offers contrast to the rigid geometry of the building and hence shows up as a sculptural insert.
Minimalist loft homes built atop London button factory – Curbed
The Modern House
Inside, the apartments embrace their loft heritage with the requisite modern-meets-industrial touches.
Source: Minimalist loft homes built atop London button factory – Curbed
Innovation and tech are transforming the buildings we learn in
An illustration of how the new school could look once finished.
Veidekke
“Whatever you are going to construct, from an environmental perspective, your number one priority is to ensure your designers are focused on enabling you to build something that is energy efficient, uses materials that have a low embodied carbon and can be easily maintained, re-purposed and ultimately, after a long and useful lifetime, be recycled,” Dominic Burbridge, associate director of the Carbon Trust, said in a statement sent to CNBC.com.
Source: Innovation and tech are transforming the buildings we learn in
A Historic Portland Building Turns Over a New Leaf—as a Stylish Hostel – Metropolis
Courtesy Mikael Lundblad
“I think this is one of the last buildings from that era,” says Sean O’Connor, the general manager and partner of KEX Portland. “So it’s nice to be able to preserve the original history and character of that Eastside industrial area.”
Source: A Historic Portland Building Turns Over a New Leaf—as a Stylish Hostel – Metropolis
What happens to cinemas in a streaming world? – The Globe and Mail
The Go Place Spa has set up shop in the former Cineplex Odeon First Markham Place in suburban Toronto. GO PLACE SPA
Creative adaptations of former cinemas in Canada include churches, drug stores and cannabis dispensaries.
Source: What happens to cinemas in a streaming world? – The Globe and Mail
Coal-fired power plants finding new uses as data centers, clean energy hubs | Energy News Network
The former Ottawa Street Power Station in Lansing, Michgian, stopped producing power in 1992 and finally reopened in 2011 as the headquarters for an insurance company, the Accident Fund, now called the AF Group.
“One of the really cool things about retired coal-fired plants is they have built-in infrastructure and components that can be repurposed for new industry,” said John Kowalik, director of marketing and public relations for Environmental Liability Transfer. “Like access to rail, ports and waterways … and good highway transportation. Typically the grids can be reused for another purpose too, like solar or wind. There’s a direct grid connection at the power plant.”
Source: Coal-fired power plants finding new uses as data centers, clean energy hubs | Energy News Network
Bob Verrier Champions Historic Renovation and Adaptive Reuse
Photo: The Architectural Team’s Bob Verrier has designed more than 50 award-winning historic buildings and preserved the architectural heritage of hundreds of historic structures across the country.
“The idea of restoring and bringing a building back to usefulness is very rewarding,” he says. “A new building is a new building, but restoring a historic building, it gives more energy. It’s like taking something that’s not being used, something that was very functional at one time, and now you bring it back to life. That’s what you’re doing: breathing new life into old bones.”
Source: Bob Verrier Champions Historic Renovation and Adaptive Reuse
Adaptive Reuse is the Future of Cannabis Retail | GlobeSt
Buildings that previously housed banks tend to be popular as they already have secure structures that comply with the cannabis industry’s unique security provisions – including vaults, safes, blocked-off areas and advanced security systems – in turn requiring less of an investment from the operator to implement these requirements.
Source: Adaptive Reuse is the Future of Cannabis Retail | GlobeSt
Tallest timber adaptive reuse building set to open | ArchitectureAU
55 Southbank Boulevard by Bates Smart. Image: Hume Partners Property
Bates Smart designed a 10 storey structure made from engineered timber that sits top of an existing office building in Melbourne’s Southbank. The Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne Southbank is set to open later in 2020.
Source: Tallest timber adaptive reuse building set to open | ArchitectureAU
Couple creates stylish home from warehouse
The living room of Cathy Ehrler and Donald Thurman’s converted warehouse home is light and open, with high ceilings and windows lining the walls.
“I’m really into reuse and recycling — and I’ve been that way all my life — and one of the reasons that I loved this space is that we are reusing space in an old building,” said Cathy, “and we used as much as the original as possible.”
What if we never demolished another building? | News | Archinect
“It requires a fundamental shift in our attitude to materials.”
Source: What if we never demolished another building? | News | Archinect
Eclectic decor fills Eberly restaurant and tavern in central Austin
The Eberly occupies a 1970s brick building that formerly housed a print shop.
Source: Eclectic decor fills Eberly restaurant and tavern in central Austin
Meet the ‘Renovators’: These people are breathing new life into Buffalo’s past – The Buffalo News
PUSH Buffalo Executive Director Rahwa Ghirmatzion, center, with PUSH members and community advocates Luz Velez, left, and Providencia Carrion at the Wash Project. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)
She now oversees the organization’s programs and operations, which include housing construction, solar installation, job training and a youth center, in addition to advocacy efforts. PUSH employs 40, and has renovated more than 100 homes in the past seven years.
Source: Meet the ‘Renovators’: These people are breathing new life into Buffalo’s past – The Buffalo News
Google, Spruce Goose | ZGF
ZGF partnered with Google to transform the landmark Spruce Goose Hangar in Playa Vista, California. A 450,000+ SF, four-level “building-within-a-building” was developed inside the seven-story, 750-foot-long historic wooden structure. Built by Howard Hughes in 1943 for the construction of the Hercules IV airplane (aka the “Spruce Goose”), the hangar now comprises office, meeting, food service and event spaces, and employee amenity spaces.
Source: Google, Spruce Goose | ZGF
The most exciting 2020 hotel openings – The Spaces
Courtesy Hotel Can Ferrereta
Found on Mallorca’s south-east coast, this 17th-century building will comprise 32 rooms, a spa with hammam and indoor pool. Can Ferrereta is inspired by the typical Spanish summer house: its light and airy design will champion original wooden beams, a cream palette and stone
The most innovative adaptive reuse projects of 2019 – The Spaces
Photography: Nigel Young
Apple took on yet another renovation of a historically significant building in 2019, converting Washington DC’s first public library into a new flagship store. The restoration of the 116-year-old Carnegie Library by Foster + Partners took two years and involved installing a new skylight above a central plaza used for hosting events.
Source: The most innovative adaptive reuse projects of 2019 – The Spaces
A New Idea in Architecture? No New Buildings – Metropolis
For the architecture firm Schaum/Shieh, reuse necessarily means embracing the “background buildings” found throughout American suburbs, like the strip mall. In Houston, Schaum/Shieh retrofitted a midcentury washateria into a series of storefronts, while taking pains to highlight the craftsmanship of the original build. Courtesy Peter Molick
The building sector accounts for about a third of global fuel consumption, but its systematic energetic impact may be still greater. Because we sense the glow and hum of the machines around us, because we are accustomed to paying monthly energy bills and encouraged by the idea that adjusting the thermostat saves money—and, somehow, the planet—we may be more sensitive to running costs than to embodied energy. But, as Moe puts it in that interview, “that’s not really dealing with energy, that’s dealing with the fuel efficiency of a building, which is important, but missing the big picture.”
Source: A New Idea in Architecture? No New Buildings – Metropolis
Balbek Bureau converts a San Francisco church into a startup incubator – Archpaper.com
While the main nave of the church serves as an impromptu auditorium, it’s ambulatory alcoves are fitted out as stationary lounges. (Slava Balbek)
Salvaging and restoring the historic features of the listed Our Lady of Guadalupe church, the firm implemented a scheme that makes good use of its dramatic nave and ambulatory alcoves. While the former plays host to a moveable seating and table system, the latter serves a series of stationary lounges. Together, they set the stage for anything from film-screenings to hackathons.
Source: Balbek Bureau converts a San Francisco church into a startup incubator – Archpaper.com
Century-old glove factory to anchor new, state-of-the-art centre – The Globe and Mail
Matt Bolen of Waterloo-based Edge Architects in front of the century-old Huck Glove factory before construction began.
PETER LEE
“Call it a new generation that doesn’t necessarily place the same value on suburban, shiny new things,” he says, explaining that younger employees want to live and work in communities with a history. “The great thing about these older buildings is they have a story that people can connect to.”
Source: Century-old glove factory to anchor new, state-of-the-art centre – The Globe and Mail
Ice Skate Next to a Vintage Airliner on the Tarmac at NYC’s TWA Hotel – Untapped New York
The new Runway Rink at the TWA Hotel allows guests to skate on the tarmac around the hotel’s 1958 Lockheed Constellation Connie airplane, a vintage airliner which has been converted into a cocktail lounge.
Source: Ice Skate Next to a Vintage Airliner on the Tarmac at NYC’s TWA Hotel – Untapped New York
These adaptive reuse hotel suites in Amsterdam are built inside old bridge houses
The project is an ode to the industrial and cultural heritage of Amsterdam and brings to light the importance of water to the area. The suites, spread all throughout the city, are a love letter to Amsterdam architecture, from Amsterdam School to Modernism.
Source: These adaptive reuse hotel suites in Amsterdam are built inside old bridge houses
Uptown office building reborn as midcentury-inspired apartments – Curbed Chicago
The tropical game room features shuffle board, bumper pool, and foosball. Images courtesy of Cedar Street
“Mid-century modernism was a no-brainer as the source of inspiration for design,” Fritz tells Curbed. “Tiki lounges and mid-century go hand in hand. There was a sort of obsession with tropical environments in Hollywood movies of the era, and Hawaii became a state at the end of the era, forever enmeshing American and Polynesian culture.”
Source: Uptown office building reborn as midcentury-inspired apartments – Curbed Chicago
Lever Architecture turns Portland factories into creative workspace
Photograph by Lara Swimmer
American firm Lever Architecture used weathering steel and original timber in the adaptive reuse of two factories built over 70 years ago for a hay-baler manufacturer.
Source: Lever Architecture turns Portland factories into creative workspace
Bordeaux’s WWII submarine base will become the world’s biggest digital art centre – The Spaces
Courtesy of Culturespaces
The structure was first operational between 1941 and 1943, used by the Germans to house U-boats. The converted bunker has already hosted temporary shows and concerts, but now four of its sheds will become permanent exhibition spaces.
Source: Bordeaux’s WWII submarine base will become the world’s biggest digital art centre – The Spaces
Germany’s Adventure Park Is Home to Europe’s Largest Scuba Diving Pool – YouTube
The property still looks like an industrial site from far away, but every square inch has been repurposed for recreation.
The Death and Afterlife of the Mall – YouTube
The Idea File, staff writers Jim and Deb Fallows explore the phenomenon of the dead mall, and its emerging afterlife.
Wanted: developer for the old Banks School site in South Eastlake and Roebuck Springs. What happens now? | Bham Now
Side view of part of the old Banks school. Photo via Jeff E. Newman
In plain English, the City’s looking for just the right developer who can buy the property as is and develop it into something fabulous.
Decrepit barn in Quebec was converted into stunning modern design by salvaging old materials
Located in a rural area in Quebec, the old barn was in near ruins until the Montreal-based firm was hired to convert it into a secondary family home. Thankfully, instead of bulldozing the beautiful old building to the ground, the studio managed to salvage nearly every single material to reuse in the new design.
Source: Decrepit barn in Quebec was converted into stunning modern design by salvaging old materials
Upstate NY weekend home stunningly renovated from former ore foundry – Curbed
Nick Glimenakis
The Clover Hill Foundry is a house with history. Originally built in the late 19th century, the interconnected brick buildings in Somers, New York, were first used as the hub for an ore mining operation. Later in the 1940s, three artists bought the dilapidated buildings, renovating them into standalone homes for their families.
Source: Upstate NY weekend home stunningly renovated from former ore foundry – Curbed
Ruthlessly competitive fuel market creates closed-station blight — and opportunity for reuse
BOB WILLIAMS FOR THE INQUIRER
Tara Dugan at her shop, worKS.
Tara Dugan is an exception. In 2016, while searching for a building to open a boutique, she noticed an empty, 70-year-old gas station on a lightly traversed road in Kennett Square, a borough of just over 6,100 people. She saw the potential in an unloved structure, she said, as did three women who repurposed a Sunoco gas station in Malvern to serve gourmet fare.
Source: Ruthlessly competitive fuel market creates closed-station blight — and opportunity for reuse
OP/ED: You never know what you got till it’s gone. – Tillamook County Pioneer
Manzanita celebrates the uniqueness of CARTM and its reuse /recycle leadership and the fact that the City was the first coastal community to ban the use of plastic bags all in the name of environmental stewardship. Reusing building materials and diverting demolition materials from a landfill all contribute to LEED points which are not available for new construction so why did the City decide to not give citizens the opportunity to even have this discussion and prevent approximately 500 dump truck loads of building material from being hauled to the landfill?
Source: OP/ED: You never know what you got till it’s gone. – Tillamook County Pioneer
Chicago Union Station’s iconic power house faces unclear future – Curbed Chicago
The Graham, Anderson, Probst and White-designed building occupies a high-profile site along the Chicago River. Getty Images/iStockphoto
“The power house could have a tremendous future if we encourage something creative and clever,” Miller explains. “It takes imagination and a sensitive approach to rethink these kinds of buildings. London’s Tate Modern museum is in a former power house that sat empty for years. The Union Station property isn’t on that same scale, but it’s still an important and rare example of Art Moderne architecture in Chicago.”
Source: Chicago Union Station’s iconic power house faces unclear future – Curbed Chicago
Adaptive Reuse and Restoration of a Historic Building Features 57 Modern Lofts
The thoughtful restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic structure features 57 oversized, modern lofts market-rate units – boasting more than 280, 8-foot by 10-foot windows to provide each unit with expansive views and an abundance of natural light – of which 39 of the units are affordable.
Source: Adaptive Reuse and Restoration of a Historic Building Features 57 Modern Lofts
Here’s how adaptive reuse has impacted Valley real estate | AZ Big Media
Above: Lincoln Union, built in 1970, is located at 475 E. Lincoln St. in the Phoenix warehouse district and was a former refrigerated distribution center owned by Pearce Beverage Co., which was the first Coors distributor in the Valley.
Adaptive reuse is making a big impact on commercial real estate and likely will for several years to come. According to the Urban Land Institute’s Emerging Trends in Real Estate (2019), the repurposing trend is likely to continue over the next decade. As real estate professionals, we had better be prepared to adapt.
Source: Here’s how adaptive reuse has impacted Valley real estate | AZ Big Media