Everything about Adaptive Reuse totally explained
Adaptive reuse is the
process of adapting old structures for new purposes.
When the original use of a structure changes or is no longer required, as with older buildings from the
industrial revolution,
architects have the opportunity to change the primary function of the structure, while often retaining some of the existing architectural details that make the building unique. In local communities, unused schools or Post Office buildings have been adapted for reuse as retail stores or offices.
Adaptive reuse, along with
brownfield reclamation, is seen by many as a key factor in
land conservation and reducing the amount of
sprawl. For those who prescribe to the
smart growth concept, it's more efficient and environmentally responsible to redevelop older buildings closer to
urban cores than it's to build new construction on faraway
greenfield sites.
In the
United States, especially in the
Northeast and
Midwest,
loft housing is one prominent result of adaptive reuse projects. The
gentrification of formerly-
industrial areas such as the
Meatpacking District, Manhattan,
New York and
Callowhill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are being transformed into residential neighborhoods through this process. Waterfronts that once harnessed the current of rivers and lakes to speed production are now selling-points for home buyers and renters. Adaptive reuse can also take on less extreme challenges. In American city neighborhoods that have seen racial and ethnic demographic changes over the last century,
Jewish synagogues have been frequently converted into
Baptist and
AME Churches.
The
Tate Modern in
London is an example of adaptive reuse at the urban scale - converting an old power plant along the
River Thames into a Gallery of Modern Art - and also an example of
urban renewal.
Station Square in
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania is an example of a mile-long former
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad terminal and headquarters being converted into a retail, office, hotel, and tourist destination.
Other museums adapted from old factories include "MassMOCA" - the
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the
Center
in Long Island, New York and - The
Dia Art Foundation Museum in upstate New York.
In
San Diego, California, the historic brick structure of the Western Metal Supply Co. building at 7th Avenue (between K and L Streets) was preserved and incorporated into the design of
PETCO Park, the new
baseball-only ballpark of the
San Diego Padres, and can be prominently seen in the left-field corner of that ballpark. It now houses the team's flagship gift shop, luxury rental suites, a restaurant and rooftop bleachers, and its southeast corner serves as the ballpark's left field foul pole.
In Europe, buildings originally constructed as royal palaces are often reused as art museums; the most well-known example of this being the
Louvre in Paris, France.
Adaptive reuse is also related to the field of
historic preservation.
External references
Further Information
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