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Adaptive reuse is the process of adapting old structures for purposes other than those initially intended.
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 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 is more efficient and environmentally responsible to redevelop older buildings closer to urban cores than it is 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. Formerly-industrial areas such as the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, New York and Callowhill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are being transformed into residential neighborhoods through this process. This transformation is sometimes associated with gentrification.
Adaptive reuse covers a wide range of urban areas and building types. Urban waterfronts, historically used as points for industrial production and transport, are now selling-points for home buyers and renters. In American city neighborhoods that have seen racial and ethnic demographic changes over the last century, some houses of worship have been converted for other religions, and some others have been converted into residences. A large number of brick mill buildings in the Northeast United States have undergone mill conversion projects.
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.
In Australia, there has been a number of projects to convert old silos into residential apartments. Several cities including Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Geelong and Ballarat have such buildings and they have captured the public imagination with adaptive reuse. The adaptive reuse of silos as apartment is popular with developers as it is a cost-effective process, the buildings are already tall and difficult to demolish meaning that the planning permits can be easier to obtain and they have ready to use circular spaces with often uninterrupted views.
Other museums adapted from old factories include "MassMOCA" - the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Center in Long Island, New York and Dia:Beacon - 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; well-known examples of this being the Louvre in Paris, France, and the Winter Palace in St Petersburg.
Adaptive reuse is also related to the field of historic preservation.
External references
- On Adaptive Reuse A blog, mostly architectural, but it also treats adaptive reuse as an approach to a wide range issues.
- The Institute for Adaptive Reuse, Washington D.C.
- "Adaptive Re-Use of Brownfields: A Challenge for the Valuation," John A. Kilpatrick
- Adaptive Reuse Photo Gallery Adaptive reuse building example and photo gallery
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