LOOKBOOKS
These five projects demonstrate how contemporary materials like raw concrete, steel, and handmade bricks can be the backbone of sensitive adaptive reuse designs.
By Smita Patil
2 October 2024
Designed by Peter Zumthor, the Kolumba Museum in Cologne is built on the site of a late Gothic church that was largely destroyed during World War II, and houses the Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s extensive art collection | Image courtesy of Laurian Ghintiou
From the extreme heatwaves across Asia and Africa to the catastrophic floods in southern Brazil, 2024 has been marked by a series of climate disasters on a global scale. As part of an industry responsible for a staggering 37% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, architects and designers bear a significant responsibility in shaping a sustainable future. While designing with greener, low-carbon materials is a crucial step forward, the fact that 50-70% of a building’s lifetime emissions are attributed to embodied carbon highlights an even more pressing challenge: the need to reconsider building anew.
Carl Elefante, former president of the American Institute of Architects, has famously said, “The greenest building is the one that already exists.” By repurposing rather than demolishing, architects can preserve historical and cultural value, invigorate public spaces, and contribute meaningfully to a more sustainable future. Here are five projects that showcase the extraordinary potential of adaptive reuse across various sectors through their tactful use of construction materials.
Kolumba Museum, Germany, by Peter Zumthor
Located in Cologne, Germany, the Kolumba Museum houses the Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s extensive art collection, which spans over a thousand years. The museum is set on the site of a late Gothic church that was largely destroyed during World War II, and follows the outline of the original church. Warm grey bricks, handcrafted in Denmark, rest gently upon the existing basalt and bricks, gracefully merging the old with the new.
The building is constructed in warm grey bricks handcrafted in Denmark, complementing the basalt and brick remnants of the original church | Image courtesy of Laurian Ghintiou
The tactile brick facade is perforated to invite diffused light into various areas of the museum, creating a dynamic experience that enhances the interplay of light and shadow across the preserved ruins.
The perforated brick facade creates an interplay of light and shadow inside the Kolumba Museum | Image courtesy of Laurian Ghintiou
Cavea Arcari, Italy, by David Chipperfield Architects
At Cavea Arcari, a decommissioned quarry for the highly sought-after Pietra di Vicenza stone is reimagined as an intimate performance space, with the stone itself as the primary construction material.
David Chipperfield Architects have adapted the decommissioned Pietra di Vicenza stone quarry at Zovencedo into an intimate performance space | Image courtesy of Edmund Sumner
The site of Arcari caves, shaped by 60 years of quarrying, revealed a vast, cavernous space supported by irregular massive piers and largely filled with water beneath a wooded hill in Zovencedo, near Vicenza. The tectonic and tactile qualities of the caves presented a unique sensory experience, where the interplay of natural light and shadow enriched the dialogue between the stone, water, and the surrounding landscape.
60 years of quarrying resulted in a cavernous space with irregular piers and water bodies | Image courtesy of Edmund Sumner
“The romantic and tectonic qualities of the quarry with the carved stone and the filtered water were already so strong that minimal interventions were required,” note the architects. The white Vicenza stone is reintroduced through a series of platforms, steps, and ramps, reminiscent of the pioneering theatrical designer Adolphe Appia’s stage sets. The intervention creates a striking contrast between the organic forms of the caves and the structured seating, evoking a sense of history and performance. The project activates an unusual landscape as a multifunctional space that accentuates the site’s inherent beauty while preserving its rich heritage.
A series of platforms, steps, and ramps in Vincenza stone articulate the stage, evoking the legacy of Roman theatre | Image courtesy of Edmund Sumner
Battersea Power Station, UK, by Wilkinson Eyre
The restoration and adaptive reuse of Battersea Power Station in London, UK, reintroduces the iconic industrial landmark to the public, offering a diverse range of functions that include event spaces, retail experiences, offices, restaurants, and bars, along with an elevator experience that provides breathtaking 360-degree views of the city. Residents can also choose to live within this historic landmark, with a series of sky villas nestled around rooftop garden squares atop the Boiler House and Turbine Hall structures. The residences also include conversion units embedded in the existing fabric.
Wilkinson Eyre’s restoration and adaptive reuse of the Battersea Power Station preserves the iconic features of the original facility while carefully inserting contemporary functions and materiality | Image courtesy of Peter Landers
Along with the commercial, public, and retail functions, a series of sky villas, apartments, and conversion units offer the opportunity to live within the revived historic establishment | Image courtesy of Hufton+Crow
Key visual and spatial elements of the original structure—such as the scale of the volumes, the four iconic chimneys, the monumental brick façade, turbine halls, and control rooms—are meticulously preserved, ensuring a strong connection to the site’s history and the legacy of its original architect, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Careful attention has been given to maintaining consistency between the new and restored features, crafting a unique narrative that intertwines the rich history of the site with its vibrant future.
Visually light contemporary materials, such as steel and glass, are layered onto the existing brick volumes, preserving the integrity of the original structure | Image courtesy of Peter Landers
“We’ve taken great inspiration from Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in everything from the drama and scale right through to individual material choices and I hope this is reflected in the experience of everyone living or working in the building as well as visitors,” says Sebastien Ricard, Director at Wilkinson Eyre.
Imagine Studio, India, by Studio Lotus and GPL Design Studio
Designed in collaboration with GPL Design Studio, Imagine Studio in Mumbai, India, transforms a former industrial campus into an invigorated public realm while preserving the site’s industrial heritage.
Studio Lotus and GPL Design Studio’s revitalization of a former industrial campus in Mumbai, India, activates the historic structures with diverse public experiences such as a cafe, workshop, and studio | Image courtesy of Studio Lotus and GPL Design Studio
Existing buildings, such as two former power co-generation plants and a boiler plant, are repurposed as the Boiler Café, Workshop and Studio, creating the edges of a vibrant public space hosting events, a market street, an urban farm, an amphitheatre and areas for public art installations.
The Boiler Café, Workshop, and Studio define the boundaries of a lively public space, brought to life by events, a market street, an urban farm, an amphitheater, and dedicated areas for public art installations | Image courtesy of Edmund Sumner
Elements such as old louvres of the primary plant are repurposed to reference the past heritage while functioning as important design punctuations in the narrative. “The timeless architectural forms derived from the current industrial sheds and the materiality of concrete, corten steel, brass, and timber work on the principle of “Wabi-Sabi,” allowing the buildings to age beautifully over time,” say the architects about the materiality of the project.
An industrial yet earthy material palette of concrete, corten steel, brass, and timber is thoughtfully selected to age beautifully over time | Image courtesy of Edmund Sumner
The Cocoa Project Café, Vietnam, by T3 Architects
At the Cocoa Project Cafe in Saigon, Vietnam, a modernist villa from the 1950s, obscured by layers of industrial materials, has been restored to its original materiality and given new life as a café that celebrates the region's cocoa production heritage.
T3 Architects have transformed a 1950s modernist villa in Saigon, Vietnam, into a vibrant café celebrating the region's cocoa production heritage |Image courtesy of Hiroyuki Oki
Layers of superfluous materials are stripped away, revealing the bare reinforced concrete structure. “We proceeded step by step, removing layer after layer, discovering old handrails, vertical concrete louvers, and old layers of lime painting. And we decided to preserve all to suggest the past and the history of Saigon,” explain the architects.
The design process involved stripping away superfluous industrial materials added over the years, exposing the building’s original framework | Image courtesy of Hiroyuki Oki
New materials were sourced locally to minimize carbon emissions, with natural or low-carbon options specified wherever possible, such as uncooked local cement tiles and solid wood furniture, much of which is antique. The bar counter and mirror frames are custom-made, using recycled tetra packs and plastic. A portion of the roof was removed to create a lively tropical courtyard with local vegetation, including a cacao tree, allowing light and fresh air into the space and transforming the dull interiors into a cheerful, vibrant environment that celebrates the cultural and architectural legacy of the place.
A portion of the roof was removed to create a lively tropical courtyard, infusing the interiors with natural light and breeze | Image courtesy of Hiroyuki Oki
