As the landscape of architecture and urban development adapts to the modern climate, the traditional notion of construction has been significantly modified and adjusted. Specifically, principles of reuse, recycling, adaptive reuse, and the power of transforming existing structures into something more meaningful and sustainable have gained much traction. Looking at these curated collections of unbuilt projects, one can begin exploring a different way of looking at buildings and heritage, which is significantly more sensitive to the built environment.
From the austere office buildings of the United Kingdom to the proposal to re-activate a skyscraper in Ostrava, these diverse contexts tell stories of resilience, innovation, and a profound commitment to the existing built environment. Offering a new way of looking at things, the projects champion adaptive reuse and activation concepts.
Read on to discover 8 projects worldwide that have used these principles in their design, along with descriptions provided by the architects.
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Poland's White Gold: The Story Behind one of the World’s Biggest Adaptive Reuse Projects30 Minories Office Building in London, UK
PLP Architecture
In its existing state 30 Minories comprises a 16-storey tower and 7-storey podium, which is currently considered obsolete. Under its proposals, the development team will replace the asset with a multi-layered 16-story building, providing c.17,314m2 net internal area (NIA) of best-in-class office space on the upper levels and a range of flexible retail, leisure and employment uses on the ground and lower ground floor levels. Targeting ratings of BREEAM Outstanding, WiredScore Platinum, WELL Platinum and NABERS UK, the high-quality development will aim for a net zero carbon design, with terraces on each floor accessible for the office occupiers.
Ostrava Skyscraper in Ostrava, Czech Republic
AI-DESIGN
The Ostrava high-rise, built between 1965 and 1968 as part of the Jindriska housing estate, has been vacant for over eight years owing to technical and operational issues. Originally built as an apartment block, the 22-story building was later adapted as an office space. Its façade contains asbestos and shows significant defects. The investment plan is to create an architectural and functional design for the construction of the building, turning it into a combination of apartments and community space, consisting of an observation café with views of the surrounding Beskydy landscape.
Recycling Center Juch-Areal, An Exercise in ReUse / Zurich, Switzerland
Architekturgenossenschaft
Zurich's new main recycling center is conceived as an open city infrastructure. In times of climate catastrophe, a new recycling center must react to more significant challenges than the demand for an optimal organization: We keep around one-third of the plot unsealed. The project is intended as a flexible structure and can be adapted for alternative uses. The main structure and a large part of the building envelope is planned with re-used building parts.
Porcelana Cultural Center in Nea Makri, Greece
R.C.TECH
Located in the eastern suburbs of Athens, within a plot of 40.000m², the disused listed “Porcelana Factory” is re-imagined as a new cultural destination. A small museum, a theatre, workshop, and exhibition spaces, a small library, local shops, and a creative playground are combined with significant outdoor areas designed to facilitate sports and recreation events. A grand piazza that is located in between the three wings of the building overlooks the restored 38m-high brick-laid chimney.
The Fabric in Tempe, Arizona
180 Degrees Design + Build
The proposed design for a resilience hub seeks to transform a retail plaza lot into an ample open space with various public amenities. The existing buildings are to be kept and utilized for a collection of different uses that empower the local community and encourage a capacity of stewardship over the facilities. These buildings also assist in more significant, city-wide efforts to distribute goods during times of disruption. The considerable parking reduction is intentional and meant to give the local community more accessible rights to the space and further foster their sense of ownership of the facilities.
Torre Antonini in Milan, Italy
Studio Marco Piva
The project provides for the partial restoration of the architecture of the pre-existing tower, giving it a distinctive morphology that stems from the cues from the previous structure and translates into a modern architectural solution. The design concept provides for loggias that envelop the entire building, establish a connection with the surrounding area, and offer usable and scenic outdoor spaces: a soft aesthetic with sinuous shapes that, like light and elegant ribbons, enfold the building.
Fagerheimgata 16 in Oslo, Norway
Fjord Arkitekter
Located in Oslo, our competition proposal for Fagerheimgata 16 involves transforming a historic 19th-century house and adding two new buildings. The project promotes a diverse composition of residents by including housing for individuals with disabilities, apartments, and student housing. The public ground floor and basement, with shared functions, connect the street and the courtyard, creating a local hub for the entire community–a neighborhood magnet. The building design harmonizes with the surrounding brick buildings and the historical house.
Notre Dame de l'Assomption in Le Teil, France
Florent Chagny Architecture
The earthquake heavily damaged Notre Dame de l'Assomption church in Le Teil in November 2019. Restoring it would appear to be a risky and costly business. It was therefore agreed by the Town Council that it would be demolished and rebuilt nearby. An architectural competition was launched in the first half of 2023. Today, we would like to propose a different vision for the future of Place Jean Macé outside the official competition. We want to study the revival of the religious building while respecting the site's memory, preserving the original urban layout, and developing a more comprehensive project for a landscaped public space to enhance and revitalize the Le Teil town center.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN UNBUILT PROJECT
We highly appreciate the input from our readers and are always happy to see more projects designed by them. If you have an Unbuilt project to submit, click here and follow the guidelines. Our curators will review your submission and get back to you in case it is selected for a feature.
