Tag: reuse | ArchDaily

New Life for Old Spaces: Buildner Reveals Re-Form Winners as Edition 3 Opens

Rene Submissions — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Buildner has announced the results of its Re-Form: New Life for Old Spaces, second edition, an international ideas competition examining the adaptive reuse of small-scale existing buildings. The competition invited architects and designers to propose transformations of used, abandoned, or overlooked structures with an approximate footprint of 250 square meters, located anywhere in the world. With no fixed site or program, participants were encouraged to explore alternatives to demolition and new construction through reuse strategies grounded in contemporary social and environmental concerns.

Arquivo: Deconstruction and Material Reuse for a Circular Architecture

Susanna Moreira — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The construction industry today faces an unavoidable paradox: the urgent need for sustainable solutions for the future of cities collides with the exhaustion of the term "sustainability" itself, often reduced to a hollow commercial label. In this scenario, Arquivo – one of the winners of ArchDaily's 2025 Next Practices Award – emerges as a facilitator and mediator between different stakeholders in the construction field through disassembly – or rather, de-construction – and the reuse of building elements. Etymologically, if "construction" derives from the Latin construere (to heap up, assemble), the prefix "de-" imposes a conceptual inversion: it is not about destroying, but about disassembling with intelligence to understand the logic of the parts.

Barbara Buser Recognized With the 2026 Jane Drew Prize for Her Work In Circular Construction

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:30:00 +0000

The AJ and The Architectural Review have named architect Barbara Buser as the winner of the 2026 Jane Drew Prize. The prize, named after English modernist architect and urban designer Jane Drew, is part of the W Awards and the W Programme, which recognise women's contributions to the architectural profession. Swiss-based architect Barbara Buser is known as an innovator in the field of recycling and reuse, and as an expert in circular construction, recognised for pioneering repurposing practices in Switzerland. The award, therefore, recognises not only her contribution to architecture itself, but above all her efforts to reduce the industry's environmental impact through socialisation initiatives. The recognition follows Anne Lacaton's award in 2025, as well as other prominent figures in the field, such as Kazuyo Sejima in 2023, Farshid Moussavi in 2022, and Yasmeen Lari in 2020.

Call for entries: Transformation of the current Odense University Hospital (OUH)

Rene Submissions — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 10:10:00 +0000

We are pleased to invite you to take part in an international open ideas competition that marks the beginning of one of Denmark’s largest urban transformation projects: the redevelopment of the former Odense University Hospital (OUH) into a vibrant, urban area in the heart of Odense.

From 2027, the 274,000 m² hospital area will gradually be vacated and transformed into a green, mixed-use neighbourhood with housing, culture, business, and urban life. With approx. 200,000 m² of existing building stock representing more than a century of Danish architectural history, the project places strong emphasis on adaptive reuse, resource-conscious development, and regenerative principles.

Dispatched: Architecture of the American Post Office and the Privatization of Civic Space

Olivia Poston — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Post offices stand among the most enduring monuments of civic life in the United States. Across towns and city centers, they carry the shifting architectural ambitions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Greek Revival formality to Beaux-Arts monumentality and Art Deco ornament. Architects and federal planners would give these buildings a clear public role and a powerful physical presence. Stone façades, monumental halls, and crafted interiors projected stability, trust, and permanence. The post office placed the federal government directly into the everyday landscape of American life.

The Afterlife of Expo Osaka’s Grand Ring: How the Timber Structure Is Being Reused Across Japan

Antonia Piñeiro — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Exhibitions can be an opportunity to extend architectural discourse beyond professional circles, opening conversations with broader publics and serving as an interface between architecture and society. Within this concept, major international events such as the Osaka International Expo 2025 and the Venice Architecture Biennale have adopted the idea of the circular economy as one of their organizational objectives. The idea of circularity in events can be reflected in, for example, their energy consumption, the impact of the displacement they generate, their waste, or the useful life of their infrastructure. The site destined for the last World Expo, held in Osaka from 13 April to 13 October 2025, was surrounded by a massive timber structure designed by Sou Fujimoto Architects, one of the world's largest wooden constructions. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition committed to reusing building materials "as much as possible," with concrete plans for their reuse to be finalized by March. In the meantime, some relocation alternatives are already emerging for the pieces of the World Expo structure.

Seven Finalists Announced for the 2026 EU Mies Awards for Contemporary European Architecture

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 07:30:00 +0000

The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have announced the seven finalist projects for the 2026 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Awards, supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme. The selection follows the announcement of 410 nominated works in November and a shortlist of 40 projects revealed in early January. Of the seven finalists, five have been selected in the Architecture category and two in the Emerging category. According to the jury chaired by Smiljan Radić, the finalist projects are exemplary contributions to the future of European architecture, demonstrating how the discipline can respond simultaneously to specific local conditions and broader social, cultural, and environmental challenges. The selected works range from interventions in former industrial sites, small villages, and peripheral urban areas to carefully calibrated projects within larger cities. Across these varied contexts, the projects show how architecture can transform overlooked or ordinary settings into inclusive, high-quality spaces for living, learning, and social exchange.

Winter Stations 2026: Crest

Rene Submissions — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:10:00 +0000

Crest is a student-led, design-build installation produced by F_RMlab at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture for Winter Stations 2026, an international competition transforming Toronto’s lifeguard stations into immersive works of public art. This year’s theme, Mirage, invited participants to address the “boundary of what is seen and what is real in the age of AI”, exploring art as a medium that disengages from the digital world by immersing audiences in shared, tactile experiences.

Crest emerges from the sand and snow of the Toronto Beaches as a sweeping wave positioned moments before break. From a distance, the installation resembles a

Timber Tectonics: 10 Projects Rethinking Wood Construction in Contemporary China

Jonathan Yeung — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In much of China, concrete remains the dominant construction material. Despite growing concerns over its environmental impact, concrete continues to align with the priorities of many developers and clients—it is fast, cost-effective, and highly durable. As a result, most building types in China still rely heavily on concrete. This reliance is further reinforced by China's position as the world's largest producer of Portland cement. A deeply entrenched supply chain, rooted in raw material manufacturing and economic infrastructure, ensures that concrete remains the default choice in the construction industry.

New Life for Old Spaces: Buildner Announces Results of Its First Annual Re-Form Competition

Rene Submissions — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 06:45:00 +0000

Buildner has announced the results of its Re-Form: New Life for Old Spaces, an international ideas competition examining the adaptive reuse of small-scale existing buildings. The competition invited architects and designers to propose transformations of used, abandoned, or overlooked structures with an approximate footprint of 250 square meters, located anywhere in the world. With no fixed site or program, participants were encouraged to explore alternatives to demolition and new construction through reuse strategies grounded in contemporary social and environmental concerns.

From Legal Constraint to Local Craft: Four Adaptive Projects by messina | rivas in Cunha

Susanna Moreira — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 07:30:00 +0000

The municipality of Cunha, located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, is a region known for its inland landscape, hilly terrain, and, especially, a major production of nationally renowned ceramics. It is within this context that the office messina | rivas has been working since 2017, with a set of projects located on a farm. Their work, which integrates design and construction in an indissociable manner, results in interventions that reveal a sensitive approach to pre-existing conditions and their surrounding environment.

Design Ethos of Subtraction and Addition: 10 Adaptive Reuse Projects for Commercial and Social Spaces in Asia

Miwa Negoro — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 07:30:00 +0000

While adaptive reuse has been increasingly acknowledged as a vital architectural strategy worldwide, its discourse and implementation in Asia are still expanding—driven by growing ecological awareness and a shifting understanding of architectural knowledge. Rather than accelerating a developmentalist model centered on demolition and new construction, architects today are confronted with a different approach to the built environment: treating the existing structure as a resource—an archive of materials, spatial organizations, and informal histories.

How Can Transport Infrastructures Take On a New Lease of Life?

Agustina Iñiguez — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Faced with the combined forces of population growth, economic prosperity, and urban expansion, cities are witnessing a significant rise in the movement of people and goods—mirroring the evolution of diverse mobility systems within urban environments. As technologies advance and modes of transport evolve, the adaptive reuse of train carriages, airplane cabins, and other service infrastructures reveals opportunities to explore their creative potential. Materials, technologies, and design tools converge around a shared goal: refurbishing and repurposing disused structures to give them new life.

Building Less: ArchDaily’s November Editorial Focus

Romullo Baratto — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 04:30:00 +0000

As the late urban planner Jaime Lerner once argued, the future of architecture lies not in building new cities but in updating those that already exist. In a world where resources are finite and urban space is increasingly saturated, his statement feels more urgent than ever. It calls for architects to look inward, to rethink what truly needs to be built, and to recognize the creative potential of what is already there. Within the constraints of existing structures lies an opportunity to design differently: to repair, adapt, and reuse. Or, as French poet Louis Aragon would have it, to reinvent the past to see the beauty of the future.

The Chilean Architecture Biennial Revives a Church Ruin as a Temporary Pavilion

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Between September 25 and October 5, 2025, the XXIII Chilean Architecture and Urbanism Biennial took place in Santiago. Under the title "DOUBLE EXPOSURE: (re)program · (re)adapt · (re)construct," the event was organized around the idea of "understanding architecture not as the production of the new, but as the ability to reactivate what already exists." Based on this premise, the curatorial team, composed of Ángela Carvajal and Sebastián López (Anagramma Arquitectes) together with Óscar Aceves, conceived a circuit of eight venues located in downtown Santiago. Their goal was to revive and reclaim urban spaces through a series of free public activities that drew around 70,000 visitors. Among the reactivated sites, the ruins of the San Francisco de Borja Church stood out. Burned during the social outburst of October 2019, the site hosted a temporary pavilion that served as a venue for talks, readings, art installations, discussions, and community events.

World Architecture Day 2025: How We Design for Strength in an Age of Crisis

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Today, on the first Monday of October, we celebrate World Architecture Day. This year, the International Union of Architects (UIA) has set the theme "Design for Strength," a powerful call to action that resonates deeply with the UN's focus on urban crisis response. In a world facing unprecedented environmental and social disruptions, this theme challenges us to move beyond temporary fixes. It asks: How can our buildings and cities not only withstand shocks but also foster equity, continuity, and resilience?

SPPARC Studio Unveils Design for Residential Conversion of Former Ravenscourt Park Hospital in London

Antonia Piñeiro — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 05:30:00 +0000

SPPARC architecture and design studio has revealed plans to renovate the former Ravenscourt Park Hospital in Hammersmith, London, which has stood vacant for two decades. The building, originally named the Royal Masonic Hospital and designed by Thomas S. Tait, is regarded as one of the first major modern buildings in the UK and was Europe's largest independent acute hospital when it was opened by King George V in 1933. Built to provide low-cost treatment for Freemasons and their families, the 260-bed facility operated until 1994, reopened as an NHS hospital in 2002, and was permanently closed in 2004. According to the recent announcement, the Grade II listed landmark, currently on Historic England's Heritage at Risk register, is intended to be repurposed as 140 new homes, a 65-bed care home, and spaces available for public hire.

The European Citizens’ Initiative HouseEurope! Receives the 2025 OBEL Award

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 05:30:00 +0000

HouseEurope!, a registered non-profit organization focused on promoting the social and ecological transformation of Europe's built environment, has received the 2025 OBEL Award. Presented annually by the Henrik Frode Obel Foundation, the award recognizes architectural contributions with the potential to drive meaningful change. Aligned with this year's theme, "Ready Made," the OBEL Award Jury selected HouseEurope! for its efforts in raising awareness and fostering public engagement around the need for a shift in construction and housing practices across Europe.