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All over the world, architects are finding cool ways to re-use run-down old buildings. Click here to see the best in Refurbishment Architecture.

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Refurbishment

Yu Hotel / Shanghai Benzhe Architecture Design

00:00 - 7 June, 2018
Yu Hotel / Shanghai Benzhe Architecture Design, Yard. Image © SCHRAN Architectural Photography, Xuanmin Jin
Yard. Image © SCHRAN Architectural Photography, Xuanmin Jin

Loft guest room. Image © SCHRAN Architectural Photography, Xuanmin Jin The lobby and café echo each other at a distance. Image © SCHRAN Architectural Photography, Xuanmin Jin Atrium. Image © SCHRAN Architectural Photography, Xuanmin Jin Café. Image © SCHRAN Architectural Photography, Xuanmin Jin + 29

Shanghai Modern Art Museum / Atelier Deshaus

02:00 - 27 May, 2018
Shanghai Modern Art Museum / Atelier Deshaus, © Fangfang Tian
© Fangfang Tian

© Fangfang Tian © Fangfang Tian © Fangfang Tian © Fangfang Tian + 44

MVRDV to Transform Communist-Era Pyramid into Center for Art and Technology in Albania

14:00 - 18 May, 2018
Courtesy of MVRDV
Courtesy of MVRDV

MVRDV has unveiled its vision for transforming the Communist-era “Tirana Pyramid” in Albania into a center for technology, art, and culture. Under the plans, the abandoned structure will be revitalized as a multifunctional technology education center for Tirana’s youth, with the existing dark interior becoming open, bright, and green.

The Tirana Pyramid was opened in 1988 as the Enver Hoxta Museum, designed in honor of Albania’s former communist leader. Since then, the building has transitioned into a NATO base during the Balkan Wars, a nightclub, and an event space. Though now in decay, the building remains a popular spot for young people keen to climb on its roof. As a nod to this unique appropriation, MVRDV has made the roof officially available for all visitors.

Courtesy of MVRDV © Gent Onuzi Courtesy of MVRDV Courtesy of MVRDV + 5

7 Architects Create 7 New Community Spaces Beneath a Disused Japanese Overpass

08:00 - 17 May, 2018
7 Architects Create 7 New Community Spaces Beneath a Disused Japanese Overpass, © Laurian Ghinitoiu
© Laurian Ghinitoiu

A +100 meter stretch of land beneath a train overpass in Koganecho, a district of Yokohama, Japan, underwent a progressive refurbishment in which seven different types of community space, each designed by a different architect, were built within a pre-set spatial grid. Historically there were many social issues in the area, largely in relation to its profitable but dangerous black market and red-light district. Once the illegal activity was eradicated in 2005, the underpass presented a great opportunity for social re-development, and the resultant project - the Koganecho Centre - emphasized an age-old Japanese cultural commitment, where what was once broken is used to make something new. 

© Laurian Ghinitoiu © Laurian Ghinitoiu © Laurian Ghinitoiu © Laurian Ghinitoiu + 23

The Chicago Tribune Tower Might Have a New Neighbor: The City's Second-Tallest Skyscraper

14:39 - 24 April, 2018
The Chicago Tribune Tower Might Have a New Neighbor: The City's Second-Tallest Skyscraper, Courtesy of CIM / Golub
Courtesy of CIM / Golub

The Chicago Tribune Tower is at the center of a $1 billion development seeking to bring over 700 residential units to the city center. Developers CIM and Golub have unveiled a proposal which would see the redevelopment of the neo-Gothic tower into 163 condominiums, and the construction of a tapering skyscraper only 30 feet shorter than the Willis Tower, Chicago’s tallest building.

Courtesy of CIM / Golub Courtesy of CIM / Golub Courtesy of CIM / Golub Courtesy of CIM / Golub + 9

Jiangshan Fishing Village Renewal / Mix Architecture

00:00 - 16 April, 2018
Jiangshan Fishing Village Renewal / Mix Architecture, New and Old. Image © Bowen Hou
New and Old. Image © Bowen Hou

Bookshelves and Patio. Image © Bowen Hou Snow View. Image © Bowen Hou Glass Tea House. Image © Bowen Hou Exterior Facade. Image © Bowen Hou + 26

  • Architects

    Mix Architecture

  • Location

    Jiangshan Village, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

  • Lead Architects

    Ziye Wu, Suning Zhou, TaoTang

  • Design Team

    Man Liu, Junpeng Mao

  • Construction Team

    Nantong Jielida Construction Service Co., Ltd.

  • Area

    385.0 m2

  • Project Year

    2018

  • Photographs

    Bowen Hou

What It’s Like to be an Architect who Doesn’t Design Buildings

06:00 - 6 April, 2018
What It’s Like to be an Architect who Doesn’t Design Buildings, Han Zhang along with her team at <a href="http://www.archdaily.cn">ArchDaily China</a>. Image Courtesy of Han Zhang
Han Zhang along with her team at ArchDaily China. Image Courtesy of Han Zhang

There's an old, weary tune that people sing to caution against being an architect: the long years of academic training, the studio work that takes away from sleep, and the small job market in which too many people are vying for the same positions. When you finally get going, the work is trying as well. Many spend months or even years working on the computer and doing models before seeing any of the designs become concrete. If you're talking about the grind, architects know this well enough from their training, and this time of ceaseless endeavor in the workplace only adds to that despair.

Which is why more and more architects are branching out. Better hours, more interesting opportunities, and a chance to do more than just build models. Furthermore, the skills you learn as an architect, such as being sensitive to space, and being able to grasp the cultural and societal demands of a place, can be put to use in rather interesting ways. Here, 3 editors at ArchDaily talk about being an architect, why they stopped designing buildings, and what they do in their work now. 

1305 STUDIO in Shanghai / 1305 STUDIO

00:00 - 30 March, 2018
© Shen-photo
© Shen-photo

© Shen-photo © Shen-photo © Shen-photo © Shen-photo + 42

  • Architects

    1305 STUDIO

  • Location

    Changning Qu, Shanghai, China

  • Lead Architects

    Qiang Shen, Zhigang Fu

  • Area

    480.0 m2

  • Project Year

    2018

  • Photographs

    Shen-photo

The Boundaryless / INSPIRATION GROUP

20:00 - 25 March, 2018
The Boundaryless / INSPIRATION GROUP, © Zaohui Huang
© Zaohui Huang

© Zaohui Huang © Zaohui Huang © Zaohui Huang © Zaohui Huang + 35

  • Architects

    INSPIRATION GROUP

  • Location

    Guangzhou, China

  • Design director

    Thomas Xie

  • Design Team

    Maggie Yu, James Jiang, Mafa Ye, Dina Ding, Jen Wang, Joyce Song

  • Area

    375.0 m2

  • Project Year

    2017

  • Photographs

    Zaohui Huang

Kengo Kuma Transforms Shanghai Shipyard Into Multi-Use Complex

04:00 - 2 March, 2018
Kengo Kuma Transforms Shanghai Shipyard Into Multi-Use Complex, © Julien Lanoo
© Julien Lanoo

In the Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai, Kengo Kuma has reimagined a 1972 shipyard into a new 9,000-square-meter multi-use complex, named Shipyard 1862. Behind original, rugged brick walls, the old shipyard was once defined by a 12 by 30-meter grid, which allowed for massive interior spaces to hold ships. In this industrial-style adaptive reuse project, Kuma was careful to preserve the building’s structural and material integrity. These photographs provided by Julien Lanoo show how the industrial shell has been transformed by the refurbishment project.

Renovation of Xi'an Dahua Textile Mill / China Architecture Design Group Land-based Rationalism D.R.C

00:00 - 28 February, 2018
Aerial. Image © Frederic Henriques
Aerial. Image © Frederic Henriques

© Guangyuan Zhang © Guangyuan Zhang © Guangyuan Zhang © Guangyuan Zhang + 65

  • Architects

    China Architecture Design Group Land-based Rationalism D.R.C

  • Location

    251 Tai Hua Nan Lu, Xincheng Qu, Xian Shi, Shaanxi Sheng, China

  • Architect in Charge

    Kai Cui, Keyao Wang，Rubing Zhang, Aurelien Chen

  • Design Team

    Keyao Wang，Rubing Zhang, Aurelien Chen, Yang Liu, Fan Gao, Yang Cao

  • Landscape Designer

    Jun Feng

  • Construction Drawing

    China Northwest Building Design Research

  • Collaborators

    Western Institute of Seismic and Building Design + Design Institute of Xi’an University of Architecture And Technology

  • Paper model

    Jianjun Song

  • Award

    Second Place at 2A Asia Architcture Award 2016 Old and New category – Vienna

  • Area

    84790.0 m2

  • Project Year

    2014

  • Photographs

    Frederic Henriques, Guangyuan Zhang, Aurelien Chen, Jun Feng, Keyao Wang, Lin Li

NONG STUDIO / NONG STUDIO

22:00 - 9 February, 2018
© Chasing Wang
© Chasing Wang

© Chasing Wang © Chasing Wang © Chasing Wang © Chasing Wang + 30

  • Architects

    NONG STUDIO

  • Location

    1247 Suzhou South Rd., Huangpu District, Shanghai, China

  • Architect in Charge

    Chasing Wang

  • Design Team

    Neal Zhu, Luca Lannote (Italy), Kunyang Wang

  • Construction Team

    Shanghai Taoyi Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd

  • Area

    180.0 m2

  • Project Year

    2017

  • Photographs

    Chasing Wang

The Renovation of Louis Kahn's Yale University Art Center: A Significant Moment for Architectural Preservation

09:30 - 19 January, 2018
The Renovation of Louis Kahn's Yale University Art Center: A Significant Moment for Architectural Preservation, © Elizabeth Felicella, courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery
© Elizabeth Felicella, courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery

This article was originally published by Common Edge as "How the Restoration of Louis Kahn’s Yale Art Gallery Helped Kickstart Modern Preservation."

I have a distinct memory from my days as an architecture student at the University of California Berkeley in the late ‘80s. During an architectural survey class taught by Spiro Kostof, Louis I Kahn’s Yale University Art Gallery popped up in the slideshow. “Nice building,” I thought, “but what’s with those windows?”

Fifteen years later at Polshek Partnership (now Ennead Architects), I would become the project architect for the construction phase overseeing the rehabilitation of that classic building—the most challenging aspect of which was to replace “those windows.” I came to understand, intimately, how the double-paned window wall had failed almost as soon as construction was complete. Condensation accumulated between the panes, creating the foggy effect that marred my first impression of this groundbreaking building.

Space Renovation of 69 Beishan St. / The Design Institute of Landscape and Architecture China Academy of Art

20:01 - 8 December, 2017
Space Renovation of 69 Beishan St. / The Design Institute of Landscape and Architecture China Academy of Art, Central courtyard. Image © Aoguan Performance of Architecture
Central courtyard. Image © Aoguan Performance of Architecture

Vestibule. Image © Aoguan Performance of Architecture Courtyard and entrances. Image © Aoguan Performance of Architecture Brick pattern. Image © Aoguan Performance of Architecture Courtyard facing living area. Image © Aoguan Performance of Architecture + 36

Tongling Recluse / RSAA / Büro Ziyu Zhuang

22:00 - 15 November, 2017
Tongling Recluse / RSAA / Büro Ziyu Zhuang, © SU Shengliang
© SU Shengliang

© SU Shengliang © SU Shengliang © SU Shengliang © SU Shengliang + 59

  • Architects

    RSAA

  • Location

    Tongling, China

  • Architect in Charge

    Ziyu Zhuang

  • Design Team

    Zhengdong Qi, Jing Li, Xin Zhao, Hongyu Fan, Kunyu Zhu, Jiaxin Wang (Intern)

  • Area

    160.0 m2

  • Project Year

    2017

  • Photographs

    SU Shengliang, FNJI, Ting Xu

SimplyWork 6.0 Co-Working Space / 11architecture

19:00 - 13 July, 2017
SimplyWork 6.0 Co-Working Space / 11architecture, © ZC Architectural Photography Studio
© ZC Architectural Photography Studio

© ZC Architectural Photography Studio © ZC Architectural Photography Studio © ZC Architectural Photography Studio © ZC Architectural Photography Studio + 21

  • Architects

    11architecture

  • Location

    4F Vanke Xinghuo Online, Tianshu Building, 2 Wuhe Ave South, Longgang Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China

  • Design Team

    Fujimori Ryo, Xie Jing, Luo Ming Gang, Yang Jian You

  • Area

    2100.0 m2

  • Project Year

    2017

  • Photographs

    ZC Architectural Photography Studio

Twisting Courtyard / ARCHSTUDIO

20:00 - 14 June, 2017
Twisting Courtyard / ARCHSTUDIO, Courtyard. Image © Wang Ning, Jin Weiqi
Courtyard. Image © Wang Ning, Jin Weiqi

Kitchen. Image © Wang Ning, Jin Weiqi Entrance turn. Image © Wang Ning, Jin Weiqi Room - tearoom mode. Image © Wang Ning, Jin Weiqi Details. Image © Wang Ning, Jin Weiqi + 32

  • Architects

    ARCHSTUDIO

  • Location

    Beijing, China

  • Design Team

    Han Wenqiang, Huang Tao

  • Main Materials

    Gray brick, oak panels

  • Area

    161.5 m2

  • Project Year

    2017

  • Photographs

    Wang Ning, Jin Weiqi

From War Relic to Mixed-Use: Plans to Build a “Green Mountain” Atop a Bunker in Hamburg

06:00 - 25 May, 2017
From War Relic to Mixed-Use: Plans to Build a “Green Mountain” Atop a Bunker in Hamburg, Courtesy of Hilldegarden.org
Courtesy of Hilldegarden.org

A team of local residents and architects in Hamburg’s neighborhood of St. Pauli have been granted planning permission for a proposal to repurpose a war bunker dating back from the 1940s. Coined Hilldegarden, the proposal seeks to create a “green mountain” garden atop the disused roof of the bunker along with a range of mixed-use projects that increase its height by several stories. “We are rebuilding what we inherit.” The project’s initiative states, “Adding something to history while dealing with it and thereby reshaping history itself.”

via PLANUNGSBÜRO BUNKER via PLANUNGSBÜRO BUNKER Courtesy of Hilldegarden.org Courtesy of Hilldegarden.org + 19