A building is never just brick and steel - Its memory, identity and civic choreography that can sometimes be glorious, yet sometimes thorny. Tammany Hall at 44 Union square was once a crown jewel of the political scene, yet as it transitioned to modern day, it was seen as a worn building, and its historical past of the dominant Tammany political machine hub (known for its power brokerage, corruption and exploiting of immigrants) seemed to vanish. BKSK’s renovation of the rooftop dome turned history inside and out: It preserved the old famous facade and renovated the interior into a modern office and retail space, and added a freeform glazed dome inspired by the Lenape turtle myth,  a tribute to its political past. The project is equal parts preservation, engineering feat and cultural act — and the technical record and published interviews make that clear.

Antwerp, serving as one of Europe’s largest port cities has shaped its cultural identity for centuries, and has become renowned for the diamond trade. However, given the multiple ports the city has, the Port of Antwerp Authority was too spread out, lacking coherence and thus needed a new unified port headquarters, thus they hired Zaha Hadid Architects to design a new headquarters for them.

Adaptive reuse is the pinnacle of architectural acts of transformation, turning a building that once housed industrial machines to one that houses people and ideas. With this second lease on life, the buildings take on a new purpose to serve the public. Below are two divergent high-profile adaptive-reuse projects often referenced in architectural Circles;  Zeitz MOCAA (Thomas Heatherwick / Heatherwick Studio — Cape Town, South Africa) and the museum formerly known as MOCCA (now MOCA Toronto) and its move into the Tower Automotive Building (architectsAlliance / ERA Architects — Toronto, Canada). I examined the old site context, the demand of its new use, as well as the architectural and design philosophy and how the methods and tools used in the version help extend their continued impacts.

From Grain to Gallery Pt 2: MOCA Toronto

For decades, the old power station provided energy to London’s growing postwar economy, but in the early 1980s it became decommissioned. The building's future was uncertain and it was left there to rot. However, just a decade later saw the rise of London’s art and cultural scene. The Tate Gallery, known for its diverse collection of both British and international art, needed a new space to expand its collections. Thus, the site was part of an adaptive reuse plan and the Tate trustees announced in 1995 that the site would be designed by famed architects Herzog de Meuron. Their proposal was a stunning one, not to erase the building's industrial past, but to amplify it.

Serving as the main city for many of China’s largest technology companies, Hangzhou is one of China’s largest metropolises, yet it can also be seen as a tranquil city, filled with gardens, lakes and canals. Yet with its deep history comes old architecture, and in this post, we look at 2 of Kengo Kuma’s adaptive reuse projects: China Academy of Art’s Folk Art Museum and Hangzhou Xiaohe Park.