First Abstract

In architecture, the process of adaptive reuse addresses how a building that has lost its function can be re-vitalized and re-inhabited. Depending on the typology and site, there are emotions and attitudes grounded in the history and cultural context of the building that fill a person when they look at the structure in decay. There is also this loss of boundary in abandoned buildings symbolized by the covering of plants and ground cover as nature reclaims her space. With the man-made structures resting beneath, the weathering of the materials gives a more organic texture to create boundless manmade earthworks. The abandon buildings have become functionless and are, in some ways, works of art. These structures rest as provocative impressions in the bedrock, with one instance timeless in nature and in the other forgotten in habit. How can the ongoing relationship between the natural progression of material decay and abandoned buildings be exploited through a design process that focuses on the adaptive reuse of the building and its materials?

Architectural history does not reference the abandoned industrial building at the edge of the city or the decaying barn in the middle of a farm field. We are educated on the ruins and monuments of ancient history and the progressive methods with which they were constructed. However, there are numerous causes why these abandoned buildings have failed. As architects, we must begin by not seeing the buildings as an eye sore, but a depiction of the past with which we can learn from. The reuse of a building can evoke meaning and a sense of place, and with this, an attachment to the community. The adaptive reuse of an abandoned building forces us to think of how we must be respectful of the existing environments and structures. The bond between them has become symbiotic over time and would be devastating to demolish. If we can reuse the abandoned building then we are doing the environment a favor of kindness. Not only can we slow the pace of urban sprawl, but also with the reuse of materials from these structures there is less need for the harvesting of trees or the production of materials. With resources being limited it is the responsibility of the architect to think more local and existing.

           

Approaching the emotional and natural relationships of an abandoned building require investigations into the people that interact with them. Interviews and surveys can gather observations and opinions of buildings within a community that ultimately could site a contemporary reuse project. Precedents of projects that are adaptive reuse can help to comprehend the multiple ways materials can be re-used, and the strategies with which the project was executed. In addition, studying the tactile and the sensory responses of materials can prove to be beneficial to suggest the right use and typology. Researching the ways nature co-exists with its surroundings will be necessary for preserving that foundation of the bond already established. It will be important to study and take notes on observations of the site’s own relationship between nature with diligence so a search for a comparative precedent can be more easily recognized and the information can more successfully be applied.