Adaptive reuse of old abandoned buildings

 This weeks title is about my proposal title from an assignment we have this semester which is is the adaptive reuse of old abandoned buildings.I would like to talk about this topics as it is a very controversial topic as in nowadays world industrial areas all over the world are facing a serious problem… which is that of industrial buildings shifting to bigger places and also in different states which means the old smaller buildings are all being left empty. made in such countries as America this is not a problem as places such as Malta. Although the States and other large countries such as Norway, Germany, England and many more… This is something that astonishes me as in Malta we are in dire need of projects like this due to our size and area available on the island. Below i will talk about some projects that where already done and I could explain on how we can benefit highly with projects such as this.  

These industrial buildings don't need to only be actual factories but could also be places such as old unused Parking lots as Proposed in New York City where an old Parking lot has been granted the green light to become a  19 story residential tower having around 170,000 square feet of space  including 56 apartments, a multilevel gym, tenant recreational room, children’s playroom, bike storage, 150 parking spaces for residents and will be topped off with a 23,000 square feet for retail scattered all on the ground floor. With one apartment measuring around a very large space of  2,153 square feet with 6 apartments being duplexes with private terraces. The project started its construction this year and is expected to conclude sometime in 2017. 

Not only does The reuse of the buildings have to be all residential. Back in Germany for example the Hiedelberg Design competition winner in Stadtwerke Hiedelberg, the project is currently a cylindrically shaped storage centre. In the near future this storage centre will be changed into a “dynamic sculpture, city icon, and knowledge hub for sustainable energy…” as stated in the Arch Daily article. its known to have around 20,000 diamond shaped plates made with “thin stainless steel will be hooked to an elastic connection in the meshes of a steel outer network, allowing them t twist up to 90 degrees in the wind.” During the night the structure will be lit internally giving a pleasant scene. The aim of such a project is that visitors can learn about “the challenges of energy transition in the city of heidelberg,” 

Such Projects link together and to my proposal as they all take different landmarks which are all abandoned and people are actually making use of such land. Such projects should be implemented in small islands like Malta. I would like to focus more on the residential side of the project and try to come up with a design which incorporates the historical connection to the building   but also giving it that contemporary vibe. Obviously a project like this wont happen in a fortnight but I think that we should encourage such projects in order to save more of our precious countryside. What these projects have done to its surrounding was that of bringing the committee more together and also giving it a new way of looking at a space. That is the message I would like to send as it saves precious unused space and brings the community more together. 

References:

• Baird-Remba, Rebecca. "Garage To Luxury Apartment Conversion At 152 East 87Th Street Gets A New Rendering - New York YIMBY". New York YIMBY. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.

• "ENERGY STORAGE CENTRE » LAVA". L-a-v-a.net. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.

• "LAVA Unveils Transformation Of Energy Storage Center Into A City Icon In Germany". ArchDaily. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.