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“We have to think of buildings as material depots,” says Thomas Rau, a Dutch architect who has been working to develop a public database of materials in existing buildings and their potential for reuse. [...] “Waste is simply material without an identity,” he says. “If we track the provenance and performance of every element of a building, giving it an identity, we can eliminate waste.” — The Guardian
In an opinion piece, Oliver Wainwright writes on how more architecture firms across Europe are exploring methods on preserving, adapting, and reusing existing buildings instead of demolishing them, which hugely create CO2 emissions. But it'll take more than a few progressive architects and... View full entry
COOKFOX Architects and developers L & L Holding Company and Normandy Real Estate Partners have been granted approval by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for a wide ranging restoration and expansion of the historic Terminal Warehouse in New York City's Chelsea district. The... View full entry
Plans to transform the historic Pirelli Building on Sargent Drive into a hotel have moved forward, as a local developer has purchased the property from IKEA for $1.2 million.
The developer, Bruce Becker, purchased the 2.76-acre property at 500 Sargent Drive on Dec. 31. The deed was recorded in city land records Friday.
— New Haven Independent
The Brutalist, Marcel Breuer-designed Pirelli Tire Building in New Haven could be experiencing a new life as a hotel after sitting vacant for years. The New Haven Independent reports that the property's previous owner, IKEA, had "paved the way for the Pirelli project by winning approval in... View full entry
Austin-based Mark Odom Studio has completed a complete renovation on an iconic Austin office building located at 2001 North Lamar Blvd. The single-story 3,000-square-foot building was built back in 1960 by architects Pendley & Day. With the renovation, Mark Odom Studio set out to restore the... View full entry
Located in a bustling area of the city, historic San Francisco landmark #204, The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been repurposed into a multi-functional architectural complex. Intended to be a launchpad for young startups to live, work, socialize, and develop with like-minded people... View full entry
Efforts to modernize suburban campuses can be as basic as organizing placemaking activities like after-work concerts or food truck Fridays. Usually, though, they require a much deeper investment in elements like upgraded lobbies, outdoor furniture, ball courts, fitness centers, grab-and-go cafes, greenways, bike storage facilities and open-plan offices that let in substantial natural light. — The New York Times
In her NYT piece about the renewed commercial interest in the suburban office park typology, Amanda Abrams takes a closer look at the latest investments and transformations at North Carolina's Research Triangle Park. "After all, with downtowns everywhere becoming increasingly expensive," writes... View full entry
LeBron James is adding safe housing to the school he founded in his hometown, so students have a stable place to live while they get their education.
The NBA star announced Monday that a historic apartment building in Akron, Ohio, is being renovated and turned into transitional housing for families in need at his I Promise School.
— CNN
"Initially, our work was focused on helping these kids earn an education. But we've found that it is impossible to help them learn if they are struggling to survive — if they are hungry, if they have no heat in the freezing winter, if they live in fear for their safety," said James... View full entry
"A former Nazi bunker in Hamburg, built by forced laborers to shelter tens of thousands of Germans during Allied air raids in World War II, will soon house hotel guests," reports The New York Times (NYT). Fit with a five-story terraced roof garden, the hotel will house 136 rooms, and is due to... View full entry
Deep beneath the streets of Clapham, London, in a former air raid shelter, Steve Dring and his colleagues are farming. Vertical farming, that is.
The company Dring co-founded, Growing Underground, is cultivating a wide range of vegetables and herbs in vertically-stacked trays in the confined space. It’s part of a growing trend in Europe and the U.S.
— Marketplace
Marketplace visits Growing Underground, a cutting-edge vertical farm inside a converted WWII-era air raid bunker 100 feet beneath London. "If we were growing peas out in the open, we’d have three crops a year," the company's cofounder Steve Dring tells the reporter. "Here, we get 62 crops a year... View full entry
This all makes what is happening now all the more remarkable. Last summer, Ford Motor Company announced it had bought the building, with plans to invest $740million to transform it into a world-leading research centre for ‘future mobility’. The very industry that signed the station’s death warrant in the first place is now set on resuscitating it as a beacon of sustainable transport. — The RIBA Journal
Oliver Wainwright pens a piece on the upcoming renovation of the Michigan Central Station, which was a celebrated icon of Detroit when it first opened in 1913. After the station closed in 1988 and was abandoned, it became the epitome of the city's ruin porn. After buying the building last summer... View full entry
Her newly resurrected 114-year-old Purse Building features a floor-to ceiling mural of the late Jacobs, an urbanist activist and author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, superimposed on a downtown street grid. Above Jacobs’ striking bespectacled image, her mantra “New ideas need old buildings” blazes in neon lights. — Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News profiles Tanya Ragan, a Dallas-based real estate developer who is taking on commercial real estate's "boys club" mentality with a Jane Jacobs-inspired approach. Ragan's Wildcat Management is behind a series of new and forthcoming projects, including the... View full entry
The Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and developers Lovett Commercial have unveiled plans to transform the 55,000-square-foot Barbara Jordan Post Office in Houston into a mixed-use cultural center and park for the city. Rendering of proposed atrium located within the renovated post... View full entry
L.A. has a reputation for being a progressive city architecturally, and a city that’s always transforming itself. We have an amazing amount of architecturally significant historic buildings. I think people have grown to appreciate what those have to offer.” — Metropolis
The city of Los Angeles is a city filled with several renovated buildings and historical structures that have been turned into must-see stops. Although this city isn't the first to revive unused historical buildings, Los Angeles' ever-evolving knack for finding "beauty in the reuse" has given many... View full entry
In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles. (Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)... View full entry
The New Delhi based practice, Studio Lotus, creates a winning project design that applies adaptive re-use techniques to transform the historic Mehrangarh Fort precinct in Jodhpur, India. The new Visitor Centre and Knowledge Centre is set to create an alternative entrance to the Mehrangarh Fort... View full entry
