Top 5 Buildings That Have Benefited From Adaptive Reuse Architecture

There’s something known as adaptive reuse architecture. It’s where a building is repurposed into something else. There have been a number of different buildings over the years that have gotten a facelift and been made into something else. It’s the ultimate way to recycle a building because it eliminates the need to bulldoze a building and use more materials to build something else in its place. This type of architecture is becoming increasingly common.

Many of the buildings you see around the world are not what they seem. They have been repurposed into something other than what they used to be.

The Gallery of Modern Art in London was not always a gallery for visitors to come in and view art. It was once an old power station. Due to the creativity of some architects, they were able to use the pre-existing structure and repurpose it into something more exciting.

The Meat Packing District of New York was once used for packing meat. The various warehouses where this was done are no longer being used for that purpose. While it still holds the same name, no meat has been packed in the district for many years. It is now one of the more popular residential areas of New York. The warehouses have been turned into condominiums, apartment buildings and even retail spaces.

The Louvre in Paris is perhaps one of the most popular art galleries in the entire world. Many people know it just by looking at the outside of it. Unlike many other art galleries, it wasn’t originally built for the purpose of holding art. Instead, it started its life as a royal palace. Since then, a new royal palace was created and this was turned into an art museum.

The Norwegian Church in Cardiff, Wales is not actually a church as the name implied. While it used to be a Norwegian church where the sailors went, it is now an arts center where classes, live music and workshops are held on a regular basis. There’s also the Ronald Dahl Gallery inside of it. Since it could no longer be a church, the arts center took advantage of the prime real estate on the waterfront and kept the original structure to save money and recycle.

Large storage crates are using adaptive reuse architecture as well. Rather than get rid of the transport crate when it has served its purpose, architects have learned how to transform it into a variety of different buildings. They’re being used for offices, apartment buildings and much more. Some are getting creative and stacking them on top of each other to add additional space and height.

With adaptive reuse architecture, it’s possible to save money and contribute in a positive way to the environment. There are fewer resources than there were 20 years ago and everyone needs to do their part. Bulldozing a building is possible, but before that’s done, it could be repurposed into what you want.