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Adaptive Reuse |
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Much of the existing
building stock in our towns and cities can be adapted and put to new
use. These buildings are a resource, often in good condition, some
are of historical importance or with meaning in the local community.
The reuse of existing buildings is in itself a sustainable strategy
in preserving the embodied energy of the existing fabric (e.g. foundations,
façades & floors). The challenges when working with existing buildings are very different from new construction. Existing structures rarely conform to any of the current standards - the three most important being accessibility, acoustics and energy consumption. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) now places a statutory obligation on organisations to address accessibility without prejudice to the disabled- looking at the entrance, introducing new lifts, stairs or ramps between floors and mitigating the problem of changes in level. Whether C18th / C19th load-bearing or C20th framed construction there is a need to put in place a comprehensive environmental strategy for insulation, heating and ventilation. Acoustic separation is a challenge in the reuse of existing buildings, particularly where there are a mix of uses with, for instance St. Monica's, Hoxton, the conversion of a Grade II listed disused London Board School funded by the ODPM's New Deal programme. Our work in adaptive reuse covers housing, commercial, education and training, leisure and a town hall. Currently we are working on Lootch (Russian for light 'ray'), a 30,000sqm regeneration of a former light bulb factory, housed in a collection of pre-revolutionary (1901) brick buildings. Buschow Henley has received two RIBA Awards for Architecture for its work in adaptive reuse – Shepherdess Walk, London in 2000 and Talkback, London 2002. |
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