Restoration | Tag (page 19)

Cabin at Femunden / Aslak Haanshuus Arkitekter

May 04, 2015

Architects: Aslak Haanshuus Arkitekter
Area: 85 m²
Year: 2015

Photo Essay: The Evolution of Atlanta’s Ponce City Market

May 02, 2015

For almost a century, one of the largest buildings in the Southeastern United States has maintained a dominating street presence in Atlanta, Georgia. Now the Ponce City Market, the building was originally designed by Nimmons, Carr and Wright Architects and built in 1925 as a Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution and retail center, operating until 1989. In 1991, the City of Atlanta purchased the building, renamed it City Hall East and housed several public works departments, storing countless items among its 2.1 million square feet of space. As the city’s utilization of the building dwindled, Jamestown Properties stepped in and acquired the building in 2010. Five years later, Ponce City Market is poised to become one of the greatest historic rehabilitation projects in the country.

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CIM - Mouraria Creative Hub / DNSJ.arq

May 01, 2015

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Architects: DNSJ.arq
Year: 2014

Poolhouse MRT / Steven Vandenborre Architects

April 29, 2015

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Architects: Steven Vandenborre Architects
Year: 2013

Louise Michel and Louis Aragon high schools / archi5

April 28, 2015

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Architects: archi5
Area: 6400 m²
Year: 2015
Professionals: BBN Conseils

The Mill / WT Architecture

April 27, 2015

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Architects: WT Architecture
Area: 150 m²
Year: 2014

From Prisons to Parks: How the US Can Capitalize On Its Declining Prison Populations

April 24, 2015

Prisons are often seen as problematic for their local communities. After centuries of correctional facilities discouraging economic growth and occupying valuable real estate as a necessary component of towns and cities, many of these institutions have been relocated away from city centers and their abandoned vestiges are left as unpleasant reminders of their former use. In fact, the majority of prisons built in the United States since 1980 have been placed in non-metropolitan areas and once served as a substantial economic development strategy in depressed rural communities. [1] However, a new pressure is about to emerge on the US prison systems: beginning in 2010, America's prison population declined for the first time in decades, suggesting that in the near future repurposing these structures will become a particularly relevant endeavor for both community development and economic sustainability. These abandoned shells offer architects valuable opportunities to reimagine programmatic functions and transform an otherwise problematic location into an integral neighborhood space.

Why repurpose prisons rather than starting fresh? The answer to this question lies in the inherent architectural features of the prison typology, namely the fact that these structures are built to last. People also often forget that prison buildings are not limited to low-rise secure housing units - in fact, prisons feature an array of spaces that have great potential for reuse including buildings for light industrial activity, training or office buildings, low-security housing, and large outdoor spaces. These elements offer a wide variety of real estate for new programmatic uses, and cities around the world have begun to discover their potential. What could the US learn from these examples, at home and overseas?

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