Commercial Architecture December 2017 - 13

FEATURE

2017 In Review

Old Is New Again
A

daptive reuse isn't new. As long as there have been

ences into new projects. Sometimes that means real strate-

Dittmer thinks. The process may also be becoming more

buildings, we have been finding other uses for them

gic machinations in the way new buildings are done so that

rapid. She cites a study about how to construct buildings,

they can incorporate historic structures that are nearby or

specifically parking garages, that can be adaptive within

next to them."

five years. "These are supportive structures that we know

as needs and priorities changed.
"I think that we have crossed threshold to where planners and architects are now understanding there is a real

"It's not just urban planners, architects, and developers

are going to fluctuate and evolve. We need to account for

importance in keeping the historical context and the his-

who understand the importance of preserving the cultural

parking that we need right now but we also need to ac-

toric buildings, to landmark and celebrate the history and

heritage of a building. It's tenants, too, who are really look-

count for what that building might want to become in five

cultural heritage of what brought the city to where we are

ing for a link to the past a well as a link to the future that

years," she said.

today," Melissa Dittmer, AIA, director of architecture and

represents their firm's ideology branding, and vision. They

"Adaptive reuse of buildings is a form of sustainable ur-

design for Bedrock Detroit, observed.

value the historic narratives of buildings and want that

ban regeneration," according to Clay Aurell, AIA, and Josh

heritage ties into their spaces. Many are willing to pay the

Blumer, AIA, both principals at AB Design Studio Inc., Santa

additional cost for that," Dittmer said.

Barbara, CA.

"You can't move forward without acknowledging and
understanding the past. To me that's a big shift," Dittmer
continued. "You see it in all cities, not just Detroit, where

Asked if adaptive reuse and restoration were worth it,

"The term may be trendy, but the process of rehabilitat-

instead of taking things down and building anew there is a

Dittmer emphatically agreed, "It's absolutely worth it. It's

ing a building or a space for another use is not new. You can

real effort to embed historic structures and historic refer-

worth it for me just from a design standpoint, from a selfish

see transformative philosophies across industries, and this

single perspective, in order to have a heterogeneous city

mindset is driving the escalation of adaptive-reuse archi-

with a multitude of architectural styles. It's positively worth

tectural projects. Once a niche market, adaptive reuse has

it to keep and restore these historic structures for everyone

become a lexicon for architects and developers. Brown-

else that lives and plays within the city."

field reclamations, urban pathways initiatives, repurposing

Vacant for 40 years, the Burlington Station in Omaha received a
new lease on life when TV station ABC-affiliate KETV, repurposed
the building despite damage from years of neglect. The adaptive
reuse project was designed by Leo A Daly architects of Omaha.
Photo: Courtesy Leo A Daly, Visko Hatfield

Adaptive reuse has shifted in scale from single
buildings to entire neighborhoods, cities, or regions,

Reinventing The C

Urban Landscape

Artist Matthew Mazzotta's Storefront Theater in Lyons, NE, is a work of
art that also encourages artistic events. Working with local craftspeople,
Mazzotta created a theater that folds out from a vacant brick façade, using
two hydraulic pump arms to raise and lower it for events.

a 19th-century town center into a 21st-century mixed-use
development, are all adaptive reuse initiatives," they said.

ities evolve and change. They always have. For a time

hoods, towns, regions in ways that favor walkability, transit,

following World War II, many U.S. cities were in serious

and compact, more livable mixed-use communities that are

decline, and residents fled to the suburbs. These days some

less reliant on the automobile and are organized around a

cities are seeing a revival of varying degrees. Residents, and

very strong public realm," added Elizabeth Moule, partner,

would-be residents, recognize the advantages of diverse

Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists, Pasadena,

communities with necessities and amenities close at hand,

CA. "They encapsulate important environmental and sus-

preferably reachable without reliance on an automobile.

tainable considerations in making towns. It's a way of trying

New urbanism is a concept that characterizes the

to restore the sense of community that people can share

changes taking place in cities and, to some extent, even the

with one another in neighborhoods and towns and restore

suburbs, but what is new urbanism, exactly?

balance between the natural world and development."

"In the United States, new urbanism would be some-

New urbanism is about a combination of architecture

thing that looked like a piece of the United States as if it were

and city planning. "It's absolutely both," Moule agreed.

built before World War II. It's about the simplest way that I

"There really aren't fantastic cities, towns, and neighbor-

can say it," John Torti, FAIA, Torti Gallas + Partners, Silver

hoods that don't have beautiful architecture. Architecture

Spring, MD, said.

contributes to the kind of visceral qualities of a place as

"It's about how to plan and remake some of our older

much as anything, and the way that buildings are designed

cities and suburbs and how to make new towns and villages

contributes positively to walkability or not. For instance, the

beautiful, more pedestrian friendly, and more walkable," he

way that a building faces the street, whether there might be

continued. "It's also about restructuring public policy that

a curb cut or two for an automobile, may disrupt a pedestrian

changes the weight of the automobile in our public environ-

experience on a sidewalk. The façade that a buildings pres-

ment and produces better places for human beings-better

ents towards the city can be interesting or not and induce

walkable communities whether they're high-density com-

more walking or discourage more walking. That's a question

munities or medium- or low-density communities."

of scale; it's a question of material; it's a question of how the

"New urbanism is a way of making buildings, neighbor-

sidewalk, the entire street frontage, is managed," she said.

commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

DECEMBER 2017

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