Obsolete Typologies Revived Through 17 Adaptive Reuse Projects

Adaptive reuse is shifting from simple preservation to active revitalization, a process of structurally rescuing and reprogramming architectural typologies whose original functions are no longer relevant. The obsolescence of architectural spaces occurs for varied reasons: sociological shifts, leaving spaces uninhabited; technological advances, phasing out specific machinery; and economic changes, making centralized functions necessary. The strategy of repurposing focuses on achieving spatial and functional longevity through minimal interventions, allowing the original structure to serve as the memory anchor of the project.

This wave of adaptive reuse treats the historic shell as a limited resource, prioritizing structural permanence over surface aesthetics. Designers are engaging in a sort of archaeological process by exposing the original structural essence: the heavy timber, raw concrete, or monumental masonry. Interventions are confined to meeting new programmatic needs, often appearing as an independent insertion within the ancient envelope. This contrast redefines the building’s lifespan not as a singular narrative but as a layered story of continuous events.

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The following projects showcase three categories of obsolete spaces, where the design solution is born directly from the building’s historical redundancy.

Obsolete Industrial Processing Structures

As single-function industrial technology became obsolete, specialized structures like mills and presses, built for heavy loads and specific mechanical layouts, were left as robust relics. The design move here is to selectively expose the scars of the mechanical past while carving out new, layered volumes that adapt the massive, static framework into dynamic, multi-functional public or residential spaces.

The Old Wine Press / a25architetti

The Mill House / Estudio Vilablanch

Cereal Interpretation Center / há.atelier

Norwegian Press House / Atelier Oslo + KIMA Arkitektur

Obsolete Agricultural and Rural Structures

Industrialized farming and rural depopulation made decentralized storage and production spaces, like barns and farms, economically unsustainable. Architects respond by reinterpreting the rustic, highly textural agricultural envelope as a flexible container, often using lightweight glass partitions or timber inserts to introduce light and domestic comfort, thus turning the robust, vernacular form into a valuable residential or commercial asset.

Recovery of a Country House and Barn / Vlad Sebastian Rusu

Extension & Reconversion of an Old Farm / Martin Migeon Architecture + Anouk Migeon

Librairie Avant-Garde in Shangri-La / Zhaoyang Architects

Arai Mise Studio / kurosawa kawara-ten

La Grange Burgundy Farm Renovation and Conversion / Le Dévéhat Vuarnesson Architectes

Gutshof Güldenhof Center for Art and Sustainable Living / Heim Balp Architekten

Wraxall Yard / Clementine Blakemore Architects

Doppelscheune – Barn into Residential Building / KO/OK Architektur

HUYS Center / ZOOM Architecten

Obsolete Transportation and Logistics Hubs

The shift to digital communication and modern, centralized transit infrastructure made local hubs, such as post offices and vehicle depots, functionally redundant. Architects activate these vast, horizontally organized depot volumes, originally built for movement, as civic and cultural spaces, utilizing the monumental scale of the preserved shell as a powerful relic for contemporary gatherings.

Lot 8 Design and Research Laboratory / BC architects & studies + Assemble

House of the Weimar Republic / Muffler Architekten

Lao Ding Feng Beijing / Neri&Hu Design and Research Office

CPFB Education Center / archipelago

This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Building Less: Rethink, Reuse, Renovate, Repurpose, proudly presented by Schindler Group.

Repurposing sits at the nexus of sustainability and innovation — two values central to the Schindler Group. By championing this topic, we aim to encourage dialogue around the benefits of reusing the existing. We believe that preserving existing structures is one of the many ingredients to a more sustainable city. This commitment aligns with our net zero by 2040 ambitions and our corporate purpose of enhancing quality of life in urban environments.

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Find more reference projects in this My ArchDaily folder created by the author.