beyond demolition In light of current global challenges such as climate change, environmental pollution, and the depletion of natural resources, every demolition should be questioned, and the feasibility of preserving existing building structures should be examined. One of the most common reasons for demolishing a building, according to the Baukulturstiftung, is the change in usage demands. However, what alternatives exist to demolition when the built environment no longer meets today’s usage requirements? Adaptive reuse refers to the process of repurposing an existing building for a different use than what it was originally built or designed for. This involves reassigning the function of the building while preserving its structure as an alternative to demolition and new construction.
In our case, this concerns the ensemble of the former fire station in Calenberger Neustadt. The property is to be repurposed for residential use. The city intends to transform the area into a three-five-story perimeter block development. Two buildings, deemed worth preserving, are to be retained for this purpose. However, according to the city, the remaining four buildings have no significant preservation value and are slated for demolition. The preservation of the buildings should be pursued not only due to climate-friendly construction but also because an evaluation of the conglomerate shows that the buildings possess architectural qualities worth preserving. These qualities can be leveraged through extensions and additions to fulfill the city's goals within the existing structures. For the continued development of the area, materials from a building that is scheduled for demolition will be used. The used components were categorized and documented through a developed "strategy for appreciating the depreciated" and will be incorporated into the continued development in conjunction with new materials. To implement the strategy, we closely examined a construction method that is at risk of demolition—the reinforced concrete skeleton construction. This method was broken down into individual elements using a matrix and assessed for reusability based on different categories. Using a prototype in reinforced concrete skeleton construction, the source object, a 1960s office building, we analyzed the potential of the existing components.
This evaluation and sorting resulted in a reuse rate of approximately 85%. this equated to ≈ 7800 m² of usable area and 5076 components available for the design of the target object. This creates an urban design that not only extends the lifespan of the conglomerate but also incorporates components from a demolished building, giving them a second life. Repurposing the area into flexible residential and multicoded public spaces facilitates internal adaptability, thereby significantly extending the lifespan of the resources. This raises the following questions:
+ How do reused components, with their inherent characteristics, influence the design and architectural aesthetics of the continued development?
+ How can the usable space of a fire station be repurposed into a public place with residential areas, thereby preventing vacancy and demolition?
This work should be understood in this context as a design study with a prototype that represents a methodology and aesthetic for designing with reused components from a source object to a target object. It offers a solution for resource-efficient and low-emission construction and demonstrates how to handle buildings that are on the verge of demolition.