Reinterpret and reimagine through adaptive reuse

Back in London a couple of months ago I visited Battersea Power Station, Coal Drops Yard and The Standard (one I worked on back 2015). These adaptive reuse projects entice people to visit. They’re bold. They tell a story.

The bricks and mortar honour the past, but the playful elements like chimney lift shaft, themed bar, encircling shared street and basketball courts engage with the city in a contemporary way.

We’re lucky in Sydney: we can learn from international projects like these (the pros and cons) to apply thinking to White Bay Power Station, Newtown Tram Sheds and North Eveleigh, to name a few. Heritage isn’t a burden, but an opportunity to reinterpret and reimagine.

Instagram

SMH Article: What Sydney can learn from London's approach to brutalist architecture

"The late 20th century was a unique period in architectural history in which buildings where designed to serve a social purpose. Brutalist buildings used the most basic material to keep costs down, and were most commonly built to house low-income residents or institutions.

Unlike 18th-century houses, their importance is about historic interest, rather than an aesthetic interest. Sirius, just like Trellick, Balfron and the Barbican in London, illustrates important aspects of the nation's social and cultural history."

Last week I had an opinion piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald on brutalist architecture in Sydney and London. You can read the full article here. 

Photo by Jessica Hromas via SMH

---

INSTAGRAM