Adaptive reuse of urban decay

Abstract

There is a specific beauty that exists amongst architecture in the absence of routine human interaction; it is the beauty of decay. This beauty develops over time, as buildings cease to function in the way they were originally designed to do so. As this happens, such buildings become leftover, forgotten spaces that go unseen by the bulk of society; they are left to minor, often illicit alternate uses. The need to preserve architectural urban decay of historical and cultural value is getting more and more significant. At the same time it is very important to develop environment dynamically to sustain life activities in general. The thesis deals with the revitalization method with the purpose to preserve and restore abandoned structures, which assign a new function – to expand areas and adjust abandoned buildings to modern requirements. This dissertation will also explore an alternative strategy to a conservative adaptive reuse practices for different building typologies that not only complements but challenges that reveals the history through the unique character and the original intent of the design by preserving the spirit of place that is more than often lost in the process of adaptation by considering the meaning of place conveyed through its architectural expressions. The adaptive reuse strategy will be formulated and tested through case studies examples.