Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026

Adaptive reuse

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about adaptive reuse

Project • By Criteria GroupOffices

Creative House of Hezareh

Creative House of Hezareh turns a long-abandoned horse stable into an 1,100-square-meter coworking space. The building sits on the former racecourse of Tehran's Abbas-Abad cultural lands, near Ab-o-Atash Park — a single narrow hall buried in mature trees between the park and the Modarres expressway, derelict for years and needing extensive repair before anything else could begin. Solo Studio Solo Studio Solo Studio Solo Studio Solo Studio The brief was a shared workspace; the opportunity was the setting. Circular windows run the full length of the ground-floor hall so that no desk loses the park, and the existing roof lights were opened up to pull daylight deeper into the plan. Because the hall was uncomforta... More

Project • By TBA ArchitectureCare Homes

Réhabilitation d’un entrepôt en maison médicale

In Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, the project transforms a townhouse and a former warehouse into a 496 sqm multidisciplinary medical center. The intervention builds upon the specific qualities of the two existing structures, adapting them to a new healthcare program. Facing the street, the townhouse accommodates the entrance and the first medical practices. Its façade is reworked in terracotta brick, establishing a dialogue with the surrounding urban fabric. At the rear of the plot, the former warehouse is restructured and extended vertically to accommodate, among other functions, physiotherapy and balneotherapy spaces. TBA Architecture The transformation preserves the reading of the warehouse as a generous open volume. A new glazed ro... More

Project • By MENDONÇA CARRÃO - ATELIEROffices

Sumol Compal Headquarters

The historic headquarters of Sumol Compal in Lisbon—Portugal’s leading non-alcoholic beverage corporation and official regional producer for global brands like Pepsi, Lipton, 7UP, Guaraná Antarctica, and Gatorade—underwent a deep modernization and corporate retrofit designed by MC-A. André Castro Leitão André Castro Leitão André Castro Leitão André Castro Leitão André Castro Leitão With industrial origins dating back to 1971, when it operated as a bottling plant, the project transformed its 3,100 m² space into a smart, dynamic work ecosystem centered on human well-being. André Castro Leitão Andr... More

Project • By Esplendido DesignPrivate Houses

Historic Townhouse in Salento

In the historic centre of Lequile, near Lecce in southern Puglia, this traditional Salento townhouse is conceived as a sensitive transformation of an existing historic property into a contemporary Mediterranean home. Esplendido Design Esplendido Design Esplendido Design Esplendido Design Caption The design begins with the character already present: soaring vaulted ceilings, original patterned floors, generous room proportions, a private citrus garden and views across the surrounding rooftops towards the town’s historic church. Rather than erase these elements, the proposal celebrates them. Existing architectural features are retained wherever possible and combined with a restrained palette of natural finishe... More

Project • By INSADA Integrated Design TeamApartments

Trevor Tower

As Indonesia's residential market continues to mature, many aging apartment developments face a common challenge: how can an existing building remain relevant to the expectations of today's luxury homeowners without requiring complete reconstruction? Trevor Tower in Gading Serpong explores this question through a comprehensive architectural and interior transformation that repositions an established residential tower into a contemporary high-end address. Mario Wibowo Commissioned to redesign both the architecture and interiors, INSADA approached the project as a holistic reinvention rather than a conventional renovation. The objective was to elevate the property's market positioning while maximizing the value of its existing structura... More

Project • By Hutz ArchitectsOffices

Contemporary working within historic fabric

The renovation of the listed storefront office, dating from 1900 in Munich Schwabing, was conceived as an open-ended design process. Rather than defining the intervention entirely in advance, decisions were made throughout construction in direct response to the historic building fabric revealed on site. As the existing finishes were carefully removed, original layers of the building came to light, including historic wall prints, the original herringbone parquet flooring, and ceiling heights of up to 3.7m. These discoveries became the starting point for the subsequent design, informing material selection, detailing, and every architectural intervention. Damaged wall surfaces were intentionally repaired with raw plaster, while traces of the... More

Project • By Linebox StudioOffices

Evolution for Animal Health (EVAH) Offices

Set within Montreal's iconic Nordelec building, the new offices for EVAH Corp transform 1,600 sqft of century-old industrial space into a contemporary workplace inspired by a scientific research and collaboration.  Alex Lesage Alex Lesage Rather than competing with the building's historic character, the design embraces its exposed brick, steel and concrete structure, allowing the architecture for the former indsutrical complex to remain the defining brackdrop. Inserted within this authentic shell, crisp laboratory-inspired materials, glazed surfaces and carefully curated colour introduce a refined, contemporary layer that reflects EVAH's work in animal health biotechnology. Alex Lesage Alex Lesage The project expl... More

Project • By in-stillBars

Laboratorium

Located in the heart of Cluj-Napoca, Laboratorium occupies the ground floor of Palatul Széki — one of four corner buildings constructed at the end of the 19th century to mark the threshold of the city center, and home to the former Matia Corvin Pharmacy. in-still in-still in-still Designed in 1893 by Pecz Samu — known for Budapest's Central Market Hall and his eclectic, Gothic-inflected library commissions — the building was conceived for Miklós Széki, pharmacist, academic, and entrepreneurial patron. Széki occupied the apartment directly above his pharmacy, connected by a private spiral metal stair. in-still in-still The solid wood furniture — articulated with G... More

Project • By sauerbruch huttonApartments

Telekom Tower

The Telekom Tower, southeast of Konstanz’s historic city centre, quite literally stands out from its surroundings. For a long time, this 1970s building stood in stark contrast to its urban fabric, not only for its height but also for its architectural language; it was perceived as an almost alien presence within the city. Converting the vacant office tower into a residential building offered the opportunity for a retrospective integration, and, in a sense, for urban healing. In this context, adaptive reuse has an impact that extends far beyond the immediate construction task. The conversion not only preserves the embodied energy in the existing structure but also avoids the CO₂ emissions that a new building would have generated. The... More

Project • By Disbrow IannuzziShops

Spot Lite

Programmed and designed for flexibility from 10am to 2am, Spot Lite is a multi-use commercial space morphs each day between a community cafe, a local record shop, a remote office, a music venue, an art gallery, a dance party, and an event space. The 7,900-square-foot site, formerly Beyster Lumber, was reconfigured to accommodate this hybrid venue, enhancing flow and creating an open framework for collaboration with local artisans and fabricators. Diana Paulson Diana Paulson Diana Paulson Diana Paulson Fitting within Disbrow Iannuzzi’s framework, the owners commissioned the fabrication of key interior elements including the bar, sculptural bathroom mirrors, DJ booth, and record shop shelves. The project also featur... More

Project • By Shadow ArchitectsOffices

Mother LA

For its latest expansion, creative agency Mother transformed a previously underused building in LA’s historic West Adams neighborhood into a fully immersive, 15,000-square-foot office designed for collaboration, curiosity, and cultural production. Shadow Architects led the renovation, working closely with the interiors firm Office of BC to create a workplace that feels more like a neighborhood than an office. Erik Stackpole Undéhn Erik Stackpole Undéhn Spanning an entire city block, the building’s storefront-inspired façade draws inspiration from the surrounding streetscape, reflecting the materials and forms of early 20th-century Los Angeles. Wide overhangs, glass blocks, aluminum siding, and textured stucco... More

Project • By NDO ArchitectureHotels

Rempart Boutique Hotel

Rempart Boutique Hotel, Diyarbakır'ın katmanlı mimari karakterini, sıcaklık, doku ve mekânsal süreklilikle şekillenen rafine bir konukseverlik deneyimiyle yeniden yorumluyor. Diyarbakır'da yer alan proje, mimar Nazlı Deniz Ozan tarafından şehrin tarihi atmosferini çağdaş bir iç mekan diliyle birleştiren bir butik otel olarak tasarlandı. En büyük zorluk, bölgenin kültürel ve mimari kimliğiyle güçlü bir bağ kurarken, konuklara sakin, zarif ve unutulmaz bir deneyim sunmaktı. Ozan Çifçi Ozan Çifçi Ozan Çifçi Ozan Çifçi Ozan Çifçi Ozan Çifçi Tasarım yaklaşımı, gelen... More

Project • By designCHOUOffices

CHIMYUN

The alleys of Yeonnam-dong are not remembered as clear images. What remains is not a single scene, but an accumulation of sensations gathered while walking: streets that subtly change in width, unexpected shifts in level, and facades and materials that reveal themselves only at close distance. Here, space is not something to be viewed from afar, but something gradually registered through movement. The Chimyun project began by paying attention to this way an alley is remembered. Rather than a planned urban composition, Yeonnam-dong’s alleys are fragments of time—formed through repeated cycles of dwelling, commerce, extension, and repair. Space in this context is never grasped all at once. It is read sequentially, shaped by the o... More

Project • By Atelier Starzak StrebickiCultural Centres

Weigh house

The project involves the redevelopment of the sanitary facilities within the historic City Weigh House in Poznań. Located in the heart of the Old Market Square, the building’s origins date back to the 16th century. Although the original structure was demolished in 1890, it was meticulously reconstructed in 1960 and currently serves as the Civil Registry Office, hosting wedding ceremonies and official city events. Danil Daneliuk Danil Daneliuk The new spatial layout includes separate facilities for women, men and people with disabilities, 4 integrated with a corridor and a cloakroom. The focal point of the interior is a curved wall finished with warm oak veneer. This architectural element subtly conceals the entrances to the... More

Project • By farwickgrote partnerPrimary Schools

Primary school at Eiskeller

The planning task for the municipality of Altenberge involved merging the two existing primary schools in Altenberge, Johannesschule and the Borndalschule, at the site of the former Ludgeri secondary school (which closed in 2016/2017) and the Borndalschule site. Constantin Meyer, Köln Constantin Meyer, Köln Constantin Meyer, Köln Constantin Meyer, Köln The new primary school at Eiskeller in Altenberge is a successful example of how existing school buildings can be transformed into modern, future-oriented learning environments. Through the comprehensive renovation and targeted expansion of the former Ludgeri secondary school, the two existing primary schools in the municipality of Altenberge were able... More