Restoration

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about restoration

Project • By pihlmann architectsPrivate Houses

House14a

Embodying a non-hierarchical collage of traces from changing times, House14a reflects the ongoing narrative of its evolution. Rather than presenting itself as a completed work, it embraces its role as a phase within an ongoing process. Each element, whether rough or refined, old or new, is equally valued, and gains relevance through processing, assembly, and the possibility of continuous adaptation.  Hampus Berndtson Hampus Berndtson Originally constructed in 1951, the single-family house epitomized the post-war residential style prevalent at the time. It appeared archetypically as a Danish house is imagined: a two-story cubic box with evenly distributed windows, red brick façade, and a gable roof. Despite its structu... More

Project • By Per Se ArchitectureCultural Centres

Baruthane Cultural Center

Baruthane was put into operation in 1700 as the fifth and also the largest and most modern gunpowder factory in Ottoman Istanbul. The facility was renovated during the Selim the 3rd period and expanded with additions such as the Hünkar Mansion. Baruthane, which was transferred to the Military Factories Administration during the Republic period, was later given to the Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation in 1955. Egemen Karakaya Egemen Karakaya Egemen Karakaya From the original campus, there are four rectangular buildings, a fountain and the Hünkar Mansion, which was built by Selim the 3rd as a viewing and resting pavilion, that remained to the present day. The 324-year-old industrial facility, currently loca... More

Project • By Alumil S.ACultural Centres

La Viennoise

At the heart of Cairo city center, a newly restored building catches the passer-by’s attention. The building’s name is La Viennoise and it is a construction with a long and celebrated history (125 years).   Caption Caption After its restoration, La Viennoise has breathed new life into the city center, becoming the first historic mix-use building in Cairo to receive the TARSHEED green building certification. Al-Ismaelia for Real Estate Investment is the company that was responsible for the building’s restoration.  Caption Caption The architectural approach was made with respect to the history of the building. The renovated façade is reminiscent of the previous eclectic style of La Vien... More

Project • By Robbrecht en Daem architectenArt Galleries

Whitechapel Gallery

In the best museums and galleries one finds one's way through a series of rooms, where the artefacts are carefully lit and set off by calm backgrounds. A degree of repetition helps navigation, some variation helps orientation. Filip Dujardin The proposals for the Whitechapel Art Gallery are bold in their restraint (someone commented: 'where’s the architecture?') and seize a simple but powerful opportunity: lower and upper floors are configured as circuits of rooms, with the stylistically different but volumetrically similar existing galleries linked up by smaller, more domestically scaled gallery spaces. The subtle rhythms and contrasts of the rooms form the backdrop to the wide variety of work on display (historic and contempor... More

Project • By Robbrecht en Daem architectenLibraries

Boekentoren - University Library

The conservation project for the Book Tower aims at restoring the historical site of the University Library, situated in the lively quartier Latin of Ghent, meanwhile at transforming it into a library for the 21st Century. The design unites the ambitions of the University to respectfully repair the monumental site to its original condition, but also to render it a contemporary house for a great diversity of users and for the valuable own collection of the institute. Kristien Daem The Ghent University Library is internationally renowned for its ‘heritage collection’ of manuscripts, books, coins, curiosa, newspapers and magazines. The study into the conservation project revealed that the conservation of these precious object... More

Project • By Rigidized Metals CorporationUniversities

Sam Houston State University - Austin Hall

Rigidized® Metals’ InvariMatte® micro textured metal clads the roof of the Austin Hall at Sam Houston State University. InvariMatte® is an ideal choice for roofing applications due to its consistency, self-cleanability, and solar reflectivity. It is a very energy efficient texture, providing a clean, environmentally friendly surface. Benedetto Garacci, Garacci Photography Benedetto Garacci, Garacci Photography   More

Project • By Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & PlannersOffices

120 Broadway Restoration and Modernization

Completed in 1915, 120 Broadway (known as the “Equitable Building”) is a 40-story building in Lower Manhattan that spans an entire city block and was the largest office building in the world at the time of its opening. As part of Silverstein Properties, Inc.’s capital improvement program, the revitalization re-activates the building’s soaring full-block lobby, enabling pedestrian access and connectivity between Broadway and Nassau Street. Retail is enhanced with expanded glass storefronts and lobby entrances, bringing the architecturally-significant space back into the public realm as originally intended. Paul Rivera At the building’s historic entries, BBB replaced the non-original dark Indian Green marbl... More

Project • By Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & PlannersMuseums

National Museum of American Diplomacy

BBB’s design for the National Museum of American Diplomacy, located at the State Department Headquarters in Washington DC, features interactive technologies that support real-time connections with embassies and exhibits throughout the world. Visitors will be welcomed into a grand 15,400 SF entry lobby that opens into an exhibition pavilion and gallery spaces. The design also includes a theater, classrooms, gift shops, museum support spaces, security screening, and climate control systems for the collections. The next phase of the project, which totals approximately 20,000 SF, will include additional museum spaces and will restore much of the historic lobby of the Marshall Building. MediaGeez - Garland Gray   More

Project • By Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & PlannersLibraries

Harvard Undergraduate House Renewal Winthrop House

Winthrop House, comprised of two Neo-Georgian former freshman dormitory buildings from 1913, had undergone few upgrades since its construction. The renewal program re-envisioned Winthrop’s residential, academic, social, and co-curricular spaces and addresses technical challenges, including significant envelope upgrades, the installation of all-new mechanical systems, and detailed restoration work for the House’s signature public spaces. Amidst the sensitive context of Harvard’s River Houses, BBB also designed Robert M. Beren Hall, a distinctive 41-bed addition that includes shared amenities for undergraduates. Working with the House Renewal Project Management Office, Faculty of Arts & Sciences, the Faculty Deans, and s... More

Project • By Studio G ArchitectsSecondary Schools

Sturgis Charter Public School

Sturgis is a new public charter high school for 400 students grades 9 to 12 designed for their highly successful ‘International Baccalaureate for All’ program. The school asked Studio G to design the 54,000 sf building for modular construction, both to meet a very tight construction, and to shorten the construction time. At the nexus of two academic wings, the lobby opens to a central atrium and stair hall that expands into a casual amphitheater for student presentations and gatherings. The public areas of the school surround it: the administrative offices and library/resource center on the first floor, and special education and counseling areas on the second floor. The hallways in each direction lead to twenty classrooms, five... More

NewsNews • 24 May 2021

Casa Ayora Museum creates chromatic harmony with a material focused renovation

A two-storey building formerly a Dominican convent and then townhouse, the goal of this project by TRAZIA Architects was the restoration and refurbishment of the building for use as a future museum. Milena Villalba A new volume has been added to the main building and in addition to the necessary structural rehabilitation, each wall, floor, ceiling and wall element, was studied and developed independently. The aim was to modify as little as possible of the internal layout, thus focusing on rehabilitation and enhancement of existing. Milena Villalba In particular, hand-painted Art Deco wallpaper heritage was perfectly retained from its original state, a rare occurrence with this type of material. Hydraulic tiles floors in perfect... More

Project • By Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra ArquitectoPalaces

San Telmo Palace Restoration

The Palace of San Telmo, outside of the historical city centre and integrated into the landscape of the Guadalquivir river, constitutes one of the most outstanding civil buildings of Spanish baroque architecture. Constructed between 1682 and 1796 for the Seminary-School of the University of Mariners, it was transformed in the second half of the XIXth century into the residence of the dukes of Montpensier. Transferred to the Church for use as a Metropolitan Seminary, it has been in use until the final years of the XXth century. This period has been considered the most harmful to the heritage of San Telmo; it entailed not only demolition of the interior but the transformation of the buildings formal configuration and tipology. In 1989 it was... More

Project • By Ramon Esteve EstudioArt Galleries

Bombas Gens Art Center

Bombas Gens is an old industrial building with an unquestionable social-historical value and one of the rare remaining examples of the industrial architecture of the thirties. Its Art Deco façades and architecture make it a special, unique location for some new uses according to today needs. The new facilities have been created as an internationally renowned multi-use space where Fundació Per Amor a L’Art will carry out its three-branch activity (arts, society and research). "Our aim has always been to apply a homogeneous intervention criterion to the whole complex, and, at the same time, give each building, be it original or recently built, the characteristic features that it needs for its specific use." - Ramó... More

Project • By MicroclimatPrivate Houses

Cartier House

A hyphen between past and present, the Cartier project is a testament to a couple’s dedication to honour the architectural heritage of a quaint cottage in the Plateau Mont-Royal by giving it a second life. Compact and nestled on a city lot with restrained proportions, including a narrow lateral passage and a small green inner courtyard, the original house presented some challenges for its expansion. Meeting the clients’ desire to connect the indoor spaces to the exterior spaces without losing the home’s existing charm and intimacy would be no small feat. The architectural response thus articulated itself around a balance of old and new with conservation and modernization treatments of the exterior facades and of the home&... More

Project • By FXCollaborativeMuseums

The Statue of Liberty Museum

Enhancing the Visitor Experience on Liberty Island FXCollaborative set two goals for the design of the Statue of Liberty Museum: 1) To create a building that uplifts the experience of the island for all visitors, and 2) To extend and add to the island’s open space, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to a beloved international monument.   Symbolizing Liberty The Statue of Liberty Museum is a garden pavilion that is designed to welcome all visitors of all ages, nationalities, and ethnicities. It is located at the north end of the formal pedestrian mall on Liberty Island, facing the Statue of Liberty and slightly rotated away from it. The museum anchors the main axis that connects the Museum to the Statue, and extends... More