Reader Review: Old and new
Recycling building- Adaptive Reuse
Should old buildings be preserved? Or it
should be demolished, just like the classic saying” if the old doesn’t go, the
new will not come”? In this century, every country is competing to show their
advancing, and architecture do shows technology of a country. However space is
a critical problem in this kind of issue. So when this becomes a problem, people
will start to have thought that “old building doesn’t exist in advance country,
and they should be demolished”. So in order to get balancing between old
buildings and city development, recycling old buildings is the greenest thing
that u can do.
The
reader I have chosen is “Trenton architect says recycling old structures is the
ultimate example of thinking green” by Wendy Plump which used to publish on the
Times. The reader written that for Architect
Annabelle Radcliffe-Trenner, founder of her personal firm, Historic Building
Architects, those neglected ,abandoned, glorious buildings have given testimony
to her passionate belief in architectural restoration and also preserving the
beauty of these old construction. Besides, she also expresses that she feel
terrible for tearing down those old building today.
Although
we acknowledge international progress however we always hate to see buildings
get demolished due to some safety problem, beyond financial economical or they couldn’t
fulfill their original role in 21st century. Adaptive reuse then is
the best solution, by providing new uses for old buildings. There are all these
great buildings around in need of rehabilitation. So why break them down? Why
tear them down? Old buildings reveal original characteristic of the area and
this allow us to study and learn from the history in order to make a better
future. Besides, my reader tells that not to get too precious in restoration
work. Old buildings are best pleasured when public gets good and king-term use
out of them, rather than turning them into boring house museum or gallery that people
never visit. We can make it fabulous!
Furthermore,
recycling makes the old building better! Disadvantages are found and improved
with the new renovation and maintenance. Undoubtedly, this just indirectly makes
the society better! From another reader which I have chosen, there are few inspiring
example for adaptive reuse. One of them which impressed me much is going to the
700 year old church which located in Netherland. It was left to fall into
disrepair for two hundred year and successfully converted into world’s most
beautiful bookshop through adaptive reuse effort. Besides, this topic actually
reminded me of Sekeping Kong Heng which located in Ipoh Malaysia (which I have
visited last month). It is now recognized as Malaysia best famous guest house
design in Malaysia and surprisingly before that it was just an abandoned
building. The architect of Kong Heng, Seksan remained a lot of its original characteristic,
example the walls that not even plastered and painted but revealed as the
original form. This building then answer most of my question, recycling
building does work well, and most of the community can fully accept them.
Don’t
easily give a full-stop to old buildings, there is so much stories behind them,
it just feel so right and meaningful to continue the story with adapting
different time era.” Recycling building --- adaptive reuse” is an essential
combination of case histories and an important reference in the fast-paced
design and city development now.
