Tuesday, 24 March 2015

Review: Old vs New

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.     

            

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