Every now and again, someone from the architecture and building industry stands up and says something worthy and meaningful about how adaptation, reuse, restoration and upgrading existing buildings is of far greater importance than building anew. Unfortunately, nothing captures the imagination more than a shiny new building, so proponents of innovation restorations are often left trailing in the wake of novelty.
Marc Kristal hopes to change all that with The New Old House. An international survey of adaptive re-use, the book looks at 18 case studies where renewal has included a major new built component, sitting alongside the old to make a sharp and shapely juxtaposition. Covering everything from ancient British industrial architecture to new takes on the NY townhouse, these are strikingly different projects with a shared ethos at their heart. Renovation, it seems, need place no limits on formal and material innovation, and as the many photographs ably demonstrate, the combination of old and new enhances the patina and texture of these new residences.
The garden facade of Collage House, London, by Jonathan Tuckey.
Kristal’s book also goes far beyond the average coffee table tome, in that project descriptions are rich with insider insight and a genuine interest in the history and processes that shaped each project. With buildings like Witherford Watson Mann's award-winning conversion of Astley Castle in Warwickshire and Acme's striking Hunsett Mill project, that history might go back several centuries.
Crucially, we’re also treated to a welcome number of before and after images (as well as the all-important floor plans), which in many cases reveal these projects to be much, much more than mere extensions. Instead, they're often about returning architectural fragments to a restored, historically suitable state, while new components slot in and alongside. The New Old House is a very welcome insight into a strand of architecture that deserves far more than second tier status.
WT Architecture's The White House, in its spectacular setting on the Scottish island of Coll
Jim Olson's Longbranch House, Washington State.
Corbusier-inspired concrete skylights at Casa Delpin, Puerto Rico, by Nataniel Fuster.
Found Associates' award-winning Cotswolds residence, UK.
INFORMATION
The New Old House: Historic & Modern Architecture Combined, £40, published by Abrams & Chronicle, £40. For more information, visit the website
-
After the floods, Valencia’s design community unitesValencia's design community launches ‘Auction for Action’ and 'Interioristas en Acción' (IED), initiatives to raise money for those effected by the floods in Spain
-
In Helsinki, Pauline Curnier Jardin has created the grotesque amusement park of her dreamsFrench artist Pauline Curnier Jardin celebrates otherness at Kiasma, Helsinki’s Museum of Contemporary Art
-
A celestial New York exhibition showcases Roman and Williams’ mastery of lightingLauded design studio Roman and Williams is exhibiting 100 variations of its lighting ‘family tree’ inside a historic Tribeca space
-
Explore a barn conversion with a difference on the Isle of WightGianni Botsford Architects' barn conversion transforms two old farm buildings into an atmospheric residence and artistic retreat, The Old Byre
-
Capability House blends contemporary architecture and historical landscape in rural EnglandCapability House is a modern retreat by Dedraft set in the historical landscape of green, Capability Brown-designed grounds in rural England's Aynhoe Park Estate
-
A Peckham house design unlocks a spatial puzzle in south LondonAudacious details, subtle colours and a product designer for a client make this Peckham house conversion a unique spatial experience
-
Squire & Partners' radical restructure: 'There are a lot of different ways up the firm to partnership'Squire & Partners announces a radical restructure; we talk to the late founder Michael Squire's son, senior partner Henry Squire, about the practice's new senior leadership group, its next steps and how architecture can move on from 'single leader culture'
-
Meet the 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize winner: Livyj Bereh from UkraineThe 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize winner has been crowned: congratulations to architecture collective Livyj Bereh from Ukraine, praised for its rebuilding efforts during the ongoing war in the country
-
RIBA House of the Year 2024: browse the shortlist and pick your favouriteThe RIBA House of the Year 2024 shortlist is out, celebrating homes across the UK: it's time to place your bets. Which will win the top gong?
-
The new Canada Water boardwalk is an experience designed to ‘unfold slowly’A new Canada Water bridge by Asif Khan acts as a feature boardwalk for the London area's town centre, currently under development, embracing nature and wildlife along the way
-
The Museum of Shakespeare set to open in east LondonThe Museum of Shakespeare puts the remains of the ancient Curtain Playhouse at the centre of 'The Stage', a new urban development in the heart of Shoreditch
