Neglected stone dwellings, barns, and other derelict buildings have always been objects of romanticized architectural adaptations; the dream of transforming a ruin into a house for next to nothing and reviving it for a new era or use is of particular interest in an age of resource conservation. In degrading old towns and regions, structures can be purchased for cheap by assuming the responsibility of rehabilitating the buildings, to breathe new life into demographically challenged communities. Renewing an old house requires the delicate touch of knowing what to get rid of and what to preserve that harnesses the spirit of place embedded in weathered stones. Prefabrication and industrialized building have little to do with vernacular building techniques, however, the creative interaction between old and new sometimes elevates both, providing an image of how classic building systems and modern methods of construction can complement one another in unique adaptive reuse strategies.
Nauman Architektur practise epitomized this idea by transforming an 18th century pigsty into a refined 21stcentury showroom. Extensively damaged in the second world war, the building’s existing aged materials and shapes are framed beautifully by a precise timber panel system composed as a prefabricated prosthesis inserted into the existing stone structure. The planar timber structure is arranged as a type of autonomous volume, pre-assembled, lifted and slid into place. The internal form duplicates the arbitrary patterns of existing openings and serves as a background for stone bearing walls that clearly express their tectonic link to place. The plywood insert is capped off with a slick pitched roof detail amplifying the material dualities of old and new, thick and thin, light and heavy, craft and industrial production, stacked and surfaced, evident from every point of view. The prefabricated sleeve envelopes a flexible space that could be used as a multi-use living space. Turning a low road accessory farm building into an inhabitable modern space showcases the adaptability of architecture not only from a theoretical perspective but as a hands-on way of conserving and reviving history. Prefabrication in this case speaks to its potential for sensitive intervention reducing site disturbance to a minimum.
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| Exploded axonometric and volume being inserted, project by Naumann Architektur |
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