DETAIL 5.2014

From the editorial DETAIL 5.2014

Refurbishment

Because construction methods, building materials and uses vary widely, refurbishment concepts must be attuned to each particular building. The considerable time span in which the buildings we use originated is a further source of diversity. At one end of the spectrum: refurbishment of newer buildings continues to gain significance. Two such examples date to the 1960s: a medical centre in Rotterdam and an office building in Milan. A variety of shortcomings were remedied at an even more recent building: a school in Neubiberg, Germany, erected in the 1970s. At the other end of the spectrum: the conversion of a medieval ruin in England. The careful interventions preserve not only the castle’s physical remnants, but also the atmosphere of the historic setting.