Post-Industrial Sites as Canvas

摘要

Between "fading smokestack industries and ascendant post-industrial economy", almost every city in former industrial regions faces the challenge of addressing disused remains of the industrial past. When the once (often rationally) ordered, functional, and therefore modern structures for industrial and manufacturing production became obsolete, revitalization, rehabilitation, restoration, recycling, (adaptive) reuse, and redevelopment are some of the many "re" terms associated with their conversions into new functions. Among them, adaptive reuse is the most common expression for this phenomenon, which has increased since early attempts in the 1960s and 1970s. Environmental concerns, historic preservation, urban renewal, and desire for urbanity and cultural identity are the primary forces guiding these changes today. Therefore, the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings and landscapes has become a mainstream architectural practice and has played an important role in defining the new aesthetic of sustainability.