Faculty of Design

Environmental Design

Phinney Ni

The Silo of Rebirth

Many historical buildings that are listed as heritage buildings did not get effective renovation so they are still vacant or underutilized. As the city developed and more people moved in, the shortage of housing and supporting facilities like public space are becoming problems. So it is important to reactive the underutilized heritage building to decrease the stress of the development, create a sense of community, and prove that the historic building can be used efficiently and can be balanced between the memories and the modernization so more old buildings can be protected. Adaptive reuse is a better solution to reactivate the old architecture and its surroundings compared to demolishing the old building completely and rebuilding a new one because it can maximally keep the original historical culture and memory of the site and pass it to the next generation with a direct sensory experience. The site I choose are abandoned silos on the waterfront, I am planning to redesign it to become an art and maker center that support recreational culture production and provide the chance for local artist to tell and express the local story. It will also become a key part of the waterfront master plan that links the parks and enrich the cultural industry to forge a more complete waterfront living experience. I am wishing to find a creative way to activate the heritage building, that might be able to provide a new solution for adaptive use.