REUSE & RETROFIT 099
retrofit projects both winning international awards and filling the industry publications. Now even large-scale developers are trying to think more sustainably, according to Feix & Merlin, a young practice that has established a reputation for pushing diversity and inclusivity, as well as shown great flair for creatively reusing and repurposing both furnishings and buildings. You might expect forward-thinking local authorities and universities to be getting behind sustainability objectives, as Feix & Merlin has found both with their revamped Walworth Town Hall scheme for Southwark Council, and an
ambitious scheme with David Chipperfield Architects to breathe new life into an existing LSE building on Lincoln’s Inn Fields – for which Feix & Merlin’s proposed a breathtaking, timber-lined auditorium to be inserted into the existing envelope. But they are also finding UK mega-developer British Land more sympathetic to the cause, including in its London HQ that Feix & Merlin is refurbishing. Says co-director Julia Feix: ‘We work with British Land quite a bit and they are very rigorous in making sure that sustainability is being considered in terms of materials. For their HQ fit-out they have
supported us in being very stringent in terms of what we could use.’ While corporate developers in general ‘move slowly’, says Feix, when it comes to British Land, ‘the overall appetite for sustainable practice is very high. Tey need to be seen to be that sort of company, these days.’
So, with clients increasingly open to the idea that sustainable practice is the right thing to do, how can boundaries be pushed for doing more with what we’ve got. Husbandry of resources, luckily, is a topic that architects and designers have had to address for some time, what with global recessions, pandemics and
CASE STUDY
BUITENPLAATS BRIENENOORD, ROTTERDAM
Buitenplaats Brienenoord, located on an island in Rotterdam is a testament to Rotterdam architects Superuse Studios’ belief in the transformative power of re-using materials and collaborative practice.
The components used come from an abandoned scouting building, the Kamphuis, constructed by volunteers in the 1930s as a summer camp for local girls and boys, with both the
building and its island location donated by Wilton Feijenoord, a historic shipping and repair company. Up until 2000 the Kamphuis wa rented out for summer camps and holiday activities for school and community groups. However, a fire in nearby Volendam brought fire safety oficers to the location, who declared the building unsafe. The hut and the island lay more or less unused until 2015, when a team of social, scientific and cultural activists identified its potential, redeveloping the site as Buitenplaats Brienenoord, an informal
urban park where all members of Rotterdam’s population can gather in this peaceful and pastoral setting. Superuse Studios’ research began with an in-depth study of the existing building and its materials, identifying opportunities for reuse, followed by the collaborative process of reimagining the space to align with its new purpose. All the suitable materials from the former scouting building were salvaged and repurposed.
The new building’s foundations are based on the existing foundations, hence its not quite orthogonal shape. Steel trusses from the old building have been re-used, reinforced with wood or welded parts where necessary. In total 90% of recycled materials were used in its construction, almost all the materials salvaged from demolitions in the surrounding area, including radiators and doors.
Client Foundation Grondvesten Design Superuse Studios
Construction began August 2015, completed September 2019 Gross floor area 329sqm Construction costs Euros300,000
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