Items Tagged ‘Residential’
Gasometer City
Project Name:
Gasometer CityLocation:
Vienne, Austria, EUCompletion Date:
2001Original Use(s):
utilityNew Use(s):
residential, commercial, culturalProject Description:
History
The Gasometers were built between 1896 and 1899 in the Simmering district of Vienna near the Gaswerk Simmering gas works of the district. The containers were used to help supply Vienna with town gas. At the time, the design was the largest in all of Europe. The Gasometers were retired in 1984 due to new technologies in gasometer construction, as well as the city’s conversion from town gas and coal gas to natural gas. In 1978, they were designated as protected historic landmarks.
(Re)Developer
Vienna undertook a remodelling and revitalization of the protected monuments and in 1995 called for ideas for the new use of the structures. The chosen designs by the architects Jean Nouvel (Gasometer A), Coop Himmelblau (Gasometer B), Manfred Wehdorn (Gasometer C) and Wilhelm Holzbauer (Gasometer D) were completed between 1999 and 2001.
Outcome
Each gasometer was divided into several zones for living (apartments in the top), working (offices in the middle floors) and entertainment and shopping (shopping malls in the ground floors). The shopping mall levels in each gasometer are connected to the others by skybridges. The historic exterior wall was conserved. One of the ideas rejected for the project was the plan by architect Manfred Wehdorn to use the Gasometers for hotels and facilities for the planned World Expo in Vienna and Budapest. On 30 October 2001, the mayor attended the official grand opening of the Gasometers, but people had begun moving in as early as May 2001. The Gasometers have developed a village character all their own and are a city within a city. A true sense of community has developed, and both a large physical housing community (of tenants) as well as an active virtual internet community (Gasometer Community) have formed. Numerous theses and dissertations in psychology, urban planning, journalism and architecture have been written about this phenomenon. Indoor facilities include a music hall (capacity 2000–3000 people), movie theatre, student dormitory, municipal archive, and so on. There are about 800 apartments (two thirds within the historic brick walls) with 1600 regular tenants, as well as about 70 student apartments with 250 students in residence.[1]
[1]Wikipedia
Images courtesy of TreeHugger.com and Wikimedia.
Adaptive Reuse of Nashville Ironworks
Project Name:
Adaptive Reuse of Nashville IronworksLocation:
Completion Date:
Original Use(s):
New Use(s):
Project Description:
Michael Allen critiques the adaptive reuse of the Kerrigan Iron Works in Nashville for the Riverfront Condominiums. The old steel fabricator has been redeveloped for residential uses. The large shed is now a parking structure though, as Allen notes, it’s the primary entrance and quite unattractive. The main building which runs along the river and is attached to the shed is now the residential component. Allen also found an interesting courtyard within the building, however, it is also used for unattractive parking. While it may have its design flaws, Allen notes that the developer utilized the old structure with little incentive. Tennessee has no state development tax credit.
Lexington Distillery District One Step Closer to Revitalization
Project Name:
Lexington Distillery District One Step Closer to RevitalizationLocation:
Completion Date:
Original Use(s):
New Use(s):
Project Description:
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) announced tax increment financing (TIF) that will transform the old Lexington Distillery District into a new mixed-use venue. The developer will utilize the existing 300,000 James E. Pepper Distillery along with the Old Tarr Distillery to incorporate commercial, residential, and tourism elements. The largest adaptive reuse project in Lexington, it will play off the booming tourist base the city is experiencing. The intention of the project is to boost local tourism, improve the area, and connect to the Bourbon Trail.