Hasta La Ideas

To kick off Dezeen’s review of 2022, we round up 10 of the most eye-catching architectural reuse projects of the year, from an art museum in Tehran to a Marcel Breuer-designed hotel.

Architecture has historically tended to celebrate the new, but concerns about the climate impact of construction are driving an increasing interest in projects that seek to work with existing structures.

Including ambitious conversions, careful renovations and delicate restorations, here are 10 that stood out in 2022:

Argo Factory, Iran, by Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture North

First opened as a brewery in the 1920s, the Argo Factory in central Tehran became the first new private art museum in Iran’s capital since 1979 following an overhaul by US studio Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture North.

The project, which saw the former factory topped with a series of distinctive concrete roofs, was named architecture project of the year 2022 at the Dezeen Awards.

Find out more about Argo Factory ›

Hotel Marcel, USA, by Becker + Becker

This 1970s brutalist building in New Haven, designed by Marcel Breuer, was converted into a hotel by Becker + Becker after sitting unused for more than 20 years.

The interiors were updated while the facade was retained and repaired, meaning the building now achieves Passivhaus standards despite keeping the distinctive external appearance of Breuer’s original design.

Find out more about Hotel Marcel ›

Jubilee Pool, England, by Scott Whitby Studio

Cornwall’s art deco Jubilee Pool was given a new lease of life with the addition of geothermal heating and community facilities by Scott Whitby Studio.

The restoration of the seawater lido was named rebirth project of the year 2022 at the Dezeen Awards, with the judges feeling it represented “a holistic idea of rebirth and sustainability”.

Find out more about Jubilee Pool ›

Greyfriars Charteris Centre, Scotland, by Konishi Gaffney

Greyfriars Charteris Centre is a community centre in Edinburgh (above and top) created in a former church by Scottish architecture firm Konishi Gaffney.

The renovation involved extensive use of timber for the interiors, as well as a new entryway volume slotted between the church and a neighbouring office building.

Find out more about Greyfriars Charteris Centre ›

Castlefield Viaduct, England, by Twelve Architects

London studio Twelve Architects transformed Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct, once a key freight link but disused since 1969, into a linear park featuring weathered-steal planters.

The project is a temporary pilot project led by the National Trust, but the conservation charity is now fundraising to make it a permanent fixture.

Find out more about Castlefield Viaduct ›

Nieby Crofters Cottage, Germany, by Jan Henrik Jansen and Marshall Blecher

A former pigsty was replaced with a glazed extension containing a sunken lounge as part of Jan Henrik Jansen and Marshall Blecher‘s careful reconstruction of this 120-year-old thatched cottage in northern Germany.

The project involved rebuilding most of the dilapidated structure, restoring the original facade while completely replanning the internal layout.

Find out more about Nieby Crofters Cottage ›

Stanbridge Mill Library, England, by Crawshaw Architects

London studio Crawshaw Architects turned a former cow shed in Dorset into a library and office organised around a barrel-vaulted wooden nave.

The narrow brick outbuilding had previously stood neglected for more than four decades but the architects made only small structural changes, replacing two roof trusses with portal frames to open up the interior.

Find out more about Stanbridge Mill Library ›

Schoenenkwartier Museum, Netherlands, by Civic Architects

Amsterdam-based Civic Architects sliced circular openings into an existing brick wall to provide glimpses of the exhibition spaces inside this shoe museum in Waalwijk.

The project saw listed 1930s municipal buildings refurbished and turned into a space housing 12,000 objects as well as a cafe and design laboratories.

Find out more about Schoenenkwartier Museum ›

Jinyun Quarries, China, by DnA_Design and Architecture

A series of abandoned stone quarries in Zhejiang Province were turned into cultural spaces including a library and a performance venue by Beijing-based DnA_Design and Architecture.

The studio focused on highlighting the existing character of the quarries with delicate insertions and artificial lighting as a response to the lavishly designed tourist spots that dominate rural China.

Find out more about Jinyun Quarries ›

High Sunderland, Scotland, by Loader Monteith

The High Sunderland house in the Scottish Borders, designed by architect Peter Womersley in 1957, but suffered extensive damage in a fire after being sold in 2017.

Loader Monteith undertook a light-touch renovation of the mid-century home, focusing on reinstate as many of the original features as possible while introducing measures to meet current sustainability standards.

Find out more about High Sunderland ›

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