Leftover Space As Design Opportunity Acknowledgement I owe a depth of gratitude to Shweta Wagh and Vandana Ranjitsinh, for the vision and foresight which inspired me to conceive this project. I’m particularly in debited to my mother for inspiring me to this work. It is also my duty to record my thankfulness to Dhara Mehta, Riddesh Sanghvi ,Harshada Khatu, and Devyani Negi for inspiring and helping me in undertaking this project. Finally, I take this opportunity to acknowledge everyone who collaborated in producing this work. INDEX 1. Central Objective or Intent 2. QUESTIONS 3. Introduction 4. Adaptive Reuse 5. Importance of the Adaptive Reuse 6. Principles of Adaptive Reuse 7. Advantages of Adaptive Reuse 8. Fate of Abandoned Building Today 9. Existing Reuse Strategies • FERRY BUILDING MARKET • Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport • Library in Luckenwalde Railway Station • High Line • Landschaftspark 10. Potential sites around Mumbai 11. Grant Road Parcel Depot 12. Connection and Access to Site 13. Analysis of Existing Structure 14. Concept to Develop Program 15. Approach's in dealing with Adaptive Re-Use 16. Design Conclusions 17. Conceptual Sketches 18. Functions 19. Plans 20. Sections and Elevations 21. Bibliography Central Objective or Intent The central objective of this thesis is to suggest that (re) inventing of a space can be an effective tool of social change of the neighborhoods. QUESTIONS Can abandoned/ leftover places be reclaimed ? Who benefits from these reclaimed sites ? Can (re) development of a building have a positive effect to the neighborhood ? How can the planning and design of such places foster community development? Introduction With the growing times, vacant and dilapidated sites are hugely ignored by the government on one hand and on the other becoming desirable to the private developers who intend to use the site to build high end commercial or residential building without any consideration of the surrounding. This thesis begins to recognize these spaces as a new form of public space unlike traditional public spaces as they hold more potential to a public life. Examples include back lanes or alleys, yards of dilapidated building, a vacant lot. The adaptive reuse is used as a tool for the reinvention of such spaces into spaces that could be used for different functions and thus begin to emerge as new form of public life. Adaptive Reuse Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. The recycling of buildings has long been an important and effective historic preservation tool. It initially was developed as a method of protecting historically significant buildings from demolition. However adaptive reuse can sometimes blur lines between renovation, facadism and adaptive reuse. It can be regarded as a compromise between historic preservation and demolition. Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco is considered the first successful adaptive reuse of an industrial complex. The chocolate factory relocated in the early 1960s and the Roth family purchased the block in 1962 in response to fears that the block would be demolished. In 1964, after an extensive renovation, the factory is brought to life as a 176,000 square-foot retail center with a brick-terraced courtyard and restaurants. The buildings are listed in the National Register in 1982. Importance of the Adaptive Reuse The neglect of abandoned buildings in preservation is generally caused due to planning decisions made in the city around them leaving these spaces to decay. Community confirms that they have long been, and still are, considered by many to be a nuisance and an eyesore. They are often overlooked due to their blighted surroundings, polluted landscape, and ‘ordinary’ architecture. Such a belief ignores the history, character-defining features, and unique public spaces that are often created in these spaces. When ‘leftover space’ is saved, it is the result of a belief of its potential to be transformed in a way that would help preserve the past and blend in with the present. Therefore, asking the question ‘what has this building been?’ in addition to ‘what could this building become?’ will result in a conversion that does not hide the building’s past.(Bunnell) A successful adaptive reuse project can bring redevelopment, heritage tourism, and new life into a community. Principles of Adaptive Reuse The challenge comes in finding the desired balance between change, adaptation and restoration. In finding the right balance, adaptive reuse projects should integrate five principles into the design as stated by (Loures and Panagopoulos, 2007): • Perform the functions well for which they are redesigned • Be long lasting and adaptable to new uses • Respond well to their surroundings and enhance their context • Have a visual coherence and create ‘delight’ for users and passers-by • Be sustainable – non polluting, energy efficient, easily accessible and have a minimal environmental impact Adaptive reuse can be applicable to any type of existing building, from industrial buildings to churches and anything in between, with a resultant use that can vary just as much. Advantages of Adaptive Reuse There are evident environmental, social, and economic benefits to adaptive reuse projects. • The environmental benefits are experienced through the reuse and recycling of the existing materials and structure, reducing the amount of waste entering landfills. (Langston et al., 2007). • The reuse of a building can allow for the structure to be used as public infrastructure which reduces the pressure on municipalities, preserves the natural environment and reduces urban sprawl (Langston et al., 2007). • The social benefits of reuse projects include rejuvenating the heritage and cultural values of a building. • During the time period when the building was originally in use, it served a specific purpose in the neighborhood to which people, in one way or another, were connected. Older buildings have the ability to provide character to an area and create a ‘sense of place’; acting as a link to the past. • A reduction in the quantity of vacant buildings assists in reducing the crime rate and other antisocial behaviors in an area. As well, it can facilitate the revitalization of the surrounding neighborhood (Langston et al., 2007). • There are economic benefits as a result of adaptive reuse projects that can be experienced by both the municipality and the developer. The municipality benefits from the increased property tax that the developed site creates over a vacant site. • historical sites are often located in the centers of large cities due to the spatial development of a given area. Fate of Abandoned Building Today With regards to decaying, abandoned building the most common strategies are 1. demolition removes all traces of the building entirely Morarjee Mill 1: Construction of the residential complex ‘Ashok Towers’, with three 30-storeyed and a 50-storeyed tower, underway for the past six months Factory: Hindoostan Mill Status: Sick since 1991 Redeveloped in 1996 as Kalptaru Heights, a 40-floor apartment complex. Factory: Modern Mills Status: Closed since 1987 Redeveloped in 1996 as Belvedere Court, a 39-floor, 78-apartment block. Price per flat: Rs.1 crore. 2. replacement destroys evidence of the previous decay Phoenix Mill The first to redevelop the textile mill is now an entertainment and shopping hub with the chimney as a reminiscent of its past as a mill, situated in Lower Parel. While existing structures have been retained due to government rules, they have been refurbished and additional structures have been built around them in phases. A multiplex and hotel are currently being added here through the Bombay Municipal Corporation lease deed of 2005 giving the mill over 20,000 square yards of land. 3. no action encourages continuing common negative implication. Shakti mill :Surrounded by Mumbai's high-rise buildings and posh localities, Mumbai's now abandoned Shakti Mills represents its dark underbelly which is yet to catch-up with the pace of maximum city. The abandoned mill land in the Worli-Parel area seems like a contiguous stretch of tall grass and beautiful ruinsto an outsider. But it is divided into 'unseen zones'. There are safe clearings where children play cricket and restricted enclosures that are a preserve of anti-social elements. Only locals know where the boundaries lie In order to reoccupy decaying abandoned spaces in a way that respects the present decay, complete preservation, adaptive reuse or renovation are not always visible options due to the present condition of the existing structure. Existing Reuse Strategies POINTS OF ANALYSIS 1. PRESERVATION 2. ADDITION 3. MIX OF OLD AND NEW 4. OVERBOARD/ SIMPLE 5. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE 6. PART OF THE CITY FERRY BUILDING MARKET SAN FRANCISCO 1. PRESERVATION Architecturally, the building’s crucial elements were preserved. • 245-Foot tall Clock Tower • Clock made in 1898 by the Boston clock maker E.Howard has 4 dials, each 22 feet in diameter and is the largest wind-up mechanical dial clock in the world which lead to its refurbished mechanism. • Great Nave-660 foot • Redid the mosaic flooring, marble cornices, gabled skylights and exposed wrought-iron trusses BEFORE AFTER 2. ADDITION A highlight of the building is the 30 foot walkway between the structure and the waterfront that did not exist before which now is an inviting feature. 3rd floor- 175,000 ft approx premium office space + Port Commission use 3. MIX OF OLD AND NEW Inaccessible storage area are converted into main arcade with large incisions that provide natural light and also a new modern extension was added towards the waterfront. 4. OVERBOARD / SIMPLE The ground floor utilizes durable material that was much needed for the marketplace. And the second floor re-uses slender iron columns. 5. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Visitors have options to eat from high end restaurants to affordable cafes or have sample food from markets.