This complex of five historic warehouse buildings in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, has been transformed into a hotel and restaurant called 21c Louisville.
Photo courtesy TenBerke
When Do Buildings Deserve a Second Chance?
In her new book, architect Deborah Berke builds a case for giving old buildings new life. Just don’t call it “adaptive reuse.”
In May 2022, the American Institute of Architects reported that billings for reconstruction projects exceeded those for new construction — a first in the 20 years of the AIA’s tracking. Media-savvy architects jumped on the industry’s favored term for such work — adaptive reuse — to broadcast their commitment to building more sustainably.
But architect Deborah Berke, the Yale School of Architecture dean known for her firm’s innovative renovations of older buildings, is not a fan of the industry’s nomenclature. “I really, really hate the expression,” she says. “It has no poetry to it. No magic.”