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50 Buildings Repurposed In Such Cool Ways, We Just Had To Share Them With You (New Pics)
Interview With Expert
The cool thing about architecture is that what you see isn’t always what you get. That bank over there? It’s actually a coffee shop. That old cement factory? Now it’s full of office workers. And those swimmers and skaters heading to those churches over there aren’t really going to mass. Welcome to the wonderful world of adaptive reuse!
Our team at Bored Panda has collected some of the most creative and impressive photos of buildings being repurposed for something entirely different. It’s probably not something the original architects intended, but it sure works. Scroll down for some awesome pics and a huge dose of inspiration.
We wanted to learn more about the advantages of repurposing buildings, so we reached out to designer Danish Kurani, the founder of the design firm 'Kurani.' He was kind enough to shed some light on the topic and even shared some examples of his work focusing on adaptive reuse.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
An Old Bank Is Now A Bookstore In Bucharest, Romania
Bored Panda asked designer Kurani about some of the main upsides of adaptive reuse. "Repurposing buildings offers several advantages. First, it's environmentally friendly. Construction accounts for about 11% of global carbon emissions, so renovating existing structures instead of building new ones reduces our carbon footprint. It requires less energy, fewer materials, and produces less waste," explained the founder of 'Kurani,' a social impact-driven design firm that creates educational, cultural, and community spaces.
Moreover, repurposing buildings and structures is a more efficient way to use space, according to Kurani. "In society, we often underutilize existing buildings: our homes are empty while we're at work, and our offices are empty when we're home. Repurposing buildings maximizes the potential of our most underutilized structures."
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#2
Local Mexican Restaurant Used To Be A Chinese Restaurant. Instead Of Painting Over A Mural, They Just Put Sombreros On The Pandas
#3
This Book Store Was Built Inside An Abandoned Theater
Furthermore, there's the potential to revitalize neighborhoods. "Adapting an old building can transform an unattractive area into a vibrant, useful place for the community," Kurani said.
Sharing a couple of great examples of his work with Bored Panda, Kurani said, "I'm a big believer in reusing buildings, and recently built a learning lab for children in a retail storefront and transformed a former industrial warehouse into a rehabilitation center for incarcerated men."
#4
German Restaurant Repurposed Giant Wine Barrels Into "Eating Pods"
#5
Community College Turned A Former Mall Into A Campus
Glen Ellyn 3 weeks ago
I really like this idea. So much better than letting it fall into disrepair or just demolishing it. Seems more do-able than trying to make it into apartments, which would take more expensive infrastructure changes, such as plumbing.
#6
London Church Converted Into A Swimming Pool
Jrog 3 weeks ago (edited)
Built in 1893, formerly the Chapel of the Claybury Psychiatric Hospital at Woodford Green in Essex, one hour from London City Center. In 1997 the hospital was shut, and from 1998 to 2004 the whole complex was made part of a real estate speculation: the surrounding park became a gated community for rich a******s, the church and the adjacent recreation hall became a Virgin Active. The chapel was converted into a pool, the hall into a gym, the confessional into a sauna for said rich a******s, who also have access to a 6-holes golf course, an "organic cafe" and a country club, because you cannot stereotype enough with these guys.
If you want to be all fancy and impress your friends at your next dinner party, the technical term for repurposing buildings and using spaces for needs other than they were originally intended is ‘adaptive reuse.’
The practice is also known as ‘recycling’ and ‘conversion,’ and it is offered as an alternative to new construction for the sake of better sustainability, urban regeneration, and creating a circular economy. Think of it this way: if you can change the purpose of a single room in your home, why not apply that same logic to an entire building or structure?
Real estate and infrastructure are expensive to build and maintain, so it’s economical to be flexible in how we view various spaces. Objectively speaking, at their core, buildings are just big (hopefully artistic) boxes with walls, ceilings, and floors. Maybe even windows if you’re a fan of sunlight!
What we do with—and in—those spaces, what functions we hope they serve, and how we configure and design them is entirely up to us. And the fun part is that we, as a society, can change our minds depending on our shifting wants, needs, and attitudes.
#7
A Barn Converted Into A Home
#8
Abandoned Church Transformed By Skaters Into Something Straight Out Of A Video Game
Jrog 3 weeks ago (edited)
St. Liborious in St. Louis, MO. The building is listed as City Landmark and Historical Building, despite being barely 150 years old and not especially significant architecture-wise. It was abandoned years ago, turned into a homeless shelter and then sold to a real estate company. The company didn't have much to do with the space, and leased it to a group of locals to be turned into a skate park. After ten years of lacking maintenance and utter lack of funds, the church and its nearby buildings burned in a fire on June 29, 2023. The fire started from leftover paint and solvents from an "art project" (i.e. graffiti), burned through the roof and interiors, leaving just the walls and the tower standing.
#9
Office Repurposed From Old Cement Factory In Sant Just Desvern, Spain By Ricardo Bofill (1973)
A factory can become affordable housing if there are massive changes in the economy and certain industries are no longer profitable. Palaces can transform into concert halls, event spaces, or museums.
Skyscrapers full of offices can turn into apartments, or vice versa, depending upon where the wind blows in the real estate market. And, yes, old banks can become really cool coffee shops. The only limits are your imagination and your budget for changing the ‘guts’ of the building.
#10
A Library In A Former Walmart, Mcallen, Tx
#11
Church Turned Into A Concert Venue, Manchester UK
#12
Discontinued Bridge Converted Into A Basketball Court In The Philippines
Reusing what you’ve already built and repurposing those spaces makes a lot of financial sense. Not only is it economical, it’s also ecological. Instead of laying down foundations and building something new, you’re redesigning the space.
Sure, you might have to check that the building’s up to code and update the plumbing and electrical systems, but that’s easier than starting everything completely from scratch. You'd also probably have to handle far less paperwork when adapting a space compared to building something new. Getting building permits, while necessary, is also a huge headache.
#13
Coffee Shop Built Out Of Brightly Colored Shipping Containers
#14
Old Grain And Milk Factory Turned Into One Of The Most Populair Nightclubs Of The Netherlands (De Melkweg)
#15
Soviet Water Tower As Bouldering Park In Jonava, Lithuania
The Varisco Design Build Group suggests that adaptive reuse projects are a testament to the seamless fusion of innovation. From their perspective, repurposing buildings can “honor the past while embracing the future,” giving new life to old structures. It’s environmentally friendly and can create a more culturally diverse urban environment as cities continue to develop.
#16
Power Plant Turned Bookstore And Restaurants, Baltimore, Md
#17
Old Bank Turned Into A Coffee Shop In Greer, Sc
#18
Converted Abandoned Church In Spain
Ece Cenker 3 weeks ago
I would place the table perpendicular to the windows just to break that linearity of the church plan. I hate the directional feeling that the rectangular plan pushes on you.
According to the Varisco Design Build Group, your first step should be coming to grips with the existing structure. “The project’s architectural design and structural integrity must all be examined. By comprehending the strengths and limitations of the building, we can make informed decisions about the feasibility of the intended transformation.”
#19
This Museum In France Is A Former Swimming Pool
Jrog 3 weeks ago (edited)
Musée La Piscine in Roubaix. Building preservation done right. The 100-years old Art Nuveau masterpiece was not viable as a swimming pool anymore, and at the same time the city had troubles finding a space for some of their precious cultural belongings: a bunch of art and technical collections they inherited from a technical school dissolved during WW2; architectural elements from a magnificent temporary building of the 1913 Universal Expo; artworks by Rodin, Ingres, Chagall and Picasso. With some good management and some EU funds, the two problems solved themselves. At the opening they consistently had three times the expected visitors, and they already had to expand it further.
#20
My Local Dunkin’ Donuts Used To Be A Car Wash So The Drive Thru Is Inside The Building
#21
Welcome To C-Mine (Genk, Belgium). It Used To Be A Coal Mine. Now It’s A Cinema, Cultural Centre And It Has A Few Restaurants As Well!
Meanwhile, you'll have to be very clear about exactly what it is you intend to do with the space once you convert it. You’re changing things, yes, but to what end? What are the functions of the new space going to be?
Coffee shop and grocery store employees and clients are going to have very different needs from those of galleries, corporate offices, and the like. In short, you need a clear vision of what you’re doing before you start doing it. Changing your mind in the middle of a project is going to end up costing you a pretty penny.
#22
The Recinta Moderniste De Sant Pau - An Absolutely Incredible Art Nouveau Hospital-Turned-Museum That's Right Down The Street From The Sagrada Familia
Jrog 3 weeks ago (edited)
VISIT THIS. It's amazing and they need all the support they can get to finish the renovations. Also, visit the Palau de la musica Catalana by the same architect, it's in the city center. (the title is misleading though it's not "right down the street"... it's about 20 minutes away)
#23
Railway Tunnel Repurposed For Walking Path In Fairmont
#24
Former Pub
Next, you'll have to check whether the intended design and functions of the structure comply with zoning requirements. You have to do your research and get in touch with the necessary government agencies to get approval. What you intend to do and what's (not) legal might be two very different things.
#25
This Grocery Store That Used To Be A Hockey Arena Still Has Center Ice Marked
#26
House Of Worship? Only If Your God Is Beer
Meaghan Stewart 3 weeks ago
There’s one of these in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada! Lovely place, always packed.
#27
Restaurant We Ate At Is A Converted Church (Zizzi In Cheltenham, UK)
But bureaucracy might not be the main challenge. You have to consider potential structural issues, too. “We must take care of problems like load-bearing capacity, foundation stability, and seismic retrofitting while preserving the original character of the building,” the architectural design and build firm states.
#28
My Local Library Used To Be A Jail
Madam Puddyfoot 3 weeks ago
If you talk too loudly, instead of the librarian shushing you , you get locked in a cell.
#29
This Pizza Hut Was Converted Into A House
#30
Church Converted Into An Apartment Building (Philadelphia, USA)
Which of the adaptively reused buildings featured in this list impressed you the most, and why?
What is the single coolest repurposed building or structure that you’ve personally seen, dear Pandas? What's the worst?
If you could redesign any space for your own (business or personal) needs, what would you do? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
#31
Old Mall Turned Into Apartments
SweetCheesySpaghetti 3 weeks ago
I would honestly love to see shopping malls turned into indoor communities. Like retirement communities. Keep the food court, maybe have a pharmacy and a walk-in clinic... the rest of the stores become apartments (with actual walls and doors, though). How cool would that be for residents?!
#32
Former Bell Labs Research Facility In Holmdel, New Jersey, After Being Revitalized As A Cultural Hub
#33
This Old Bowling Alley Converted Into A Target. The Red Balls Are Bowling Balls
Howard M. Lewis Ship 3 weeks ago
I believe this is on Powell Ave., in Portland Oregon. https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4970764,-122.6339072,3a,75y,355.18h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sapVBxjf2ez00WpvhfjIO9g!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D0%26panoid%3DapVBxjf2ez00WpvhfjIO9g%26yaw%3D355.17928787264105!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTExMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
#34
35 Ft Bus Converted Into A Cafe
#35
This United States Post Office Repurposed Into A Grocery Store
Cpt. Christan "Panda Bombero" 3 weeks ago
But, am I able to get my groceries delivered by Express or Priority and with the certified tracking number?
#36
An Elevator Shaft Repurposed Into A Toilet
#37
Movie Theater Turned Into Rock Climbing Gym
#38
Fitness Center At The Beacon: A Luxury Apartment Complex Repurposed From A Hospital
#39
My University Built A New Building Around An Existing One, Making The Outside Now Inside
#40
Former Train Station Near Paris, Now A Mcd's
#41
This Dunkin' Donuts Used To Be A Bank
#42
Old Apartment Complex In Saigon Now Filled With Restaurants And Boutique Stores
Jrog 3 weeks ago
That's bad. Like, very bad. Vietnamese 1950-60s construction is a hot mess of subpar materials, structural calculations made by eyeballing and "meh, good enough". Retail spaces have much higher crowd loads- and also permanent loads- than residential buildings, so this conversion is very sketchy. There are some high profile cases of building that collapsed after being turned into impromptu malls....
#43
This Goodwill Location Used To Be A Tower Records
#44
Pagony, Budapest, A Children's Swimming Pool Turned Into A Bar!
#45
Movie Theater Is Now A Vietnamese Supermarket
#46
An Old Barn Near Me Got Converted Into A McDonald's
#47
Updated Priorities: Hamburg Brothel Transformed Into Covid-19 Testing Facility
#48
Boarding School Owned By Dutch Colonist In Indonesia, Circa 1931, Turned Into KFC Today
Søren Schilthauer 3 weeks ago
Converting anything into a KFC, McDonalds or any other US junk food franchise is a atrocious
#49
A Former Bank Is Now A McDonald's In Kristiansand, Norway
S. E. in Indiana 3 weeks ago
Hey, Søren Schilthauer, where's your negative comment on this one?
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What do you think ?
S. E. in Indiana 3 weeks ago
These people who think it is not right for fast food places to use these buildings really irk me. At least these places are being repurposed instead of being abandoned and left to rot, they are being used. If you don't like the restaurant chain, then don't go there.
person (i think) 3 weeks ago
I agree. While having *something else* there may be preferable, the actual alternative to this type of reuse may be demolition in favor of new- build (at least in most of the US). Demo and re-build often costs less, than rehabbing (again, in most of the US). I _love_ building re-use, and while I don’t think they are all nicely done or well matched, I would to rather there be an effort than the alternative
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Justin Tyme 1 week ago
It isn't sudden. Bored Panda is gradually transitioning to a subscription model website.
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Seán Baron 3 weeks ago
One of London’s most famous art galleries is Tate Modern, which used to be the old Riverside Power Station. One of Lo don’s most iconic buildings, even featuring on a Pink Floyd album cover is the old Battersea Power Station. That’s now been converted to shops, apartments and office hubs.
Chris the Bobcat 1 week ago
Let's just hope the pig doesn't fly away this time.
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S. E. in Indiana 3 weeks ago
These people who think it is not right for fast food places to use these buildings really irk me. At least these places are being repurposed instead of being abandoned and left to rot, they are being used. If you don't like the restaurant chain, then don't go there.
person (i think) 3 weeks ago
I agree. While having *something else* there may be preferable, the actual alternative to this type of reuse may be demolition in favor of new- build (at least in most of the US). Demo and re-build often costs less, than rehabbing (again, in most of the US). I _love_ building re-use, and while I don’t think they are all nicely done or well matched, I would to rather there be an effort than the alternative
Load More Replies... Justin Tyme 1 week ago
It isn't sudden. Bored Panda is gradually transitioning to a subscription model website.
Load More Replies... Seán Baron 3 weeks ago
One of London’s most famous art galleries is Tate Modern, which used to be the old Riverside Power Station. One of Lo don’s most iconic buildings, even featuring on a Pink Floyd album cover is the old Battersea Power Station. That’s now been converted to shops, apartments and office hubs.
Chris the Bobcat 1 week ago
Let's just hope the pig doesn't fly away this time.
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