Open Collections

Building on a living heritage : adaptive reuse of a railyard roundhouse

University of British Columbia

The reuse of existing buildings designed for a specific purpose that has become obsolete is an activity increasingly relevant in today's society. At one end of the spectrum is the complete obliteration of historical artifacts to make way for new development. At the other end is the preservation of an instant in time held eternally distant as a museum. The body of effort expended in the 1970's resulted in much commendable legislation to protect our heritage. However, the original intentions are often lost in practice when buildings become either museum pieces or caricatures of themselves in an effort to attract tourists. There is no question of the didactic value of the museum but our economic resources to support the extensive restoration work that is often necessary are limited. Furthermore, our built heritage can offer more than a hands-off visual record. Historic buildings can be adapted and lived in and contribute more to the experience of our heritage as a continuum extending beyond our past and into our future. The architectural strategies for layering our history into an experience of the present can be applied to new construction so that all our buildings can become part of an enduring, yet simultaneously ever-changing, architectural heritage.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-05-28

For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/8401

Architecture

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace