YAŞAR UNIVERSITY

Faculty of Architecture
Department of Architecture
Fall Semester 2017/2018

INAR 560 - Intervention & Modification

Lect. Sergio TADDONIO

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Final Submission

ADAPTIVE REUSE OF SILO BUILDINGS WITH A NEW FUNCTION

Student: Büşra / ERDEN / 17400006002

Abstract

An important part of our cultural heritage is the historical buildings. Functional and reused historical buildings continue
their existence in the interests of the people and the environment. Adaptive reuse in abandoned industrial buildings is an
important issue for many regions. Many industrial plants in our region lag behind the developing technology, the
valuation of the remnants of the urban fabric, the idling, the emptying, the not being used etc. it is a sad situation for the
environment. These kind of buildings, which carry historic value, are important structures that cannot be demolished and
replaced. These mechanical and industrial buildings can maintain their existence by transforming them into public or
private spaces such as residential, restaurants, museums, showrooms, focusing on preserving their original structures
and forms. Taking into account the potential of building stocks that complete their function as an industrial structure is an
important step for the environment. Re-functioning is to integrate the existing value with a new function. Many structures,
which are our cultural heritage, are closed for use for a variety of reasons and destroyed by decay. Buildings can be
reused by certain methods. The implementation of these methods without harming the building is should be the basic
principle of adaptive reuse. A significant majority of industrial buildings, which are our cultural heritage, are silo buildings.
These buildings, which are quite large in size and strong structured, an interesting option for reuse project. Silo buildings
have been reused in many ways such as houses, museums, cultural centers. One of the most functional uses of the silo
constructions, which have dimensional diversity, is to convert them into houses. The purpose of this research paper is to
define the adaptation of silo buildings to reuse into house based on the environment and conservation principles.
Protection studies that have been successful in qualified examples from Europe will be given.

Keywords: Adaptive Reuse, Conservation, Cultural Heritage, Building Functions, Silo Buildings

1.1 Adaptive Reuse

When discussing the reuse of a historic building, there are two different options. Among these options is the
continuity of the original function of the structure, and the provision of a new function of the other. As both
options will interfere with the building, the application should be based on conservation principles. Adaptive
reuse is the transformation of a building, land or zone from one use to another. If the re-use of the building is
worth the inheritance, the building should support the understanding of this heritage at the same time as it
continues to preserve the heritage value. Reuse, instead of trying to destroy an existing building, gives the
building a new life. A reuse project designed by adding a new layer without deleting the previous layers
becomes part of the long history of the area. The best practice for reuse of historical structures will be that
the new project can be removed at a later date and reuse will not prevent future protection. Adaptive reuse is
not just about protecting the texture or shape of buildings. It is necessary to understand the effect in the
heritage building or zone. Other considerations include spatial structures and configurations, the relationship
between land and context, important views about the land, traces and processes of the activities carried out
there.[3]

In addition to looking at the old structure as a value for money, it is a more accurate view to use this
construct as a product of survival and cultural products to be passed on to future generations.[2] Useful
reuse from all respects will create a continuity between culture and human being with good analysis of the
interventions that will result in the construction of the new function and the determination of the correct
function.

Adaptive reuse is not simply a matter of retaining the fabric or envelope of buildings. The heritage building,
site or precinct needs to be understood in complex ways. When reusing industrial heritage the new project
should also aim to retain evidence of technologies, the flows of materials and people, and work processes.[3]

1.2 Silo Buildings

Originally invented in the 1840s, the first silos were wood-framed structures, making them prone to setting on
fire. The ones would have seen in the early 20th century were steel-framed structures built with concrete, a
method that kept so many of them standing as testaments to a bygone era. Economies and buildings are
evolve as time progresses. As old ports and new shipping routes changed cities, many silo buildings emptied
out. As great as they were at storing grain, however, they don't typically make for easy redevelopment. [4]

Although there are many examples of converted silo buildings, many challenges can occur when using this
type of structure. Many articles have discussed the dangers of grain elevators and how they can collapse.
Hundreds of grain elevators collapse each year due to many reasons including improper filling, deterioration,
and not meeting the design and code requirements. [5] Therefore, because of the many dangers and
challenges faced with this type of structure, any adaptive reuse project should begin with a thorough
assessment of the silo buildings. The assessment must determine if the structure is about to collapse or has
any acid damage. If so, the proper precautions must be made to make it structurally sound. The silo building
should have proper maintenance and any repairs should be made before future uses. [5]

One of the main reasons why silo buildings were used for adaptive reuse projects was because they were no
longer being used for their original purpose. Developers and city officials are forced to be more creative than
usual when determining new uses for these silo buildings. Unlike old office buildings and factories,
conversions are especially complicated the typical silo buildings is windowless, tall enough to define a
skyline, and contains only a ground floor. [4]

2. Case Studies

In this chapter, all of the silo buildings that took place in Europe examined with 3 examples. These three
examples, selected according to their functions, are exemplified as mass housing, dormitory and single
housing, which are collected under the title of housing. The first example (Frosilo) architects turn this silo into
an apartment housing, in the other example silo turns into a student housing complex, and in the last
example cement factory silo turns into a single housing dwelling.

Examples to examine:

 Frosilo in Copenhagen, Denmark

 Student Housing Complex a Silo Building Oslo, Norway
 The Factory / Ricardo Bofill in Sant Just Desvern, Spain
2.1. Frosilo in Copenhagen, Denmark

Completed in 2005, the Frosilo project involved the overhaul of the twin 1960s-built silos, which were put out
of service when the soybean processing plant closed in the 1990s. MVRDV was tasked with transforming the
structures into an apartment block. Unlike the warehouse conversions common in the area, which maintain a
historic character, the silos were seen by MVRDV as a bare structure that could easily accommodate
"futuristic" homes. [6]

Figure 1: Frosilo in Copenhagen before reconstruction and new function

The structural limitations of the silo hold the solution to the design. For instance, big openings are difficult to
make in the exterior concrete rings. Making door openings is possible but complicated, and can only be done
in a limited number of locations. Locating apartments in the silos might imply, in areas where views are
available, that the spaces are directed inward. For a warehouse renovation this might be acceptable, due to
its monumental status, but in the case of a silo, this type of design misses a key opportunity. In addition, if
you were to fill the silo with floor slabs and walls, it would destroy the most exciting aspect of its present
state: its emptiness. [7]

Figure 2: Stairs Figure 3: Plan drawing

The design projects the floors to the outside, solving this potential problem and taking advantage of the silo’s
shape. Beautiful views are maximized and maximum flexibility is achieved. Both cores are covered by a
glazed roof, creating a futuristic lobby in which people move up and down. In this way, the silo literally forms
a new core for the project: all the useable space, every room, profits from its unique location. [7]

Figure 4: Section drawing Figure 5: Evolution drawings

2.2. Oslo’s Student Housing Complex Located in a silo building

The best use for a large grain elevator is   of course  to store grain, but as commercial interests shift over time,
many cities around the world are left with big, hulking structures and nothing to store in them. One good
option is adaptive reuse. In Oslo, HRTB Arkitekter AS transformed an old grain elevator located along the
Akerselva River into a 19-story student housing complex known as Grünerløkka Studenthus. Using bright
panels of colored glass, the architects managed to add a bit of whimsy to the concrete, battleship gray
exterior, while leaving most of the original structure intact. [8]

Figure 6: Exterior look of the silo Figure 7: Design of the interior of the Student
, house showing the minimal amenities inside.

Originally built in 1953, the grain elevator was used to store corn from Oslo’s Nedrefoss Mill, and it was in
operation from the 1950s to the 1990s. The structure consists of three rows of seven grain silos 21 in all. In
1993, the local government in the Norwegian capital approved the adaptive reuse project; work started on
the conversion in 1999, and in 2001 the building reopened as a student housing complex. HRTB Arkitekter
was aided by Lykke Frydenlund and Ingrid Løvstad, who provided artistic and interior design expertise. [9]
 Figure 8: Plan drawings and visualization of the rooms

2.3. The Factory / Ricardo Bofill in Sant Just Desvern, Spain

In 1973 Ricardo Bofill found a disused cement factory silo, an industrial complex from the turn of the century
consisting of over 30 silos, subterranean galleries and huge machine rooms, and he decided to transform it
into the head office of Taller de Arquitectura. Remodelling work lasted two years. The factory, abandoned
and partially in ruins, was a compendium of surrealist elements: stairs that climbed up to nowhere, mighty
reinforced concrete structures that sustained nothing, pieces of iron hanging in the air, huge empty spaces
filled nonetheless with magic. [10]

Figure 9: The Cement Factory

The construction work, which began with partial destruction with dynamite and jack hammers, lasted for
more than a year and a half. It was a precision job, which consisted in revealing the hidden forms and
recovering certain spaces, comparable to the work of the sculptor whose first task is to confront the material.
The silos were full of cement and it was impossible to penetrate the spaces entirely saturated with dust. The
following phase was the greening and planting. It was necessary to provide a green plinth to these volumes;
plants would climb walls and hang from the roofs. The last phase was the annulment of functionalism: we
had to give the factory new structures and different uses, invent a new program. [10]

Various spaces became visible: The Cathedral, the gardens, the silos. Later we had to differentiate the new
constructions with a specific vocabulary, which integrates various languages from the History of Architecture
in opposition to vernacular architecture. We imagined windows, doors, stairs and false perspectives, and
applied them to the exterior walls and some of the interiors. Slowly, with the valuable help of Catalan
craftsmen, the Cement Factory was transformed, but it will always remain an unfinished work. [11]
While the raw concrete walls and slightly oxidized surfaces were preserved, the complex of silos and
industrial structures have come a long way from its cement factory past. In addition to its unexpectedly lush
exterior, the interior features surprising and skillful combinations of warm tones, textures, and contemporary
elements against the industrial backdrop. [12]

Figure 10: Interior views of the factory

As part of the creative renewal and adaptive reuse of the silo plant, the factory hall was transformed into a
conference and exhibition room, generous in size with floor to ceiling heights of 10 meters. With slightly
oxidized surfaces, the raw concrete walls preserve the industrial aesthetics and spatial quality, the memory
of the structure’s former use. The minimal architecture intervention in La Cathedral is aesthetically striking
and visually strong, with very few pieces designed by Taller Design: a wood and steel conference table,
black leather sofa, chairs and armchairs, a steel and glass coffee table and a smaller meeting table under
the huge hoppers. [11]

Figure 11: Ground level plan of the site

Figure 12: The Cement Factory Figure 13: The Cement Factory
3. Conclusions

Preservation, survival, re-functioning and transfer to future generations of historical architectural heritage are
important in terms of cultural continuity. However, if any intervention to ensure historical and cultural
continuity is not properly applied, it may cause the inheritance value to lose its authenticity and identity. The
first priority in the work to be done should be that all the requirements of the building, the analysis of the
environment, damage to the building and all the needs for a new function are sensitively determined by the
people who know it. According to the results and the project that is planned later, it is necessary to apply by
the people who will observe the benefit of the historical building.

The growing population, the expansion of cities and the dwelling of historic buildings in urban centers have
led to the interest of these buildings over time. The important point in this study is that the interventions
made without harming the historical structure are beneficial. Industrial buildings are also part of our culture.

References

[1] Altınoluk, Ü., 1998: Binaların Yeniden Kullanımı, Yem Yayın, İstanbul
[2] Ahunbay Zeynep, 1996: Tarihi Çevre Koruma Ve Restorasyon
[3] Clark, J. (2013). Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Heritage: Opportunities & Challenges. Melbourne: Heritage Council
Victoria.
[4] Web source, URL: https://www.citylab.com/design/2012/06/hardest-re-use-grain-elevators/2293/
[5] Kevill, M. (2013). The adaptive reuse of grain elevators into housing: how policy and perspectives affect the
conversion process and impact downtown revitalization (Master's thesis, University of Waterloo).
[6] Web source, URL: https://www.dezeen.com/2015/08/14/frosilo-apartments-offer-great-combination-old-new-mvrdv-
movie-jacob-van-rijs-copenhagen/
[7] Web source, URL: https://www.mvrdv.nl/projects/frosilio
[8] Web source, URL: https://medium.com/junctioneer-2008-2017/student-housing-complex-located-in-a-former-grain-
elevator-hey-we-have-an-old-grain-silo-in-the-ac8f009ad679
[9] Web source, URL: https://inhabitat.com/oslos-grunerlokka-studenthus-is-a-student-housing-complex-located-in-a-
former-grain-elevator/
[10] Web source, URL: https://www.archdaily.com/294077/the-factory-ricardo-bofill
[11] Web source, URL: http://www.ricardobofill.com/la-fabrica/read/
[12] Web source, URL:https://inhabitat.com/architect-turns-old-cement-factory-into-incredible-fairytale-home-and-the-
interior-will-blow-you-away/

Images

[Figure 1] Web source, URL: https://www.dezeen.com/2015/08/14/frosilo-apartments-offer-great-combination-old-new-

mvrdv-movie-jacob-van-rijs-copenhagen/
[Figure 2] Web source, URL: https://www.dezeen.com/2015/08/14/frosilo-apartments-offer-great-combination-old-new-
mvrdv-movie-jacob-van-rijs-copenhagen/
[Figure 3] Web source, URL: https://www.mvrdv.nl/projects/frosilio
[Figure 4] Web source, URL: https://www.mvrdv.nl/projects/frosilio
[Figure 5] Web source, URL: https://www.dezeen.com/2015/08/14/frosilo-apartments-offer-great-combination-old-new-
mvrdv-movie-jacob-van-rijs-copenhagen/
[Figure 6] Kevill, M. (2013). The adaptive reuse of grain elevators into housing: how policy and perspectives affect the
conversion process and impact downtown revitalization (Master's thesis, University of Waterloo).
[Figure 7] Kevill, M. (2013). The adaptive reuse of grain elevators into housing: how policy and perspectives affect the
conversion process and impact downtown revitalization (Master's thesis, University of Waterloo).
[Figure 8] Web source, URL: https://inhabitat.com/oslos-grunerlokka-studenthus-is-a-student-housing-complex-located-
in-a-former-grain-elevator/
[Figure 9] Web source, URL: http://www.ricardobofill.com/la-fabrica/read/
[Figure 10] Web source, URL: https://www.archdaily.com/294077/the-factory-ricardo-bofill
[Figure 11] Web source, URL: https://inhabitat.com/architect-turns-old-cement-factory-into-incredible-fairytale-home-and-
the-interior-will-blow-you-away/
[Figure 12] Web source, URL: http://www.ricardobofill.com/la-fabrica/read/
[Figure 13] Web source, URL: https://www.archdaily.com/294077/the-factory-ricardo-bofill