Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Architecture as Resource German Pavilion / 13th International Architecture Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia 2012 13th International Architecture Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia 2012

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In Germany, working on existing structures has become the architect’s most important task. Thereby the objective is to recognize and redevelop the energy and potentials of such structures: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The approaches put forward here, for dealing with existing structures, show what is possible in „everyday“ building tasks: Architects respect existing buildings, examine them from a current point of view, and through intervention, develop architecture. With numerous best-practice examples, this book offers an overview of innovative strategies for regeneration, reuse, renovation, and augmentation of preexisting structures. Interviews, statements, and international references paint the picture of a changing self-understanding: Architects who, when transforming existing buildings, no longer consider themselves as new creators, but rather as developers.Exhibition schedule: 13th International Architecture Exhibition, Venice, August 29-November 25, 2013