"The City as a Loft" Adaptive Reuse Lecture by Kees Christiaanse 22 January 2014

'The City as a Loft'

Kees Christiaanse will present ideas and concepts from his book, The City as a Loft: Adaptive Reuse as a Resource for Sustainable Urban Development.

A desire for urbanity, identity and indentification has been a major factor during the last thirty years in stimulating the preservation and conversion of derelict structures dating from the industrial era. Buildings like this have their own specific features and a relationship to history and context, while at the same time being open to current and future needs. The buildings attract involvement by local people and stand out with their qualities of stability and openness. The word 'loft' is used to describe these urban qualities: adaptable, flexible and at the same time powerful and authentic spaces in which people can live and work.

The thirty portraits of reused industrial areas presented in the book show a wide variety of locations all around the globe in which reinterpretations of the legacy of the industrial age are releasing tremendous energy and creativity. The book examines the backgrounds, people and concepts involved and illustrates various strategies for reuse. In essays and interviews, specialists from both the theoretical and practical fields explain their findings and experiences.

18:30 - 20:00 22 January 2014

Location: Christopher Ingold Auditorium, UCL Chemistry Building, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ