A series of short films featuring eight different renovation and transformation projects across Europe. Each short film tells the story of one project and shows, the potentials of existing buildings as a real alternative. Each case study focuses on one main main how this approach saves homes and keeps communities alive, preserves jobs and local industries, conserves resources and invested energy, and honors history and stories.
DUTCH THE WRECKING BALL highlights the Kleiburg project in Amsterdam’s Bijlmermeer, where NL Architects and XVW architectuur led one of Europe’s most ambitious residential refurbishments. Faced with a decaying 1970s slab building, the team embraced innovation over demolition by introducing the concept of the “Klusflat” or “DIY-flat.”
INSPIRE TO RENOVATE showcases “Wohnen im Weinlager,” a project developed by the Habitat Foundation, who stepped in and saved the industrial building from demolition and took on the risk to renovate and transform it. Together with the Swiss office Esch Sintzel, they reused the historic wine storage facility in the center of Basel and transformed it into affordable living spaces.
By preserving key elements such as the robust concrete column structure, the architects kept the building’s industrial charm and history, while adding a new wooden and steel structure that allows flexible floor plans—ensuring the apartments meet the needs of today’s residents. The adaptation process minimized demolition waste and reduced the project’s overall carbon footprint, all at the same cost as a new construction.
This story serves as a role model for cities and developers to undertake the risks often associated with existing buildings, proving that adaptive reuse can create affordable housing while preserving history and resources.
Visit the website of Esch Sintzel
Visit the website of the Habitat Foundation
Place: Basel, Zurich
Year: 2024
Author(s): Yannick Angehrn, Fabian Hug, Maria Wenzl
Teaching Team: Severin Bärenbold, Olaf Grawert, Pan Hu, Meghan Rolvien
Contributor(s): Esch Sintzel Architekten, Stiftung Habitat
Photo: Philip Heckhausen
POTENTIAL UNCHAINED highlights the transformation of De Voortuinen, an adaptive reuse project that converted a former bank building in Amsterdam into a modern residential tower. The project is presented in three chapters, each addressing different scales of renovation: from the global potential of reusing existing buildings, to the specifics of the building itself, and finally, to the larger systemic context of the real estate market and architectural profession.
LIKE A BACKPACK focuses on a once dark and cramped home, built in the 1920s as part of a working-class settlement in Germany’s Ruhr area, which was on the verge of demolition. Instead of tearing it down, inventive solutions were applied to transform the space into a bright and spacious family home. The renovation preserved key architectural elements such as the red brick facade and the original tiled floor, while creating additional living space.
By opting for renovation over new construction, the project not only reduced costs by more than 50%, but it also significantly cut CO2 emissions. This approach demonstrates how adapting existing structures can be both economically and environmentally beneficial. The transformation proved that preserving a building’s character can coexist with modern needs and sustainability.
LIKE A BACKPACK serves as a model for the future development of single-family homes. While this typology is often considered inefficient in terms of land and resource use, this renovation shows how embracing existing buildings can lead to innovative, affordable, and environmentally responsible solutions for the housing sector.
Visit the website of AMUNT
Place: Aachen, Zurich
Year: 2024
Author(s): Baldouin Bee, Areti Gijzen, Ulla von Zahn
Teaching Team: Severin Bärenbold, Olaf Grawert, Pan Hu, Meghan Rolvien
Contributor(s): Björn Martenson (AMUNT)
SLEEPING GIANTS explores the potential of vacant office buildings, often referred to as SLEEPING GIANTS, to be converted into housing. Many European cities are facing a high proportion of vacant office spaces, which contrasts with the growing demand for affordable housing. Brussels is especially affected by this issue, with roughly 1 million square meters of empty office space. In response, local actors are exploring ways to address this challenge, asking: What should be done with the sleeping giants?
REMAIN VISIBLE highlights the work of French offices BAST and LITTORAL, who have developed a unique approach to renovating existing buildings, particularly single-family homes. Their method focuses on transparency, where everything remains visible in the project avoiding the addition of unnecessary layers. This approach not only saves energy by preserving the existing structure but also minimizes the need for new materials and resources.
TURNING RUST INTO TRUST showcases how baubüro insitu transformed an existing warehouse at Lagerplatz in Winterthur by renovating and extending the original structure. The project, called K118, utilized only reclaimed components from deconstructed buildings. This approach flips the typical planning process, starting with material collection, measuring, cataloging, and continuously adjusting the design as new materials were found.
In addition to the salvaged components, baubüro insitu specifically selected natural resources like wood, straw, and clay, which require minimal energy for processing and create a comfortable indoor climate. The result is a space for twelve new studios and workshops, with each floor organized around a shared kitchen and outfitted with sanitary facilities and spacious balcony corridors. An elevator and external staircase connect all levels.
Through this upcycling strategy, K118 reduced its construction footprint by 60 percent compared to a conventional new build, moving closer to the goal of truly circular architecture. This project exemplifies how resourceful design and material reuse can create sustainable, functional spaces while reducing environmental impact.
Visit the website of baubüro insitu
Place: Winterthur, Zurich
Year: 2024
Author(s): Sophia Falk, Kevin Keskin, Daniela Markovic
Teaching Team: Severin Bärenbold, Olaf Grawert, Pan Hu, Meghan Rolvien
BECOME YOUR OWN CLIENT highlights the transformation of a run-down townhouse in Linz, Austria, by miA2 Architektur. The architects stepped in, purchasing the property at a demolition price, and took on the challenge of renovating and expanding it within limited resources. By almost doubling the size of the original structure, they demonstrated how architects can take control as developers, clients, and construction supervisors, daring to challenge the status quo.
Preserving of the original townhouse as much as possible, miA2 Architekten blended renovation with a thoughtful extension, maximizing both space and functionality. The project showcased how architects, through proactive planning, can address urban densification while maintaining cost efficiency. Their approach involved careful financial planning in stages, utilizing the low square metre prices, and minimizing waste resulting in a cost-effective and sustainable renovation.
This transformation is not just a technical success but also a statement on the role of independent architects. It shows how architects can leverage their expertise and take matters into their own hands to shape the urban environment. By stepping up as developers and making unsolicited moves to preserve and enhance existing structures, they contribute to sustainable urban growth and inspire others to rethink how cities can evolve. This story serves as a model for architects and urban developers, proving that adaptive reuse, even with constrained budgets, can reinvigorate existing spaces.
Visit the website of mia2 Architektur
Place: Linz, Zurich
Year: 2024
Author(s): Vivienne Mächler, Tassilo Meyer, Lucas Steurer
Teaching Team: Severin Bärenbold, Olaf Grawert, Pan Hu, Meghan Rolvien
Contributor(s): mia2 Architektur
Photo: Kurt Hörbst
SEIZE THE MEASURES focuses on the legacy of two million affordable LDS-apartments built between the 1970s and 1990s in the GDR, intended to provide housing for the working class. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, many of these apartments were vacated, and more than 300,000 were demolished during Berlin’s city renewal efforts. This issue extends to other former socialist states like Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria, where a third of the population still lives in serial housing, and in Estonia and Latvia, the number exceeds half of the population.
One notable project is Haus 08 by Stefan Forster GmbH in Halle Neustadt, a former P2 PLS apartment block. The renovation focuses on creating diverse layouts for all apartments, introducing new openings, spacious terraces, vibrant colors, and redesigned entrances, moving away from the serial nature of the original design. The project also introduces gardens and more open spaces, improving air circulation and overall quality of life within these once-typical structures.
By revitalizing these buildings, Haus 08 brings new life to a part of the city that was left behind. This renovation transforms the character of the area, enhancing both the social and environmental aspects, and demonstrating how adapting these structures can contribute to more livable and sustainable urban environments.
Visit the website of Stefan Forster GmbH
Place: Halle-Neustadt, Zurich
Year: 2024
Author(s): Isabelle Zwicker, Jonathan Titschack, Rosa Hickey
Teaching Team: Severin Bärenbold, Olaf Grawert, Pan Hu, Meghan Rolvien
Contributor(s): Stefan Forster GmbH
Photo: Jean-Luc Valentin
'Renovation Stories' is a project done by students at s+ (station.plus), the chair for Architecture and Storytelling at the Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich. This design studio aims to tell stories about alternative approaches to practicing and constructing architecture, emphasizing methods that involve preserving, adapting, renovating, and transforming existing buildings. Examining various countries, the focus lies on practices that have successfully implemented projects for the social-ecological transformation of existing buildings. These practices, often overlooked for a long time, span a range of scales from small to large and encompass both private and public usage. The diverse examples showcased in the 'Renovation Stories' series raises awareness about the untapped potential inherent in existing structures.