Revitalization of Functionally Empty Industrial Heritage Buildings

PhD project by Alberte Klysner Steffensen

The reuse of existing buildings plays a central role in the future building culture, which will be increasingly characterized by renovation, restoration, and transformation rather than new construction. In light of this, architectural heritage has gained renewed relevance as an active player in the green transition. The shift from years of tabula rasa thinking towards a greater utilization of existing building stock calls for a regenerative preservation practice with increased sensitivity to site-specific considerations and a particular focus on each building’s inherent qualities and values as a basis for development.

Murstensfacade. FOto:Alberte Klysner Steffensen

The subject of this research project is the preservable buildings from the mid- to post-war era in Denmark, representing a significant historical building stock currently facing functional emptiness, the need for transformation, or the threat of demolition. However, industrial heritage buildings are an underprioritized and vulnerable part of Danish cultural heritage. The preservable buildings are secured differently from municipality to municipality, and several buildings from this period are not officially classified as preservable, even though they meet the legal requirements for cultural heritage consideration and possess heritage potential. This makes younger industrial buildings particularly vulnerable to interventions, where the architectural and cultural-historical qualities of the buildings risk being compromised.

The research project aims to explore the untapped and overlooked potentials in preservable industrial buildings from the recent past. Additionally, it seeks to examine the current challenges associated with sustainable reuse of these buildings and how the transformation of these buildings can be methodically addressed in accordance with the heritage values of the settlement.

Understanding what is happening at a given location is an architectural and aesthetic challenge that involves a special focus on a site’s complex connections, values, and hitherto overlooked potentials. The project relates to the question of valuing cultural heritage, as it is an essential part of building documentation, simultaneously laying the foundation for both the management and decision-making regarding the preservation of the valuable buildings. Therefore, the research project questions whether the current official valuation framework is sufficient in the future building culture, where responsibility for resources, energy optimization, and reuse are inevitable premises. If both sustainability requirements and the preservation of heritage values are to be considered, it may lead to several conflicts, involving preservation practices, heritage management, and the negotiation space between preservation and development.

Based on theoretical studies, architectural-historical analyses, and case studies, the project aims to formulate a methodological approach to assess industrial building heritage with a focus on the qualities and development potentials of the settlement. This, hopefully, can contribute to enhancing the municipal and practice-oriented preservation of industrial heritage and securing its future.

Primary Supervisor: Mogens A. Morgen

Project Supervisor: Charlotte Bundgaard