Unloved Buildings: Ideas for Reuse and Transformation of Late 20th-Century Architecture

The most comprehensive account to date on reuse and transformation of existing buildings in Western architectural culture since 2015. Many buildings from the late 20th century no longer meet today’s cultural, economic, and technical requirements. Yet, in times of climate change, global instability, and massive urbanisation, we cannot afford to waste what has already been built. Many of these structures fall outside traditional preservation efforts—too new for historic reverence, too unfashionable for contemporary appreciation, and too problematic for straightforward renovation. In short: they are unloved. Today, building new no longer represents progress. Being truly progressive in the 21st century means to tread as lightly as possible on the planet. Thus, retaining, reusing and transforming the built environment is becoming increasingly relevant to architects worldwide. Unloved Buildings contributes an urgent discourse about the shifting role of architecture within society and inspires a design culture that exercises greater care for existing buildings on both social and material levels. Through four critical lenses—the cultural heritage of reuse, the environmental cost of building, the economic forces shaping our cities, and the design strategies that enable transformation—the book outlines why and how we can extend the lifespan of buildings.