Student City Complex in Novi Beograd

Build Without Demolition to make sustainable what already exists.

Reusing existing structures, adding what is missing instead of demolishing and rebuilding, clearly uses less material, less energy, less money, and takes advantage of the space that already exists. These are ecological issues that are posted all over the world, and which, surprisingly, are not often applied.

Widespread demolition is a quite recent phenomenon, otherwise we would no longer have historic centres and old buildings. Generally speaking, it is mainly modern architecture that is being demolished. This should make us wonder, because there is no objective reason. These buildings have not been less well built than the older ones. The addition, the superimposition of architecture is what forms our history – the contribution of each stage of society. There is no valid argument for demolishing all these modern buildings, which are not at the end of their life cycle. What replaces the demolished buildings is not necessarily better. What is lost in demolition is first of all people’s lives, their environment. It is also structures, materials, spaces that can still be used. It is a lot of money lost and a lot of carbon consumed. Demolishing is a waste that is absolutely not compatible today with ecology and the imperative for sustainability. Space, housing, every square meter has become a financial product, when it should be a cultural value. The memory of the city, the traces that allow us to understand our history, are lost with demolition. Exemplarity does not begin after demolition.

There is an obvious role for us to be useful and creative, to provide generous, economical and sustainable answers to all these questions of quality of life, ecology, climate and economy. By putting the emphasis on people, we can make architecture that does not constrain, but on the contrary, architecture that is kind to people, and that encourages involvement, responsibility and solidarity.

In essence of our proposal, adaptive reuse is a “process that changes a disused or ineffective item into a new item that can be used for a different purpose.” When applied to the built environment, adaptive reuse takes derelict structures and breathes fresh life into them. For instance, an old building’s architectural features can be preserved when converting it into another structure, while an abandoned stretch of road could be repurposed into a place that sparks social change. Adaptive reuse can also lead the way toward preserving architectural and cultural heritage. Instead of restoring historic sites to their old grandeur, turning them into contemporary structures allows their legacy to live on through a different purpose.

Sustainable architecture begins with designing for longer lifecycles and reuse. Looking to create more inclusive and viable  futures, architects are exploring adaptive reuse as one of the best strategies to address the climate crisis and promote social justice. Reuse keeps the culture of an area alive, bridging between old and new as projects push the boundaries of circular and adaptive design. 

The reuse of building materials involves saving a high percentage of embodied energy. Finding new uses for old buildings significantly reduces the energy consumption associated with demolishing a structure and building a new one to replace it. This is especially true as a large portion of a building’s carbon emissions comes from its materials, from fabrication and delivery to assembly. Grounded by an approach to sustainability and wellbeing, the designers are rethinking building performance through minimal carbon impact and positive social impact, as well as sustainability and design innovation.

Adaptive reuse can also foster social justice. This is especially true in the reuse of buildings to be an integral part of a neighborhood’s social fabric. Our proposal involv the redevelopment social life of the Student City. It was conceived as a design project to the healthy transformation of the dormitories, aiming to provide an living dormitory campus with the pedestrian promenade corridor  through the revitalization of infrastructure and dormitories.