Modern: Old Is New!

Unquestionably, the majority of us feels drawn to things that remind us of the past, but our present society also strives for innovation and progress. These days, the “union” of old and new is very striking in many different fields. From music, fashion, film, photography to architecture and interior design, various examples show the common trend of merging old and new elements in order to create something completely new and…modern!

By saying this, today’s architects are shaping the future of architecture by doing alterations and additions to buildings that already exist resulting in interesting design possibilities and actual buildings. True to the motto “buildings can occupy the present and also speak to us about the past”, we have a look at astonishing buildings, architectural designs and other projects that combine the two; the past and the present.

Refurbishment in Huesca City, Spain

Shoreham Street, Sheffield, UK

Neues Museum, Berlin, Germany

Brighton College, UK

If these examples shown above have whetted your appetite, we have got something for you!
Charles Bloszies’ “Old Buildings, New Designs: Architectural Transformations” is dedicated to architectural projects that all have a modern touch.
It is an “Architecture Brief devoted to working within a given architectural fabric, from the technical issues that arise from aging construction to the controversy generated by the various project stakeholders to the unique aesthetic possibilities created through the juxtaposition of old and new”.

To follow the common thread, Françoise Astorg Bollack’s “Old Buildings, New Forms: New Directions in Architectural Transformations” is another book that deals with this architectural phenomenon. The book contains almost 30 examples that “all demonstrate an unique and appropriate solution to the problem of adapting historic structures to contemporary uses”.