Reflective Blogging – Hyperlinked Environments

I decided to look abroad for inspiration for this blog post and the article on LocHal grabbed my attention right away.

I hadn’t previously considered too much how an abandoned space might be converted into a library or a “third space”, as LocHal has become. The concept introduced here is adaptive reuse. In retrospect it shouldn’t seem like a brand new concept. Most of us are familiar with the idea of reusing spaces or recycling, which is an umbrella this might fall under.

However, I think it’s the commitment to creating a whole new space out of what’s already there and improving on the best features of the space that makes the difference.

When I think of reusing space where I live, that usually means demolition and just more reusing the land than anything else. Or if a building is kept it seems like a lot of effort is put into disguising it’s old purpose. I really like the idea of creating a new space out of an existing one with the intent that the original purpose and features are a boon to be exploited for the benefit of the community around it.

Where I live we have a lot of empty properties that used to be farms or orchards or stables. It’s becoming more modern now but the remnants of that old city are still scattered everywhere. I would love to see something like a stable turned library or maybe one of our historic buildings converted into a space for the community, rather than just sitting empty. I feel hitting the sweet spot between preservation and repurpose would be fantastic. Perhaps along the lines of the Crocker Art Museum.

I have thoughts about the design but I think the concept reflects what was done with LocHal pretty well. Maybe a good first step.

References/Inspiration:

The library of the future is in an 80 year old converted train shed

Crocker Art Museum Pinterest