Many of the studio’s projects start from a building that is already there: a factory, an office block from the 1960s, a historic house. Keeping the structure saves the carbon already spent on it and keeps the old building in use.
We start by studying the building, what it was designed for and what was added over the years. Then we strip it back to what is worth keeping, reorganise the floors for new uses and bring the systems and envelope up to current standards. In Shanghai, the Yangtze River Roadshow Center turned a former silk factory into offices and a congress venue certified LEED Platinum.
Our principles
Read the building first
Before designing anything we survey the original structure, the craftsmanship and the changes made over time.
A new use
Outdated plans are reorganised into offices, hotels and homes that work today.
Repair, then add
Original masonry, timber and plaster are repaired with compatible materials. New elements read clearly as new, and modern services are hidden.
Selected projects
All 11 restructuration projects
Yangtze River Delta Roadshow Center
A former silk factory reworked in brick and expanded metal, certified LEED Platinum.
Parisian Housing Complex
Seventeenth-century apartments in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, with restored structure and façades.
Pharo Milano
An office building stripped to its core and wrapped in a new high-performance envelope.
Le Monde Headquarters
A 1960s concrete office block turned into the headquarters of Le Monde.
Botanic Sanctuary
A historic complex in Antwerp converted into a 108-room hotel.
WE WORKS LAB
A brick factory and its industrial additions turned into offices and shops.