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Adaptive reuse within the retail design discipline: exploring the concept of
authenticity
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BIE PLEVOETS
PHL University College & Hasselt University
KOENRAAD VAN CLEEMPOEL
PHL University College & Hasselt University
Introduction
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The second section investigates how authentic retail-reuse
projects are perceived in practice via two case studies.
to be authentic does not give a value per se; rather it should be understood as
the condition of an object or a monument in relation to its specific qualities.
[…] Authenticity cannot be added to the subject; it can be revealed only in so
far as it exists. Values are, instead, subject to cultural and educational processes,
and may change over time (Jokilehto, 1995).
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Where up to the 19th century conservation dealt mainly with
aesthetic and historic values, during the 20th century a more
rich variety of values are contributed to monuments. Alois
Riegl (1858-1905) distinguishes different types of values which
he generally grouped as commemorative values (including
age-value, historical value and intentional commemorative
value) as opposed to present-day values (including use-value,
art-value and newness-value). By including the use-value in
his assessment of monuments, he recognized reuse of historic
buildings as an intrinsic part of modern conservation. He points
to the innumerable monuments that are still in use or that have
received a new use in the course of history and says that “an
old building still in use must be maintained in such a condition
that it can accommodate people without endangering life or health.
[…] [as such] practical considerations allow age-value only in a few
exceptional cases.” (Riegl, 1982 [1903]). The importance of the
‘use value’ was recalled in 1964 by the Venice Charter saying that
“the conservation of monuments is always facilitated by making use
of them for some socially useful purpose” (ICOMOS, 1964, article
5) and has been discussed and applied by practitioners and
theorists within the conservation discipline as a useful strategy
towards conservation of historic buildings (e.g. Douglas, 2006,
Powell, 1999, Cramer and Breitling, 2007, Scott, 2008).
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Brooker & Stone (2004) defined three strategies or approaches
that designers can apply when remodeling existing buildings:
intervention, insertion and installation:
1. Intervention means to activate the potential or repressed
meaning of the place through a process of uncovering,
clarification and interpretation. The nature of remodeling
is such that the old and new are completely intertwined and
cannot viably exist independently from each other.
2. Insertion means to establish an intense relationship between
the original building and its adaptation and yet allow the
character of each to exist in a strong independent manner.
3. Installation heightens the awareness of an existing building and
successfully combines the new and old without compromising
or interfering with each other. Installation can be used to make
a short sharp shocking statement in the form of a powerful
comment.
In the case of adaptive reuse, the new cannot exist without the
original. However, it is the strategy applied in designing the
new program that establishes the relationship between both;
the strategies can be used either to emphasize or suppress the
memory of the place (Brooker, 2009).
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seemed that giving in on the monumental authenticity of the
place undermined equally consumers’ valuation of authenticity.
Case studies
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Fig 1. façade H&M flagship store flexible retail design which contrasts strongly with the classical
© ArchDaily architecture of the old building. The new design is conceived
Fig 2. standardized shelves as a second skin and as such, a new image for the building was
© ArchDaily created while at the same time respecting the original structure
Fig 3. former director offices
and features of the old building.
© ArchDaily
Fig 4. interior Selexyz Dominicanen
© Roos Aldershof
heritage perspective: Assessment of the authenticity of the host
space, seen from heritage-perspective, showed that the most
significant elements of the building were the façade and the
offices of the directors. In the restoration and rehabilitation
project, these elements have been carefully restored. Moreover,
the contemporary interventions here seemed to be more
sustainable than in other parts of the building; only a minimal
logo is attached to the façade and contrary to other parts of the
store, the furniture in the former offices is less standardized. In
one of the offices, no furniture is placed in front of the walls with
dado, instead only one piece of furniture is centrally placed for
presentation of clothes. This minimal intervention emphasizes
the historic character of the room and gives a more boutique-
like atmosphere to this part of the store.
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respect the historic and architectural qualities of the church
(Schutgens, 2006). SATIJNplus Architecten restored the casco
of the church but the retail design was made by Merkx+Girod
Architecten. One of the difficulties the designers had to deal
with was enlarging the commercially useful floor. The number
of square meters required by BGN was almost double than the
available floor area in the church. Therefore, a massive book
case of two floors high was placed asymmetrically in the church.
Another remarkable intervention is the lighting plan which not
only highlights the books on sale but also the church in itself. In
order to respect the historic interior as much as possible, most of
the lighting is integrated in the newly added volume.
Conclusion
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experiences to customers, aiming to enhance store loyalty. The
case studies, however, show that it is possible to create projects
that are successful from each of these perspectives. Moreover,
the different approaches of authenticity did even enhance each
other. In H&M flagship store, the retailer looked deliberately
for a building which image is opposed to its own store image.
To render their store as authentic, the relationship developed
between the contemporary retail design and the historic building
is marked by contrast. In Selexyz Dominicanen, the qualities of
the original church building are enhanced by the introduction
of the large book case but aesthetically, the addition forms a
counterpoint with the historic building. Here, the authenticity
of the store is created by adding an independent volume that is
equivalent to the existing typology of the church.
References
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SCHUTGENS, K., 2006: Het Maastrichtse Dominicanenklooster.
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Acknowledgement
This research was funded by a PhD grant of the Institute for the
Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in
Flanders (IWT-Vlaanderen).
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