While it doesn't sounds like the most historically sensitive renovation, designLAB's reworking of Paul Rudolph's Carney Library at UMass Dartmouth shows that Brutalist monoliths can be adapted to suit contemporary needs and tastes.
Robert Campbell reviews designLAB's nearly complete renovation and redesign of Randolph's Brutalist Claire T. Carney Library: "a lesson in mixing the old and the new and getting a result that’s better than either." While others debate the merits of saving relics from this hard to love period of architectural history, Campbell argues that designLAB's work makes a strong case that such buildings can be revived with an intelligent approach that builds off its strengths and softens its weaknesses.
"DesignLAB’s architects get their role exactly right. They admire Rudolph, they’ve researched his intentions and worked to restore them, but at the same time they’re fearless about knocking down his stuff and adding their own. They do that wherever it’s needed to make a better experience for the library’s users."
"In a world of diminishing resources," says Campbell, "it makes less and less sense to demolish and replace even a difficult and controversial piece of architecture like Rudolph’s old Carney. But the fact that a building was designed by a famed architect doesn’t mean you have to treat it as a sacred object, either. The Carney offers an important lesson: that often the best way to get a good new building is to grab a great old one, give it a good hard shake, and reinvent it for another era."
FULL STORY: Paul Rudolph’s Brutalism, reworked, at UMass Dartmouth
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
How Transit Architecture Impacts Real and Perceived Safety
More than a third of Americans believe major transit systems are too unsafe to ride. The built environment can change that.
New York Passes Housing Package Focused on New Development and Adaptive Reuse
The FY 2025 budget includes a new tax incentive, funding for affordable housing on state land, and support for adaptive reuse and ADUs.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.