Re-Use Those Once-Significant Buildings

The LocHal is a new, world-class urban living room for Tilburg in an iconic former locomotive shed of the Dutch National Railways. It is located next to the station, in the heart of Tilburg’s new City Campus, and houses the Midden-Brabant Library, the cultural institutions Kunstloc and Brabant C and the co-working spaces of Seats2meet. The LocHal is a space for both young and old to read, learn, study, meet and gather. It is a place for testing, creating, exhibiting and presenting the latest innovations.

The De Bibliotheek LocHal is one of the most interesting interventions I have visited of over the years - Take a look

The advantages of re-using the existing built heritage should not be underestimated. The alteration and re-use of just one socially significant building can become a catalyst for further regeneration within a local local environment, attracting added interest from leisure, tourism and retail businesses. The re-use of a building will trigger social interaction and help amplify a community's cultural identity. These aspects of regeneration make full use of the existing infrastructure. Without the need for new transport and logistical support networks, the costs are relatively low and the travel options well established. The area can enjoy a new lease of life, adding new layers to the existing sense of place, history and community.

It is important however, to remember first to identify the significance of the place, which requires a considered understanding of its past, structure, who values it and why, how the values relate to the local fabric today, and what are the importance of these values whilst weighed against the developmental advantages. Understanding and articulating the values and significance of a place is necessary to make informed decisions about the future of a place and the people it serves. Without due consideration, all the good intentions of an urban regeneration initiative will eventually compromise the cultural and social significance for future generations to come.

“The significance of place embraces all the diverse cultural and natural heritage values that people associate with it, or which prompt them to respond to it. These values tend to grow in strength and complexity over time, as understanding deepens and people’s perceptions of place evolve”. [English Heritage, 2008, page36]

In addition to their widespread availability, a further factor in favour of their rehabilitation and re-use is that many of these culturally significant buildings were soundly built and remain structurally sound. Although on the face of it, they appear unfit for modern use, and despite obsolescence and neglect, the traditional methods of construction used to build them have left potential developers with a legacy of stable, durable, well-crafted structures which can provide an ideal basis for improvement and re-use.

Following the 50s and 60s perhaps the cavalier approach to architecture, lessons have been learnt regarding the sociological advantages gained in maintaining established communities by rehabilitating architecture instead of demolishing and rebuilding. The significance of place and its relationship with history, community and identity, [both locally and further a field], are often, sadly overlooked. However, if engaged, will produce a far richer and longer-lasting regenerative effect.