{"id":15403,"date":"2019-04-04T08:45:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T12:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/silo-transformations\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T05:07:52","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T09:07:52","slug":"silo-transformations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/silo-transformations\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Silo Transformations That Fill Empty Voids With New Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

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How does one transform a collection of concrete tubes into a site for experiencing contemporary culture?<\/p>\n

That was the question posed by British designer and artist Thomas Heatherwick of Heatherwick Studio, whose imaginative designs can be found everywhere from Manchester to Shanghai. Heatherwick is used to creating striking sculptures on a grand scale, but one of his most recent projects is larger than any before.<\/p>\n

The designer and his team envisioned a glittering hotel atop an old silo in South Africa\u2019s mother city, Cape Town, encasing luxury rooms with billowing panes of faceted glass. Beneath this, the concrete cylinders of the silo were carved out to create a huge new museum of contemporary art \u2014 the incredible, A+Award-winning\u00a0Zeitz MOCAA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For this monumental project, Heatherwick Studio\u2019s challenge was twofold: Protect and celebrate the heritage of the city\u2019s industrial past while simultaneously creating something wholly new within the inherited structure.<\/p>\n

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Rendered section of Heatherwick’s silo-to-museum transformation<\/i><\/p>\n

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Left: Rendering of the exterior view of the museum and hotel; right: The completed project<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cOur thoughts wrestled with the extraordinary physical facts of the building,” Heatherwick explained at Design Indaba 2014<\/a>, where he first unveiled his firm’s plans for the new V&A Museum in Cape Town\u2019s historic waterfront district.<\/p>\n

“There is no large open space within the densely packed tubes and it is not possible to experience these volumes from inside,” he continued. “Rather than strip out the evidence of the building’s industrial heritage, we wanted to find a way to enjoy and celebrate it. We could either fight a building made of concrete tubes or enjoy its tube-iness.”<\/p>\n

In terms of technical archi-speak, “tube-iness” isn\u2019t the most shining example, but Heatherwick\u2019s point is clear enough. By carving away at the lower reaches of the silos and allowing light to stream down from above, a cave-like condition will be created. The remaining concrete tubes appear suspended above the void, their vertical elements flowing like stalactites to the gallery floor.<\/p>\n

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Interior rendering of the V&A Museum in Cape Town. Image via Fast Company<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

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Left: working model of the museum interior; right: the completed atrium<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition to the atmospheric qualities, the manipulation of the silo\u2019s cylinders also provides practical benefits: An uninterrupted space is created in which people can gather and large artworks can be displayed, akin to the atria of conventional galleries (think of the central void of the Guggenheim in New York, or the Turbine Hall in London\u2019s Tate Modern).<\/p>\n

Silo conversion provides architects with tremendous spatial and material challenges, and Heatherwick\u2019s solution appears admirable. How have other designers responded to the “tube-iness” test? Here are a few more examples of silo transformations.<\/p>\n

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Mill Junction<\/b>, Johannesburg, South Africa<\/p>\n

Just a few hundred miles northeast of Heatherwick\u2019s museum, silos have been adapted in a very different manner. Matt Shaw reported for Architizer on Johannesburg\u2019s Mill Junction student dormitories, which combine two industrial typologies \u2014 shipping containers of every conceivable color stacked atop 11-story grain silos. The transient nature of the crates contrasts with the stable forms of the cylinders beneath, creating one outlandish residential high-rise.<\/p>\n

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Gemini Residence<\/b>, Copenhagen, Denmark<\/p>\n

MVRDV<\/a> proved that silo conversions don\u2019t always have to be as rugged as Mill Junction. Its Gemini Residence features glossy, high-end apartments radiating from a pair of concrete silos that act as twin cores. The silos contain staircases, elevators and common spaces such as terraces, while the apartments provide a glittering outer skin \u2014 complete with the lengthiest wrap-around balconies imaginable.<\/p>\n

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Climbing Center<\/b>, Amsterdam, Netherlands<\/p>\n

In 2011, the city of Amsterdam held a competition for the best re-interpretation of three abandoned sewage treatment silos, prominent landmarks in the city\u2019s Zeeburg District. One of the most compelling projects was submitted by Amsterdam-based firm NL Architects<\/a>, which proposed to transform two of the silos into an undulating pair of climbing towers. In addition to climbing areas both inside and outside the silos, the design included multipurpose areas, offices, restaurants, and other commercial spaces.<\/p>\n

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Skydiving Center<\/b>, Warsaw, Poland<\/p>\n

If the thought of climbing the outside of these towering concrete structures appeals to you, try this one on for size: last year, MOKO Architects proposed the conversion of an abandoned cement silo into an indoor skydiving center. A scuba diving training well is also incorporated into the plan, taking advantage of the huge ten-story void within the concrete shell. MOKO also took a leaf out of the Mill Junction book of upcycling\u2014they proposed attaching shipping containers to provide further space for cafes, an exhibition space, changing rooms and a hostel.<\/p>\n