Subtractive Design Strategies in the Conversion of Existing Buildings
Lecture by Petra Petersson.
Sunday, August 31st, 7pm.
When working with existing building structures taking something away can sometimes be enough. Changing the layout can solve something and at the same time change everything. Design strategies that are usually taught in universities and used in architectural practices are mostly based on creating new buildings. But the focus needs to switch to design approaches within conversion projects. I would like to discuss a possible approach to architecture, illustrated and exemplified through a range of my own adaptive reuse and transformation
projects. These projects are oDen inspired by the overall context, the situation, some special spaces, viewpoints, systems and the structure of an existing buildings. All this can seemingly guide you through a project and by reducing, optimising and pragmatizing the design, create a balanced relationship between idea and do-ability. This lecture will try to inspire or propose some strategies on how to tackle a seemingly complex architectural design process and make it into the enjoyable solvable process it really is.
Petra Petersson owns and runs the architectural practice REALARCHITEKTUR with offices in
Berlin and Graz. Several of the projects have been published and exhibited internationally, and
have received renowned architectural awards. Her works spans over a wide range of different
typologies, such as two conversions of bunkers to house art collections, conversions of former
industrial buildings, extensions and inner-city infill projects, as well as new build housing
developments. The diverse contexts and functional requirements are handled in a design process
inspired by reduction and pragmatism. Built examples can be found in Berlin, Stockholm, Malmö,
Vienna and recently also in Styria. Before founding REALARCHITEKTUR, she worked in
architects’ offices in Glasgow, Auckland, Stockholm and Berlin. She is a member of the Berlin
and the Graz Chamber of Architects and an elected member of the BDA. She was born in
Sweden. After attending school in France, Switzerland, USA, Germany and Sweden, she studied
architecture at the Technical University in Lund and at the Mackintosh School of Architecture in
Scotland. She is regularly invited to be on Architectural juries and publishes, exhibits and lectures
about her work internationally. Since 2013 Petra Petersson is a Professor of Architecture at the
Technical University Graz, where she is the head of the Institute for Construction and Design
Principles. Since 2018 she is the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture.
www.koen.tugraz.at
www.realarchitektur.de