How to Not Demolish a Building traces the improbable transformation of Brussels' former World Trade Centre — two 1970s office towers left vacant for years — into a landmark case for adaptive reuse and sustainable urban development.
About This Book
The third instalment in the Chapters series developed by Belgian architects 51N4E, this book documents the reduce/reuse/recycle transformation of two brutalist office towers that, against considerable institutional and economic inertia, were saved from demolition. The former World Trade Centre in Brussels becomes the vehicle for a broader argument: that the concepts and processes underlying this project are transferable, not exceptional. For architects, urban designers, and anyone working at the intersection of heritage, sustainability, and city-making, the book reframes adaptive reuse not as a niche practice but as a necessary discipline in the face of embodied carbon and urban obsolescence.
Key Features
- 152 pages documenting the architectural, conceptual, and process-driven dimensions of the World Trade Centre transformation
- Part of the Chapters series developed by Belgian architects 51N4E
- Notable case study: the former World Trade Centre, Brussels
- Published by Ruby Press
What You'll Discover
- How the reduce/reuse/recycle framework was applied to the transformation of two 1970s office towers in Brussels
- Why vacancy and threatened demolition can become the catalyst for more considered approaches to urban development
- The transferable principles behind adaptive reuse — what made this project unique in execution but replicable in logic
- A model for how architects and urban planners might engage with the existing built fabric rather than defaulting to demolition
About the Author
[Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 152
- Dimensions: 240 x 320 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783944074412
- Publisher: Ruby Press
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and urban designers working with existing building stock, academics and students in sustainability and heritage conservation, and practitioners seeking transferable frameworks for adaptive reuse projects.