Converted entry by Artifictial

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A brief history
Valtsani Mills, situated in Thessaloniki, Greece, is an industrial building that was built in 1923 from the Valtsani Brothers and V. Giannopoulos. It was a model of a roller mill with automated production system, equipped with machinery from the Swiss company “Daviere” and the French “Teisset – Rose – Brault”. During its heyday it produced 70 tons of flour per day and it was connected with the railway station through a special dedicated track to facilitate the transportation of grain and flour.
Its decline started in the early ‘60s when there was a change of management and it was finally abandoned resulting to its current state.

The challenge
Its pure geometric form, the clean contours and the imposing volume present a great opportunity to revamp the building preserving its original façade, through a modern approach that will promote communal activities and eventually upgrade the current state of the area which is quite relegated.

The concept
The suggested concept is to transform the building and its surrounding area to a multipurpose cultural center including a library and a botanical center amongst others. Special attention will be given to the surrounding area of 56.000 sq. feet (5.200 sq. meter), where a system of vertical and horizontal vegetation will be developed to create pathways that lead to “living spaces” (possibly themed).

The prelim sketch focuses only on the building and it’s inspired by the shape of an open book to visually relate to the concept of culture and education. This serves as my starting point to further explore the space’s options once I start modeling.

Technical Details (approximation)
Elevation: 69 ft. / 21meters (at its highest point)
Width: 29.5 ft. / 9 meters
Lot Area: 56.000 sq. feet / 5.200 sq. meters
Coordinates: 40°38’58″N 22°54’54″E

Converted entry by davepBK

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I live about two blocks from this site located in the historic neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Formerly a Gulf fuel station, the site has sat abandoned for more than five years. It’s a prime corner on the intersection of two busy streets, Myrtle and Vanderbilt Avenues. The kink in the garage roof is a detail that caught my eye and feels like it was designed with 1950s optimism in mind. This fuel station was one of the last remaining in the neighborhood.

It’s a revolutionary time for electric vehicles. However, a high hurdle to get over is access to charging points in dense urban places like Brooklyn. The vast majority of people here who own cars park them on the street. So this project proposes giving this former fuel station a new life as an EV charging hub. The original garage will house a local EV bicycle dealer and repair shop serving both the public and numerous delivery riders that rely on them for work.

Above the site will be a new public green space. The supporting structure will take inspiration from the elevated train that used to run along Myrtle Ave until the 1970s. Through some internet scouring, I found a photo taken in 1944 of this exact intersection showing the original train structure above.

There’s been a considerable amount of historic building in the neighborhood already lost and replaced with faux-modern residential buildings. I think there’s an opportunity here to reflect some history of the area paired with serving future needs of the community.

Converted entry by otasingle

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The Copan building is considered the largest residential building in South America. Located in São Paulo, Brazil, was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, one of the most important architects in modern Brazilian architecture.

Due to some financial bank problems, the Copan building suffered some structural changes from the original version. One of the biggest was the lack of a social area.

To produce a concept to improve the living area is a big challenge because of the importance that this building has in the country. But I want to bring a version of Copan that all the residents of this building dream to have.

Converted entry by Tolu Sanusi

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Hi,
For my Converted Project i selected a historical building located in an up and coming art district in my state. It was originally a printing press for the British colonials and served to distribute information in and around the newly formed colonial state as well as from the colonials mother land; England.

It’s perfect for three reasons,
1) In its prime it was in corridor of power; Colonial Secretariat, the seat of the Colonial Governor, Colonial Courts and the Colonial Prison. Now it will be used to uplift the culture and art of the indigines it was created to subjugate.
2) It is a beautifully perserved part of Nigeria’s history built in 1894 and would be a good starting point in redefining the art and history of Nigeria years after independence.
3) It is a fine example of Georgian architecture, it was built with imported bricks each one of which was stamped with the armorial bearings (‘broad arrow’) of the Quartermaster General of Britain which appeared on all British government property.

Converted entry by BNARob

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The Longfield Shopping Centre / Civic Suite was built in 1971 in Prestwich, North Manchester, UK. It’s a typical example of council (local authority) built public buildings of that era, and is a blot in the centre of a lively community that has come up around it. It has actually been rumoured for redevelopment for some time, with millions of pounds already having been spent on consultations and purchasing of local businesses-but the project never got off the ground. As it turns out, as I began looking into it for this challenge, one of the main barriers has apparently been overcome; and it looks like there will be some movement. That being said, there are some plans for the redevelopment in the public domain-but I hope to avoid all of that and make this my own.

Truth be told, this project is quite outside my comfort zone-I don’t have a background in architectural visualisation. My 3D work has been mainly in motion graphics and product mockups-but I want to take it to the next level, and the Converted Challenge seems a great opportunity.