Architecture is an evolving process—a system that transforms over time through adaptation, layering, and rewriting. Every building carries with it the memory of the context in which it was born and, at the same time, the potential for a new life. Today, rethinking the existing has become more necessary than ever: contemporary society can no longer operate under a logic of replacement, but must refine its ability to adapt, regenerate, and overwrite. The contemporary building stock—often seen as obsolete—becomes the raw material for a new kind of design, where the existing is not a constraint but a catalyst for innovation.

Working with the existing is neither a nostalgic act nor simply a gesture of sustainability. It is a design perspective that sees the built environment as a resource, reduces land consumption, lowers environmental impact, and enriches the quality of inhabited space. It is a concrete response to today’s urban challenges, a new idea of the future—one that doesn’t erase but layers.

The reuse of a building can be a gesture of minimal impact or a radical transformation; it might involve merely respecting the original envelope, or undertaking a functional and technological renewal. Sometimes, architectural matter is reused as a resource, through urban mining processes that recover, rethink, and repurpose materials and components from buildings at the end of their lifecycle. In other cases, spaces are reimagined to enable a change in use, subverting the functions for which the building was originally conceived.

In our practice, we believe every project must begin with a deep understanding of its context. A place’s identity is never static—it is shaped by a series of relationships: with space, with material, with users. To work with the existing means immersing oneself in this complexity, embracing the layers of time, and reinterpreting them through a vision that is new, unique, and coherent in every detail. Every intervention on an existing building is an act of listening and interpretation, a dialogue with time, where the challenge is to redefine, reveal new possibilities, and bring forth the latent identity of a place.

While building from scratch is an act of assertion, reuse is an act of respect and sensitivity: it means recognizing the potential of the existing and transforming it into a new model of sustainability, aesthetics, and livability.

We have made the interpretation and transformation of the past a constant design practice, a lens through which to view the city and its future. Our experience has been shaped by a dialogue with Milanese modernism—its modular logic and openness to transformation. Today, we continue to expand on that reflection, exploring new technologies and processes that make reuse an increasingly strategic choice.

We thank IQD Magazine for giving us the opportunity to curate this issue, allowing us to share our vision in open dialogue with professionals and practices contributing to the redefinition of the built environment's future. With this collection of reflections and projects, we hope to offer a perspective on architecture that doesn’t just respond to the needs of the present, but anticipates them—reinterpreting the built as both resource and heritage for future generations. We have selected a range of recent interventions—realized over the past five years—diverse in scale, typology, and origin, through which a vision of architecture as an open, constantly evolving system emerges.

This is not just about preservation, but about re-signification: every intervention initiates a new dialogue with context, with contemporary needs, and with future potential.

Atelier Oslo transforms a protected building into a contemporary communication hub; Gustav Düsing, in collaboration with FAKT, adapts a former printing press into a new university campus; and Prokš Přikryl Architekti convert a grain silo into a multifunctional space for conferences and art, maintaining its expressive power intact. KAAN Architecten extends the Antwerp museum within its original footprint, avoiding the creation of a new city icon and instead emphasizing the institution’s enduring presence. Carles Enrich approaches his projects on an almost archaeological level, where working with the existing becomes an act of care and revelation. Vector Architects weave together reuse and landscape, integrating a former sugar refinery with the surrounding environment to create an immersive experience. Chartier Dalix broadens the scope: in Rue des Poissonniers, reuse is not only an architectural gesture but an urban strategy interweaving memory, sustainability, and quality of life.

We hope this selection of projects offers readers a rich and multifaceted perspective on a topic that is not only architectural, but also cultural and social. Transforming the existing is an extraordinary opportunity to rethink the relationship between architecture, time, and community.

The issue is available for purchase online at iqd.it