Building Within Existing Structures: Why We Rethink Old Buildings

Every existing building tells a story — of the era it was built in, of the people who have lived and worked within its walls, and of the traces they’ve left behind. For us, architecture doesn’t begin with a blank page, but with careful observation: what qualities already exist within the fabric of a building? What should be preserved, what needs to go, and where is there room for something new?

Building within existing structures means far more to us than renovation in a purely technical sense. It’s an attitude — a willingness to engage with a building, to understand its structure, and to develop a design that does justice both to the history of the place and to today’s requirements. Often it’s the apparent constraints — a load-bearing wall, an unusual ceiling height, a protected heritage detail — that spark the most interesting design ideas.

From an ecological perspective, preserving existing buildings is also one of the most effective contributions architecture can make to climate protection: the embodied energy already bound up in the foundation, structure and construction is retained, while targeted interventions significantly reduce energy consumption during use. Sustainability, in this sense, isn’t born from restraint, but from thoughtful evolution.

Across our projects — from apartment renovations to feasibility studies for entire buildings — we follow exactly this approach: understand what’s already there, make its qualities visible, and build onward with precision.