Thoravej 29

Once a factory and later a communal centre for people with disabilities, now reworked as a framework for social and professional exchange. In a rapidly transforming district, the formerly closed building is stripped to its core elements and opened to the street, retaining traces of its past while enabling new uses. The programme includes galleries, studios, workshops, offices and a café, integrating public and private functions. Through preserving and repositioning concrete, brick and timber, the original character endures while the spatial impression is radically reinterpreted.

Located in an area marked by gentrification through demolition, Thoravej 29 counters the prevailing logic of replacement with a strategy of transformation, preserving traces of what was. Rather than clearing the site, the 1967 structure was treated as a resource. Every element was assessed for potential reuse: dismantled, catalogued on-site, and redeployed. By adapting, reinforcing, and selective addition, the project demonstrates how continuity, flexibility, and relevance can be achieved while preserving material memory and structural integrity. The process resulted in 95% reuse by weight and up to 88% lower embodied carbon than comparable new builds. Programme and structure evolved in dialogue with the philanthropic client and future users, all connected to the foundation’s work within art and social fields. Programmatic overlaps between functions were developed to maximise the potential of the limited building volume, making it a multi-purpose hub for interdisciplinary exchange.

Reworking the concrete structure clad in brick forms the project’s foundation. The strategy was simple: preserve first, reuse next, and recycle only when it adds value. The existing was treated as a material bank, with elements dismantled, stored on-site, and reassigned, making selective demolition become design. Concrete slabs were cut and tilted into stairs and furniture, facades transformed into paving, and fittings in wood and metal repurposed as movables. A new technique facade facing an enclosed courtyard improves energy performance without compromising the original structure. While these actions were financially – but not environmentally – costly due to the craft and expertise required, expenses were balanced by using standard components and limiting processing of both existing and added components. What was once undesired by the public is thereby reframed as a new aesthetic gaze. Exposed detailing and robust surfaces minimise maintenance and allow for future adaptation.