Real estate spectacular transformations: old buildings with new duties

16 August 2021 • Rebecca • Real estate: past, present and future

The houses we are presenting below have undergone spectacular transformations: from agricultural constructions or state institutions, for example, they have been changed into houses full of charm and personality by the inspiration of talented architects and interior designers. Here are some unconventional houses, in terms of the use they had in the past.

Water tower

Constructed in 1930, the old water tower in the village of Burton Green in Warwickshire, UK, has been transformed into a six-bedroom home, perfect for a large family. The building was designed on six floors and still retains original elements such as the spiral staircase and thick concrete walls. Following the refurbishment, the ground floor and first floor now house the kitchen and a games room. The other floors house the bedrooms, followed by a roof garden.

Law court

Another British home with a rich history is in Maldon, Essex. Between 1851 and 1992 it served as a court, later being transformed into an imposing house with four bedrooms - one set in the former locker room where law enforcement officers kept their robes. The former courtroom was, in turn, transformed into a spacious living room, and one of the walls into a library. The house also has a mezzanine, three additional living rooms, a kitchen, and a courtyard.

Train station

Once crossed by the Black Diamond Express train, put into operation in the middle of the 20th century, one of the stations of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which connected New Jersey with Pennsylvania, serves today as a home. The two-bedroom house includes a veranda arranged on the former platform of the station, a gallery, a shop, and three garages. The architects have preserved a multitude of elements from the past, such as the interior arches and the ticket counter.

School

With the help of contemporary design, the Dutch architecture firm Atelier Space managed to give a new life to a former nursing school in Leiden, designing luxurious rooms in the classrooms. They chose to transform the most spacious room - the gym - into a huge open plan living room, kitchen and dining area, and classrooms into modern bedrooms. They are complemented by a cinema and several important facilities: underfloor heating and roof-mounted solar panels. The courtyard was not forgotten either, becoming an excellent space for relaxation.

Silo

In Arizona, US, we find one of the most interesting transformations on our list: a modern home set up in a former grain silo constructed in 1955. This project was a bet by architect Christoph Kaiser, who set out to demonstrate the amazing way abandoned buildings on the outskirts of cities can be brought back to life. He invested his funds in this regard, choosing to arrange the house with the help of cheap, recycled materials. The circular home has a bedroom, an attic with a view, and a multitude of generous storage spaces.

Public toilets

Architect Laura Clark has shown that her imagination knows no bounds when, in 2012, she managed to turn some disused London public toilets into a modern apartment. The investment amounted to GBP 65,000 and the chosen design followed the industrial style.

Fire station

A former fire station in northern Chicago still retains reminiscences of the past, although in the meantime a spacious home with modern amenities has been arranged inside. The owners kept the bright red of the entrance arch and the doors, choosing to paint the walls of other rooms of the house in the same shade.

Data for this article was obtained from loveproperty.com.