| How can industrial architecture evolve through the effect of tensions between the past and present to create new relevance for industrial building today?;The focus of this thesis is to explore the notion and consequences of appropriating an industrial building through architectural intervention. A soon-to-be-abandoned industrial site in Granville Island, Vancouver, Canada was chosen for this exploration. This exploration includes investigations of the existing cement elevator as well as the immediate urban context in order to gain a clear understanding of the historic, social, functional and architectural layers of the structure and its site. In pursuing this, the thesis is intended to provoke a meaningful intervention within the existing industrial building to correspond with the contemporary city.;The concrete silos on Granville Island will be appropriated for modern uses that are compatible with the contemporary urban fabric. This adaptation includes new elements that derive from the immediate site and provide much needed space for the demanding growth of the island. Through the act of intervention, the design juxtaposes new and old fragments, where historical transparency shows the passage of time. The adapted industrial structure is intended to evoke a dialogue between the city's industrial past and relevant contemporary activities. Tectonic materials and innovative ways of engaging the existing structure examine the literal and metaphorical tensions between the past and the meaningful present. |
