Drawing from the ongoing revitalization efforts in the Western Massachusetts post-industrial city of Springfield, Massachusetts, this adaptive reuse project aims to bring the public back to the city center by providing a common space for cultural connections. Sensitivity to preservation of the historic fabric of the existing Court Square Building is blended with the transformative potential of introducing architectural expressions of dance theory to create a school and theater for the performing arts. The study of balance between opposing, yet complimentary forces, as they exist in architecture and dance, creates a conceptual interplay that guides the design of this project. Viewing the existing historic building as a dance partner to the proposed contemporary addition, leads an exploration in the tectonic translation of form, rhythm, weight, movement and breath, as elements of dance theory that are developed to represent the building envelope, structure, materials, circulation and openings. Ultimately, the adapted building creates a dialogue for the past and present city of Springfield, simultaneously honoring its unique cultural heritage and future potential in serving as an icon for successful urban transformation.

The decision to build a new swimming hall in Visby at Gotland creates opportunities to reuse the old one, Solbergabadet, for another function. The new function, a Performance Art Center, opens up for a study of how a building made for a very specific function could be used for something else in the future. The transformation process brings up questions about material meetings and how the earlier function as a swimming hall could be a part of the new design process and architecture. By reusing a part of the interior structure as a stage and adding a new reusable structure that is more adapted for the new function, the proposal highlights the architecture of transformations of different types of buildings that also will be more important in the future. By this, the history of the building and the earlier function will still be alive but in a new shape in combination with components that the new function requires.