Make-Do-and-Mend: the repair and reuse of existing buildings

Stone, Sally ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5406-139X (2023) Make-Do-and-Mend: the repair and reuse of existing buildings. In: Repair: Sustainable Design Futures. Routledge, London, pp. 186-195. ISBN 9781032154053 (hardback); 9781032154077 (paperback); 9781003244028 (ebook)

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Abstract

The Reuse and repair of articles of clothing is a well-known practice. The analogy of this process can be applied to the discipline of interior architecture. If the building or situation is no longer the right size or has simply become unfashionable, if the use is obsolete or outmoded, or the space may simply the wrong shape and the rooms inadequate for the new use, then the building needs to be adjusted, altered, updated or modernised. It can be customised to accommodate the different spatial requirements of a new generation. The building can be patched, not just with barely visible elements, but sometimes with elaborate and possibly dissimilar interventions. Disconnected elements can be tacked together to create a coherent whole. Small tears and fissures can be darned. Scraps and off-cuts can be up-cycled or reinvigorated to be endowed with new worth. Weak or worn areas can be reinforced, sometimes with the same material, other times with a contrasting fabric. The building can be sound and strong, but just unfashionable, so it can be whole-heartedly altered and tailored to new