Adaptive reuse
The case for keeping the old roof
Demolition is the most carbon-intensive decision on any project. At Armazém 7 we fought to keep every truss we could.
Written by
Tomás Reis
Founding partner
When we first walked into Armazém 7, the easy answer was to demolish. Half the roof was on the floor.
Counting carbon
Our engineer calculated that the existing steel represented around 180 tonnes of embodied carbon. Replacing it would have doubled that.
Every truss we kept is a truss nobody had to make.
Repair as design
Repaired members are painted a slightly different grey from the originals. Visitors can read the history of the building in its structure.
