Existing Buildings

There is immense opportunity in existing buildings as they are uniquely positioned to engage our cultural values, memories, and aspirations. Renovation, re-reuse, restorations, preservation, conservation - we need all of these approaches and techniques to celebrate the past by transforming existing buildings for the future. A notable portion of Machado Silvetti’s project include renovations or expansions to existing buildings, including at the Getty Villa, the Menokin Project, the Chazen Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, and Bowdoin Art Museum, and ongoing work Syracuse University, the Boston Public Schools, and the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

"Extending the life of existing buildings is not just the preservation of the past, but also the adaptation of the past to the present and the future. We have to think about what we want to preserve and what we want to change, and how we can make the two forces work on behalf of each other."

- Jeffry Burchard

Stories:

The Shape of Existing Buildings

Existing buildings are full of risk and opportunity. That risk can be revealed in physical or functional deterioration and even eventual failure. But there’s also immense opportunity found by extending the life and purpose of viable existing buildings, as they are uniquely positioned to engage our cultural values, memories, and aspirations.

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Menokin Project Renovation

A partnership with this National Historic Landmark to renovate and preserve Menokin, the former home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Our design approach focused on preserving the site's historic fabric while creating new spaces for visitors to experience the history and beauty of the property. The project has been met with great enthusiasm from the local community, and we are honored to have contributed to the preservation of such a significant piece of American history.

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The Ideas and Architecture of Qasr Al Muwaiji

The main idea is the fort itself. This is actually a very modest building. Its construction hardly amounts to a building. And in its original context it was practically by itself on the outskirts of the big oasis—defending the oasis
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Denver Art Museum & Gio Ponti

The Gio Ponti design building raised the question of the relationships between the future new building and the structure that bears the signature of the ineffable Italian designer’s architectural style, and to which the new structure could be attached and become part of a larger and single functional building. On site we discovered that there were many other critical adjacencies to account for, chiefly three other architectural and urban landmarks, and a large public parking garage.

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