Transformation, restauration or restucturing of buildings is interesting for three reasons: the architectural quality of the oject, the aging materials one gets for free, and the unforeseen spatial quality a new programme can offer. In our projects we try to completely adress to our fascination on these subjects, even when they seem contradictory. We open floors in monuments to lay bare the beams and create new forms of space, we study the old details carefully in order to restore, or even rebuild them, and sometimes we add something entirely new.
Often building in deprived neighborhoods, Krill tries to re-establish the relationship between building and neighborhood, by cutting holes in the building mass at some places, while exchanging existing doors and windows for concrete casts in other (millinx). Or the main programme (a resort for drug addicts) is moved up to the first floor to offer a bit of peace to the neighborhood.
Working on an existing building is like working with a palimpsest, a document on which consequetively architect, user, owner, new architect, new user etc. write their own piece. It is a building with many authors. An ideal situation in fact.