Façadism is the architectural practice of retaining a building’s façade whilst constructing a new project behind it or rebuilding its interiors. The practice is incredibly popular in Australia, with developers seeking to apply functionality to buildings that have been into disrepair. This can happen for a number of reasons, but is typically due to natural disasters or the ravages of time.
We understand that façadism has a controversial place in the Australian architectural industry. But when it is enlisted as a means of restoring a building that has become obsolete whilst maintaining its original beauty then we believe it is a vital service.
Here, we are going to talk about the benefits of façade retention in Australia, and how it can breathe stunning new life into buildings that have otherwise had their day:
- They maintain a building’s original beauty
Many older Australian buildings have fallen into disrepair. When this happens, it can be incredibly expensive to repair the building’s interiors. Not only this, the effort and manpower that goes into repairing antiquated building interiors is something most modern construction companies would prefer to avoid.
But that doesn’t mean the building’s beautiful exterior should have to be destroyed. There are so many beautiful buildings across Australia with stunning exteriors that deserve retention. Why should they be destroyed alongside the completely unrepairable interior?
Façadism is a wonderful way of not only preserving the building’s cultural and historical beauty, but also a fantastic way of preserving the local area’s original aesthetic. After all, Australian towns and cities are replete with buildings that maintain a beautiful original exterior but with a high-functioning, modern interior application.
- They increase builder sustainability
Building waste is absolutely clogging Aussie landfills. This is partly because we are a country of industry but also because the amount of waste that comes with a demolition is simply astounding. Furthermore, the reconstruction phase produces even more waste, especially when more work has to be done i.e. constructing a brand new façade.
This process exists in part to help reduce some of the waste that comes with demolition and reconstruction. Sure, most of the building’s structure is based behind the exterior, but façadism still helps reduce a great amount of what would otherwise go to landfill.
So, not only does it help to preserve a building’s elegant exterior, but also helps reduce home construction waste in the process. This makes it a win-win for builders and buyers, who are becoming more conscious about how their own building and buying practices impact their environment.
- They have created a new style of architecture
The hybrid sophistication of a classic exterior with a modern construct is a new style that is breathing life into Australian architecture. They provide a brand new aesthetic to buildings that maintain an original beauty but have become fundamentally dysfunctional.
The combination of old and new is something that is becoming uniquely Australian. We are at the forefront of global façadism and this can be seen in both commercial and residential projects. Both antiquated homes and city classics have seen regeneration through façadism and this is what makes it such an important practice when building interiors simply cannot be restored to their original style.
It’s for these reasons that we say façadism is a good word, and one that plays an important role in the restoration of buildings that might otherwise go unused for years to come.
