Redefining Quay 240
Exploring adaptive reuse
of a decommissioned grain silo
Deindustrialization and its consequences on the built environment are currently evident in Gothenburg. There are several obsolete industrial buildings, centrally located, lacking significant ongoing maintenance, of which the grain silo at Quay 240, Marieholm, is a clear example.
A look into the studies of environmental psychologist D. Canter finds that limited accessibility, absence of activity, and unclear building usage cause difficulties to identify the significance of a place. That indicates why disused industrial sites may become subjected to neglect and left to decay. Regarding that as a loss of historical identity and architectural diversity, this thesis addresses the issue by exploring redefining adaptations of the grain silo at Quay 240.
Asking how Canters’ principles of place identity can inform the design strategies to redefine the function and identity of Quay 240, the aim is to raise awareness of the value-creating potential of the physical
attributes of the silo and its surroundings.
That gets explored in three design proposals in which the silo is adapted through physical interventions.
