Redeveloping a Dead Space Transforms a Community
Announcement posted by DesignBuild Source 12 Jul 2012
Redeveloping a space is more than a highly sustainable use of built environments. The transformed space can open up new opportunities and breathe new life into a building that would otherwise have a completely different purpose.
This has certainly been the case with a recent interior design refurbishment in the community of McAllen, Texas. In a move that goes against the stereotypical American ‘capitalism at all costs’ attitude, an abandoned Walmart has been transformed into a high functioning, large-scale community library that is receiving architectural acclaim and showing a distinct change in priorities.
A number of large-scale stores have been forced to foreclose in the US throughout the GFC, but instead of replacing the old super store with a replica, McAllen decided to move in a completely different direction.
Instead of aisles of consumer goods, aisles of books now run through the bright and inviting space, with oranges, greens and greys starkly contradicting the atmosphere prevalent in the stark, institutional libraries of old.