DATA32
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School of Arts, Design and Architecture |
Master's thesis
Ask about the availability of the thesis by sending email to the Aalto University Learning Centre oppimiskeskus@aalto.fi
Location:
P1 Ark A80
Authors
Date
2015
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
90
Series
Abstract
This thesis makes a case for the preservation of the Munkkisaari State Granary through adaptation of the building into a warehouse scale data center. The historically significant building is important for maintaining the industrial character of the Hernesaari peninsula as it undergoes a transformation from brownfield site to residential neighbourhood. The Helsinki City Planning Department wishes to preserve the granary, however there is ongoing debate about whether to provide protection status. At a loss for a suitable reuse, the city has opted to leave the structure unprotected, a decision that jeopardises the building’s existence. The ability to save the structure relies almost exclusively on whether or not a suitable reuse can be found. Finding a feasible secondary function will not be an easy task, as precedents shows, grain silos often make for difficult conversion projects. Additionally, the particular location of the silo imposes a variety of limitations on its future use. I demonstrate that despite these challenges, a warehouse scale data center serves a fitting reuse for the Munkkisaari State Granary that enriches the community in which it is embedded. The granary's spacial configuration does not conform to typical data center conventions, though there are many attributes of this vertical, super fortified structure and its location in Hernesaari that lend itself to the typology. With such radical redevelopment in the peninsula, holding onto a few of the built elements that best represents the character of the region is integral to successful redevelopment that embraces cultural specificity, preserves community identity, and honours the importance of Hernesaari’s industrial past. The new residents of Hernesaari deserve a monument to their neighbourhood that contextualises and enriches the area.Description
Supervisor
Lintula, KimmoThesis advisor
Lindgren, TommyKeywords
data center, renovation, Hernesaari, silo, adaptive reuse