Title

Author(s)

Karl Kvaran

Affiliation

SP(R)INT STUDIO

DOI

https://doi.org/10.65686/EQJH9159

Keywords

Adaptive Reuse, Design Strategies, Interpretive Transformation

PP

556-563

How to Cite

Kvaran, Karl. “Adaptive Reuse at Stöng Architecture as Interpretive Transformation.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 556–563. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.

Abstract

This paper explores adaptive reuse as a design-led and theoretical practice, focusing on how it recalibrates relationships among heritage, contemporary architecture, and community resilience. Using the reinterpretation of Stöng in the Þjórsárdalur valley, Iceland – realised by SP(R)INT STUDIO – as its central case study, the paper advances a model that moves beyond static conservation, by treating the past as an active generator of spatial, cultural, and ecological meaning. Rather than simply erasing or restoring historical strata, the project pursues temporal continuity, positioning architecture as a mediator between ruin and renewal, memory and projection. The transformation of the 1957 shelter at Stöng – initially built to protect a Viking Age archaeological site – demonstrates a design philosophy grounded in environmental sensitivity, cultural humility, and theoretical rigour. Through minimal yet expressive interventions, the existing structure was revalorised rather than replaced, becoming a framework that connects the site, landscape, and visitors. New elements, such as pathways, transparent roofing, and atmospheric interior volumes engage time, weather, and light as active design agents, fostering a spatial narrative in which incompleteness and impermanence are embraced as virtues. The project exemplifies how adaptive reuse can promote sustainability, public engagement, and cultural continuity while respecting the layered complexity of historical sites. It signals a shift in contemporary design discourse from static preservation to interpretive transformation. Key theoretical questions – authenticity, temporality, and phenomenology – are explored through built form, challenging binary distinctions between old and new, architecture and ruin, function and atmosphere. In an era of ecological instability and cultural fragmentation, the Stöng intervention illustrates how adaptive reuse can serve as a strategy for resilient futures in both urban and rural contexts. By integrating architectural design, theoretical discourse, and public memory, the project repositions heritage not as a fixed relic, but as an evolving space for imagination, encounter, and collective identity.

Edited by
Andrea Crudeli
Francesca Molle
Emanuele Carrai

Publisher
STH Press, Firenze

ISBN Paperback – 9791281661141
ISBN Ebook – 9791281661158
DOI – https://doi.org/10.65686/SISY7263

Year
2026

Proceedings of
International Conference on Adaptive Reuse
hosted by The University of Pisa, Italy
15-19 September 2025, at the Gispoteca di Arte Antica dell’Università di Pisa.