Recently I visited three projects by architects Jarmund Vigsnæs- one being the school where I work and study, AHO. These projects vary in their approach but they are all examples of extending a building's life, both with the existing use and new uses.
#1
Galleri Trafo in Asker, Norway is a 1200 square meter art gallery, formally used as a railroad transformer. The addition to the back houses circulation, clad in corten steel. 
#2
The Oslo School of Architecture (AHO) was a complete adaptive reuse of a building from 1938, whose exterior was protected by conversion status. Parts of the original building were taken down to allow for light to penetrate deeper into the space.
#3
The Oslo International School in the Oslo suburb of Kekkestua is a private school with an enrollment of around 500 students from over 50 different nations. The project required 3900 square meters of new structure and 3300 square meters of renovation.
(Image from http://www.archdaily.com/16715/oslo-international-school-jva/#more-16715)
Plan diagram by JVA
Plan diagram by JVA
The project was divided into three phases to ensure school could remain in session during the construction period. The orange represents Phase One, renovations and additions to the existing structure. This is the portion that interested me the most. Phase Two, in blue, is the new addition and Phase Three (green) is a planned addition for a gymnasium (not yet built). What is particularly interesting about the areas highlighted in orange is the way Jarmund Vigsnæs wove organic forms into the existing rectilinear space.
New, organic shapes protrude into the courtyard, enclosed by the existing facades.
Facade of the existing 1960's building.
W O W
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