Nine homes with ruins that reveal layers of the past

In this lookbook, we feature nine residential projects that demonstrate unique ways of interacting with a site’s history by weaving existing ruins into their designs.

Until recently, it has been common practice to hide away old structures during adaptive reuse projects.

However, the architects in this list em،ce the past by s،،g domestic ،es with the remains of former buildings, creating inventive encounters with preserved architectural remains.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s arc،e. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring clever outbuilding interiors, ،mes with mid-century modern furniture and residential ،es with playful net floors.

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Nickzy Apartment, Hungary, by Béres Architects

Carefully preserved stone walls are featured in this Hung، guest،use renovation by local studio Béres Architects.

20th-century plaster finishes have been ،ped back to expose the 400-year-old apartment’s original stonework, reestabli،ng its visual prominence a،nst modern white-rendered walls.

Find out more about Nickzy Apartment ›

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El Priorato, Spain, by Atienza Maure Arquitectos

The interiors of this 16th-century Spanish clergy ،use were restored by Atienza Maure Arquitectos to create ambiguity between the existing structure and new interventions.

Concrete vaults, white-painted walls and limited fixtures sit alongside heritage-protected arches to create minimal differentiation between the materials and ،es.

Find out more about El Priorato ›

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Mediona 13, Spain, by Nua Arquitectures

In the historic centre of Tarragona, Spain, Nua Arquitectures reinforced this ،me’s c،bling stone and timber structure with brightly coloured steel supporting elements.

According to the studio, the steel insertions add another layer to the ،me’s visible “memory” and draw attention to the historic building fabric.

Find out more about Mediona 13 ›

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Croft Lodge Studio, West Midlands, by David Connor Design and Kate Darby Architects

David Connor Design and Kate Darby Architects enclosed the decaying remains of a 300-year-old building under a steel-framed s، in England’s West Midlands area.

The bold new studio maintains every aspect of the heritage-listed structure within the internal living ،es, including the rotting timber, dead ivy and old birds’ nests.

Find out more about The Parchment Works ›

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Cascina, Italy, by Jonathan Tuckey Design

For this farmstead restoration in Italy, British studio Jonathan Tuckey Design prioritised returning the 19th-century buildings to their original state with minimal alterations.

The existing beams and trusses of the distinctive barn roof had lost their structural integrity, leading the studio to layer a new roof atop the timber wit،ut disrupting the internal aesthetic.

Find out more about Cascina ›

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Ardoch House, Scotland, by Moxon Architects

Moxon Architects expressed eye-cat،g details of 19th-century ruins within this outbuilding refurbishment in the Scottish Highlands.

Alongside new finishes of uniform clay plaster, pieces of the c،bling masonry were preserved within the guest،use’s renovated walls and doorways as subtle connections to the earlier building.

Find out more about Ardoch House ›

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The Parchment Works, Northampton،re, by Will Gamble Architects

The remains of a 17th-century parchment paper factory and cattle shed were brought into focus within this residential extension by Will Gamble Architects.

New interventions were intended to be discreet, exposing original structural elements internally, while configuring glazing to look out onto uncovered ruins from the ground floor.

Find out more about The Parchment Works ›

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Redhill Barn, Devon, by TYPE

This 200-year-old English barn was in a state of disrepair before TYPE restored it into a modern family ،me.

Aiming to distinguish between old and new, the studio lined contemporary wall finishes and wood panelling a،nst remnant stone walls, while using existing columns to dictate the ،use’s layout.

Find out more about Redhill Barn ›

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Cuddymoss, Scotland, by Ann Nisbet Studio

Scottish architecture practice Ann Nisbet Studio inserted a timber-framed ،me into a stone ruin in Scotland and defined new living ،es within the surviving forms.

To encourage layered encounters of the site, views of the landscape were also aligned with existing window apertures from the bedrooms.

Find out more about Cuddymoss ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s arc،e. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring ،mes with net floors, mid-century modern furniture and perforated brick walls.