Renovating old buildings for contemporary use isn?t always an easy task ? especially when the structures need special care ? but the payoff can be pretty significant. As an alternative to demolishing older architecture when it?s deteriorating or unable to meet current standards of living, sensitive renovation projects help preserve history and culture for future generations, creating a physical link from past to present and future.

While some renovations take great pains to keep impact on the existing structures to a minimum, others forge boldly ahead with complete remodels, adding contrasting modern elements that visually highlight the passage of time. An example of the former approach might make all modern alterations temporary and removable, like a 300-year-old Japanese home wrapped in a protective extension, or virtually invisible from the road, like a rural homestead that?s sort of like the architectural version of a mullet: traditional from the front, ultramodern out back. In cases like ?A Country Home in Chievo? by Italian architecture firm Studio Wok, the original structure becomes little more than an envelope containing a whole new house.
?Bordered by a square black flowerbed, in contrast to the stone flooring on which the pool is set, the tree is the protagonist of the outdoor space and perfectly dialogues with the house: the shadow of its foliage is projected at sunset on the stone facade and is visible from all rooms.?

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