Replacement and Reuse, Reconsidered

The historic evolution of post industrial cities has often framed demolition as a natural endpoint for architecture—an approach that overlooks the role existing buildings and materials can play in shaping the future of our cities. The new Re-SPLAM pavilion, currently on view in Millennium Park as part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, puts forward a provocation: what if the future of our cities depends not on replacement, but on adaptation—on extending the use, value, and performance of the materials we already have?

This conversation examines the value of existing building stock and how it can actively shape urban change, particularly when materials are treated as assets with ongoing performance potential rather than obstacles to progress. It also challenges a common assumption in contemporary building culture—that materials like wood are inherently renewable—by acknowledging that global demand for mass timber construction is outpacing the rate at which forests can regenerate. In this context, existing materials are not a secondary option, but a critical resource whose lifespan must be extended to meaningfully reduce carbon impact and material extraction.

Drawing from her reporting, journalist and critic Anjulie Rao offers critical context on demolition and how it reshapes cities materially, environmentally, and socially, revealing the hidden costs of erasure and the systems that influence what is preserved, discarded, or forgotten. In turn, Jorge Rovira and Ben Johnson present Skidmore, Owings and Merrill’s research behind the Re-SPLAM pavilion, demonstrating how architecture and engineering can propose alternative pathways. Through contemporary design tools, computation, and structural intelligence, the project explores how materials can be revalued, extended, and reintroduced into the present.

The conversation will be moderated by Sarah Herda, Chicago Architecture Biennial Co-Chair and Director of the Graham Foundation.

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Host or Publisher Chicago Architecture Biennial