Heritage Restoration & Adaptive Reuse
Available across India
We restore old buildings and adapt them for new uses, making sure they keep their original character while working well for today’s needs.
Pricing Guide
Adaptive Reuse & Structural Modernization
Design & Strategy
- Contextual Analysis: Detailed study of neighborhood patterns to ensure the intervention fits the setting.
- Structural Feasibility: Coordination with engineers for complex interventions like steel box additions and load-bearing analysis.
- Spatial Configuration: Strategy for stripping internal walls to create open layouts while retaining the main building structure.
Technical Documentation
- Measured Drawings: Creation of accurate as-built drawings of the existing structure before work begins.
- Material Selection: Specification of materials like exposed brick, expanded aluminium mesh screens, and industrial steel.
- GFC Drawings: Detailed drawings for civil work, fabrication, and joinery.
Execution & Facades
- Facade Design: Custom detailing of screens and louvers to filter light and provide privacy.
- Site Visits: Periodic supervision by principal architects to ensure construction matches the design intent.
Heritage Conservation & Estate Masterplanning
Restoration & Conservation
- Archaeological Restoration: Meticulous repair of original elements including Art Deco motifs, colonial teak rafters, and lime plaster work.
- Adaptive Programming: Converting derelict spaces such as stables or glass houses into functional uses like museums or cafes.
- Narrative Design: Creating a spatial story that guides users through the history of the site.
Landscape Integration
- Performative Landscape: Design of plazas, lotus ponds, and tree courts that extend the indoor space.
- Pavilion Architecture: Designing new lightweight steel or timber structures in gardens for entry points or breakout zones.
Luxury Interiors
- Bespoke Detailing: High-end interior design including mezzanine insertions and custom furniture selection.
- Architectural Lighting: Strategies to highlight heritage features like stone walls and arches for night-time aesthetics.
About Heritage Restoration & Adaptive Reuse
We see heritage restoration as a real back-and-forth between eras, not just a renovation job. Every project kicks off with us trying to balance history with whatever’s needed now. Our aim? Make sure each building keeps its own vibe, but also gels with new uses.
What Guides Us
- Preserving legacy while bringing in modern life - we respect the old charm, but we don’t get stuck there.
- Design with a story - the spaces we shape actually walk you through the building’s journey, not just show it off.
- Context matters - we always look at how the building fits into the neighborhood and what the community can get out of it.
What We Do Best
- Historical building preservation, whether it’s old Indian palaces, Art Deco gems, or colonial relics.
- Adaptive reuse architecture - flipping rundown buildings into lively museums, homes, or even funky coworking spaces.
- Urban renewal projects, like turning dead zones with stables and glass houses into hangouts with markets and restaurants.
- Sensitive extensions - adding new space without messing up the original structure’s soul.
Real Projects, Real Impact
- We’ve restored a tiny colonial building and turned it into the KLE Centenary Museum, opening it up to the city with plazas and ponds.
- Right now, we’re bringing an 18th-century palace complex back to life, making it a spot for everyone, not just a relic.
- Designed an office extension that “hovers” over a 50-year-old building, blending two eras in one workspace.
For us, it’s all about making history live on in a way that feels right for today, whether as a home, museum, or buzzing community spot.
Meet your Expert
Thirdspace
223 connects in last 3 months
My Story
We’re Thirdspace, Praveen and Namrata here. Since 2002, we’ve called Pune and Belagavi home, sketching out ideas in Koregaon Park, under the trees. There was this late-night email in 2019 – not a complaint, but a note from Christopher Benninger, praising the human scale in our hostel project. That message, honest and unexpected, still keeps us going. Our studio’s shaped by moments like that – small things, big meaning.
My Work
What we do - We design architecture, interiors, landscapes, master plans, and restore heritage buildings.
How we think - We look for organic neighbourhood growth patterns, weaving private spaces with gardens and community courtyards architecture.
The Thinking Hand process - Our design process is hands-on and messy – sketches, models, diagrams, whatever it takes to get real.
Types of projects - Private homes, weekend retreats, offices, university arenas, co-living, housing – we like variety.
Restoring old souls - Restoration of Art Deco buildings is our thing. We keep the old soul, just give it a new life.
