Architects across Europe are increasingly transforming crumbling historic structures into stunning contemporary homes, blending ancient heritage with modern living spaces. This growing trend represents a shift in both public appreciation and regulatory attitudes toward historic preservation, as property owners and designers find innovative ways to breathe new life into abandoned ruins while maintaining their historical character.
When the owners of The Parchment Works, a Grade II-listed Victorian house in Northamptonshire, England, decided to expand their property into the garden, they encountered a significant challenge. The area was occupied by a dilapidated former cattle shed and the crumbling, roofless remains of a 17th-century parchment factory. Obtaining permission to demolish the ivy-covered walls would have been nearly impossible due to heritage protection laws.
London-based Will Gamble Architects provided an elegant solution by designing a contemporary extension within the derelict space, ensuring the ruined walls remained the most prominent feature. The firm created two lightweight, transparent boxes that gave the owners a sleek internal structure while preserving the site's heritage. "The overarching ambition was to celebrate and enhance what was already there, with every intervention done in the most sympathetic way possible," explains director Will Gamble. "It's a celebration of materiality and history. That continued through to the interiors where we exposed the stonework and the roof structure."
Completed in 2018, The Parchment Works has won multiple RIBA awards and exemplifies what Gamble describes as a "light touch" approach. "That was the driving force – to create a contemporary 21st-century space that met the original historic fabric," he says. According to Gamble, this blending of historic and contemporary elements is becoming increasingly popular. "I think people place much more value on the juxtaposition between old and new today, and how they can complement each other. There has been a corresponding change in mindset from local authorities too. Where once they preferred pastiche, making any new addition look as if it has always been there, they've become much more willing to do something contemporary."
However, renovating ruins requires substantial commitment and financial resources. The clients at The Parchment Works initially needed persuasion, aided by 3D modeling, to understand and approve the concept. The poor condition of the ruins made preserving them difficult to envision, as did the uncertainty of final costs. Luke McLaren from McLaren Excell, an architecture and interiors practice known for contemporary renovation work, notes that historic building renovations can cost an average of 30 percent more than similar-sized new constructions.
"Every project on a derelict heritage building comes with financial, construction and legislative uncertainty," McLaren explains. "They require a client who is comfortable with uncertainty, which is one reason these builds are often perceived as passion projects. The main issue is what can be salvaged structurally. It's asking how much of this building that you have fallen in love with can actually be preserved. You don't want to eradicate all evidence and character of the original, so there are constant questions: does a stair tread or a handrail sit against a historic piece of fabric or can this element be touched? It's a case of refereeing back and forth."
In Gloucestershire, Lydia Robinson, co-founder and creative director of Design Storey, faced particularly challenging circumstances while renovating The Cowshed, a nearly derelict, listed 18th-century open-fronted Cotswolds barn. The original padstones supporting the timber posts had been removed, causing the front to tilt and drop dramatically. The conservation officer required the roof to be jacked up rather than dismantled, something their structural engineer had attempted only once before.
"The existing building was wonky, and creating a home from a building designed for farm animals was difficult," Robinson recalls. "One way we did that was to use one material. We placed a timber pod inside the barn with a timber staircase, retained and lifted the existing trusses and used the pod to hide all the services." The missing padstones were discovered buried nearby and replaced, and the roof was lifted intact as a single structure to its original position – a remarkable engineering achievement. Completed in 2023, The Cowshed now serves as an elegant weekend home and was shortlisted for this year's Wood Awards, winning home transformation of the year in the 2024 British Homes Awards and receiving two 2025 RIBA awards.
The motivation behind these ambitious projects stems from both historical appreciation and romantic appeal. Henry Ryde, director and national head of heritage and townscape at Savills, acknowledges there is "an element of romanticism attached to what can be the opportunity to live in an iconic historic building that is a window to another time." Mina Hasman, RIBA Awards Group's sustainability adviser, notes that such properties align with growing respect for provenance and environmental consciousness.
Since 1998, Historic England's Heritage At Risk register has compiled a list of nationally protected buildings and sites in danger of being lost to neglect, decay or inappropriate development, currently containing close to 5,000 entries. "The retention and reinvention of derelict buildings is being recognized not only as a gesture of cultural respect but also as a pragmatic and impactful sustainability strategy," Hasman explains. "Reducing embodied carbon is also essential to meeting global climate targets."
Reviving ancient structures has been the life's work of architect Count Benedikt Bolza and his wife Donna Nencia on their 1,500-hectare Reschio Estate on the Umbrian-Tuscan border in Italy. Thirty years after his parents purchased the Italian property, Bolza has continued their work, steadily renovating the 50 abandoned farmhouses on the land to restore and eventually sell them to international buyers. These houses command prices of $12 million and above on the international market and require highly specialized restoration techniques.
"Many of the ruins are romantic, with evidence of the families and animals that lived there for centuries," Bolza explains. "I therefore look to see if there are any strong architectural elements that we can use – a Roman arch or an outside staircase – but for the most part it is a case of salvaging the stone, the brick, and recreating something stunning in the appropriate vernacular of the area."
Similar transformations are occurring across Europe. In the Mallorcan village of Llubí, in the island's mostly tourist-free agricultural center, a derelict former hardware store with animal stalls has been transformed into an airy four-bedroom townhouse with swimming pool. Listed with Engel & Völkers for $1.72 million, the property overlooks the tree-filled town square and features a modern metal and wood staircase adjacent to a traditional wall of massive local stone slabs.
For those seeking inspiration on creating striking sustainable residences from ruins, the South Tyrol holiday home conceived from a ruined farmhouse by architectural practice Bergmeisterwolf in 2011 serves as an exemplary model. After an extensive search for skilled artisans, the original stone wall was rebuilt in traditional fashion without mortar and now wraps around and shields a new house clad in wooden shingles. The architects declared the finished result "an homage to the sedimentation of ideas," while acknowledging the owner's contribution of "great sensitivity and little time pressure."
While these projects may be passion projects requiring commitment and perseverance from all involved parties, they embody a modern desire for sustainability and historical preservation. As Hasman concludes, "The best projects future-proof the buildings. They breathe new life into structures, making them relevant and functional for decades to come." This approach represents not just architectural innovation, but a sustainable philosophy that honors the past while creating spaces for contemporary living.
