Metempsychosis Lab

Metempsychosis means to transfer the soul from one body to another, to be reborn in a new way. When we adapt buildings and give them new uses, we are giving that building a new life. The old building continues to exist in the new iteration, changed but alive for a new set of people to use it with a new program. The Metempsychosis Lab is an adaptive reuse project that takes over the existing Nature Center of Hunting Island, S.C. The old building served as a place for visitors to enter the pier and teach about the local flora and fauna. Now, the building expands not only over the same program, but adds a lab for scientists to research the impact climate change has on the island, a kayak storage area that is available for the scientists as well as visitors, and changes the way the visitors are educated. Hunting Island has a hot/humid climate, which is great for being outdoors during most of the year. With that in mind, most spaces are turned into semi-open spaces to allow people to enjoy the climate and be more connected with nature. The building only expands towards areas previously disturbed by humans, preventing the destruction of the local flora. The 10316 SF gross area of the building only exists in what used to be the Nature Center and parking area. This way, not only the existing building is preserved and improved, but also the native plants are able to reclaim some of the land they lost when the park was built.