Adaptive re-use enters the spotlight

Will adaptive re-use projects help carry the A&D community through the recession? As the list of companies filing for bankruptcy continues to grow with the names of big-box retailers like Circuit City, an architectural challenge arises: what to do with those behemoth boxes they leave behind? In an interesting online piece, Slate takes a look at how various communities are transforming these old warehouse-sized spaces (which often top out over 150,000 sq. ft.) into new ventures, from libraries and cafes to, yes, a Spam museum. What do you think would be the best use of such space? 

On a related note, ArchNewsNow tipped us off to The New Yorker's Department of Visualization .lt seems it's also got adaptive re-use on the brain, in a way, with writer Nick Paumgarten asking what will become of the ambitious projects that started when during the boom days but are now stalled as mere pits in the ground?