Adaptive Reuse of 20th-Century Concrete Grain Silos in Romania: Towards Sustainable and Low-Carbon Management of Industrial Heritage

Industrial grain silos built in reinforced concrete during the twentieth century constitute an important yet often overlooked component of industrial heritage worldwide and represent significant reservoir of embodied materials and carbon within the built environment. In the context of sustainability, circular economy strategies, and low-carbon development, their preservation and adaptive reuse are increasingly considered potential alternatives to demolition and new construction. This study presents the first systematic inventory and analysis of Romania’s twentieth-century reinforced-concrete grain silo network, based on archival research and extensive fieldwork conducted across 130 locations, where 201 silos were identified and analysed. This research study examines their spatial distribution, typologies, construction characteristics, technological facilities, and current condition in order to assess their heritage value and reuse potential. The results show that most silos were constructed between 1930 and 1990, strategically located near transport networks and high-productivity agricultural regions. While a large proportion remains operational, others are progressively affected by obsolescence and abandonment. Their robust reinforced-concrete structures, large storage capacities, and strategic locations suggest significant potential for life cycle extension and adaptive reuse. This study provides a transferable methodological framework for the sustainable management of large-scale agro-industrial heritage in comparable international contexts.