Adaptable Reuse

• T H E P R O C E S S O F  R E U S I N G  A N O L D S I T E O R B U I L D I N G F O R A
P U R P O S E O T H E R T H A N W H I C H I T WA S B U I LT O R D E S I G N E D F O R .

adaptive
reuse can be
the perfect
way to
breathe new
life into an
old building,
while
conserving
resources and
historic
value.
Before
After
There are many factors that determine the amount of economic
return from adaptive reuse

Abandoned
chapel turned
• Reuse of building materials and resources into a beautiful
home
• Decreased need for energy in terms of
both labor and machinery
• Time saved with using an existing
structure.
• Occupies otherwise abandoned sites, and
generates tax revenue.
Adaptive reuse entails reinventing existing buildings for new uses. This is done by identifying
the defining characteristics of a given structure and then imagining how those features might
creatively serve new purposes.

Abandoned
Cargo cars turned into railway turned
upscale living space into waterfront
condominiums.

Abandoned factory turned into

greenhouse/ office spaces
 • Structural Integrity
• Design Complexity

• Conservation • Population Density

• Community Interest • Market Proximity
• Zoning Physical • Site Access

Political
Political Economic
Economic

Design
Criteria
Criteria
• Convertibility
• Environmental Quality
Legal
Legal
• Occupational Health functional
functional • Flexibility
and Safety
Social
Social

• Aesthetics
• Image
• Neighborhood