Adaptive Reuse in Architecture

A Growing Business Niche to Explore

We kick off the July 2024 series with a spotlight on Adaptive Reuse; a significant niche offering a unique business opportunity for architects. Throughout this month, we shall take a closer look into the intricacies of adaptive reuse and its potential to shape the industry’s future while exploring innovative strategies for sustainable design, historic preservation, and urban revitalization.

In addition to examining the core principles of Adaptive Reuse, we will also explore unconventional concepts that push the boundaries of traditional thinking. These ideas will integrate elements such as biodiversity, ecology, and mental well-being, ultimately challenging the status quo and expanding the potential of Adaptive Reuse in architectural design and urban development.

The Case for Adaptive Re-use

“Around 80% of the buildings we have today will exist in 2050, so it is essential for combating climate change that we retrofit them for energy efficiency.” – World Economic Forum Article

View of interior of a building showing the trussed wooden roof frame and hanging pendant lighting

What is Adaptive Re-Use?

Adaptive reuse is a proactive design strategy that repurposes and evolves existing buildings, sites, and spaces to meet changing needs, ensuring sustainability, resilience, and enduring relevance.

“Adaptive reuse preserves historic places and transforms vacant buildings into new homes, offices, and hotels while making financial and sustainable sense.” – in an article by Autodesk about ‘How adaptive reuse gives defunct buildings new leases on life.‘

Terms Associated with Adaptive Re-use

As the world moves towards Net-Zero building and climate change mitigation, adaptive reuse stands out as a key strategy to address these challenges. Quick research shows that adaptive reuse is gaining popularity, demonstrating its substantial impact on mitigating climate change and promoting environmental sustainability.

Adaptive Reuse: An Opportunity for Architects

image showing the interior of a space with black wood flooring, black metal framing for the mezzanine with the living room below the bedroom. An example perhaps of adaptive reuse of space and retrofitting

According to the article ‘Adaptive Reuse is Trending Upward: Despite Recent Slowdown in Office Conversions, Adaptive Reuse is Trending Upward with 120,000 Apartments Underway‘; “the number of apartments resulting from adaptive reuse projects is expected to grow in the upcoming years. Current projects are set to expand the nation’s multifamily stock by 122,000 units. Office conversions alone are expected to result in 45,000 multifamily units nationwide.”

Given the promising yet largely untapped potential of adaptive reuse in localities worldwide, especially in Africa and the MENA regions, further research is crucial to explore its market value and expose the vast hidden potential.

The emerging demand for sustainable development and the need for efficient use of resources across the built environment is a given. The construction sector, often regarded as one of the major world consumers of resources, is seeing a push from international establishments to create sustainable environments through adaptive reuse of existing building stocks. This concept, receiving momentous recognition for its richly diversified applicability within the circular economy, is well-documented and thriving in regions like the United States and Europe. Cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Berlin, and Amsterdam lead in repurposing old factories, industrial buildings, and historical structures into modern spaces. Australia, particularly Sydney and Melbourne, also demonstrates significant adaptive reuse of industrial sites and warehouses. In Asia, Japan and China are emerging with adaptive reuse projects in cities like Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing, while Canada, with cities such as Toronto and Vancouver, increasingly focuses on preserving historical buildings.

Architects are encouraged to explore adaptive reuse opportunities in their localities, as this growing global practice offers substantial benefits aligned with sustainability and resource efficiency as well as better serves clients and the community at large.

Adaptive Reuse is not exactly Refurbishment

Image of an interior renovation showing a person in the process of painting a wall holding a roller and nearby is a paint bucket and a ladder

Refurbishment and adaptive reuse are not exactly the same thing, although they are related concepts in the realm of architectural projects.

Refurbishment focuses on renovating, repairing, or upgrading an existing building to enhance its functionality and meet contemporary standards without altering its original use or layout.

Adaptive reuse involves extensive renovations to repurpose a building for an entirely new function, often requiring significant interior and exterior changes.

While both strategies aim to extend the lifespan of existing structures, adaptive reuse is a more radical transformation to accommodate evolving needs. Many adaptive reuse projects may also incorporate refurbishment elements in the renovation process.

How Architects can Leverage Adaptive Reuse as a Strategic Business Opportunity

Build Your Expertise

Research Local and Global Trends: Identify niche opportunities for adaptive reuse within your market region. Understanding both local and global trends will provide you with a comprehensive view of potential projects and innovative approaches, enabling informed decision-making.
Enhance Your Knowledge: Strengthen your skills and expertise in adaptive reuse. Stay current with industry developments and best practices to gain a competitive edge in your market.
Strategic Networking: Connect with a diverse range of stakeholders including contractors, material salvagers, and community advocates. Attend and host professional events to expand your network—remember, your network is a valuable asset.
Know Your Customer (KYC): Understanding the client’s goals, preferences, and project requirements is crucial for tailoring designs and management strategies in adaptive reuse projects, ensuring alignment with their expectations and project success.

Sharpen Your Skills

Embrace Context with Innovation: Design with sensitivity to the unique characteristics of each project context while integrating modern innovations.
Master Complex Project Management: This is crucial for architects in adaptive reuse projects due to the unique challenges of existing structures such as diverse stakeholder management, regulatory complexities, budget and schedule precision, risk mitigation, and sustainability goals. Effective management ensures smooth execution and successful outcomes in these intricate projects.

Champion Adaptive Reuse

Showcase Success Stories: Highlight the positive value of adaptive reuse on communities and especially how that reflects on your own community.
Quantify the Benefits: Use data to demonstrate the advantages of adaptive reuse, including reduced costs, decreased waste, and lower environmental impact. Concrete evidence can strengthen your proposals.
Collaborate on Research: Partner with academic institutions or research organizations to explore and document the broader impacts of adaptive reuse. This collaboration can provide valuable insights and enhance your credibility.
Build your data bank: Craft a tailored data resource to inform your adaptive reuse expertise and differentiate your firm.

Bonus Tip: Storytelling is Key

Amplify your brand and expertise. Harness the power of digital platforms and events, to share narratives that highlight the impact of adaptive reuse. Engage stakeholders, enhancing your firm’s visibility and leadership in sustainable architecture.

Architects Spearheading Adaptive Reuse

According to the article ‘15 Architecture firms doing revolutionary work in adaptive reuse’ by Rethinking the Future, these are the leading architectural firms spearheading revolutionary work in adaptive reuse include 1100 Architects, Heatherwick Studio, Vector Architects, Herzog & de Meuron, Foster + Partners, SOM, BIG, OMA, Gensler, and MVRDV.

The Generator co-working space in Bristol, revamped by MoreySmith, earned recognition from the FRAME Awards 2022 Grand Jury on sustainable adaptive reuse.

Visit MoreySmith website and FRAME for more details on sustainable adaptive re-use.

Upcoming Events on Adaptive Reuse – 2024

Approaches to Sustainable Built Environment through Mass Timber, Virtual Summit,18th December 2024 – Architects’ Newspaper

Webinar – Adaptive Reuse Trends in the Commercial Real Estate Market and Implications for Environmental Due Diligence – ERIS

More References

Design groundbreaking projects without breaking new ground

The Adaptive Reuse Movement: From History to Home – RentCafe

The Business Case for Adaptive Reuse: Generating Lasting Value

MA Architecture and Adaptive Reuse – University of Manchester

Preserving the Past, Building the Future: Adaptive Reuse – COX

4 ways to transform old buildings into modern assets

Global Monitoring of Policies for Decarbonising Buildings, pdf – OECD