Benefits of Adaptive Reuse

BENEFITS OF ADAPTIVE REUSE
Adaptive reuse is a form of development that gives new life and purpose to old
buildings. Many cities have embraced the concept to turn around areas that once
suffered from abandonment and general decline. If a city is truly interested in urban
revitalization, adaptive reuse is a very important part of achieving that goal. Here are 10
benefits of adaptive reuse that every municipality should consider.
1. Adaptive Reuse Is Sustainable

They say the greenest building is one that already exists. Adaptive reuse is itself
considered sustainable because of the reduction in building materials needed to
transform a space.
2. Environmental Sustainability
Finding new uses for old buildings significantly reduces the energy consumption
associated with demolishing a structure and building a new one to replace it. Mass
investment in adaptive reuse introduces the ability for a community to meet the needs of
a growing population while conserving land and reducing the expansion of
unsustainable urban sprawl and extensive daily commuting patterns.
3. Economic Sustainability
Potential cost benefits from adaptive reuse include the reduction of the hurdles
generally associated with greenfield sites, like legal issues, pressure from anti-
development factions, zoning problems, finance, design and construction costs and
environmental impacts. These savings can be the difference between an urban project
having the feasibility to move forward and a downtown site becoming a surface parking
lot for the foreseeable future.
4. The Spaces Can Be Useful for Fledgling Businesses
The adaptive reuse of existing buildings in general can be 16 percent less costly than
other forms of construction. Many of these spaces also become ideal settings for start-
up businesses because cost efficient shell space can be made available at a lower
leasing rate than the market for new construction.
5. Hidden Density
Areas largely developed before 1950 tend to feature building stock that is designed to
be smaller, denser, and mixed-use around narrow streets that accommodate
pedestrians over automobiles. This clustering of complementing uses within a compact
setting is a key ingredient of vibrancy in cities of all sizes. When razed and replaced
with structures designed to accommodate today’s autocentric land use and zoning
policies, urban density is typically reduced.
6. Saves time; faster than brand new construction
There is an old adage that says time is money. A huge economic advantage for private
developers and cities attempting to revitalize their aging urban cores is that a renovated
existing building becomes suitable for occupancy sooner rather than later. This allows
developers to have cash inflow and for cities to turn around desolate areas in a much
shorter time frame.
7. Cost Savings on Demolition
Typically, an overlooked expense, demolition costs can run as high as five to ten
percent of the total cost of new construction.
8. Preservation of Local Identity and Sense of Place
Older buildings not only add and establish the character and scale of our local built
environments, they also are a direct physical link to our past, cultural heritage and
identity. Cities across the country tend to embrace the concept of adaptive reuse
because no matter how one slices it, restoring a historic space goes a long way in
preserving local sense of place and authentic experiences that can’t be replicated
elsewhere.
9. Takes Advantage Of Urban Revitalization Trends
Across the country there is great interest in authentic experiences associated with living
and working in unique cities with a special sense of place. A magnet for attracting
educated young professionals, adaptive reuse of existing buildings is a major
characteristic of cities where urban revitalization has been a success.
10. Decreased public and social costs
In many older cities across the country, the urban core population has declined by more
than fifty percent since 1950. Adaptive reuse of vacant structures and landmarks in
neighborhoods designed for twice as many people as live there today offers the
opportunity to create new affordable housing, start-up businesses and home ownership.
In addition, adaptive reuse can serve as a method to reverse the economic decline of
inner cities communities while reducing displacement associated with gentrification.
LIMITATIONS OF ADAPTIVE REUSE
Most times, the purpose a building serves is often outlived by the building itself. The built usually
survives the dwindling usage of the project – architecture is enduring and many times ever-
lasting. So, what happens to a building after it outlives its original purpose – does it become a
ruin to slowly crumble and decay; or does it somehow get adapted into something of value once
again? These days, adaptive re-use is an often accepted and employed practice to give a new
purpose of usage to structures that outlive their original use. It is a process of reusing an
existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally designed for.
But often, this method of effectively adapting an existing structure seems to offer a host of
disadvantages to the designer or architect. Even though each project may have a unique
position, some common cons of adaptive re-use seem to plague every project.
Adaptive re-use of a building can often be expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes

even affect the creativity of developing that project. Let’s look at multiple restrictions,
challenges, and barriers that such a method of conservation and re-use provides.
1. Physical restrictions
As is obvious when adaptively reusing an existing structure, there are many physical
restrictions that challenge effectively retrofitting the built with the new intended use.
Structural elements like columns, beams, floor layouts, and structural grids often pose a
problem to re-using the structure for various uses.
2. Economic Considerations
There are many economic considerations while conserving and reusing an existing
structure. There are potentially high costs of adapting the change of use, and updating
the infrastructure, and modernizing and refurbishing the electrical systems and other
services. Moreover, interior services may become more expensive due to the repairing
of various defects that building or structure might have suffered through.
3. Deliberation over Social Impacts
Existing buildings usually have intangible aspects and attached sentiments in the social
sphere. Each structure has a notional value to the context and past users and people.
When conserving or adaptively reusing, the designer or architect must consider these
complex perspectives of history and value.
4. Material Incompatibility
Many times, while adapting or conserving an existing structure, there may be

inconsistencies and difficulties in finding suitable and compatible materials. This may
even extend to the non-availability of these materials or finding skilled workers to
achieve this compatibility and unity.
5. Complexity and technical difficulties
Due to the obvious complexity of retrofitting or reusing, there are many technical
difficulties that designers face. Often adapting or reusing requires complex techniques
of installations and needs innovative solutions to tackle the many barriers that such a
process invariably faces.
6. Inaccuracy of Information
As structures that are usually reused or conserved, one of the many issues becomes
about the inaccuracy of information available to the designer or architect. Incomplete or
missing drawings further add to their woes. There is often a lack of accurate information
and inconsistencies in materials usage in heritage buildings.
7. Perceptions about Adaptive re-use
The process of conservation or adaptive reuse is many times perceived as expensive,

with many designers and developers choosing demolition as an easy and simpler way
out. There is a lack of awareness and many misconceptions about the opportunities for
adaptive reuse.
8. Barriers caused by redevelopment projects
Governments and urban planning authorities often pose barriers by creating various
impositions about urban regeneration and redevelopment criteria of cities. There may
also be inconsistencies or problems faced in the scope and classification changes of
buildings – since some may require updating and compliance to newer building code
and zoning classifications.
9. Maintenance Issues
There may be a lot of issues faced during the maintenance of the structure, since there
may have to be frequent repair due to physical deterioration and defects. There may
also be high re-mediation costs and construction delays caused by contamination by
hazardous materials, or precarious structural systems and elements. The projects may
also be lengthy leading to reduced profits.
10. Creative value
The creative value of demolition and building anew often supersedes the value of
adapting and conserving – due to the demand for adaptation of newer trends in
construction and current styles of building. Moreover, adaptive reuse is often seen as a
niche market for upscale and luxurious processes. Materials also play an important role
in creating this reduction in the value of an existing building, with newer materials being
preferred.
Yet, even though there may be many cons of adaptive reuse and conservation, the
advantages outweigh them tremendously. The overall economic and environmental
impacts are considerably larger than the shortcomings of such processes, and the
historical value to counterbalance the need to build anew. Moreover, adaptive reuse
projects and conservation projects might significantly enhance neglected areas in and
around the projects or even historically overlooked urban spaces.

Benefits of Adaptive Reuse

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BENEFITS OF ADAPTIVE REUSE

1. Adaptive Reuse Is Sustainable

LIMITATIONS OF ADAPTIVE REUSE

Adaptive re-use of a building can often be expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes

3. Deliberation over Social Impacts

Many times, while adapting or conserving an existing structure, there may be

7. Perceptions about Adaptive re-use

The process of conservation or adaptive reuse is many times perceived as expensive,

8. Barriers caused by redevelopment projects

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