Adaptive re-use for a more sustainable building sector

In the pursuit of sustainable development, communities have much to gain from adaptively reusing buildings. Bypassing the wasteful process of demolition and reconstruction alone sells the environmental benefits of adaptive reuse. These environmental benefits, combined with energy savings and the social advantage of recycling a valued heritage place make adaptive reuse of old buildings an essential component of sustainable development. So why aren’t we doing more adaptive reuse and how can we change this situation?

At the end of this panel, attendees will be able to:

• Name 3 recent examples of sustainable adaptive re-use designs
• Explain both the benefits and disadvantages of adaptive re-use designs
• Understand the difference in terms of costs of an adaptive reuse build and one that is not
• List 3 areas where adaptive re-use designs would not work

Competency Standard – Design: Schematic Design
Relates to: 4.2 Evaluation of design options against values of physical, environmental and cultural contexts.