Adaptive reuse: a critical review

Buildings have always been reused for both pragmatic and symbolic reasons. However, out of the turbulence mid-twentieth century, stimulated by reactions against modern ‘clean-sweep’ planning, a new field policy practice emerged in 1970s to respond burgeoning conservation movement growing environmental awareness, which came be termed ‘adaptive reuse’. The last decade particular has seen flourishing interest adaptive reuse on ground scholarship. Today, is witnessed across architectural spectrum, from starchitects most modest community-generated projects. Adaptive ideologically supported through heritage carbon reduction campaigning, evident education. In this paper, we critically review rise scholarship emergent epistemology it represents, with focus past twenty years more recent monographs field. What discern these texts shift debate toward theoretical approach subject. While continuously developing since 1970s, did so mostly mapping depicting an phenomenon, identifying tools strategies instruct practitioners designers. works are increasingly seeking go beyond practice-focused approach, investigate conceptual way. doing so, they might open up disciplinary contributions domain architecture design. This paper aims outline contribute shift.