Building adaptation

Construction and demolition waste represents a significant wastage of natural resources and energy while also contributing to air pollution. Measures to reduce construction waste include flexibility in design of new buildings and recovery of materials and components from existing buildings or adaptation of existing buildings to new uses. Although prolonging the building life through designing for adaptation can reduce the rate of demolition, the low rate of renewal of buildings means that material recovery and whole building reuse are equally important in minimising construction waste. While quality of recovered material/component depends on the original design and recovery process, there is a lack of measures to promote the use of recovered materials. Changes in decision making on how buildings are designed, demolished and reused can therefore significantly improve the resilience of building stock and reduce the adverse impacts. While theoretical underpinnings of designing for deconstruction or adaptation of existing buildings are well established, their practice depends more on location, policy issues and incentives. The paper discusses the preliminary findings from a research project which aims to develop a set of guidelines on designing for flexibility based on life-time environmental and financial performance of alternative strategies and generate data on relative environmental performance of recovered construction materials/components compared with their virgin alternatives used in Singapore.

Attempts to describe and characterise the re use of existing buildings in recent interior architectural theory have often centred on the language and syntax associated with literary arts. Remodelling and interior interventions are often described in terms of translation, interpretation, poetry, essay and narrative. This is not without substance and indeed it is not only the act that is described in such terms but the very thing itself. The intervention or remodelled architectural form is an essay on and narration of the existing building. It translates and interoperates a previous history and story manifest within the fabric of the existing building and acts as its biographer. This act of storytelling is predetermined by the excavation of the story. As a precursor to the narration, the designer translates and adopts the behaviour of the archaeologist. It is a process of careful and predetermined removal and discovery that allows the depiction of previous lives, events and cultures to become part of the present. The intervention as a mechanism for re use is a biographic interpretation of the previous and an auto biographic narration of the present. It is this ability to be both representational of the past and the present that establishes the significance of the intervention as a key contributor to place. This paper aims to contribution to current discourse in relation to the validity and authenticity of the built interior and the re use of the existing

In Western Europe, many large housing estates have experienced spirals of intertwined physical and social decline. Such estates have wound up at the bottom of the housing hierarchy, which is manifested as high turnovers and vacancies. This qualitative multi-case study contributes to the research on the sustainable management of declining neighbourhoods’ housing stocks. The study learns from four individual cases in which vacancies were tackled with an extreme architectural transformation. In the investigated cases, large-panel buildings were partially deconstructed and renovated, and the reclaimed concrete panels were reused for new construction nearby. The approach integrates demolition, renovation and new construction − the three characteristic building stock management strategies in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The cases are located in Sweden (Gothenburg, 1984), the Netherlands (Middelburg, 1986), Germany (Berlin, 2004) and Finland (Raahe, 2010). Deconstruction was the landlords’ way to manage their assets in the face of vacancies and social problems in relatively young, unamortized buildings. The projects proved technically feasible, yet they have been criticised for their economic and social implications. Nonetheless, the approach seems to have contributed to extending the life cycles of the buildings in question, and it has the potential to improve the quality of life in large housing estates.

Purpose-The vacancy of office buildings leads to financial problems for the owners and social problems for the community, e.g. vandalism, dereliction and deterioration. A solution may be found through the conversion of vacant office buildings into housing. Vacancy-threatened buildings are often part of the mediocre part of the building stock. Does conversion make sense in this case? What are the opportunities, threats and risks? What are the critical success factors? The purpose of this paper is to discuss financial, functional, structural, technical and aesthetic issues. Design/methodology/approach-Through previous research at the Delft University of Technology, tools are developed to decide the potential for the conversion of buildings. This paper discusses the risks and chances, and brakes and triggers of transformation projects, based on case studies. These case studies are performed through interviews with professionals involved in the transformation process and through analyses of architectural drawings of the before and after situations. For each project two interviews were held, with the architect and the developer or client. The interviews focussed on the process of the transformation projects. Findings-The conversion of nondescript and unarticulated buildings makes sense from the point of view of sustainability, both ecologically and in an urban regeneration context. These projects will only be interesting for developers of commercial real estate if they can be made economically feasible. Social housing associations also have additional social goals. Through a longer investment perspective these associations can wait for property increases through long-term externalities as result of upgrading of the area. In buildings that are kept because of economical or social feasibility there are strong connections between the target group, the location and the conversion costs. Practical implications-The tools developed have proved to be useful for quick scans of the potential for building conversion. This paper is a first step in trying to depict a more detailed view of the risks and chances of building conversions. Knowledge of the risks and chances of conversion is required to make decisions concerning transformation projects. Originality/value-The paper develops knowledge about transformation projects and decision support tools for the conversion of buildings, based on empirical studies.

􏰱The only 􏰲way to meet chang􏰳ing􏰳 economic, urban and social needs is not to build ne􏰲w building􏰳s, but to adapt ex􏰴isting􏰳 structures and continue usin􏰳g them. 􏰵Basing􏰳 on international ex􏰴perience, this article show􏰲s that problems of city of Y􏰖erev􏰗an, the ov􏰗erload in do􏰲wntow􏰲n, the disproportionate urban and economic de􏰗velopment and industrial herita􏰳ge preserv􏰗ation can be sovl􏰗ed not only by building􏰳 new􏰲 building􏰳s but also by transformin􏰳g already ex􏰴isting􏰳 building􏰳s.

􏰡Փոփոխվող տնտեսական, քաղաքաշինական եւ սոցիալական պահանջներին բավարարելու միակ ճանապարհը նոր շինություններ կառուցելը չէ, հնարավոր է նաեւ հարմարեցնել գոյություն ունեցող շինությունները եւ շարունակել օ􏰟գտագործել դրանք։􏰠 Հիմնվելով միջազգային փորձ􏰞ի վրա՝ ցույց է տրված, որ Երեւան քաղաքում առկա խնդիրները՝ քաղաքի կենտտրոնական հատվածի գերծանրաբեռնվածությունը, անհամաչափ քաղաքաշինական եւ տնտեսական զարգացումները հնարավոր է լուծել ոչ միայն նոր շինություններ կառուցելով, այլ արդեն իսկ գոյություն ունեցող շենքերը վերափոխելով􏰠։

One of the requirements of architectural buildings is to reduce the negative effect it has in the surrounding environment. In designing programs has been successfully applied the concept of biological facades. Interpreting the architectural façade in an analogy with the biological organism 's skins, it has been represented a multiple-choice catalogue with different functions which are half full filled by technological facades in architecture. Such a situation allows and leads to promising and innovative concepts. Biological organisms have different strategies to adapt with internal and external changes. The skin and the outer shell of these organisms plays an important role in disconnection and connection of the structures that are used to protect them, to adapt to temperature, lightning, humidity etc. The focus of this research paper is to make an analogy between intelligent biological skins and technological skins. According to the analysis of different adaptive skins, in this research we have proposed an adaptive façade system in the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism in Tirana that reacts towards climate. This system will provide better condition with optimal comfort parameters for different activities that might take place there using, by reducing the energy consumption.

—The growing attention of sustainability agenda has led the development strategies on hazardous and toxic building materials identification for building construction industries. Unfortunately, the fragmentation and complexity of the construction process and involvement of many stakeholders resulted in lack of knowledge and information to manage the risks and hazards. There is a need for creating, converting, exchanging and sharing knowledge from scientific research findings with construction practices. For this study, a conceptual model was developed to assist the understanding on available building material information. This information model focuses on the initial effort to obtain baseline information on building material used and the possible risk management and mitigation strategies. Visible and accessible information on possible negative effects from building materials may assist decision making that could avoid and reduce potential deficiencies that may lead to increased adverse effects to health, safety or unforeseen death.

The purpose of this study is to proffer solutions to shortages of staff offices and lecture rooms in Higher Education Institutions where old existing buildings are abandoned. However, such buildings could be adapted and backed up with adequate budgets. A cursory look at some of the HEIs buildings studied suggests that they are abandoned. The objectives are: To evaluate Works and Services Departments constraints in relation to building adaptation and budgets by conducting semi-structured interviews (qualitative), and survey (quantitative) for the staff and students of the selected HEIs in Nigeria; to develop a strategic framework to support building adaptation and effective budgeting techniques, and evaluate the framework by conducting interviews for experts. The study reveals some interesting results: Shortage of staff offices and lecture rooms could be resolved by adapting existing abandoned buildings after renovations. Data for budgeting for adaptation could be collected via reconnaissance surveys and letters of complaint for defects from the users. On the basis of the findings, these recommendations have been proposed: The Works and Services Departments could carry out reconnaissance surveys of their built environments with a view to identifying the affected buildings. The use of appropriate data collection techniques for the budget preparation is very essential. In addition, letters of complaint for defects from the assets users are also essential.

This study determines the awareness and knowledge of stakeholders on the required building materials information in Malaysian building adaptation projects. The projects may involve non-green hazardous substances hidden in the building materials used. These substances pose dangers to health and safety, disturbing the environment and affecting the projects' turnover. Literature reviews on building adaptation and building materials information management found that vital information are seldom available. Interviews to 16 experienced stakeholders support findings on lack of awareness and information on existing building materials that may contain hazardous and toxic substances. Thus, building material information is critically required for future sustainability.