Heritage buildings are important in demonstrating the cultural identities of cities and, consequently, communities throughout the world. In the contemporary era, adaptive reuse has been considered as a strategy for protecting these buildings for both present and future generations. At present, the 19th and 20th century conservation and restoration theories are the backbone of the contemporary adaptation movement by introducing different forms of adaptive reuse over time. These theories revealed how the prioritization system for protecting heritage buildings has changed from a value base to technological needs and user demands. These theories have become theoretical guidelines and policies under modern development. However, these theories are less considered in the contemporary practice of adaptive reuse, and thus remain as theoretical guidelines and policies that are still being developed periodically in the national and international levels. The main aim of this study is to review and critically analyze principal 19th and 20th century theories of conservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of heritage buildings in order to provide a holistic view of their application, aspects of which may be incorporated in future research, practice, and discussion on the subject. For this paper, these key theories are critically reviewed, analyzed, and discussed, contributing to the study of contemporary practice of adaptive reuse. A summary of the analysis of all key theories is presented. The analysis of the theories presents the evolution of different approaches to adaptive reuse of heritage buildings over time and shows the role of theories in the establishment of international conservation policies. The analysis further reveals the existing gap between theory and practice in contemporary adaptive reuse practice.

Purpose-Adaptive reuse of heritage stock several advantages: retention of culturally and socially significant buildings, as well as the opportunity to consider embodied energy, energy efficiency retrofit measures and other environmental upgrades. This paper identifies the technical issues faced in the adaptive reuse of Australian heritage listed city halls and discusses sustainable strategies to enable further adaptations to be more energy efficient. Design/methodology/approach-Adaptive reuse of a heritage building provides an opportunity to retain embodied energy, improve energy efficiency and enhance durability, which are important aspects of the technical lifecycle of a building. Using a case study methodology and a qualitative approach, this paper evaluates adaptations and the technical isues faced in three heritage city halls in Queensland, Australia. Findings-The analysis shows that enhancing energy efficiency enables heritage buildings to reduce their climate change impacts. However, the installation of equipment for energy efficiency can pose technical issues for heritage buildings. The ownership of heritage building and interest of the local community affects the solutions that are viable. Solutions and further sustainable strategies are proposed through analysis of case studies. Originality/value-City halls globally adopt different and varied architectural designs, features, and scales. They are often heritage listed and locally significant landmarks that have undergone various adaptations; however, they have been overlooked in much adaptive reuse research, particularly in Australia. City halls differ from other heritage buildings in their collective sense of ownership which is important in regard to proposed changes, as citizens have an interest and hold opinions which may affect measures adopted. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge related to energy efficient technical adaptive reuse of city halls.

PurposeIn adaptive reuse, the importance of place referred to as “genius loci,” whereas authenticity refers to the design, materials, setting and workmanship of a building or place. Genius loci and authenticity are crucial evolving interconnected concepts; however, the concepts are usually studied separately, and consequently, overlooked in adaptive reuse practice. This paper provides precise definitions and a holistic understanding of these terms and discusses complications related to the understanding of the concepts in the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings.Design/methodology/approachContent analysis is an acknowledged way of analysing information related to a subject area and allows researchers to provide new insights and knowledge in a particular area. This paper applies a critical content analysis of published works related to genius loci and authenticity over time.FindingsThe findings show the inter-relationship of genius loci and authenticity, and how these concepts can be considered in the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, in theory and in practice. Consequently, a checklist is proposed to enable all interested parties engaged with the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings to identify and preserve genius loci and authenticity.Originality/valueIdentity and values of heritage buildings are argued to be the strongest reasons for adaptation. Amongst a wide range of values associated with the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, place and authenticity are perceived to be the most confusing terms and concepts. Whilst place and authenticity are defined by many authors, their meaning and usage are subjective, which is a challenge in recognising and preserving the values they embody. This study contributes to the greater understanding of these concepts, their meanings and application in adaptive reuse.

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