Adaptive reuse of office buildings into housing: opportunities and risks

Abstract. The built environment contributes 40% of total global greenhouse gas emissions and 87% of the buildings we will have in 2050 are already built. If predicted climate changes are correct, we need to adapt existing stock sustainably. Outside Australia there is a history of office to residential conversions. These conversions number few in Sydney although evidence suggests a trend is emerging in conversion adaptations. In 2014, 102 000 m 2 of office space was earmarked for residential conversion in Sydney as demand for central residential property grows and low interest rates create good conditions. The Central Business District (CBD) population is projected to increase by 4% to 2031 requiring 45 000 new homes and this coincides with a stock of ageing offices. Furthermore, the Sydney office market is set to be flooded with the Barangaroo development supply in 2017; thus conditions for conversion are better than ever. However, what is the level of sustainability in these projects? And, are stakeholders cognisant of sustainability in these projects? Moreover, is a voluntary a mandatory approach going to deliver more sustainability in this market? Through a series of interviews with key stakeholders, this paper investigates the nature and extent of the phenomena in Sydney, as well as the political, economic, social, environmental and technological drivers and barriers to conversion. No major study exists on conversion adaptation in Sydney and the most residential development is new build. There is substantial potential to change the nature of the CBD and enhance sustainability with the residential conversion of office space. The findings show that opportunities are being overlooked to appreciate and acknowledge the sustainability of this type of adaptation and that there is a need for a rating tool to encourage greater levels of sustainability and to acknowledge existing levels of sustainability achieved in these projects.

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“…Many variables influence the adaptive reuse potential of buildings [19,31]. One is the prevailing property market, described above.…”

Section: Variables Influencing Adaptive Reuse 41 Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Opportunities and risks of adaptive reuse are related closely to the physical characteristics of the existing buildings [31]. To use information from ex-post cases to scan the possibilities for conversion, Remøy and de Jonge [45] defined the building type characteristics that influence the conversion potential, e.g.…”

Section: Buildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive reuse of Sydney offices and sustainability

Wilkinson

Remøy

2017

Sust. Build.

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“…Building adaptation has been considered as a process to improve the performance of buildings financially, socially and environmentally [5] [7] [36] [43] and plays an important role in the built environment [35]. The type and form of conversions depend to a great extent on the original and intended use of the building.…”

Section: A An Overview Of Adaptive Reusementioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Buildings in a New Precinct in Auckland’s CBD

Kiroff

Tan²

2015

Annual International Conference on Urban Planning and Property Development

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Abstract-The conversion of former industrial buildings and identifying heritage as a commodity has become a pervasive trend, especially over the last decade. Adaptive re-use of old industrial buildings is often seen as an alternative to demolition and replacement and as the primary development solution for an existing building when it no longer meets expectations. Building adaptation plays an important role in urban regeneration through the preservation of urban heritage while achieving major economic benefits. The aim of this paper is to examine the key areas of consideration involved in the conversion of former industrial buildings in a new large-scale precinct in Auckland's CBD (central business district). A case study research, which employs multiple sources of empirical evidence, such as fieldwork, documentary research and semi-structured interviews, was considered most appropriate as it offered a multi-faceted approach to the research investigation. The findings of the study indicate that preserving historical character through adequate design approaches was the main area of consideration for all parties -the architect, structural engineer, urban planner, heritage advisor and property developers. However, creating economic value and commercial potential through careful financial considerations was also particularly important for the property developers. Furthermore, this study identified that property developers, responsible for the initial physical upgrading of old buildings, played a leading role in urban redevelopment and were the main initiators of urban transformation. Until recently, adaptive re-use has received limited attention in New Zealand as new builds have been perceived as the sole answer to client demands. However, building adaptation is proving to be an effective alternative in urban regeneration campaigns through the creation of attractive work environments. This research provides the foundations for an overall integrated approach to adaptive re-use which is at the heart of post-industrial real estate development driven by proactive property developers.

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“…An adaptively reuse project or conversion is a means to facilitate a major reuse of buildings (Remoy, 2014). Main issues associated with adaptive reuse of buildings are such as financial, environmental, and social issues as mentioned in ARP (Adaptive Reuse Potential) (Langston, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes and Impacts of Heritage Building to Small Hotel Building: A Case Study of Bangkok Story Hostel

Pongsermpol¹,

Upala²

2017

ASS

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Over the last decade, trends of adaptive reuse of old buildings turned into hotels have been popular in Thailand, especially in Bangkok. Adaptive Reuse Heritage Building converted to the Hotel Building, AR-HB-hotel, effects changes and impacts in several aspects. There have been established criteria for substantial renovation, business investment and assessment of the value of heritage buildings but no concern has been paid to the surrounding community impact. The objective is to study four issues of AR-HB-hotel focused on (1) physical, (2) economic, (3) value changes, and (4) social impacts. The research method is qualitative approach with case study type. ‘Bangkok Story Hostel’ was selected as a representative case for AR-HB-hotel. This small 3-storey heritage hotel is located in a traditional trading district on Songward Street, Sampanthawong district, Bangkok. For the data collection, building history and project background, as well as physical and economic changes were collected from secondary data, surveys, and in-depth interview. Value change and social impact were collected from in-depth interview and questionnaire. The results showed that the level of physical, economic, and value changes of this building rose up, while the level of social impact stays the same or decreased a little less than the level before the renovation. This research may not be generalized wholly to another case with a significantly different context, but the four main approaches for examining physical, economic, value, and social issues and the procedure used in this study can be a guideline for future studies of AR-HB-hotel’ changes and impacts.

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Adaptive reuse of office buildings into housing: opportunities and risks

Cited by 80 publications

References 14 publications

Adaptive reuse of Sydney offices and sustainability

Adaptive reuse of Sydney offices and sustainability

Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Buildings in a New Precinct in Auckland’s CBD

Changes and Impacts of Heritage Building to Small Hotel Building: A Case Study of Bangkok Story Hostel

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