Adaptive reuse : underrstanding effectiveness fo adaptive reuse as a tool for urban regeneration

Abstract

The practice of architectural and urban design being involved in forming the space in our cities and built environments has certain effects on the social life in society that in its turn conditions the performance of the practice. The continuous changes in cities and societies, however, are just partially caused by the practice of architectural and urban design. In a fluid context of social and spatial transformations, the control and manipulation of the effects of the practice become yet more complicated entailing a deeper understanding of the nature of urban transformations and the dialectic between urban life and its spatial frames in cities. The objective of this thesis is to improve this understanding. The thesis deals with discourses in the fields of theory of architecture, architectural and urban design practice and sociology. It examines the concepts of society, space and culture and discuses the content and historical context of predominant urban design ideas and concepts in different periods. All of these factors must then be integrated with new construction in order to continue the narrative of the building. “The building already has a story; all you have to do is add the interesting next chapter." Throughout this paper, discussions will take place on how exactly we add this next chapter. The study will be made to look at the theories in conservation as a tool in which to establish coherence and unity in the presentation of an adaptive reuse project. Through the use of evolution, scarring, layering, and display, principles will emerge as a way in which to embrace storytelling as a process to communicate what once belonged to the past and explain what has emerged as part of the present function. This article focuses on the protection and development of old buildings cultural characteristics oriented to the concept of recycle culture, so as to provide a theoretical reference for a sustainable urban culture.