Adaptive Reuse Allows Older Buildings to Be Re-Purposed

Adaptive reuse is a superb sustainability strategy. The term simply means to repurpose a building from its original occupancy to another use that is more needed in the present market and location. Building reuse is an easy concept, but one that has huge potential to reduce the carbon footprint and solid waste inherent in demolition and new construction.

Old schools
Apartments
Condominiums
Private schools
Office buildings
Social service buildings (sometimes with gym remaining)
Community centers
Private residences (one-room rural schools)
University classrooms
Cultural centers

Old factories
Apartments or condominiums
Office buildings
Restaurants
Business incubators
Employment and training complexes
University classrooms
Shopping centers
Gyms, basketball or handball courts

Old gasoline stations (gas tanks removed as required by law)
Oil change stores
Restaurants
Convenience stores
Auto repair
Garden center
Private residence (common in rural areas especially)

Old mills
Lofts
Shopping centers
Small shops
Restaurants
Vocational education classrooms

Old motels
Apartments
Day care centers
Storage units
Garden center
Flea market

Dead malls (shopping centers)
Cultural centers
Apartments and condominiums
Antique malls
Telemarketing centers
Offices
Churches

Old churches
Theatres
Private residences
Museums
Art galleries
Community centers
Antique shops
Nonprofit organization headquarters

Old downtown stores
Townhouses
Offices
Live-work units
Day care for children or adults
New church start-ups
Business incubators

Old train stations or depots
Shopping centers
Community centers
Model railroading clubhouses
Museums
Trailheads
Shops
Antique stores
Transit stations

Old libraries
Offices
Art galleries
Apartments
Private residence (small town)

Old post offices
Offices
Museums
Libraries
Stores
Veterinary clinics
Home (small town)

Old grocery stores
Flea markets
Offices
Clinics
Ski or surf shop
Restaurant
Microbrewery

Old banks
Transit stations
Libraries
Museums
Offices
Restaurants
Antique stores

Old mansions
Museums
Art galleries
Office buildings
Condominiums
Restaurants
Antique stores
Rehab centers
Party facilities for rent
City halls
Non-profit organization headquarters

Old airports and military bases
Redevelopments as complete communities
College campuses
Golf courses
Parks
Local or state government buildings
Prisons

Old colleges
Schools
Museum and park complexes
Redevelopment as complete communities
Industrial campuses
Large nonprofit organization homes
Prisons

Old barns
Private residences
Condominiums
Lofts
Vacation compounds for extended family
Cheese factories
Offices
Rental space for high-end hobbies (fancy cars and such)

Our advice is to combine sound market research, if you have the capability, with the services of a good architect. If you are on a shoestring budget or no budget, simply convene the most creative people you know, maybe get a bottle of wine, and start talking and doodling with felt-tip markers till you have an idea or three. Then ask a developer, builder, or real estate agent what they think. Keep asking, keep doodling, and keep advertising until an adaptive reuse prospect appears.

Often this doesn't happen until a particular prospective buyer sees the property. But that will be an accident; most of these buyers don't know they're looking for an old upholstery shop.

If you're in the public sector, obtain control of the building by purchasing an option to buy. Think through any financial incentives you are able to offer, such as tax increment financing.

Gimmicks such as attracting the media or putting it up for auction online sometimes actually bear fruit, but don't pin your hopes on one strategy. Be persistent, and as demand changes in your neighborhood, continue to think about whether the building type that is needed could already exist in your own back yard.

If so, your community could receive the benefit of a unique project, and one minimizing the waste of good building materials. Frequently old buildings have good bones and are made from more substantial materials than those currently used in construction. The selling points are many.