Adaptive Reuse
Adaptive reuse regenerates old places that otherwise might be redundant.
RBA have unique skills in this field, combining the knowledge of our architectural historians, specialist conservation technicians and architects to deliver a sharp contemporary aesthetic and optimise functionality.
Successful adaptive reuse of existing buildings reaps substantial cultural, environmental and economic benefits.
Heritage conservation and environmental conservation should be viewed as complementary endeavours. One of our core Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) principles is to embrace the value of embodied energy in existing buildings and their inherent passive design qualities.
Understanding our built inheritance in this way opens up possibilities for truly unique and valuable projects that not only conserve our heritage, but also promote contemporary thinking and design.
A compatible new use will facilitate the conservation of the heritage asset by protecting it from future neglect and decay. Appropriate adaptation, through sensitively modernising and adding contemporary layers and sustainability measures, can conserve historic character and value whilst enriching the built environment.
We encourage our clients to explore the inherited passive systems a heritage place is likely to already to possess and to deploy them to improve building performance and maximise efficiency.
There is considerable energy usage associated with demolition and new construction. Conserving and adapting our existing building fabric as much as is feasible conserves the embodied energy, extending the building life-span.
