Adaptive reuse and sustainability of commercial buildings

Purpose - To investigate the viability of adaptive reuse of commercial buildings and the impact it has on the sustainability of existing built environment in Western Australia. Design/methodology/approach - A survey of building owners in Western Australia and a review of literature concerning adaptive reuse of commercial buildings. Findings - The concept of adaptation is supported by building owners and there is a strong intuition/perception that adaptive reuse serves the key concepts of sustainability. Building owners are considering adaptive reuse as a viable option to demolition and redevelopment of existing facilities. Research limitations/implications - The use of a structured questionnaire limits the depth of responses in the study. A follow up study using interviews would allow further because it does not allow probing, prompting and clarification of the issues addressed. Practical implications - Results from this research has implications for building owners and managers as it will eventually provide a theoretical framework that can be incorporated in the decision-making process for adaptive reuse projects. Originality/value - The contribution of existing buildings to the three tenets of sustainability has not been explored comprehensively in Western Australia.