Adaptive Reuse of Architectural Buildings

The course explores adaptive reuse as one of the central contemporary architectural practices - a field that challenges conventional distinctions between old and new, preservation and innovation. Through lectures and case studies, students will examine how existing structures can be transformed to meet the demands of modern life while maintaining their historical, cultural, and spatial integrity. Beyond its evident environmental and cultural relevance, adaptive reuse is a profoundly sustainable practice that values the invested energy of existing buildings, in many cases reduces carbon footprints, and mitigates urban sprawl - demonstrating that working with what already exists can become a creative and responsible act of design.

At a deeper theoretical level, adaptive reuse redefines the nature of the architectural object by detaching the traditional link between form and function. The reused object becomes a living entity - autonomous yet relational, historically constituted yet open to new temporalities. Seen through the lens of the Anthropocene, this practice transforms architecture into an active agent of ecological and cultural renewal, one that fosters continuity while allowing for moments of estrangement and rediscovery. Ultimately, adaptive reuse is not preservation but transformation - an imaginative, critical, and joyful design practice that repositions architecture as a participant in the planetary dialogue of the Anthropocene.