Adaptive Reuse

[DESIGN REPORT] ADAPTIVE RE-USE

INTRODUCTION ADAPTIVE RE USE refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl. It deals with the issues of conservation and heritage policies. Whilst old buildings become unsuitable for their programmatic requirements, as progress in technology, politics and economics moves faster than the built environment, adaptive reuse comes in as a sustainable option for the reclamation of sites. In many situations, the types of buildings most likely to become subjects of adaptive reuse include; industrial buildings, as cities become gentrified and the process of manufacture moves away from city; political buildings, such as palaces and buildings which cannot support current and future visitors of the site; and community buildings such as churches or schools where the use has changed over time. CRITERIA FOR ADAPTIVE RE USE While the process of adaptive reuse is a decision often made purely by companies establishing a particular brand or presence, there are often criteria for deciding whether a building should be conserved and reused or just demolished for the area of land it occupies. Some of these determining criteria include; 

The societal value of a given site; that is, the importance to the community of the use of a site by community members or visitors.

Advantages of Adaptive Reuse 1. Environmental - Energy Conservation: Energy is conserved by reclaiming and repurposing existing structures and their materials and their embodied energy, as well as making use of existing available infrastructure such as access to transportation and utilities. - Environmental Benefits: Reuse can provide environmental and public-health benefits through the remediation of contaminants associated with some older building materials as well as former industrial or commercial sites. - Land Conservation - Sprawl Reducement 2. Social - Enhances Community Character: Reuse retains historic resources and community character by providing renewed life to historic structures in an economically viable manner. Building reuse can provide a link between the community's history and its present and future while accommodating up-to-date needs, and is often more harmonious with community character than new construction. - Sustainable development: Existing structures are often located in established growth areas with a significant population density and in developed areas, reusing these structures will help support the neighborhood. 3. Economic -

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The potential for the reuse of a particular site; the physical damage sustained to the site and its support of future use, the character of the existing site in terms of the proposed reuse.

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The historical importance of the site; in terms of both the physicality of the street-scape and the area, as well as of the role of the site in the community’s understanding of the past.

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The natural ecological conditions of the site; whether the site is suitable climatically or can support the proposed environmental work needed in the site.

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According to the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, it is the utilization of buildings, other builtstructures, and sites of value for purposes other than that for which they were intended originally, in order to conserve the site, their engineering integrity and authenticity of design. In other words, “changing an existing, often historic, building to accommodate a new function. The building is brought up to contemporary standards while saving its historic and aesthetic values” as Arch. Rene Luis Mata said. Principles of Philippine Adaptive Reuse 1. Foster the preservation, enrichment and dynamic evolution of a Filipino culture 2. Conserve, develop, promote and popularize the nation’s historical and cultural heritage and resources, as well as artistic creations 3. Cultural preservation as a strategy for maintaining Filipino Identity

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Potential Tax Advantages: Owners may be eligible for federal tax credits for rehabilitation investments in older or historic buildings and other incentives. Increases Market Value: Values can be increased by preserving aesthetically-appealing building features and architectural elements that are often characteristic of older buildings. Materials and quality of construction of the past is often not economically possible to reproduce today. Saves Time: Provides potential time savings can result through building reuse because the building and infrastructure is in place, and municipal approval and permitting can occur more quickly and less expensively than comparable new construction. Encourages Investment: Reuse can encourage more investment, development, and revitalization in areas and in other structures that might otherwise remain vacant or underused, yielding potential tax generation and employment opportunities. Cost Savings: Rather than demolishing existing structures that have outlived their originally intended use, reuse saves on demolition costs, champions recycling, and creates unique design opportunities.

Limitations of Adaptive Reuse The following are challenges in implementing adaptive reuse: 1. Physical Limitations: Structural constraints involved with retaining aesthetically appealing, architectural or historic features may make fitting a new use into an existing building challenging, and may require added creativity and flexibility. 2. Regulatory Constraints: Existing structures may pre-date zoning, building permit, and other local development regulations and thus their rehabilitation to meet modern requirements can be challenging. For example, zoning may limit uses and restrict possible reuse opportunities, or require variances. Off-street parking may be difficult for an existing older building to meet. However, the statewide building code has built-in reliefs to help address this matter. 3. Potential Environmental Hazards: Environmental contaminants such as asbestos and lead can be present in many older buildings, requiring costly mitigation. Page 1

[DESIGN REPORT] ADAPTIVE RE-USE

FOREIGN CASE STUDIES

Figure 3. TOP VIEW

 GASOMETER CITY LOCATION: Vienna, Austria OLD USE: Utility NEW USE: Residential, Commercial and Cultural HISTORY The Gasometers were built between 1896 and 1899 in the Simmering district of Vienna near the Gaswerk Simmering gas works of the district. The containers were used to help supply Vienna with town gas. At the time, the design was the largest in all of Europe. The Gasometers were retired in 1984 due to new technologies in gasometer construction, as well as the city’s conversion from town gas and coal gas to natural gas. In 1978, they were designated as protected historic landmarks. Figure 1. PLAN OF GASOMETER CITY

Figure 2. EXTERIOR OF GASOMETER CITY

(RE)DEVELOPER Vienna undertook a remodelling and revitalization of the protected monuments and in 1995 called for ideas for the new use of the structures. The chosen designs by the architects Jean Nouvel (Gasometer A), Coop Himmelblau (Gasometer B), Manfred Wehdorn (Gasometer C) and Wilhelm Holzbauer (Gasometer D) were completed between 1999 and 2001. OUTCOME Each gasometer was divided into several zones for living (apartments in the top), working (offices in the middle floors) and entertainment and shopping (shopping malls in the ground floors). The shopping mall levels in each gasometer are connected to the others by skybridges. The historic exterior wall was conserved. The Gasometers have developed a village character all their own and are “a city within a city”. A true sense of community has developed, and both a large physical housing community (of tenants) as well as an active virtual internet community (Gasometer Community) have formed. Indoor facilities include a music hall (capacity 2000-3000 people), movie theatre, student dormitory, municipal archive, and so on. There are about 800 apartments (two thirds within the historic brick walls) with 1600 regular tenants, as well as about 70 student apartments with 250 students in residence.

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[DESIGN REPORT] ADAPTIVE RE-USE adjacent to single stories activate a sense of openness by being next to an adjacent compressive (and more intimate) space. New construction defers to old at the historic front façade of The Green Building and incrementally reveals a new formal arrangement as visitors filter through the spaces towards the rear of the building. In the center, all components, both spatial and technical, merge into the design core, which visually connects to every space in the building.

Water-efficiency: No city water is used by The Green Building’s xeriscape landscaping. Storm water is either absorbed by the green roof, collected in three large rain barrels, or directed into a rain garden, where the toxins are removed by plant material before reentering the ground water system.

Figure 4. THE GREEN BUILDING

Figure 5. AERIAL VIEW

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Figure 6. INTERIOR

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 THE GREEN BUILDING LOCATION: Louisville, Kentucky, USA PROJECT AREA: 10,175 sqf PROJECT YEAR: 2008 OLD USE: Dry Goods store

Energy-efficiency: The Green Building saves 30,000 pounds of CO2 a month, more than enough to offset the carbon footprint of all its employees’ vehicles. Thanks to 81 solar panels, a 1,100 gallon ice storage system, and twelve geothermal wells 225 feet underneath the building, The Green Building’s total off-grid energy efficiency is up to 68% and it outperforms Kentucky energy codes by up to 65%.

NEW USE: Mixed- use commercial building The Green Building is a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., converted into a 10,175sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements of the building include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Applications: * Innovative Re-Use Design: By understanding the history of the building and the context of the neighborhood, the architect inventoried the existing building components to determine its weak points. Elements of the building were carved away to allow a new re-use form to emerge Triple height volumes

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[DESIGN REPORT] ADAPTIVE RE-USE Re-used Materials: In addition to saving the original mortar shell of the structure, The Green Building team re-used much of the material from the original building. For example, structural wood from the original building was re-milled into finished flooring and furniture. Bricks from the original building were carefully disassembled and re-used in other areas of the remodel. Recycled Materials: The Green Building includes a high percentage of recycled materials, including 100% of the flooring, 70% of the windows, and 80% of the insulation, made from recycled blue jeans. 551 cubic yards (3cy2) of demo material from the landfill are diverted by donating to local salvage Habitat Restore for Habitat.

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LOCAL CASE STUDY

 JUAN LUNA E-SERVICES BUILDING (National City Bank) LOCATION: Juan Luna St., Escolta OLD USE: Citybank NEW USE: Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) HISTORY The five-storey Pacific Commercial Company Building, also known as the National City Bank, was designed by American architects Murphy, McGill and Hamlin of New York and Shanghai, and was completed in 1923 at a cost of two million pesos. Occupying about 1,800 square meters of an irregularly shaped corner lot adjacent to El Hogar, it has a frontage of forty-three meters on General Luna Street and forty-six meters on Muelle de la Industria, along the Pasig River. The building derived its design from the trademark architectural features set by the International Banking Corporation of New York for its overseas branches. The bank’s prototype was made up of a row of colossal columns in antis, which was faithfully reproduced for its Manila headquarters. The ground floor was fully rusticated to affect a textured finish. This floor had arched openings with fanlights emphasized by stones forming the arch. The main doors were adorned with lintels resting on consoles. Above the ground floor were six threestorey high, engaged Ionic columns, ending in an entablature topped by a cornice. These six columns dominating the south and west facades were, in turn, flanked by a pair of pilasters on both fronts. The fifth floor was slightly indented and also topped by an entablature crowned by strip of anthemion. OUTCOME Under new ownership, the building was given a new lease of life using adaptive reuse, now envisioned to serve as office space for the country’s thriving business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. With that came a new name for the building, now known as the Juan Luna E-Services Building. With a team headed by architect and writer Augusto Villalon, the building went through some structural retrofitting and some changes such as the addition of a viewing deck at the topmost floor while keeping many of its elements intact. BUILDING With a team headed by architect and writer Augusto Villalon, the building went through some structural retrofitting and some changes such as the addition of a viewing deck at the topmost floor while keeping many of its elements intact.

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The call center industry is growing and they have the talent and space. It’s just a matter of transforming these buildings into usable space. Escolta used to be a high-end shopping center; they had the best jewelry and clothes stores. For example, the building of Savory Chicken used to be Estrelladel Norte, which was a very fine jewelry store. Escolta has been central to the history of this city for centuries.

Figure 7. EXTERIOR OF JUAN LUNA E-SERVICES BUILDING

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[DESIGN REPORT] ADAPTIVE RE-USE 

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Figure 8. INTERIOR

Redevelopment beyond the heritage envelope of many buildings is possible without compromising the significance of the heritage fabric through the judicious use of setbacks and skillful design of new contemporary facades and insertions to complement, but not mimic heritage details. The retention of heritage buildings enables the streetscape to retain its significance, character, history and scale whilst allowing the buildings to have a new life within the contemporary economic and social context. Adaptive re-use of heritage buildings is an opportunity to create distinctive and unique developments that have the potential to become iconic destinations.

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The project will be a mean in educating communities on the benefits of adaptive reuse and the tools that support it. Proposed adaptive reuse project is encourage to be mixed income and mixed use through zoning incentives and other regulatory tools. Redevelopment should focus on “market readiness” with respect to ensuring site’s access to infrastructure Provide parking, loading, and other requirements in existing zoning regulations which are usually difficult to meet in denser urban areas, but require the maintenance of any existing capacity.

SUMMARY: Adaptive Reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. It deals with the issues of conservation and heritage policies. The types of buildings most likely to become subjects of adaptive reuse include industrial, political and community buildings. The criteria for adaptive reuse are the societal value, potential for the reuse, historical importance and natural ecological conditions of the site. The National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 states that any historic buildings intended to change the function must conserve its historic and aesthetic values. The principles of Philippine Adaptive Reuse include (1) foster the preservation, enrichment and dynamic evolution of a Filipino culture, (2) conserve, develop, promote and popularize the nation’s historical and cultural heritage and resources, as well as artistic creations and (3) cultural preservation as a strategy for maintaining Filipino identity. The advantages of adaptive reuse are conservation of energy, environmental and public health benefits through remediation of contaminants, land conservation, sprawl reduction, enhances community character , sustainable development, potential tax advantages, increases market value, cost and time savings and encourages investment. But there are also limitations in implementing adaptive reuse like physical limitations such as zoning and potential environment hazards. CONCLUSION: The adaptive re-use found that: 

Many of the historic buildings in every places have outlived their original function are suited to a range of new uses.

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