[DESIGN REPORT] ADAPTIVE RE-USE

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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.
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.
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 communitys understanding of the past.
The natural ecological conditions of the site; whether the site is suitable climatically or can
support the proposed environmental work needed in the site.
According to the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, it is the utilization of buildings, other built-
structures, 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 nations historical and cultural heritage
and resources, as well as artistic creations
3. Cultural preservation as a strategy for maintaining Filipino Identity

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
- 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.
[DESIGN REPORT] ADAPTIVE RE-USE

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FOREIGN CASE STUDIES



Figure 1. PLAN OF GASOMETER CITY



Figure 2. EXTERIOR OF GASOMETER CITY

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 citys conversion from town gas
and coal gas to natural gas. In 1978, they were designated as protected historic landmarks.
(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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Figure 4. THE GREEN BUILDING

THE GREEN BUILDING
LOCATION: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
PROJECT AREA: 10,175 sqf
PROJECT YEAR: 2008
OLD USE: Dry Goods store
NEW USE: Mixed- use commercial building
The Green Building is a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., converted into a 10,175-
sf 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
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
faade 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 Buildings 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.



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 Buildings
total off-grid energy efficiency is up to 68% and it outperforms Kentucky energy codes by up to 65%.


Figure 5. AERIAL VIEW
Figure 6. INTERIOR
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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.





LOCAL CASE STUDY


Figure 7. EXTERIOR OF JUAN LUNA E-SERVICES BUILDING
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 banks 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 three-
storey 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 countrys 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.

STRENGTHS
The call center industry is growing and they have the talent and space. Its 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.

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Figure 8. INTERIOR






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 nations 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.
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.

RECOMMENDATION:


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 sites 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.