Obsolescence and the end of life phase of buildings

Conference paper (2011)
Faculty
OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment (OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2011 Thomsen, A., Van der Flier, K.
Decision-making Building management Obsolescence Building pathology Life cycle extension
More Info
expand_more

Published Date

20-06-2011

Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Source:

Management and Innovation for a Sustainable Built Enviroment; MISBE 2011, (June 20-23) CIB International Conference, Amsterdam

ISBN:

9789052693958

Faculty

OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment

Abstract

What is obsolescence? Numerous older housing blocks have been knocked down because of being obsolete. There is a general understanding that buildings, like machinery and durable consumer goods, should be replaced when they become obsolete. But is this true? Obsolescence is a serious threat for built property. Given its immobile, long lasting and capital intensive character and its societal and cultural significance on the one hand and the high uncertainty about their future lives on the other, minimizing obsolescence is indispensible for the up keeping of the physical, economical and societal investments involved. This article explores the characteristics and symptoms of obsolescence, how can they be diagnosed and when and to what extent is demolition an unavoidable consequence? Due to the limited availability of empirical sources, the approach is mainly inventory and conceptual, based on literature search supported by previous empirical work.