The social side of adaptive reuse
the role of sociocultural aspects in adaptive reuse decision-making
G.M. Havelaar (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Hilde Remøy – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
V.H. Gruis – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
Buildings are required to respond to societal challenges such as urbanisation and climate change, for which adaptive reuse poses a solution. Additionally, sociocultural aspects are regarded as more and more important. Although these sociocultural aspects are broadly recognised as relevant, little is known about their role in the adaptive reuse decision-making process of developers, and even less about the challenges they face when incorporating sociocultural aspects. The aim of this study is therefore to examine the role of sociocultural aspects in adaptive reuse decision-making, from the perspective of Dutch developers.
The research combines a literature review with semi-structured interviews with eight developers working on adaptive reuse project. Based on the literature review, six categories of sociocultural aspects were determined: accessibility, amenities, community, identity, inclusivity and urban context. Interview findings were analysed through qualitative coding and subsequently validated with seven of the interviewed developers and a participation advisor.
The findings show that sociocultural aspects are present in developers' decision-making process but decisions regarding sociocultural aspects are often made implicit, in comparison to the explicit decisions related to technical, legal and economic aspects. Identity emerged as the most influential category, guiding concept development throughout both phases, yet is consistently described as difficult to grasp. Challenges include the absence of adaptive reuse-specific legislation, the intangible nature of sociocultural criteria, inconsistent interpretations of inclusivity, and the tendency to lose focus as financial and technical concerns dominate.
In response, a six-step framework was developed to give identity a structured and visible role in the decision-making process, integrating building and neighbourhood analysis across temporal dimensions and incorporating structured resident engagement. Validated positively by practitioners, the framework offers a concrete approach to get a grasp on the identity.