Adaptive reuse is becoming increasingly common because it not only preserves important historical features of existing buildings but is also inherently sustainable. This course addresses the social well-being fostered by preserving and revitalizing the existing urban fabric, understanding the intent of and complying with regulatory challenges unique to adaptive reuse, and supporting sustainability through reuse and systems upgrades while improving accessibility to existing buildings. In addition, guidelines are presented to assist in navigating the process of engaging adaptive reuse projects. Case studies are woven throughout the course to illustrate strategies and ideas that are generalizable to successfully repurposing many different types of buildings.

We preserve buildings to tell our stories, provide continuity in our culture, and stabilize our structures for public safety. In the past century, scientific and historical methodological approaches have been developed through national and international policies and legislation to effectively preserve and reuse existing and historic buildings. The primary purpose of “What Is Historic?” is to discuss how to determine what makes a building or site historic, how to evaluate historic and existing buildings, how to evaluate their conditions, and how to develop their design and preservation approaches and processes. This course is the second of the five-part Historic Preservation series. Each section can be taken as an individual course.