Adaptive Reuse (AR) of Historical and Heritage Buildings Through Concepts of Addition and Expansion

Abstract

With the emergence of significant changes occurring rapidly in all aspects of life, and their profound impact on job transformation and evolution, there is a necessity for adaptively reusing existing buildings (whether heritage, historical, or modern) to accommodate these new variables through the realization of expansion and addition concepts, whether horizontally or vertically, internally or externally. A set of global experiments has demonstrated various methods and strategies for adapting the reuse of different buildings, which were in urgent need of addition and expansion in various forms to meet the evolving requirements and emerging needs. These experiences can be studied and analyzed to derive key indicators that can be applied to future local experiments.The research adopts a descriptive and analytical approach by reviewing and analyzing previous studies first. It then studies the essential concepts related to the research (assumed building lifespan, expansion, addition, as well as adaptive reuse). Subsequently, a group of global experiments applying these concepts is studied and analyzed to extract essential indicators that can be applied to the local case study, represented by the historic Qishla building. The research concludes with a set of findings.Through the analysis of previous studies, the research identified the research problem as "the lack of knowledge and local studies and applications regarding adaptive reuse for historical and heritage buildings, even modern ones, through expansion and addition processes of all types used in them. The research emphasizes the importance of reassessing global experiences that practically achieved the concepts of addition and expansion and choosing successful strategies for future addition and expansion of local buildings in need of enhancement to meet new requirements and contemporary spirit. The study yielded several conclusions, among which is the acknowledgment that each building has an assumed lifespan (at the technical, functional, and economic levels) that requires adaptive reuse through horizontal and vertical expansion and addition, whether at the structural or spatial levels, above, inside, or adjacent to the building. The appropriate strategy should be selected for each building based on its function, chronological age, social significance, available space inside and around it, while preserving its value and style. This was observed during the analysis of the historic Qishla building in Baghdad. This study serves as a valuable resource for architects, urban development planners, and policymakers seeking to understand and implement adaptive reuse with thoughtful additions to buildings in their different contexts. The indicators derived from the research can also be applied to a range of Iraqi buildings in need of adaptive reuse.