New life for old buildings: the power of adaptive reuse

The design industry’s waste crisis demands immediate solutions; innovative adaptive reuse is a practical answer.

Sustainable practices, embracingly, are now the norm. So, how do we continue to identify innovative yet practical new solutions not only for our clients but for the end users of buildings and places?

In Australia, construction and demolition waste constitutes about 39% of our total waste. Renovating and renewing existing buildings (instead of demolishing them) minimises landfill waste, conserves valuable resources and protects broader ecosystems. It can also enhance energy efficiency, with potential savings of around 30% and be more cost-effective than new construction, often yielding financial savings of 10-15%.

Adopting adaptive reuse strategies supports urban renewal and facilitates higher-density developments that combat urban sprawl, promote sustainable living and preserve our cultural heritage. 

Here, we highlight just some of our most recent adaptive reuse projects that are transforming buildings into places with social, cultural and economic value.

PRESERVING THE PAST, REVITALISING THE PRESENT

The Department of Lands (now known as The Lands by Capella) in Sydney on Gadigal Country sets a benchmark for the adaptive reuse of a treasured 19th-century heritage building in the heart of Sydney. Unlike many of Sydney’s heritage sites, this building remains largely unaltered. Its structure, spaces and character are what form its exceptional heritage value and contribution to the city’s identity.

Conceptually, we approached the adaptation of the Department of Lands with the mindset of making the uses fit the building, rather than having the building fit the use. New function spaces, co-working areas, bars, restaurants and retail will form part of Capella’s new luxury hotel offering. 

A strategic consolidation of hotel rooms and amenities enabled the retention of more of the building’s heritage fabric. We relocated services and common spaces, such as toilets and lifts, in the less valuable internal areas. This freed up the more significant historical spaces around the building’s perimeter to be enjoyed by the public unconstrained, celebrating their location within the building and their connection back to the city.

MODULAR DESIGN: BUILDING FOR AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE 

Our design for the First Building in Bradfield City Centre in Western Sydney on Dharug Country — the first major city to be built in Australia in over a century — sets a regenerative design precedent for subsequent development through values of connection, sustainability and innovation that are central to the city’s future growth. 

In designing for a city whose needs will likely evolve over time, we considered how the First Building — which will house stage one of the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility — might grow, adapt, or even be relocated within the city for an entirely different purpose. Circularity and regenerative design principles are embedded into the heart of the project and underpinned by low-embodied carbon materials, such as timber, recycled glass, bamboo, and rammed earth.

The First Building, though new, is designed for future adaptive reuse. It’s conceived as a ​‘kit of parts’ comprising prefabricated modular timber components that are mechanically fixed together — a method that delivers substantial reductions in both construction time and cost. Each element is designed for disassembly, expansion, reconfiguration, and with the ability to be recycled for a different use at the end of its life. 

URBAN REUSE: PERTH’S EDUCATIONAL TRANSFORMATION 

Over in Perth, 441 Murray Street on Whadjuk Country is the city’s first vertical school, flexibly designed as a future-ready environment that will support the growing needs of students, teachers, and administrators. The existing commercial building was refurbished, upgraded and expanded to create an efficient, state-of-the-art educational facility that will establish a connected campus and a world-class workplace for St George’s Anglican Grammar School and the Anglican Schools Commission (ASC).

The core focus of our conversion was strengthening and fitting out the space — transforming it into a multilevel school for St George’s Anglican Grammar, the headquarters of ASC, and the ASC International School. The significant structural strengthening will also futureproof the building and support the addition of eight levels, intended as part of future expansion plans. 

This transformation not only honours the school and organisation’s legacy, ensuring their sustainability into the future, but also reduces the project’s construction waste and environmental impact, addresses the city’s growing educational needs, and brings new life to the area.

Regenerative design practices such as adaptive reuse strategies should be engrained in our design thinking and integrated into mainstream systems. It’s our responsibility as designers to tackle the ongoing waste crisis through circular methods; the benefits are multifaceted with great reductions in waste and far less environmental impact. But the adaptive reuse of buildings also generates economic value, fosters sustainable development, revitalises communities and preserves our cultural heritage.