Adaptive reuse of buildings

The article aims to evaluate criteria that should be considered when deciding on the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Reusing a building by means of renovation is in line with the concept of sustainability, as it makes it possible to extend the useful life of a building without incurring significant financial expenses. The concept is related to the theory of the circular economy, which maintains that by designing a system of closed-loop processes – in which waste from one process is used as raw material for another – the consumption of raw materials, the amount of waste and energy losses can be minimised. The article discusses criteria that local governments, municipalities, architects, and designers should consider when deciding whether to reuse a building. The criteria were classified as technical, economic, social, spatial and environmental. To achieve the main objective, we looked into the preferences of current and potential practitioners who might be involved in the adaptive reuse of buildings with regard to the criteria. The most significant criteria were validated using a survey method.