Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse

Alberto Cedeño Valdiviezo

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15

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Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse

Alberto Cedeño Valdiviezo^*

Published in International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications (Volume 11, Issue 3)

Received: 27 June 2025 Accepted: 9 July 2025 Published: 11 August 2025

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Abstract

In this era of neoliberal globalization, there is a need to explore the discipline known as adaptive reuse in architecture. This practice – which originated in Anglosaxon nations, principally in the United States – supposedly contributes to caring for the environment by reusing buildings and construction materials. Some authors argue that architectural reuse has been carried out by humans since the earliest constructions. The so-called architectural “policy of reuse” - which first arose in Italy during the 1960s and 70s in an effort to carry out so-called “holistic conservation” of the Historic Center of Bologna – presented a novel approach to historical heritage conservation, specifically built heritage. This article explores different approaches to reuse upon restoring such heritage architecture. We begin this work with a historical overview of what reuse has meant to humans, its relationship to the restoration of monuments, and the moments in which other visions of reuse emerged, such as the current adaptive reuse. As a final part of the work, and in the search to conclude whether adaptive reuse is a serious proposal and one that can transcend time, we review the classification made by Dr. Liliane Wong for the different ways of intervening in heritage from this perspective.

Published in	International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications (Volume 11, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15
Page(s)	140-150
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Reuse, Adaptive Reuse, Architectural Restoration, Traditional Reuse, Policy of Reuse, Historical Heritage

References

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[4]	Cedeño, A. (1989) “Italian historic centers”. In Magazine Vivienda vol. 14, num. 2, Jul/Dic, 1998. Mexico: Infonavit.
[5]	Cedeño, A. (1998) “Are there national methods for intervening in urban heritage?”. In Magazine Diseño y Sociedad num. 9, winter, 1998. Mexico: UAM Xochimilco.
[6]	Cedeño, A. (2007) “Venice: The contradictions of economic development in environmental pollution and heritage deterioration”. In Magazine Investigación y Diseño vol. 04. Mexico: UAM.
[7]	Cedeño, A. (2015) Urban rehabilitation: Origin methodologies, and technology. Mexico: Trillas Ed.
[8]	Cejka, J. (1995) Trends in contemporary architecture. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili Ed.
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[10]	Choay, F. (2007) Allegory of heritage. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili Ed.
[11]	Dezzi, Bardeschi, M. (1981) “Limits and ways of conservation”. In Building reuse and redevelopment in the 1980s. Milan: Franco Angeli Ed.
[12]	Di Battista, V. (1995) “Reuse: case studies, problems, potential”. In Battista, V.; Fontana, C.; Pinto, M. R. Flexibility and reuse. Florence, Italy: Alinea Ed.
[13]	Doctoral Thesis. Nieto, I. (2022). Adaptive Reuse: The Civil Architecture of 16th Century Ávila. https://oa.upm.es/71185/1/TFG:Junio2022_Nieto_Garcia_Isabel.pdf Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
[14]	Dormakaba (07/23/2020) “Adaptive Reuse: Paving the way for a more sustainable construction industry”. Dormakaba editorial team (blog. Dormakaba.com adaptive reuse). Consulted: Oct 15, 2021.
[15]	Gissara, M.; Percoco, M.; Rosmini, E. (2018) Imagined Cities. Reuse and New Forms of Living. Rome: manifestolibri – Sa pienza Università di Roma.
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[18]	United Nations (25/09/2015) UN 2030 Sustainable Development Go. United Nations www.un.org
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[20]	Pellegrini, P. C. (2018) Architectural Reuse Manual. Palermo, Italy: Dario Flaccovio Ed.
[21]	Riegl, A. (1903) (1987) The Modern Cult of Monuments: Its Essence and Its Development. In https://marywoodthesisresearch.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/riegl_the-modern-cult-of-monuments_sm.pdf Consulted: May 10 / October 5, 2025.
[22]	Rojas, M. (2015) Dialectics of Heritage. Mexico City: UAM del lirio Ed.
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[26]	Wong, L. (2017) Adaptative REUSE. Extending the Lives of Buildings. Berlin, Germany: BIRKHÄUSER BASEL. SI.

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APA Style

Valdiviezo, A. C. (2025). Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse. International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications, 11(3), 140-150. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15

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ACS Style

Valdiviezo, A. C. Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse. Int. J. Archit. Arts Appl. 2025, 11(3), 140-150. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15

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AMA Style

Valdiviezo AC. Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse. Int J Archit Arts Appl. 2025;11(3):140-150. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15,
  author = {Alberto Cedeño Valdiviezo},
  title = {Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse
},
  journal = {International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications},
  volume = {11},
  number = {3},
  pages = {140-150},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaaa.20251103.15},
  abstract = {In this era of neoliberal globalization, there is a need to explore the discipline known as adaptive reuse in architecture. This practice – which originated in Anglosaxon nations, principally in the United States – supposedly contributes to caring for the environment by reusing buildings and construction materials. Some authors argue that architectural reuse has been carried out by humans since the earliest constructions. The so-called architectural “policy of reuse” - which first arose in Italy during the 1960s and 70s in an effort to carry out so-called “holistic conservation” of the Historic Center of Bologna – presented a novel approach to historical heritage conservation, specifically built heritage. This article explores different approaches to reuse upon restoring such heritage architecture. We begin this work with a historical overview of what reuse has meant to humans, its relationship to the restoration of monuments, and the moments in which other visions of reuse emerged, such as the current adaptive reuse. As a final part of the work, and in the search to conclude whether adaptive reuse is a serious proposal and one that can transcend time, we review the classification made by Dr. Liliane Wong for the different ways of intervening in heritage from this perspective.},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse

AU  - Alberto Cedeño Valdiviezo
Y1  - 2025/08/11
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15
T2  - International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications
JF  - International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications
JO  - International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications
SP  - 140
EP  - 150
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1131
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15
AB  - In this era of neoliberal globalization, there is a need to explore the discipline known as adaptive reuse in architecture. This practice – which originated in Anglosaxon nations, principally in the United States – supposedly contributes to caring for the environment by reusing buildings and construction materials. Some authors argue that architectural reuse has been carried out by humans since the earliest constructions. The so-called architectural “policy of reuse” - which first arose in Italy during the 1960s and 70s in an effort to carry out so-called “holistic conservation” of the Historic Center of Bologna – presented a novel approach to historical heritage conservation, specifically built heritage. This article explores different approaches to reuse upon restoring such heritage architecture. We begin this work with a historical overview of what reuse has meant to humans, its relationship to the restoration of monuments, and the moments in which other visions of reuse emerged, such as the current adaptive reuse. As a final part of the work, and in the search to conclude whether adaptive reuse is a serious proposal and one that can transcend time, we review the classification made by Dr. Liliane Wong for the different ways of intervening in heritage from this perspective.
VL  - 11
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Alberto Cedeño Valdiviezo

Department of Technology and Production, Autonomous Metropolitan University Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1464-0100

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APA Style

Valdiviezo, A. C. (2025). Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse. International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications, 11(3), 140-150. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Valdiviezo, A. C. Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse. Int. J. Archit. Arts Appl. 2025, 11(3), 140-150. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Valdiviezo AC. Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse. Int J Archit Arts Appl. 2025;11(3):140-150. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15,
  author = {Alberto Cedeño Valdiviezo},
  title = {Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse
},
  journal = {International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications},
  volume = {11},
  number = {3},
  pages = {140-150},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaaa.20251103.15},
  abstract = {In this era of neoliberal globalization, there is a need to explore the discipline known as adaptive reuse in architecture. This practice – which originated in Anglosaxon nations, principally in the United States – supposedly contributes to caring for the environment by reusing buildings and construction materials. Some authors argue that architectural reuse has been carried out by humans since the earliest constructions. The so-called architectural “policy of reuse” - which first arose in Italy during the 1960s and 70s in an effort to carry out so-called “holistic conservation” of the Historic Center of Bologna – presented a novel approach to historical heritage conservation, specifically built heritage. This article explores different approaches to reuse upon restoring such heritage architecture. We begin this work with a historical overview of what reuse has meant to humans, its relationship to the restoration of monuments, and the moments in which other visions of reuse emerged, such as the current adaptive reuse. As a final part of the work, and in the search to conclude whether adaptive reuse is a serious proposal and one that can transcend time, we review the classification made by Dr. Liliane Wong for the different ways of intervening in heritage from this perspective.},
 year = {2025}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Adaptive vs. Traditional Reuse

AU  - Alberto Cedeño Valdiviezo
Y1  - 2025/08/11
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15
T2  - International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications
JF  - International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications
JO  - International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications
SP  - 140
EP  - 150
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1131
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20251103.15
AB  - In this era of neoliberal globalization, there is a need to explore the discipline known as adaptive reuse in architecture. This practice – which originated in Anglosaxon nations, principally in the United States – supposedly contributes to caring for the environment by reusing buildings and construction materials. Some authors argue that architectural reuse has been carried out by humans since the earliest constructions. The so-called architectural “policy of reuse” - which first arose in Italy during the 1960s and 70s in an effort to carry out so-called “holistic conservation” of the Historic Center of Bologna – presented a novel approach to historical heritage conservation, specifically built heritage. This article explores different approaches to reuse upon restoring such heritage architecture. We begin this work with a historical overview of what reuse has meant to humans, its relationship to the restoration of monuments, and the moments in which other visions of reuse emerged, such as the current adaptive reuse. As a final part of the work, and in the search to conclude whether adaptive reuse is a serious proposal and one that can transcend time, we review the classification made by Dr. Liliane Wong for the different ways of intervening in heritage from this perspective.
VL  - 11
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download