Adapt: Designing New Lives for Old Buildings brings together firsthand practitioner knowledge, illustrated case studies, and critical essays to make the case that adaptive reuse is among the most demanding — and most consequential — design disciplines an architect can pursue.
About This Book
The argument is direct: building less is one of the most powerful tools architects have for reducing construction emissions. Yet adaptive reuse demands far more than restraint — it requires deep literacy in historical building practice, sensitivity to cultural significance, and the ability to create vital contemporary space within fabric that resists easy transformation. Much of this knowledge has historically been passed between practitioners without finding its way into print. Adapt changes that. Authors Hannah Lewi and Cameron Logan draw on extensive research and direct engagement with leading architects and heritage practitioners across Australia, presenting their methods alongside a decade of illustrated case studies in heritage and historically significant adaptive reuse projects.
Key Features
- 200 pages of illustrated case studies and practice-based analysis of adaptive reuse in heritage contexts
- Featured practitioners include Conrad Gargett, Dunn & Hillam, Fieldwork Foreground, Gilby + Brewin, Kerstin Thompson, Lahznimmo Architects, Neeson Murcutt Neille, NMBW, Peter Elliott Architecture + Urban Design, Spaceagency, SJB, Six Degrees, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, Williams Burton Leopardi, and Williams Boag Architects
- Essays contributed by Robert Crawford, Behnaz Avazpour, Christhina Candido, and Kerstin Thompson
- Published by Uro Publications, 2025
What You'll Discover
- Why adaptive reuse, when measured against demolition and new construction, can deliver substantially lower embodied carbon alongside richer, more socially connected urban environments
- The specific design sensibilities and technical knowledge — including the hidden pitfalls of working within existing building fabric — that distinguish successful adaptive reuse practice
- How fifteen leading Australian architecture practices approach the tension between historical integrity and contemporary spatial demands
- The critical perspectives of essayists working at the intersection of heritage conservation, environmental performance, and architectural history
About the Author
Hannah Lewi is Professor in Architecture at the Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, a registered architect with the AIA, past President of SAHANZ, and current vice-chair of DOCOMOMO Australia. She is the co-author, with Philip Goad, of Australia Modern (Thames & Hudson, 2019). Cameron Logan is an urban and architectural historian and director of the postgraduate program in Heritage Conservation at the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney; his previous publications include Architecture and the Modern Hospital (Routledge, 2019) and Historic Capital (University of Minnesota Press, 2017).
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 200
- Dimensions: 250mm x 190mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781922601377
- Publisher: Uro Publications
- Publication Date: 2025
Perfect For: Architects and heritage practitioners working on adaptive reuse and conservation projects, urban historians, architecture students, and policy professionals with an interest in sustainable built environment practice.