Adaptive Reuse: Extending the Lives of Buildings by Liliane Wong frames adaptive reuse not as a subcategory of renovation but as a distinct design discipline — one that demands architects reckon seriously with how the past shapes decisions for the future.
About This Book
What does it mean to design within existing fabric? This question sits at the centre of Liliane Wong's comprehensive study of adaptive reuse — a field that encompasses far more than structural intervention or stylistic sensitivity. Wong draws on history and theory, building typology, materiality, preservation, and both urban and interior design to construct a framework for understanding adaptive reuse as a practice in its own right. Drawing on a wide cultural range — from Frankenstein as a conceptual lens to the work of Rem Koolhaas — the book resists reducing the subject to technical problem-solving. Essential reading for architects and students working at the intersection of heritage, sustainability, and contemporary design practice.
Key Features
- 264 pages of illustrated architectural history, theory, and design analysis spanning typology, materials, preservation, and urban and interior design
- Published by Birkhäuser, new edition
What You'll Discover
- Why adaptive reuse constitutes a distinct design practice field rather than a subset of conventional architectural renovation
- How cultural frameworks — from literary figures like Frankenstein to contemporary architects such as Rem Koolhaas — illuminate the theoretical stakes of working with existing buildings
- The relationship between building typology, material and construction choices, and the programming decisions that define adaptive reuse projects
- How preservation, urban design, and interior design intersect within adaptive reuse, and why each dimension requires its own critical attention
About the Author
Liliane Wong brings long years of research to this subject, producing a text grounded in both scholarly rigour and design practice relevance. Her work spans architectural history, theory, and the applied dimensions of adaptive reuse across building typologies.
Specifications
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 264
- Dimensions: 240 x 170 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783035629262
- Publisher: Birkhäuser
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects, heritage consultants, urban designers, and architecture students engaged with the theory and practice of working within existing built fabric.