Title

Author(s)

Zhenzhen Yu

Robert Schmidt III

Simon Richards

Affiliation

School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University

DOI

https://doi.org/10.65686/AEFB9159

Keywords

Adaptive Reuse, Cultural Value, Analytical Framework

PP

1036-1043

How to Cite

Yu, Zhenzhen, Robert Schmidt III, Simon Richards. “Proposing an Analytical Framework for Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 1036–1043. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.

Abstract

Despite the growing interest in the adaptive reuse of industrial heritage buildings as a sustainable strategy for urban development, existing theoretical approaches remain fragmented. They often prioritise physical preservation or functional transformation while overlooking the deeper socio-cultural processes involved. Grounded in theories of spatial production (Lefebvre 1991), cultural memory and narrative (Nora 1989; Ricoeur 1984), and critical heritage discourse (Hall 2011; Smith 2006), this paper proposes a novel tripartite analytical framework—incorporating spatial transformation, social narrative, and economic governance—for systematically interpreting the interrelated processes of adaptive reuse in heritage buildings. The framework highlights how spatial interventions reshape architectural form and function; how social narratives articulate memory, continuity, and collective meaning; and how economic governance negotiates cultural value through institutional logics, policy regimes, and market forces. Through these interactions, identity reconstruction emerges as a negotiated outcome, reflecting how space, memory, and economy intersect in the redefinition of heritage. By connecting material change, cultural meaning, and governance structures, the framework reveals the cultural tensions and value negotiations that characterise adaptive reuse. It provides architects, planners, and policymakers with conceptual and analytical tools to engage with complex heritage contexts, while also offering a theoretical and methodological contribution that balances preservation and transformation and lays the foundation for future empirical research.

Edited by
Andrea Crudeli
Francesca Molle
Emanuele Carrai

Publisher
STH Press, Firenze

ISBN Paperback – 9791281661141
ISBN Ebook – 9791281661158
DOI – https://doi.org/10.65686/SISY7263

Year
2026

Proceedings of
International Conference on Adaptive Reuse
hosted by The University of Pisa, Italy
15-19 September 2025, at the Gispoteca di Arte Antica dell’Università di Pisa.