If you’ve ever seen or been inside a building that serves a different function than it once did—say a former aviation hangar turned office space or shopping mall turned community college, you’ve experienced the long-standing architectural practice of adaptive reuse. Adaptive reuse is the sustainable idea that old buildings can and should be renovated rather than demolished once they’ve outlived their original purpose.

But is it really that simple? What benefits does adaptive reuse offer that make it a more enticing prospect than building from the ground up? What challenges can one expect to face when adapting a building’s function?

Learn more about it here.