Adaptive Reuse in Architecture: Giving Old Buildings New Life

Adaptive reuse means taking existing buildings and repurposing them for modern needs, instead of tearing them down. It’s a practical approach in architecture that saves resources, honors history, and fits into urban growth. Think of it as recycling on a massive scale—extending a structure’s life while cutting waste. This method ties directly into sustainability by lowering the energy and materials needed for new construction, and it helps preserve historic sites that might otherwise get lost.

Why It Matters for Sustainability and Preservation

Buildings account for a big chunk of global carbon emissions, mostly from making new ones. Adaptive reuse reduces that footprint by reusing what’s already there. For instance, retrofitting old structures often means lower operational energy use and less embodied carbon compared to starting from scratch. It also supports historic preservation, keeping cultural landmarks alive in evolving cities. In urban development, it makes the most of space in dense areas, turning unused or underused spots into community assets like homes, offices, or public spaces.

The Architects Journal’s recent coverage of the AJ Architecture Awards 2025 shows how this plays out in real projects across the UK. Winners and highly commended entries often spotlight adaptive reuse, blending old architecture with green upgrades.Check out their full announcement for details on these builds, completed between January 2024 and July 2025.

Standout Examples from the Awards

Bethnal Green Office by Carmody Groarke: This took a 1970s textile workshop and turned it into office space through upcycling. It won Design of the Year for its creative reuse, showing how industrial relics can become functional workplaces without massive new builds.
New Wave House by Thomas-McBrien Architects: An Editor’s Choice winner, this Optoppen-style retrofit added a vertical extension to a historic London building in E17. The result? 97.5 square meters of residential space with just 94 kWh/m²/yr in operational energy and 50% on-site energy generation—proof that sensitive renovations boost sustainability.
Highgate Newtown Community Redevelopment by RCKa Architects: Starting with a 1970s Territorial Army Drill Hall in Camden’s Dartmouth Park Conservation Area, the project created 41 affordable homes for refugees, a community center, sports hall, and more. Total gross internal floor area hit 5,447 m², with operational energy at 46.08 kWh/m²/yr for residential parts and embodied carbon around 300 kgCO2/m². Community input shaped it all, from 178 stakeholder groups.
Y Muni by Purcell: Highly commended in Community and Faith, this converted a Grade II-listed Wesleyan chapel in Pontypridd into an arts venue. They restored the spire, added glazed doorways for street connection, and exposed the timber roof for an open auditorium feel.
The Portico by ADP Architecture: Winner in Health and Wellbeing, it revived a Grade II-listed 1823 London Orphan Asylum and a 2006 extension into a GP surgery in Hackney. The 1,692 m² facility includes a patient garden, with operational energy at 36.28 kWh/m²/yr and embodied carbon of 66 kgCO2/m². Retaining the old parts kept carbon low, despite some tricky level changes.
Saltdean Lido by Conran and Partners and R H Partnership Architects: This Heritage Project restored a 1938 Grade II*-listed Streamline Moderne lido in Brighton after years of neglect. The 1,589 m² space now mixes swimming, library, and co-working uses. They used carbon fiber repairs on the concrete and added insulation, double-glazing, and heat pumps for efficiency—all driven by a 14-year community campaign.

These projects show how adaptive reuse goes beyond saving money or space. They build stronger communities. Judges from the awards, including experts like Alpa Delpani from Waltham Forest, stressed factors like community engagement, space use, and sustainability metrics. London dominated the winners, but the push is on for more nationwide entries next year.

Adaptive reuse makes architecture more responsible. It preserves the past while meeting today’s demands for green, livable cities.