Adaptive reuse of buildings: The case of Sri Lanka

Purpose – Historic buildings can make a significant contribution to the history and culture of a country. Today, land scarcity has led to the demolishing of existing buildings to meet the demand for new constructions. Adaptive reuse of buildings (ARB) while preserving the hidden prestige of historic buildings plays a pivotal role in regenerating the built environment to cater to the demand that exists for new buildings. Sri Lanka has so far not embraced ARB, which can help to preserve the historical and cultural values of the existing building stock in the country. Hence, the study aims to analyze the remedial actions that can overcome the barriers to and challenges of ARB in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopted a qualitative research approach by using three expert interviews and five case studies. The data collected from the case studies were analyzed using content analysis. As a part of the case studies, semi-structured interviews with 15 professionals who are already practicing ARB were conducted. Findings – When making the ARB decision, key drivers and parameters of ARB have to be considered. ARB has socio-cultural, environmental and economic benefits. Sri Lanka as a developing country will definitely face barriers and challenges when adopting ARB. These barriers/challenges could be categorized as social; environmental; economic; legal-regulatory; and physical-technical-other barriers/challenges. The economic barrier, “Higher opportunity costs,” and the legal barrier, “Health and safety requirements,” stipulated by the authorities were common to all five case studies. Originality/value – The study identifies the actions that can overcome ARB barriers and challenges present in Sri Lanka to reap maximum socio-cultural, environmental and economic benefits.