Date of Award

2025

Publication Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.Sc.

Department

Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering

Keywords

Adaptive Reuse; Circular Economy; Deep Energy Retrofit

Supervisor

Edwin Tam

Supervisor

Jason Grossi

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

With the continuous expansion of urban centers and the escalating effects of climate change, ensuring flexibility, sustainability, and durability in building design has become increasingly crucial. This research addresses the challenge of designing adaptable buildings by focusing on adaptive reuse as a strategy to prolong the life of structures through their modification for new uses. By incorporating adaptive reuse strategies at the earliest stages of design and construction, buildings can be reconfigured after their initial life for secondary and possibly even tertiary uses with minimal structural changes, reducing the need for future costly renovations while promoting energy efficiency and environmental conservation. This research introduces a decision-making tool for architects and engineers, enabling early integration of adaptive reuse strategies into building design, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and modification potential. This research focuses on proactive building design that emphasizes energy-related initiatives and includes procedures that identify areas suitable for modifications and assess their energy efficiency potential during the building design phase. This tool can apply sustainable development, circular economy and cost analysis principles to provide evidence to enhance material, technology, and design choices. It is further improved through case studies, the example in Kapfenberg, Austria where energy efficiency and flexibility of the design were improved. Further demonstrating the effective application of the developed tool, data from a building located at 21 Sanford Ave N, Hamilton, Ontario will be processed to demonstrate the decision-making tool can be a valuable guide for design professionals and builders in the conceptual and schematic design phases of a project to consider the key decisions that can have a positive impact on the proposed building’s post use fostering circular economies and sustainable stewardship at the buildings conception. In conclusion, this research emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in the construction industry, advocating for adaptive reuse to become a foundational principle embedded in the early phases of building design and planning. The proposed decision-making tool empowers practitioners to design energy-efficient buildings that are adaptable to future needs, thereby minimizing environmental impact and enhancing the economic viability of structures throughout their lifecycle. By reducing dependence on deep refurbishments and promoting resource conservation, this research fosters a transition toward a more sustainable and ecologically resilient built environment, which is in line with the drive towards the circular economy and achieving global climate action goals.

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