A Critical Investigation into Priorities in Adaptive Reuse Theories Within the Interior Architecture of Valuable Buildings

Changing and repurposing existing buildings for their continued use was quite common in the past and buildings deemed to be structurally safe were adapted to meet new functions and needs. In modern conservation theory, Adaptive Reuse is an important means of preserving cultural heritage. The main questions asked is what are the priorities and shortcomings of adaptive reuse theoretical references within interior architecture based on comparative study with Nara Document parameters? The research method in this study is of a qualitative, with logical argument as a strategy. The priorities were studied and then the most important weaknesses and drawbacks of these approaches to Adaptive Reuse were analyzed in a comparative study with the Nara Grid by 32 semi-structured interviews with experts in the fields of Architecture, Interior architecture and conservation. The results show four main Adaptive Reuse priorities extracted from the reviewed literature: Host Space Function, Programmatic Approach to New Use, Technical Requirements and Design-oriented strategies and solutions. These theoretical priorities do not negate each other; in fact, they are rather complementary. However, if one of them gains more importance in the process it can lead to many losses. Of their most important disadvantages, the following are worth mentioning:  A physical outlook and a lack of attention to intangible and soft values, a lack of attention to the meaning and characteristics of functions of the building in the past, ignoring the human presence and its needs, ignoring architectural details and interior architecture, lack of interdisciplinary research, and lack of adequate strategies in line with building values. It seems like the issues mentioned above could be avoided and redeemed through an emphasis in conservation policy on fixed feature spaces, semi-fixed feature spaces, and informal spaces in interior spaces, as well as considering human needs and social sciences in the redesign process, and following each priority and approach in the redesign process accordingly.