Welcome

The continued use of existing buildings is gaining importance in the face of increasing refurbishment pressures. Retrofitting and building further is ecologically sensible and continues the architectural and spatial history in our cities. Terms such as conversion culture, sustainable transformation and adaptive re-use dominate architectural discourse. But what distinguishes a convertible building? Which existing buildings can be well adapted, and why? How can future transformation already be considered in the planning stage, both in the refurbishment of existing building and in new construction planning, in urban as well as rural contexts? The new buildings of today are the building stock of tomorrow. Floor plans must be organised as flexible, open-use spatial units to facilitate repeated adaptations with different allocations. If buildings are robust structures in terms of design and construction, if they offer spatial qualities that are understood even by laypeople, this significantly enhances the potential and architectural repertoire for later transformations. Durable materials and the non-destructive replacement of components are also essential. Treating supporting framework, envelope, and building technology as separate elements of architecture acknowledges their different lifespans and facilitates individual upgrading and adaptation in the future. In the context of a shortage of skilled workers, construction methods that allow later maintenance or adaptation by users themselves are also a criterion for future-proof buildings. In the pursuit of greater sustainability in the construction industry, convertibility must become a planning standard in both the refurbishment of existing buildings and new construction.