Promoting Circular Building Adaptability in an Adaptive Reuse Project: An Action- and Design Research-Oriented Experimentation

The practical implementation of circular- and adaptable-related strategies in building transformation projects becomes an indispensable action for a resource-efficient and future-proof redevelopment of the built environment. In this regards, using the developed framework for circular building adaptability in adaptive reuse (CBA-AR) by Hamida et al. (2023) in practice seems to be a promising action. However, the CBA-AR framework has not been tested in real world settings, in which knowledge about its usability and effectiveness is immature. Thus, this study aims to test and reflect on the usability and effectiveness of the CBA-AR framework as a guiding tool for practitioners aiming at promoting circularity and adaptability in building transformation projects. An action research- and design research-oriented approach is followed, using a series of exploration- and design-oriented workshops as a primary research method. The experimentation is being carried out on a vacant office building in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. This study directly connects theory and practice by testing and reflecting on the usability and effectiveness of a conceptual framework in the real word. This research contributes to the relevant body of knowledge to CBA in adaptive reuse by bridging the gap among theoretical, empirical and participatory research observations through testing and reflecting of the applicability and effectiveness of a guiding framework in the real world. Scholars can reflect on the lessons learned from this study in developing decision-making tools for circular adaptive reuse.