Building Opportunities and risks of conversion adaptation are related closely to the physical characteristics of the existing buildings( Remøy & van der Voordt, 2014). To use information from ex-post cases to scan the possibilities for conversion, Remøy and de Jonge( 2007) defined the building type characteristics that influence the conversion potential, e. g. structure and floors, facade, floor lay-out and the length and depth of the building, and the number and situation of stairs and lifts.
The main load bearing structure in standard office buildings typically has a high conversion potential characterised by a wide span or bay width, few columns, high floors and high load bearing capacity. Low acoustic insulation, high beams and( in older properties) a dense structural grid reduce conversion capacity. Interventions in the facade represent substantial costs and reduce the conversion potential. Cantilevering floors with curtain walls reduces the possibility to add balconies and subdivide the facade to fit interior walls. Well maintained facades in good technical condition, and with a dense grid, increase the conversion potential. Also large floor plates and building depth increase the conversion potential of office buildings. The location of elevators and staircases has a high impact on the lay-out, as relocating stairs and elevators adds significantly to building costs. A high number of lifts in offices adds to a high conversion potential and elevator shafts can be reused as shafts for HVAC, water supplies and sewer. Table 2 summarises the characteristics affecting office to residential conversion adaptations.
Table 2: Physical building characteristics affecting conversion potential. |
|
Positive |
Negative |
Structure and floors |
Large floor spans Columns; free plans Constructed for heavy carriage |
Dense grids Low ceilings under existing beams Thin floors: acoustic insulation insufficient |
Facade
Floor lay-out, length and depth
Small grid Good technical state
Deep buildings
Inadequate technical state, no attachmentpoints for interior walls Cantilevering floors: complicates adding balconies
Location of elevators and staircases
Stairs and elevators |
Excess number of elevators |
Insufficient number of escape routes |
|
|
Excessive space occupied by cores |
( Source: Remøy and Wilkinson, 2015)
Research method
This is qualitative research, which shares the three basic assumptions of being naturalistic, holistic and inductive( Patton, 2002). Naturalism involves seeing the phenomenon in its naturally occurring state, in this case; by interviewing stakeholders and visiting sites to observe what has taken place. The holistic aspect involves looking at the whole problem to develop a more complete understanding of the influencing factors and variables which determine what the most important drivers and barriers for conversion adaptation in Sydney are; how these impact on sustainability, and the level of cognisance of sustainability by developers. The inductive approach is derived from the literature review whereby a picture of the problems and issues emerge as the researchers become more familiar with the topic area. The literature review identified which areas needed to be addressed and enabled the researchers to compare whether theory and practice are closely matched.
Sustainability and office to residential conversion adaptation in Sydney 769