Implications on Adaptive Reuse for Multifamily Hou

Washington, DC, October 26, 2006--InformeDesign recently released a new issue of Implications, a monthly newsletter on design and human behavior, that examines the unique aspects and technical challenges of adapting vintage buildings for re-use as multifamily housing. It also makes a case for preserving these buildings for their architectural, historic, and aesthetic qualities. “Transforming commercial structures for residential uses is a time-honored practice,” says author Bill Hickey, AIA, LEED-AP, award-winning principal with Collaborative Design Group, Inc. in Minneapolis. “Adaptive reuse is fundamentally sustainable development.” In addition to addressing the design, marketing, sustainability and urban benefits of adapting buildings for projects, Hickey explains how to assess an existing structure to determine if it is suitable for reuse as a residential building. He also discusses the challenges involved, from meeting codes and standards to managing noise and parking supply. The key to the success of adaptive reuse projects, contends Hickey, is understanding the intangible benefits to potential residents who are attracted to the “quirky nature” of these types of buildings. “This group will not be comparing an adaptive project to a three-car-garage-mass-market property in the suburbs. Rather, this population will be looking for a building that reflects their values in ways that commodity housing can not,” he says. Hickey also describes two case studies of adaptive reuse projects. InformeDesign is the first searchable database of design and human behavior research on the Web. The site currently contains more than 1,500 “practitioner-friendly” Research Summaries of findings from research literature transformed from more than 160 scholarly journals related to design and human behavior. All services on the InformeDesign Web site are available at no cost to visitors. In addition to the searchable database of Research Summaries, the site features a calendar of research-related events and a glossary of terms. The Web site is interactive, allowing visitors to provide comments about specific Research Summaries or other site issues. Visitors may register with InformeDesign and receive automated e-mail notifications about Research Summaries pertaining to their areas of interest or practice. Once registered, users have access to MyInformeDesign, a tool to catalogue and store Research Summaries of interest in a personal cache, available anywhere there is access to the Internet. Registered users also will be notified by e-mail when a new issue of Implications is published.

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