Malaysian architect on 4 key challenges of adaptive reuse

The Else Hotel Kuala Lumpur was formerly the Lee Rubber Building built in 1930. Photos: David Yeow

Transforming or adapting an old building to give it a second life is always exciting. The journey of turning the old to gold is always rewarding at the end. The idea of preserving stories of the past for the younger generation is appealing.

But adaptive reuse is no easy feat from the get-go. In every adaptive reuse endeavour that I have worked on, there are always hidden problems waiting to be discovered. So, if you’re embarking on an adaptive reuse project, look out for these four common challenges.