The Enlargement of the Historic Former Hospital of Meursault, France

Text: Rafah Makhoul
Photos: Martin Argyroglo

Traditional conservation practice is increasingly proving inadequate to address the cultural, economic and environmental challenges facing the vast and diverse array of historic buildings and sites currently in need of renewal. While there is many evidence that the heritage conservation community is increasingly addressing the limitations and cultural biases of orthodox conservation practice, there is much yet to be accomplished in promoting the role of critical, creative thinking in shaping the successful renewal and transformation of the existing historic built environment. Adaptive reuse has been steadily gaining popularity since it was first recognized as a mode of historic preservation. Adaptive reuse gives new life to a site, rather than seeking to freeze it at a particular moment in time. It provides an opportunity to maintain heritage fabric, spaces and sites that might otherwise be lost and to make them available to new generations.