Stakeholder perspectives on developing more adaptable buildings

Abstract

Despite longstanding interest in the issue of adaptability, there has been very little research into the motives and obstacles to constructing more adaptable buildings, particularly from the perspective of the stakeholders involved in the building development process. The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons why more buildings are not constructed to be more adaptable, first through a review of the literature and then through interviews with industry stakeholders in the UK, including architects, developers, engineers, property agents and local authority planners. The literature review and stakeholder interviews revealed a wide range of motives for constructing for adaptability, such as a desire to reduce life cycle costs, to produce ‘future-proof’ buildings, and to ensure that buildings are easier to sell and let. However, the literature and interviews also revealed many obstacles to creating more adaptable buildings, including an assumption that adaptability always costs more, a lack of life cycle costing, uncertainty about the benefits of adaptability, fragmentation between industry stakeholders and short-term development models. The research highlighted the need to develop a better understanding of the costs and benefits of developing more adaptable buildings so that industry stakeholders can make more informed decisions about their buildings under conditions of uncertainty.