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Adaptive reuse: Building on an architect’s perspective

Conservation of key elements of a building

By

Elizabeth Papadopoulos

Economics of heritage, Buildings and architecture, Adaptive reuse

Published Date:05 Feb 2026

Photo: Conservation of key elements of a building

Ontario Heritage Trust architect, Leroy Shum, on the key elements of adaptive reuse, emerging industry trends and the possibilities of what it all means.

What happens when a building no longer fulfils its intended purpose? How does a space transform into something that serves the needs of the future? An industry practice that answers this challenge is adaptive reuse. Across Ontario, there are hundreds of adaptively reused buildings and spaces that operate differently from what was originally intended while retaining historical features. Toronto’s Evergreen Brickworks was originally a brick factory but today operates as a community space. The Thunder Bay District Courthouse now operates as a hotel. And the Ontario Heritage Centre, built in Toronto in 1909 as an investments and savings company, now serves as the headquarters for the Ontario Heritage Trust. It is one of the many adaptively reused buildings in the Trust’s portfolio.

Canadian Birkbeck Investments and Savings Company (now the Ontario Heritage Centre), 1927

How one defines adaptive reuse is often up to each person’s interpretation. It is a concept that is central in the building and architectural industries. Working alongside stakeholders and industry professionals, the Trust operates as a knowledge sharer to provide expertise and information about adaptive reuse and its practices.

"Adaptive reuse can be defined as what the term states: to revise the original intended use of a structure by adapting it for reuse," says Heritage Architect Leroy Shum. The concept takes an existing building or structure and, instead of demolishing it, reuses it for a new purpose. The fabric (the structure or key features of a space) remains strong, but the space is adapted for a new purpose. Adaptive reuse acts as a conservation exercise, protecting both the fabric of buildings and preserving the intangible heritage skills and techniques that went into the creation of the original space.

What goes into adaptive reuse?

Adaptive reuse is comprehensive, but there are some key points and processes that stand out. When it comes to starting an adaptive reuse project, the planning and assessment is a significant first step. Before acting, it is imperative to assess a property and bring in the proper experts and stakeholders to ensure that this method is the right pathway for that space and ensures the most success.

“Good adaptive reuse solutions are ones that are well thought out,” says Shum. “Depending on the situation, certain experts are brought in to formulate a solution to a problem. Architecturally, there are many external stakeholders involved in the course. Much like creating a business plan.”

Pulling apart the process before it even begins is essential to a successful project. There are a multitude of factors to consider when planning and implementing an adaptive reuse solution. Some key factors include:

  • the environmental impacts
  • the conservation of key elements of a building
  • the interpretation of a space

Environmental impacts

When deciding whether to demolish a building or convert it using adaptive reuse principles, considering the environmental impacts of both processes is essential. The demolition of physical structures has environmental repercussions. “When assessing a building, you need to understand how much negative impact would be incurred based on the intended proposals.” added Shum. “If you break the process down, you think about demolition, you equate that to landfill, increased carbon emissions and, ultimately, waste.”

Environmental awareness is at the core of adaptive reuse — but so are the awareness and sensitivities surrounding the preservation of the original design and building fabric that have been cared for through maintenance and monitoring by staff and skilled labourers over time.

Conservation

Conservation is a key factor to any adaptive reuse project. While environmental impacts assess the broader space, looking at conservation can point to more specific parts of a building. “We focus on the retainment of existing fabric to be reused in a different way,” says Shum. “Some fabric is integral, particularly important to the interpretation of some of the properties. So, there are certain strategies we use to retain that." Deciding what needs to be conserved versus what can be adapted for a more relevant or current use is a vital part of the process. As a part of conservation and the deciding factors of choosing which fabric to conserve or not, there is the importance of continuing the interpretation of the space.

Façade detail on the Ontario Heritage Centre

Façade detail on the Ontario Heritage Centre

Interpretation

“With each building, whether it be modern or culturally sensitive, there is an interpretive element to it,” Shum says. “There is a timeline that tells a story.” Mapping out the history of a building and conserving the elements that hold that historical significance is how interpretation of spaces is created. When it comes to interpretation and the storytelling of the building, it is important to know “this is what it was then, this is what it is now, and these are the decisions made along the way.” This principle answers the “why” questions. Why is the building being adaptively reused? Why are certain fabric elements conserved over others? Why does the history of this building matter? These questions help build the story of space: the interpretation.

Maintaining the interpretation of the space is imperative to what adaptive reuse is. Shum emphasizes the importance of being aware of what impact we have on sites, properties and spaces based on the decisions moving forward. This awareness is necessary in the case of interpretation. Once significant, meaningful fabric or an item of focus is lost, it is lost forever.

Fool’s Paradise, Doors Open Toronto 2025

Fool’s Paradise, Doors Open Toronto 2025

Exploring an adaptive reuse case study: Fool’s Paradise

The Ontario Heritage Trust holds several examples of successful adaptive reuse projects in its built portfolio. Located in Scarborough, Fool’s Paradise is a small house located on the edge of the Scarborough Bluffs. The house was once the residence of Doris McCarthy, a renowned Canadian artist and painter. In 1986, McCarthy donated the 2.8-hectare (7-acre) property to the Ontario Heritage Trust. In 2010, the Trust reused the space and converted it into the Doris McCarthy Artist-in-Residence Program. “It was a private residence, but it was the wish of Doris McCarthy that it would become an incubator for the arts,” says Shum. The program being run out of this space currently hosts multiple artists each year who can create their artwork while living at McCarthy’s former home and studio. While the structure remains the same, the use of the space has changed to welcome artists and preserve artifacts from McCarthy’s life. It is important to the interpretation of the space that the legacy of Doris McCarthy lives on through the program. The site has transformed in a way that is more relevant today and serves the needs of more people. The fabric elements of the house are conserved to ensure that the artists experience what McCarthy once felt while making her own creations there.

Conclusion

Adaptive reuse is the process of taking a space, assessing the needs of the community, identifying a new purpose, and transforming it into something new. This concept has been explored through the lens of architecture and buildings. But it begs the question: can adaptive reuse apply to more than just buildings and structures? If a building can adapt and change its original intended use into something else, why can’t other spaces? "If we talk more about natural or cultural landscapes, then we would have a lot more questions and considerations to make,” says Shum. Applying adaptive reuse principles to other spaces and landscapes would need a change in its process, a careful rethink. But this does not mean it cannot happen. In fact, it’s more imperative than ever that we consider how all spaces — including cultural and natural spaces — can adapt and change to suit modern needs.

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After railway development connected this once-isolated area to the rest of the province at the end of the 19th century, the abundant natural resources attracted...

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Adventurous workers wanted for remote locations – Housing provided

The exploration, settlement and development of northern Ontario were motivated by the exploitation of the region’s natural resources – primarily fur, timber, gold and silver...

McIntyre Mine Headframe, Timmins

Northern icons

The towering McIntyre Mine Headframe in Timmins. The Clergue Block House and Powder Magazine in Sault Ste Marie. St. Francis of Assisi Anglican Church in...

1907 Right of Way Mine with growing community in background

The historical Cobalt Mining District – A community resource

At the turn of the 20th century, Cobalt was a small and isolated lumber camp. In August 1903, two lumbermen – James McKinley and Ernest...

Volunteers play an important role at the Niagara Apothecary

Friends of the Trust

Throughout its 40 years, the Ontario Heritage Trust has developed strong partnerships with local communities. Among these partnerships are those with the groups whose efforts...

The Winter Garden Theatre, George Pelekis

Raising the curtain: How the Winter Garden Theatre was rediscovered

In December 1913, Loew’s Yonge Street Theatre – the Canadian flagship of the mighty Loew’s empire – opened in Toronto. Two months later, the opulent...

Fort York, Toronto. © Ontario Tourism 2008

The past empowered

The buildings, structures and landscapes that comprise our cultural heritage are products of the intricate interplay between people and place over time. What is preserved...

The Sir Aemilius Irving House, Hamilton

Have you seen this building?

In November 2007, the Sir Aemilius Irving House in Hamilton was demolished by its owner to make way for a new building. Unfortunately, local heritage...

Enoch Turner Schoolhouse

Enoch Turner Schoolhouse – a citizen’s legacy

When the province of Ontario introduced the 1847 Common Schools Act, municipalities were given the power to introduce taxes to fund public education. Toronto city...

St. Raphael’s Ruins

Counting our blessings

Built in Glengarry in 1821, St. Raphael’s Church was one of Ontario’s earliest Roman Catholic churches. Constructed under the supervision of Alexander Macdonell – Upper...

Traditional building materials (McMartin House, Perth)

Building assets

Which is more sustainable – an artificial or live Christmas tree? This is an environmentalist’s conundrum, and it illustrates the paradox of “sustainable” building materials...

Repairs to the Gordon Block, Stratford (2007)

The guiding principles of sustainable architecture

In the late 1990s, the Ontario Ministry of Culture introduced Eight Guiding Principles in the Conservation of Built Heritage Properties, which are in common use...

Sheppard’s Bush, main house

Inside Sheppard’s Bush

Charles Sheppard (1876-1967) moved to the Town of Aurora in 1921, after making his fortune in the Simcoe County lumber industry. Brooklands, his modest estate...

View of the Don Valley Brick Works site, looking south (Photo courtesy of Evergreen)

Evergreen Brick Works: Rethinking space

Evergreen – a national charity – builds the relationship between nature, culture and community in urban spaces. With its revitalization of Toronto’s Don Valley Brick...

A 1930s view of the town site taken from the north, looking towards the mill (Photo courtesy of The Ron Morel Memorial Museum, Kapuskasing)

Discovering the City Beautiful

On July 25, 2007, the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Town of Kapuskasing unveiled a provincial plaque to commemorate the town plan that helped shape...

401 Richmond Street, Toronto – an example of a green roof

Fact or fiction: Demystifying the myths around going green – Moving toward a more sustainable architecture

Sustainable: able to be maintained at a certain rate or level . . . conserving an ecological balance by avoiding a depletion of natural resources...

Tip Top Lofts, Toronto (Photo: Context Development)

Sustainability for old buildings: A developer’s perspective

Adaptive reuse provides a sound and sustainable approach to the renewal of our urban fabric, as illustrated by the conversion of three Toronto buildings to...

Casement windows of the Oval Boardroom

In praise of older windows

Façade: a word of double-edged meaning. Architecturally, it refers to the face of a building. In literature, more often than not, it connotes a front...

Fraserfield, South Glengarry

Building on our successes

The Ontario Heritage Trust’s heritage conservation easements conserve some of Ontario’s most significant heritage sites. Good stewardship of easement properties includes regular maintenance and periodic...

Barnum House

The story of Barnum House

Barnum House, on the north side of Highway 2 (Danforth Road), west of Grafton is historically significant for its association with the Barnum family. It...

$29 million restoration of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre by the Trust in 1987-89 (Photo: George Pelekis)

The R’s of conservation

An earlier generation spoke of the three R’s as “Reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic.” They were the fundamentals of education in the 19th century and considered...

Battlefield House

Battlefield House Museum and Park – A pioneer in the history of preservation

Nestled under the Niagara Escarpment and situated in a park connected to the Bruce Trail, Battlefield House Museum National Historic Site in Stoney Creek is...

The Mason-Girardot House – a Victorian Italianate house built c. 1879 in the former town of Sandwich – is one of the properties participating in Windsor’s heritage property tax relief program

Leading the way in municipal heritage planning

What’s happening in your community? With significant amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act in April 2005 and a strengthening of the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS)...

Clark-McCleary House, rear elevation

Exploring Country Heritage Park

In March 2006, the Ontario Heritage Trust acquired a cultural conservation easement on Country Heritage Park. Located in Milton, this designed heritage attraction was created...

Maintaining balance: The modern architecture of the Toronto-Dominion Centre is part of Ontario’s varied architectural heritage. (Copyright permission provided by The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd.)

The future of heritage: The next 40 years

With this anniversary, the Ontario Heritage Trust is celebrating its accomplishments while also looking to the future. Preserving our heritage is an ongoing endeavour; the...

Fulford Place

Heritage conservation at our front door

The term “porte-cochère” has continental flair, though humble origins. In French, it means “carriage door” and originally referred to a covered entryway into a courtyard...

Homewood Museum in Maitland

Heritage by numbers

Ontario’s heritage is an immense and complex jigsaw puzzle. Every individual element of heritage creates a whole . . . a sort of heritage by...

Parading into the Spencerville Mill grounds is the Glengarry Pipe Band (Photo: The Spencerville Mill Foundation)

Saving the Spencerville Mill – Preserving community heritage

The Spencerville Mill, a fine cut-stone flour and grist mill, is located on the bank of the South Nation River in the small rural village...

Today, the Ashbridge Estate is widely known in Toronto’s east end for its lush gardens. The Estate is owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust. Its extensive collection of artifacts and archaeological discoveries celebrate the evolution of the Ashbridge family.

The biography of a house: If these walls could speak

Researching family history is a popular pastime for many who want to uncover their family’s unique past and discover how they contributed to Ontario’s growth...

Peterborough's Market Hall, before

Winning the battle

There are countless examples across the province of successful restorations of Ontario’s treasured heritage sites. Although the challenges are great – funding being the primary...

Peel Heritage Complex, Brampton

Our cultural heritage places: how heritage buildings adapt

Although heritage remains a year-round activity for many of us, Heritage Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday in February. This year’s theme speaks...

George Brown House

Snapshots of the past

A flash of phosphorus. A whiff of smoke. And an image is captured. Photographs have chronicled our lives for over 150 years, remaining one of...

Detail of reproduced George Brown House central hall wallpaper

Historic wallpaper: Finding what’s beneath

Wallpapers first appeared in Canada as early as the mid-17th century. These oldest papers were block-printed, hand-painted or stenciled. Pattern and colour was applied to...

Penetanguishene Centennial Museum and Archives

Small-town museums key to small-town success

For 18 years, my wife and I raised our two sons in the Town of Richmond Hill just north of Toronto. When we moved to...

Upper Canada’s first parliament buildings

Breaking news: Saving our First Parliament

It was announced on December 21, 2005 that the site of Ontario’s first parliament buildings in Toronto has been saved. The Ontario Government, in partnership...

Macdonell-Williamson House

Unearthing the past: Discoveries at Macdonell-Williamson House

Built in 1817, Macdonell-Williamson House in eastern Ontario reflects the ambitions and aspirations of retired fur trader, John Macdonell. His life was fraught with financial...

The earliest brick structure in the City of Hamilton – the Book House, located in Ancaster – was recently lost to a suspected case of arson. (Photo: Sharon Vattay, City of Hamilton)

Moving forward with heritage conservation

Thirty years ago, when the Ontario Heritage Act was new, I was a young planner with about a year’s experience working in London, England and...

This decorative cupola adorns McMartin House, a Foundation property in Perth

The healthy roof: Staying on top of heritage preservation

The following excerpt appears in Well-Preserved: The Ontario Heritage Foundationʼs Manual of Principles and Practice for Architectural Conservation (Third Revised Edition), by Mark Fram (Boston...

Mrs. Greenwood donated this property in the memory of her late husband; it will be known as the John Edward (Ted) Greenwood Sanctuary (Photo: Sylvia Barkman)

New natural heritage easement properties

John Edward (Ted) Greenwood Sanctuary On March 30, 2005, the Ontario Heritage Foundation received – from Mary Greenwood of Nakara, Australia – a 100-acre (40-...

Coldwater Grist Mill – serving the community since 1833; an active part of Doors Open Huronia since 2002

The new Ontario Heritage Act: The evolution of heritage conservation

An important shift has occurred in Ontario’s legislative framework for heritage conservation. On April 28, 2005, the Ontario Heritage Amendment Act (Bill 60) received royal...

Trent University, Peterborough

Trent University under the modernist microscope

Throughout the developed world, attention is being given to the built heritage of the modern era. Organizations such as UNESCO's World Heritage Center, the International...

The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre (Toronto). In 1987, a basement is excavated under the lobby corridor, and the grand staircase is suspended in the air.

Working with superstructures: The framework for Ontario's heritage buildings

Last issue, we discussed the importance of a solid foundation when preserving heritage structures. In this issue, we see how a buildingʼs skeleton holds everything...

Leidra Lodge

Leidra Lodge – A new conservation easement

June Ardiel has been a patron and leader in Ontario's arts community all her life. She has authored a book on the public art of...

Toronto-Dominion Centre (Photo: The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd.)

The changing face of heritage: The International Style – Toronto’s Toronto-Dominion Centre

In the second quarter of the 20th century following the First World War, Europe saw the emergence of a significant movement in architecture. This “modern”...

Homewood Museum in Maitland

The Homewood collection

As you drive east along Highway 2 between Brockville and Prescott, you will find the robust Georgian Homewood Museum deeply set back from the road...

Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site

Inside Uncle Tom's Cabin

At a bend in the Sydenham River near the town of Dresden stands Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site. The museum – built on the site...

The Sharon Temple

The Sharon Temple and the heritage of faith

While most of Canada celebrates Heritage Day on the third Monday in February, Ontario celebrates Heritage Week. The theme developed for Ontario Heritage Week 200...

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