Adaptive reuse in interior architecture: A case study in Famagusta, Cyprus

Concerns about adaptive reuse in the preservation of historical, cultural, and traditional environments remain a critical issue in the field of architecture. Protecting existing built environments through adaptive reuse proposals cannot be dismissed as a simple, nostalgic need to rebuild the past. On the contrary, seeing these proposals as an extension of a valuable architectural and cultural past allows greater insight into their aesthetic, structural, and cultural value. Within this perspective, the main aim of adaptive reuse proposals is to preserve contextual features, as well as the essence of existing spaces. This strategy of reclaiming original spatial conditions revises spatial norms through new technological improvements that take into account contemporary design issues, aspirations, and values. In this context, this paper focuses on the adaptive reuse of interior architecture in student projects produced during an exchange semester in the international master of interior architectural design (IMIAD) studio in Famagusta, Cyprus. In these projects, the students gave new functions to existing buildings and developed adaptive reuse proposals for five different locations, trying to find the essence of the existing buildings and transferring this to their design proposals. They also considered new architectural needs, programs, and relevant technological improvements.