RE-USABILITY OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS: A CASE STUDY OF THE ARTS TOWER IN SHEFFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM

Undoubtedly the high-rise buildings are phenomena of the new high-tech life style and a symbol of development, power and technology. Today, society is changing at such speed that buildings are faced with new demands where they need to be in a position to adapt the change. There are times when buildings change function during construction or even during the design process, and one of the necessities today is the re-usability of buildings, which would also help to increase their service life. The main aim of this paper is to identify some of the key areas in designing structure of high-rise buildings in order to allow the possibilities for future functional changes by illustrating an ideal framework for general structure of these giants. The paper also reveals an example of a case study building, in which these principles have been considered during its redesign, showing samples of master student projects with an aim to assign new function that considers a new concept of re-usability as a concretive structural design. The study is based on a qualitative method and the data is collected by site visits, with preparation of plans, sections, site photos and information using the internet, and through the use of appropriate literature review of high-rise buildings and their re-usability. The results highlighted a necessity for developing a concept of re-usability in designing of new buildings for future in order to prevent financial losses, also the waste of energy and time in respect of changes in construction, design and the negative environmental impact of demolition. This in turn leads us to get closer look into the concept of ‘Sustainable Development.’