Every building is designed differently, therefore there is no set way of how building transformations can be carried out. The current state must be figured out for each building, and therefore the exploration and design phase of transformation projects takes a long time. For this reason, buildings are often demolished rather than being transformed. However, many of these buildings are important because of the value of essential history, shared ideas, and the physical environment. In addition, many buildings are vacant while there is a shortage of space for housing. By accelerating the design process, more buildings can be transformed instead of demolished. This will ensure that more housing can be created through the sustainable method of transformation.
The purpose of this research is to establish design strategies that can entertain and accelerate the design process of building transformations. For this purpose, the following research question was formulated: What design strategies can be used during the design process to preserve a building when it is split into smaller segments, and to what extent do these design strategies help in designing a building to be transformed?
To answer the research question, three case studies of transformation projects were analyzed and a comparison method was conducted. From these comparisons, five design strategies were extracted that help in the design process of a building to be transformed. The five design strategies are: 1) The space plan of the building should be kept the same in the main design as much as possible. In addition, a distinctive part of the building should remain unchanged. 2) More services will need to be added with a change of function, here some of the general service areas should be kept. 3) The facade should be kept as much as possible and only subtractions in the roof should be made where people gather. 4) The structure should remain visible where it was already visible, and in doing so the structure should be kept where it is still adequate. 5) The site can be added, removed, or remain the same. This should consider the possibilities of the surroundings and the new function of the building.
The five design strategies were tested on an assessment building. It followed that each of the strategies can be applied to the building and it facilitates and accelerates the design process of the transformation. In addition, the design choices made by the strategies are well-supported. Thus, using the strategies will benefit the design process of transformation projects.