ADAPTIVE DURABILITY IN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE: INTEGRATING ADAPTIVE REUSE INTO EARLY DESIGN DECISION-MAKING FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

The increasing rate of premature building obsolescence presents a significant challenge to sustainable development despite advances in construction technologies and environmental design. Contemporary buildings frequently become functionally obsolete before the end of their structural lifespan because adaptability is rarely integrated into early architectural design. Although adaptive reuse has become an effective strategy for extending building life, existing frameworks primarily address adaptation after obsolescence rather than embedding adaptive capacity at project inception. This study reconceptualises architectural durability by proposing the Proposed Adaptive Durability Framework (PADF), which integrates adaptive reuse principles into early design decision-making. A qualitative conceptual methodology, comprising a systematic literature review and comparative analysis of selected international and Nigerian case studies, was employed. The findings identify six interrelated dimensions of adaptive durability: structural resilience, spatial adaptability, functional flexibility, service integration, environmental stewardship, and lifecycle governance. These dimensions underpin a lifecycle-oriented framework that positions adaptability as a proactive design objective. The study advances architectural theory by redefining durability as the capacity of buildings to accommodate evolving functional, environmental, technological, and socio-economic demands while promoting circular economy principles and sustainable built environment transformation.