Adaptive Reuse on traditional house in commercial district on Case studies of Kyoto city, Japan

Author : Chiranthanin Kitika

Abstract :Kyoto, Japan is a heritage city where represents harmony old and new cultures for decades. Recently this city has been promoting tourism into many heritage areas. Then there have appeared many renovated traditional buildings to gain more value than preservation but also business purposes. Theory of Adaptive Reuse evolves as the concept of transforming existing structures with an aesthetic process. This conceptual thought defines a renovated building where gives a new lease of life and new uses while retaining their historic features. This article selects case studies from old Wooden Shophouses in Kyoto City, which is a collection of knowledge on vernacular buildings in urban situations. These studies were supported by the Faculty of Architecture, Chiang Mai University, with the collaboration between Kyoto Tachibana University during 3 internation workshops (Japanese – Thai research teams) on the topic of Adaptive Reuse during 2023-2024. The purpose of research is to learn about urban and architectural relations in case studies of contemporary architecture. Then there is to analyze and summarize as knowledge on building site planning, building shapes, building structures, and contemporary activities in public buildings in Kyoto City. The area of research is set on 4 old community streets in the commercial district: Nijo Street, Sanjo Street, Rokkakudo Street, and Nishiki Street. The research method focuses on learning contemporary design with 2 scales: urban contexts and spatial practicing; (A) Urban context, it is cultural mapping to understand resilience issues on those sites. (B) Spatial practice, it is a way to analyze physical design & social relations which presents new spaces in old construction. There are nine selected cases of contemporary adaptive design. The research outcome is to Create Lesson learnt on Adaptive Reuse towards Living heritage. In recent years, traditional shophouse have been repurposed as guesthouses and cafes. This is a new way to preserve the architectural heritage as cultural assets and also living heritage physically and socially. Towards academic contribution, this study is to provide lesson learnt for sustainable urban development following Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainability in settlements and communities.

Keywords :Adaptive reuse, Collaborative creation, Living heritage, Sustainable community, Contemporary architecture

Conference Name :International Conference on Architecture, Identity, Arts and Culture (ICAIAC-25)

Conference Place Osaka, Japan

Conference Date 26th Jul 2025