Adaptive reuse is a design practice where changes in the building structure go along with new programs and functions. Many concerns of the day that are the hallmark of current social discourse can equally be communicated through the vocabulary of design and reuse. Six common themes mirroring those of society in the new millennium are discernable in the current adaptive reuse practice: appropriation, ecology, equity, memory & redemption, identity and authenticity.

Selected articles from the IntAR Interventions and Adaptive Reuse Journal of the last ten years speak to the social issues of the recent decade. The introductory essay positions shifting norms of working from home or remote learning in the light of their revision through adaptive reuse, for example the post-pandemic repercussions on office towers and the classroom.

Liliane Wong is Professor and Chair of the Department of Interior Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Her interest and teaching in this subject led her to co-found the IntAR Journal on Design Interventions & Adaptive Reuse. Her teaching emphasizes the importance of public engagement in architecture and design. Liliane Wong received her MArch from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She was recognized by Design Intelligence in 2018-19 as one of the top 25 most admired educators in the US in the fields of architecture, interiors and landscape architecture.