Repair beyond restoration: Extending building life and the meaning of repair

EASST2026, ‘More Than Now: Exploring Resilient Futures’, European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, AGH University of Kraków, 08–11 September 2026

Presented as part of the ‘Building and Repairing the Future’ panel, this talk examines tensions between technical definitions of repair and challenges shaping the continued use of existing buildings. While repair is commonly associated with restoring and maintaining a predefined condition, many demolition-linked pressures, such as changing expectations and demands, or new functional and regulatory requirements, cannot be resolved by restoration alone.

Drawing on technical standards, demolition cases, and practitioner interviews, the talk highlights how modernization, conversion, and extension can secure existing structures through adaptation to new demands. It therefore suggests understanding repair in an extended mode, not simply as reinstating a former state, but as adapting existing structures in ways that prevent material loss and support their continued use.

More information
https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/easst2026/paper/100387