Respect, Acknowledge, Enhance. Towards an Ethics of Adaptive Reuse; Critiquing the Adaptive Reuse of an Ottawa Monastery

Adaptive reuse is a type of architectural intervention that changes the use of a building, thereby extending its life. This thesis critiques the 1993 intervention on the Monastère des Adoratrices du Précieux-Sang that saw the monastery adapted into the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The building is in Ottawa, and the intervention was completed by Murray and Murray Architects. The design process for the 1993 intervention is recreated through this critique, demonstrating a methodological approach for understanding when unable to visit places in person. The process postulates how the architects undertook an intervention that respects and acknowledges the history, while enhancing the place for its future use. The nuances of monastic design are revealed. The text explores how the existing fabric was privileged and how new elements were sensitively introduced. The ethical adaptive reuse demonstrates how architects can elaborate the value of places through skillful design.