Adaptive reuse is a viable solution for the problems listed above. It saves money on construction costs (how much?), it’s better for the environment by eliminating waste and the resources used that would otherwise be used to operate machinery (specific examples), it preserves the character of historic areas and buildings if done correctly (again, specific examples), it reduces urban sprawl by making use of land that would otherwise be abandoned and allotting that space for other buildings, and it promotes sustainable development,
Drawbacks
As long as the building is sound and the layout and amount of space are appropriate for the business (or whatever else) to install itself there, there are very few draw backs to adapting a building for reuse. One main concern, however, is the lack of efficiency of old buildings, which many developers say outweigh the cost of building a new structures (is their reasoning sound, though?). Whatever the case, these are issues that can be solved easily by doing things like adding insulation, and updating fixtures and appliances like air conditioning units (find additional sources to support). Another (sometime legitimate) concern of the reusing old buildings are unexpected faults in the structure. However, if properly examined prior to purchasing, most of these issues can be sussed-out and resolved.