This PhD research deals with Industrial heritage and its adaptive reuse practices and potentials. After the industrial revolution, there was a time of deindustrialization which left behind a lot of abandoned industrial buildings that were carrying a rich history of our modern development. Just as industrialization has been a new and unique economic and social phenomenon, so too the challenges posed by the conservation of its remains require innovative new approaches.

To preserve the industrial heritage and to reintegrate them into urban development most of these buildings are successfully adopted for new functions in the western world. Unlike western countries, most of such industrial buildings in developing countries like Pakistan are either abandoned or demolished after closure.

The research aims to study the industrial heritage reuse case studies in the western world and relate it to potential industrial sites in Pakistan. Focusing on the cities of Karachi and Lahore, its industrial history and its potential in urban regeneration.