Abstract
The future of construction will take a different look from the past considering that the conventional system of " take, make, and dispose of " appears more and more insecure in a resource-constrained future calling for more sustainable construction. Alternatively, the system becomes more attractive, in contrast to demolition and new construction projects given that the real estate resources are kept in use and their value retained resulting in increased efficiency. To guarantee resources for future generations, adaptive reuse and thus the reduction of waste, recycling, and efficient use of spaces is essential to ensure the prolonged life of developments. The study examined the role of adaptive reuse to identify critical indicators for sustainable development through adaptive reuse. A systematic review from the Scopus bibliographical database was used to identify the indicators of sustainable development. Subsequently, multi-case studies were used to explore the application of adaptive reuse in line with the sustainable development indicators. The progress made towards adaptive reuse as a tool for sustainable development in construction. Findings revealed that adaptive reuse can be applied to achieve economic, environmental, social, and cultural pillars of sustainable development. The paper recommends that practical actions and tools seem to be the optimal way of making sustainable construction more concrete and understandable for the construction sector, therefore it is of significance to look in the directions of the modeled cities and implements the lessons learned to promote sustainable development.