Underutilized facilities hold communities back, stalling forward movement and economic gain. But through adaptive reuse semi-used structures can become vital business centers that attract companies and strengthen economies.

In New Haven, Connecticut Svigals + Partners has taken such a building and transformed it into an active and productive hub—newly branded as the Elm City Bioscience Center—serves as an advanced center for startup biotech companies, turning a once stagnating facility into a vital science, research, and community asset.

More than that, the structure’s transformation into a modern science and research center enlivens the city of New Haven’s Ninth Square Historic District. As a result the new center activates the downtown business district by increasing the neighborhood’s dominance in life sciences and high demand for research and lab facilities, strengthening the city’s overall economy.

On a national scale this adaptive reuse serves as a model for the smart reinvention of the many partially empty buildings languishing across the country. By taking advantage of available, underused properties through investing in their reuse for growing businesses and services, communities can help reenergize their economies, attracting businesses and investors.