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Public facilities are valuable assets that can provide decades of high quality of service if they are effectively utilized. Despite effective planning, design, and management, sometimes users or owners change and have requirements different from those that the facility was initially intended to fulfill. In addition, the technologies sometimes change, making facilities obsolete before they have worn out or otherwise failed. This book explores the meaning of obsolescence as the term applies to buildings. It discusses the functional, economic, technological, social, legal, political, and cultural factors that can influence when obsolescence will occur and considers what design professional and building owners and users can do to delay and minimize the costs of obsolescence. The analyses apply to all buildings, but public facilities are given added attention because of their special management problems.Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary Introduction Obsolescence in Facilities Actions and Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence Avoiding Obsolescence in Public Facilities Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff Appendix B: Glossary of Terms Appendix C: Workshop on Environmental and Health Regulations asSources of Facility Obsolescence Appendix D: Predicting Performance, Service Life, and Physical Lifeof Buildings and Their Components Appendix E: Hospital Building Systems Appendix F: Annotated Bibliography