The article deals with issues from the initial phase of the investment process connected with revitalizing postindustrial buildings: planning and programming investments in the functional and financial scope, as well as designing. The described formal and legal aspects are the result of a study of a few projects concerning the adaptation of buildings to serving a new function in Zielona Góra and Żaganie. The conclusions drawn from an individual view into each of the described problems are no different than when designing new buildings. It is not until we look into the whole preparation and design process, and gathering all experiences from the formal-legal sphere, that allows us to notice that, in the case of revitalizing postindustrial buildings and their adaptation to serve modern-day functions, a multifaceted but also specific approach is required.