A Framework for Developing Sustainable Practices in Historical Buildings

Abstract

There is an international interest in utilizing sustainability principles and practices in the adaptive reuse of historical buildings. Egypt is one of the countries with a large number of historically significant buildings. Many historical houses and palaces have been reused due to the availability of a large number of them as well as their unique historical and architectural values. However, adaptive reuse processes face numerous challenges due to a lack of innovative methodologies for utilizing sustainability principles and practices. The research problem discussed in this article is that historical houses and palaces in Egypt lack innovative methods that contribute to employing sustainability principles and improving sustainability practices through adaptive reuse. This study aims to create a framework that helps to utilize sustainability principles in reusing historical buildings in Egypt. Qualitative methods were used to collect data through the study of literature, data analysis using the descriptive analysis method, field surveys, observation, and interviews with specialists. The results revealed the problems that prevent the effective use of sustainability principles in the local case studies and the methodologies used in the international case studies for utilizing sustainability principles in historical buildings. Based on the results, we reached some conclusions and proposed some recommendations. A framework has been created to provide an innovative methodology to utilize sustainability principles in reusing historical buildings in Egypt.