Research frameworks, methodologies, and assessment methods concerning the adaptive reuse of architectural heritage: a review

Abstract

With the growing trend towards preserving global architectural heritage, the adaptive reuse of built heritage buildings is becoming increasingly popular; as commentators have noted, this popularity can in part be attributed to the economic, cultural, and social benefits they provide to urban communities. In considering adaptive reuse, urban developers and planners seek to reach an equilibrium in the battle between time and space. Both academically and practically, the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings requires compatible, appropriate, and scientific means for assessing built heritage assets; however, currently, research in this area is still relatively meagre. To address this gap, this paper investigates research frameworks, methodologies, and assessment methods that concern the adaptive reuse of architectural heritage. In this paper, we examine the current literature on the paradigms for applying mixed methodologies: the multi-criteria decision model (MCDM) and the preference measurement model (PMM). Specifically, in examining the extant literature, we explore the ways in which these methods are discussed, compared, and evaluated, and the positive functions of these methods are also highlighted. In addition, this review examines a range of cases to better clarify the research frameworks, methodologies, and assessment methods used in the study of the adaptive reuse of architectural heritage.

Economic Valuation of Cultural Heritage Using the Travel Cost Method: The Historical Centre of the Municipality of Bucharest as a Case Study

“…The importance of the built heritage is associated, on the one hand, with a varied typology, but, on the other, with the multiple values that it incorporates (historical, architectural, artistic, aesthetic, social, authenticity, symbolic, cultural, and scientific) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. These values justify the need for cultural heritage to be preserved properly and reused [12][13][14][15][16][17] to ensure a sustainable development that means cultural heritage can be passed on to future generations [12].…”

“…The importance of the built heritage is associated, on the one hand, with a varied typology, but, on the other, with the multiple values that it incorporates (historical, architectural, artistic, aesthetic, social, authenticity, symbolic, cultural, and scientific) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. These values justify the need for cultural heritage to be preserved properly and reused [12][13][14][15][16][17] to ensure a sustainable development that means cultural heritage can be passed on to future generations [12]. At the same time, heritage buildings have an economic value [3][4][5][6]9,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] due to the fact that they have multiple possibilities for adaptive reuse [3,6,12]: for hosting various economic activities (hotels, restaurants, offices, shops, etc.)…”

“…These values justify the need for cultural heritage to be preserved properly and reused [12][13][14][15][16][17] to ensure a sustainable development that means cultural heritage can be passed on to future generations [12]. At the same time, heritage buildings have an economic value [3][4][5][6]9,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] due to the fact that they have multiple possibilities for adaptive reuse [3,6,12]: for hosting various economic activities (hotels, restaurants, offices, shops, etc.) [1,6,23,24].…”

“…Adaptive reuses of heritage buildings require an assessment of the compatibility of the new function from the perspective of sustainable principles, which also applies to cultural conversions, e.g., preserving architectural integrity [14,16,22], involving minimal changes, compatibility with the requirements of the new use [14,16], and even developing innovative standards and technologies for restoration and repair [13,22], or the energy efficiency criterion [4,14]. Adaptive reuse should preserve the symbolic values of historical buildings [14,16,24].…”

“…The reuse of heritage buildings is a priority action in the regeneration process, due to the fact that historical monuments are in different states of conservation, and some are unused [6,14,[22][23][24]. Adaptive reuse is often seen as an alternative to demolition of heritage buildings [13,30], and relies on the principle of their continuous use [13,14,22]. Adaptive reuses of heritage buildings also involve consulting local communities [14,23], all these requiring to be correlated with the needs of local populations [3,6,8,23,27].…”