Adaptive reuse (AR) of heritage buildings is a complex process involving many stakeholders with different ambitions. Recently, a theoretical model has been proposed to facilitate this process. However, the validation of this model and investigation of the nexus between process steps, methods/tools used by architects, and the effectiveness of projects are still lacking. This paper aims to validate the model by examining four AR projects in the Netherlands, considered effective as winners of a prestigious architectural prize. The research methods included literature reviews, case visits, and interviews with architects and other stakeholders. The model was refined, and methods/tools used by architects in the process steps were identified, highlighting their link with the effectiveness of results.

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The facades of buildings stand as one of the most influential aesthetic elements in urban and rural districts, serving as a boundary between exterior and interior while historically expressing various cultural and climatic functions. In Mazandaran Province, Iran, historical and rural areas have often been overlooked, leading to inappropriate approaches in reusing and renovating these buildings without considering their values. This study aims to analyze the characteristics of the facades of various historical and rural houses to provide a solid foundation for architects dealing with their reuse and renovation or the design of extensions to the existing buildings. In addition to discussing practical applications, this paper offers a methodological approach for scholars active in the field of rural architecture. The research method includes an analysis of several historical houses, drawing from both literature and field studies. The formal approach has been chosen to align with the research goal. The sixteen selected cases are situated in the historical and rural districts of Alasht, Lafour, Qaemshahr, each built in different historical periods of Iran. Given that many historical houses in this area are not officially listed as heritage buildings and no data regarding them are available, the researchers conducted field surveys and interviews with residents to collect the necessary information. The investigation focused on facade elements, including the pattern of openings and the materials used in the selected houses. This research led to the documentation of the facade shapes in the rural areas of Mazandaran Province, highlighting the necessity of documentation to establish a knowledge base before reuse, renovation, or design within these historic regions. This approach could serve as a model for other regions and countries.@en

Adaptive Reuse (AR) of heritage buildings is a sustainable approach to preserving cultural heritage while accommodating new functions. Despite the growing importance of AR in the last decades, a lack of comprehensive models for AR, particularly concerning heritage buildings, persists. This research addresses this gap by developing a model that guides architects in the AR process, drawing on international literature and Dutch AR practices, with a focus on its adaptation and possible application in the Iranian context.
A systematic review of the literature revealed a lack of overarching models for AR, and led to the development of a conceptual model. This model includes 10 steps, which are: “initiative”, “analysis of the building and its surroundings”, “value assessment”, “mapping the level of significance”, “adaptive reuse potential (function)”, “defining the design strategy”, “final decision-making”, “execution”, “aftercare and maintenance”, and “evaluation after years”. In addition, based on the analysis of 48 award-winning AR projects in the Netherlands and Europe, six key criteria for effectiveness were identified: sublimation-architectural aspects, sublimation-cultural aspects, social value creation, environmental sustainability, economic value creation, and innovation aspects.
Testing the initial model in the Dutch context, led to further development into the EARHB model, enriched with methods and tools used by the architect in the different steps of the AR process. In this dissertation, the EARHB model, including its methods and tools, is referred to as the EARHB framework.
Research on Iranian AR projects and interviews with architects demonstrate the EARHB framework’s potential, confirming that some of its process steps, methods, and tools are in use. Some limitations, due to cultural, regulatory, and practical constraints, might affect full implementation of the framework in Iran. Nevertheless, the potentialities of the proposed EARHB framework, offering a comprehensive and adaptable approach for enhancing the effectiveness of AR projects in different context worldwide, are confirmed.@en

Adaptive reuse (AR) of heritage buildings is common practice in The Netherlands and is becoming more and more common at the International level. While AR projects are generally considered positive actions towards preserving the qualities of heritage buildings, not all projects have similar (positive) impact. To propose a methodology for dealing with the AR of heritage buildings aiming for positive impact, the AR process has been studied. After a comprehensive systematic literature review, a theoretical model representing the steps of the AR process has been sketched (fig.1). This model depicts the ideal steps of architects in dealing with heritage buildings. To check whether these steps are actually followed, two effective AR projects, winners of the NRP golden phoenix prize, were studied namely ‘LocHal’ in Tilburg (fig.2) and ‘Energiehuis’ in Dordrecht (fig.3). During the research, the cases were visited, the published literature on the cases was reviewed, and architects and other stakeholders involved were interviewed. The interviews were based on the steps of the theoretical model but the model was not shown to the architects till the end of the interview. Finally feedback was asked from the architects if the model represented their actual steps and where they diverged. The analysis of the collected data confirmed that architects followed the steps reported in figure 1. However, the process was reported to be not linear, as suggested in the model, but to include several loops between some of the steps, mainly between steps 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5, and 6 (fig.4). Next to refining of the AR model, investigation of the case studies led to the identification of tools and methods used by architects, which have possibly positively influenced the effectiveness (positive impact) of the final result. Both case studies distinguished themselves, according to the NRP jury reports, because of their high ‘social value creation’. Involving end-users, other producers, and original users in different steps of the AR process has been identified as the main method used by the architects contributing to this positive impact.@en

Adaptive reuse (AR) of heritage buildings is a complex process due to the involvement of many actions and actors, which influence the results of the projects. The effectiveness of AR projects can be described by various criteria. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the criteria of effectiveness in AR projects with the final scope to guide and improve the AR process. A review of the jury reports of two highly prestigious awards in the Netherlands (NRP Golden Phoenix award) and Europe (Europa Nostra) has been conducted. In total, the reports of 48 cases have been reviewed. The five criteria mentioned in the regulations of the NRP award have been used to categorize the aspects mentioned in the jury reports of both awards. These criteria are: “social value creation”, “sublimation (both architectural and cultural aspects)”, “environmental sustainability”, “economic value creation”, and “innovation”. This review reveals that “social value creation” and “sublimation” are among the most highlighted criteria that the juries considered for the effectiveness of AR projects. Often aspects mentioned for these criteria overlap partially with those aspects mentioned in the criterion of “economic value creation”. This indicates that enhancement of the qualities of heritage buildings and their surroundings and improvement of the social values and the resulting positive economic effects are strictly interrelated. The overview of the criteria of effectiveness, as defined in this work, will serve as a basis for the investigation of the tools and methods which can be used in the AR process to achieve these criteria@en

Adaptive reuse (AR) of modern buildings, including industrial buildings from the late 19th and 20th centuries, is a complex process as it involves many actions and actors, which influence the result of projects. Effective AR can provide many advantages for societies. This paper aims to provide an overview of the three most highlighted criteria, mentioned by previous researchers, for assessing effectiveness of AR of modern buildings.
This research followed seven steps: 1.Reviewing the criteria of “effectiveness” in AR projects in the literature 2.Collecting the data (jury reports of NRP and Europa-Nostra awards) 3.Distilling the reports related to modern heritage buildings 4.Translation of Dutch reports in English 5.Analysing and coding the texts following the criteria mentioned in the literature 6.Analysing the role of effective AR of modern heritage buildings in providing sublimation and social value 7.Formulating some conclusions/recommendations.
This review indicates despite the attribution of the effectiveness of AR of non-modern heritage buildings to the attraction of tourists, the effectiveness of AR in modern buildings is often attributed to positive effects on the surroundings and local community. Moreover, in modern buildings, compared to non-modern buildings, qualities provided by new interventions are highlighted more. This can be related to open space plans, stronger materials, wider spans, and spacious urban settings providing a higher tolerance for acceptable change.
By revealing the aspects of effectiveness within these two criteria, this study contributes to the broader understanding of the AR potential of modern buildings. Though this review is useful for encouraging the reuse of modern buildings, the methods/tools to be used to achieve effective results need more investigation in future research.
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The Adaptive Reuse (AR) of heritage buildings is a complex process, which aims to preserve the values of heritage buildings while adapting them for use in the present and transferring them to the future. This paper aims to identify steps in this process and develop a structured model. The model is an ‘ideal’, it needs validation in practice; however, it is expected that following this model can help to preserve and conserve the values of heritage buildings. To come to an overview of the process and to identify its main steps, a literature review at an international level has been conducted. The analysis of the literature revealed that the AR process as a whole in relation to heritage buildings has not been widely studied. Based on the results of this review, a conceptual model representing the AR process of heritage buildings has been defined. This model consists of 10 steps: ‘initiative’, ‘analysis of heritage buildings’, ‘value assessment, ‘mapping level of significance’, ‘definition of adaptive reuse potential’, ‘definition of design strategy’, ‘final decision-making’, ‘execution’, ‘maintenance’, and ‘evaluation after years’. This model can act as a comprehensive theoretical basis for further studies on the AR process of heritage buildings.@en

The main purpose of the present research is to study the effective factors on increasing visits of international tourists to a recognized cultural or natural heritage in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The method of this research is a quantitative approach using the attributive technique. Data gathering was done based on information and statistics recorded by statistical centers and organizations in Iran including Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Iran Travel and Tourism Organization …. After gathering information, research data was analyzed by Eviews7 software. The main hypothesis of the research was conformed and the value of statistic t for the research variables, (i.e. recognition of the heritage in UNESCO List, improving services, the geographical distance of the countries, changes of the exchange rate on the part of the visiting country, social security, economic development of the visiting country, the number of attractions in Zanjan, and the population of the tourist country), showed that except for social security, distance and exchange fluctuations, all of them are placed in the realm of rejecting the null hypothesis. It means that all variables are significant in the model. The determination coefficient equals 0.77, which means that 77 percent of the changes of the dependent variable were explained by independent variables. This would be a significant percentage.@en