Identification and Modelling of Factors Determining the Quality of Adaptive Reuse of Cultural Heritage Buildings
This review synthesizes findings from 48 studies to identify six interrelated factor groups and proposes a hexagonal conceptual model as an integrated diagnostic framework for optimizing the quality of adaptive reuse in cultural heritage buildings.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Imagine walking through a city where the past and the present are having a constant, lively conversation. In the world of architecture and urban planning, this conversation happens when we talk about "adaptive reuse." Think of an old, historic building—maybe a factory, a school, or a grand house—as a character in a story who has lived a long life. Instead of tearing this character down to build something brand new (which is like erasing their story entirely), adaptive reuse is the art of giving them a new role. It's like taking a retired superhero and training them to be a community center coach; they keep their original costume and history, but they learn new moves to help people today.
Why does this matter? Because these old buildings hold our collective memories, like physical time capsules. But keeping them standing while making them useful for modern life is tricky. It's not just about painting the walls; it's a delicate balancing act. You have to respect the building's history, make sure it doesn't fall down, keep the costs down, and make sure the neighbors actually like the new plan. If you get one part wrong, the whole project can fail. This is where a team of researchers from the University of Brawijaya stepped in to figure out exactly what makes these "makeovers" successful.
The paper, titled "Identification and Modelling of Factors Determining the Quality of Adaptive Reuse of Cultural Heritage Buildings," acts like a detective's guidebook for these historic makeovers. The authors didn't just guess; they dug through 48 different studies (out of nearly 900 they found) to find the secret ingredients that make a project work. They discovered that success isn't about one magic trick, but rather a complex dance involving six specific groups of factors. They call this their "hexagonal conceptual model," which is basically a six-sided shape where every side touches and influences the others.
Here are the six sides of the hexagon, or the six key players in the game:
- Cultural and Heritage Values: This is the soul of the building. It's about keeping the "soul" intact—the history, the stories, and the unique look that makes the building special. If you strip this away, you're just renovating a box, not saving a heritage site.
- Economic and Sustainability: This is the wallet and the green thumb. Can the project afford to happen? Does it save money on energy? Does it stop us from wasting resources? The paper suggests that money and history often have a tug-of-war; sometimes, trying to make a building super profitable can accidentally ruin its authentic feel.
- Social and Community: This is the neighborhood vibe. It's about whether the people living nearby actually want the new function. If the community isn't involved, the building might end up empty or hated. It's also about who owns the building; if the ownership is a mess, the project can get stuck in legal limbo.
- Technical and Design: This is the engineering backbone. Can the old floors hold new furniture? Is the roof strong enough? The paper highlights that any changes made should be "reversible," meaning if you mess up, you can take it back out without damaging the original structure.
- Functional and Contextual: This is the "fit." Does the new job (like turning a factory into a museum) actually make sense for the building's shape? The authors found that mixing different uses (like having a cafe, a shop, and an office all in one old building) works better than just one single use.
- Regulatory and Policy: This is the rulebook. Do the government laws allow this? Do they offer tax breaks? The paper suggests that without supportive laws and government backing, even the best ideas can get stuck in red tape.
The most exciting part of the paper is how these six players interact. The authors found that you can't just focus on one. For example, you can't just make a building super profitable (Economic) if it means destroying its history (Cultural). You can't have a great design (Technical) if the local laws (Regulatory) say it's illegal. The paper suggests that these factors are like a web; if you pull on one thread, the whole web wiggles.
The researchers propose that the best way to think about this is not as a straight line (Step 1, then Step 2), but as a hexagon where everything happens at once. They suggest that to get a high-quality result, you need to balance all six sides simultaneously. They also point out some surprising things, like how unclear ownership rights can be a hidden killer for projects, and how mixing different uses in a building often leads to higher success than sticking to just one function.
However, the authors are careful to say this is a starting point, not a final answer. They admit their study is based on reading other studies (a "Systematic Literature Review") and that they only looked at English-language papers from 2015 to 2025. They suggest that future work needs to test this hexagonal model in real life, maybe using computer tools to measure exactly how much each factor matters, and to see if it works the same way in different countries.
In short, this paper tells us that saving old buildings for new uses isn't just about fixing up old bricks. It's a complex, six-sided puzzle where history, money, people, engineering, function, and laws all have to hold hands. If you leave one side out, the puzzle falls apart. But if you get the balance right, you get a building that honors the past while living happily in the future.
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