Assessing the adaptive reuse of heritage houses in Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

PurposeOman has a rich built heritage due to its strategic location, making its history full of events, which resulted in remarkable cultural and social heritage. The government works on preserving the built environment through the adaptive reuse strategy of abandoned buildings or sites, which is considered a comprehensive approach to sustainability. The adaptive reuse process often involves complex factors especially through decision-making, which influence the success of the generated project. The research aims at proposing an assessment strategy that offers guidelines that can help to achieve comprehensive adaptive reuse.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyzes and assesses adaptive reuse interventions of selected five heritage projects in Oman. The assessment was conducted based on semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and local community representatives, as well as onsite observations, documentation and relevant data analyses.FindingsThe results display that a comprehensive sustainable management plan for adaptive reuse projects is essential to ensure the success of the new uses in promoting the local economy, enhancing social values, preserving the cultural identity and adapting to the local environment.Originality/valueThis contribution proposes a comprehensive strategy for assessing the adaptive reuse projects' performance that can be used as a checklist for achieving more social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits. This strategy can be further developed by extending to include more categories.