Integrating asset-specific flood vulnerability assessments with value-based preservation processes to develop the Heritage Building Flood Robustness Toolkit

Abstract

Climate change is posing a growing threat to cultural heritage buildings, and many cities lack the capacity to manage these risks. One significant challenge is flooding, which can cause significant damage to heritage buildings. A literature review identified gaps in current research on heritage adaptation, including: a lack of tools for assessing the vulnerability of asset-specific cultural heritage buildings to flooding and providing recommendations for adaptation; limited examples of successful architectural adaptation of cultural heritage buildings to flooding impacts; and insufficient consideration of values, such as aesthetic, in adaptation tools. In response to these gaps, we developed a Heritage Building Flood Robustness Toolkit that incorporates both architectural and engineering considerations. The Toolkit is designed as a decision support tool to assist asset owners and key stakeholders, such as community groups, to make more quantified and informed decisions on heritage adaptation. The Toolkit includes three key advancements: an enhanced component-based methodology for individual cultural heritage building flood vulnerability assessments; improved recommendation of adaptation strategies aided by component-based risk assessments; and integration of user values, including aesthetic implications, into adaptation recommendations through adopting a Structured Decision-Making process. The Toolkit was tested on two buildings in Cockatoo Island, Sydney (Australia) with different materials and construction techniques. The results highlight the Toolkit's ability to support decision-making through more precisely assessed adaptation strategies based on asset-specific flood damage assessments and its sensitivity to user preferences, particularly aesthetic impacts from adaptation implementation. The Toolkit can be used as an instrument by planners, designers, and councils to enhance the protection of cultural heritage against flooding in the future.