System of rehabilitation assessment and cost comparative (SARC): case study in abandoned buildings rehabilitation in Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT Rehabilitating abandoned buildings in urban centers presents financial, environmental, and social advantages – however, cost uncertainties and complexity challenge constructors and investors. Many building assessment systems are shown in the literature to support feasibility studies. They vary in terms of the study object, and most limit themselves to assessing the state of the building’s conservation. This study presents a system focusing on cost estimatives information, comparing rehabilitation cost with the cost of new building construction. From the assessment by a visual inspection, the system calculates an Index of Rehabilitation (IR ) to base the rehabilitation cost estimations. The system also estimate the waste generation, based on literature measurements. The comparison of costs and waste generation showed high financial and environmental advantages for the rehabilitation to the detriment of new constructions, pointing differences from 1.5 to 8.7 times (cost) and more than 20 times (waste). The application of the system in a pilot study showed that the cost incurred for real cases is within the system’s estimated cost range, validating the system. The information made available by the system may help managers and financiers in decision-making, considering that economic and financial issues are critical in the rehabilitation context.