Risk assessment of the challenges in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings

To create a resilient environment, adaptive reuse of old buildings is becoming rampant through renovation, restoration, or refurbishment. Although such efforts bring advantages by preserving heritage assets while accommodating current needs, the challenges involved in this type of project are compelling. Therefore, this study is focused on assessing the risk level of common challenges in historic building renovation and restoration projects. By conducting a survey of industry practitioners, this study identified that the common challenges have a higher average frequency than their corresponding severity rankings. Also, the survey responses indicated schematic design estimates should include the highest contingency. This study has contributed to the body of knowledge in the adaptive reuse of buildings and risk management research domain by revealing the risk level of challenges in historical building renovation and restoration projects. Moreover, this study allows industry practitioners to better manage this type of project by understanding the relative frequency and severity of common challenges.