Modern heritage assessment index: A quantitative approach for assessing the cultural significance of modern heritage

This paper sets out to structure an index for standardising the evaluation methodology and establish the criteria for assessing the significance of modern heritage. An assessment index was developed for converting the qualitative dimensions of heritage assessment into a quantitative scoring index. It assesses the relative significance of buildings through a defined process of scoring. With a value-based approach, the index was based on a concept that disintegrates a building or site into values and attributes i.e. the assessment parameters. Two approaches were used for identifying these parameters: criteria of existing assessment models using content analysis and expert opinion through a Delphi survey. Reconsidering the value composition for the index parameters, a new criterion 'resilience' was introduced, regional value was emphasised, and economic value was included as an assessment criterion. The index combines the opinion of experts and researchers with informed and uninformed stakeholders. The designation criteria were defined in terms of scoring bands. The foundation of the proposed index and methodology is globally rooted. To demonstrate the validation of the proposed assessment framework, it was contextualised in India, with a focus on post-independence architecture. The index was tested in 18 buildings in Ahmedabad and Chandigarh, and the results reflected sufficient efficacy of this methodology.