Between preservation and adaptive reuse: the measurement of resilience towards climate neutrality of cultural heritage

This paper explores resilience in historic cultural heritage, framing adaptive reuse and preservation as complementary strategies to safeguard the intrinsic value of buildings over time. A methodological framework is proposed, combining top-down and bottom-up perspectives: the top-down approach defines strategies and tools to guide interventions toward resilience, while the bottom-up approach examines international case studies to evaluate the effectiveness of implemented design actions. The evaluation process integrates qualitative and quantitative methods across three project phases— concept, design/execution, and management/end-of-life—and is structured into four main areas: value/preservation, accessibility/comfort, circularity, and energy, enabling monitoring of sustainability and cultural value preservation. Analysis of twelve case studies reveals that interventions are often fragmented, with limited integration between evaluation frameworks and design practice. The proposed methodology highlights gaps and opportunities, providing a comprehensive approach to measure heritage resilience and support interventions that balance sustainability, conservation, and value enhancement in historic and sensitive contexts.