Analysis of the reuse of religious architectural heritage with a sustainability perspective

Believing in the importance of human heritage and considering the serious issues faced by religious architectural heritage, this thesis addresses the preservation of historic religious buildings and highlights the importance of the reuse strategy as one of the proven effective conservation approaches in the fields of sustainability and development. Today, many historic religious structures worldwide have lost their original functions due to various ideological reasons and are thus confronted with inadequate preservation measures and modifications. The reuse strategy, with its conscious approach and established criteria, evaluates the success of the conservation process, the achievement of its objectives, and the attainment of environmental, social, and economic benefits within their communities from a positive and optimistic perspective. However, the clear failures observed in the reuse of historic religious buildings highlight the need for exposing, reviewing, and correcting ineffective practices. The thesis leads to an examination of selected case studies on the reuse experiences of religious buildings in different countries. This analysis and evaluation of the relevant case studies have been conducted according to a proposed model. The thesis has revealed that the historic religious buildings under review have achieved a good level of sustainability, particularly from social and economic perspectives, following their preservation through the reuse strategy. However, the fundamental criteria for maintaining the form and function of these buildings require greater attention and sensitivity in the application and monitoring of procedures related to the reuse of the building, the preservation of the authenticity of its tangible and intangible aspects, and the fulfillment of users' needs. As for the environmental dimensions, it has been identified that there is a noticeable neglect, which necessitates additional efforts to restore balance and address the shortcomings.