Whilst adaptive reuse is often applied with good outcomes, we are also faced with projects that have not achieved the desired results. There is little insight into why some projects succeed and others fail, or even what constitutes “success” at all – due in part to the intangibility of the word “success” and unsettled definitions and synonyms of “adaptive reuse. Accordingly, this paper seeks to answer the question: What are the factors that can be used to assess the success of heritage adaptive reuse projects? This study is framed as a systematic literature review of relevant articles published or in press. The methodology is based on using a PRISMA diagram to address a number of papers that are screened in each step of the diagram: identification, screening, eligibility and included. The literature review process started with 731 in the first step and ends with the final results of 72 papers. The results are classified into ten categories of success factors: architectural, structural, socio-cultural, economic, environmental, energy, authenticity, legal, management and functional factors. Together, these provide a comprehensive understanding of factors that affect the success of adaptive reuse as a strategy to regenerate heritage buildings. This insight facilitates adaptive reuse strategies for designers, architects and real estate developers.

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Purpose: This paper highlights the criteria that affect the success of adaptive reuse strategy as one of the recent strategies which is implemented to regenerate heritage buildings globally. Despite the fact that there is a noticeable improvement in this field, we are still facing projects that have not achieved the desired result of adaptation. Accordingly, the paper seeks to answer the questions what are the criteria that lead to the successful adaptive reuse projects? Or how can we best adapt heritage buildings to assure the success of the conversion process? Design methodology/approach: This study is framed by a systematic literature review of relevant articles published or in press. The methodology is based on using a PRISMA diagram to address the number of articles which are screened in each step of Identification, Screening, Eligibility and Included. First the reviewed articles are selected by applying inclusion criteria in the titles, abstracts and key words and in the next step,selected articles from the first review are ready for the final evalution. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of this study are defined in urban scale and urbanism due to the broad area this research is limited in a building scale. Findings: This paper will provide a category of successfully effective factors in adaptive reuse of heritage buildings. Insight will further facilitate the path of more innovative conservation strategies for design makers, architects and developers.@en