Deriving Criteria Weights for the Analytical Framework for Grading and Listing Heritage Buildings

The process of identifying and preparing an inventory of heritage buildings is referred to as listing, while the subsequent classification of these buildings based on their significance is known as grading. The accuracy of the building grade is critical to the heritage conservation process, as it determines the level of permissible modifications, but in the absence of a comprehensive and objective methodology for assigning grades, the agencies involved often rely on arbitrary methods. This chapter presents a comparative analysis of the AHP and Fuzzy AHP methods for deriving criteria weights within an analytical framework for grading and listing heritage buildings. The MCDM methods and evaluation criteria were identified through a literature review, expert surveys, and expert panel consultations. The selected criteria were structured into a criteria hierarchical tree, and the global weights were derived using the AHP, Fuzzy AHP, and equal-weights approaches at the hierarchy level. Upon comparison, it was concluded that there were very few variations in the criteria weights produced by the Fuzzy AHP method by Chang, while the variations in preference of one criterion over the other by the experts are clearly captured in weights derived by the AHP method.