Abstract
The ability to be easily replaced or modified is an advantage in the design of a sustainable building. A set of principles and criteria provides a systematic guide for architects and engineers to prioritize design decisions and controls for the use of the building, thereby reducing waste and disruption. Based on previous research on the flexibility of buildings, a table of effective principles and criteria for achieving this goal is presented. The development of these criteria involved a comprehensive review of literature focused on the flexibility of structures and their subsystems, leading to the identification of twelve criteria at three distinct levels. The established criteria are meticulously organized into three hierarchical levels: the principle level, the physical level, and the functional level. The paper further delves into the interrelationships among the criteria and principles across these levels. The study is designed to evaluate the decisions made in designing a building while adhering to the flexibility principles. To this end, an application of the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method was presented, and the resulting weights of the criteria were evaluated using input from eight expert architects. This methodological approach facilitates the identification of critical improvements during the initial stages of the design process.