Adaptive reuse maintains cultural sustainability by adapting heritage buildings for new functions while retaining their original structure. The al-Nabulsi’s traditional courtyard house in Irbid, northern Jordan, represents the city’s dominant residential heritage building typology from the 1920s. It has been adapted and reused to preserve cultural sustainability by providing a visitor experience pertinent to the local tangible and intangible cultural heritage. This article evaluates the effect of the house’s adaptive reuse into a cultural visitor center on the local community’s cultural sustainability between 2018 and 2023 through the user experience. Through a review of the literature on cultural sustainability and adaptive reuse and deploying mixed qualitative and quantitative methodology of field observation, statistical analysis, and critical reflections on interviews and Google Travel’s reviews of the building, the research presents the project phases, resolutions, and challenges, contextualizing them in the modern debate on tangible and intangible heritage. The article used the Quintuple Helix Model as an analytical framework to explain the interactions between societal systems that directly and indirectly affect the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings revealed that in 2018, the center’s conservation and adaptation relatively enhanced the local community’s cultural sustainability and feeling of its identity. However, in 2023, further actions are needed to enhance the visitor experience and spread awareness of its significance. Enrichments in government, education, and civil society systems have been moderate, and further improvements in economic and environmental systems are essential to meet the potential goals of the SDGs. No research to date has evaluated the cultural sustainability of the adaptive reuse of this significant house/center, providing insights into a notable example of the conditions surrounding adaptive reuse in Jordan and Arab Middle Eastern countries.

In China and the rest of the world, the COVID‐19 pandemic has been spreading since December 2019. This pandemic had negative effects on the public in general and on students’ performance. This study aimed to evaluate the perceived performance of design students participating in online distance learning due to the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown in the UAE. The evaluation of the students’ negative emotions and their impact on creativity and design performance was conducted in two design courses. The case study included 193 design students, 140 first year and 53 fourth year students who are enrolled from the College of Fine Arts and Design. An online survey was used as a post‐evaluation tool for the students. Two focus group interviews were conducted for instructors who were involved in the sudden remote teaching. The findings showed the instructors’ deep understanding of the students’ emotions and how such emotions are reflected on performance during the pandemic. First year students had higher anxiety levels than fourth students, which negatively affected their design practice and learning performance for the lack of design experience. However, first years produced creative projects. Fourth years also had high anxiety levels, but they showed a higher level of satisfaction in their performance than first years. This study explored the impact, changes and challenges brought about by the pandemic experience and how instructors could benefit from it in future. Online classes changed the way design was taught and delivered. Blended learning is considered as a motivational and creative learning process.

Spatial ability is not just a skill but a crucial element for architecture and interior design students, significantly impacting their proficiency in tasks involving 2D drawings, 3D components, and artistic expression. Despite extensive research in this area, a gap remains in the understanding of how to effectively cultivate spatial ability through educational interventions. This study, with its unique approach of identifying key influencing factors and their interrelationships within the fuzzy decision-making laboratory analysis method (Fuzzy-DEMATEL) and the interpretative structural model (ISM), fills this gap. The method visualizes cause-and-effect relationships within a structural model and captures the interdependencies between influencing factors. In a collaborative effort between nine universities in 2023–2024, 17 experts selected through purposeful sampling contributed to the development of a comprehensive list of potential influencing factors. After refinement through filtering, comparison with the existing literature, and expert consensus, seven influencing factors of spatial ability for architecture and interior design students from personal traits and STEAM disciplines were identified, which are sketching and hand drawing skills, mathematical skills, video game practice, descriptive geometry skills, augmented reality practice, spatial talk, and gesturing while talking. Sketching and hand drawing skills, mathematical skills, and video game practice come under cause factors of spatial ability, whereas the rest are effect factors. Proceeding with ISM analysis revealed that sketching and hand drawing skills and mathematical skills are located in the input layer and have a continuous impact on spatial ability. Descriptive geometry skills lie in the transition layer, which are considered as deep influencing factors, the rest of the factors lie in the effect layer. This study delves into the theoretical and practical implications of these findings, offering valuable insights for educational policy and practice.

Rehabilitating heritage buildings is a common practice in developed countries. In contrast, developing countries experiencing conflict lack the financial support and qualified experts to restore heritage buildings. This article focuses on the restoration of the al-Khader building in the Gaza Strip, part of a UNESCO project aimed at preserving historical buildings. This study aims to explore the challenges and impacts of the adaptive reuse of the al-Khader building as a children’s library for the local community and to explore the impact of this project on sustainable development and its importance locally, as well as the role of this building restoration and rehabilitation through Quintuple Helix dimensions. Qualitative methodology was used, including field observation and interviews, to present the project stages during restoration in 2016. The interviews were conducted with library users, employees, and visitors to evaluate their experience in 2019. The research revealed that the restoration process faced several challenges, including a lack of experience and professional workers in conservation work. Despite challenges, the building’s transformation positively affected heritage preservation and the local community, aligning with 11 Sustainable Development Goals—directly with 7 goals (SDGs 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, and 17) and indirectly with 4 goals (SDGs 1, 5, 9, and 13). The findings emphasise the role of the library’s rehabilitation in contributing to the success of the Quintuple Helix in economic and civil society systems and the need to enhance the consideration of government, education, and environmental systems. Finally, this project, which external donors funded, increased awareness among local people of the importance of heritage buildings. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the current status of the building is unknown. This study, therefore, serves as necessary documentation of the building as it was in 2023 and prior.

Adaptive reuse of heritage buildings is a vital strategy for balancing cultural preservation with modern functionality needs. This study provides a post-adaptive reuse evaluation of Dar Al Saraya in Madaba, Jordan, a significant Ottoman-era landmark, to examine how adaptive reuse strategies influence interior environments and heritage value. The analysis employs Zhang and Zhang’s evaluation framework focusing on existing fabric, special character, and policy and value, operationalized through 15 factors. A qualitative methodology was adopted, integrating site observations, photographic documentation, and semi-structured interviews with heritage experts, municipal representatives, residents, visitors, and site staff. Fieldwork was conducted in two phases (November 2024 and October 2025) to capture evolving conditions and perceptions. Findings indicate that challenges in spatial reconstruction were few and well addressed, but gaps in adaptation and reuse function strategies created significant issues. These included a lack of coordinated policies and the failure of municipal authorities and property owners to sustain the building’s reuse and involve the local community in reuse decisions. Despite various initiatives, from a museum, hotel, cultural center and gallery to its recent adaptation into a café, these efforts lacked sustainability and inclusive strategic planning. Consequently, the café has faced difficulties since opening, leaving its future uncertain. These findings highlight the importance of post-adaptive reuse evaluation and of integrating policy, planning, and community participation into adaptive reuse strategies to promote sustainable, community-centred conservation.