In the context of post-war reconstruction, this study introduces a novel assessment model tailored for the preliminary management of blast-damaged reinforced concrete buildings without structural collapse risk. The model addresses the critical challenge of prioritizing reconstruction efforts within constraints of time and resources while integrating economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Developed using the Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment and refined through the Delphi method, the model provides stakeholders with a practical tool to evaluate alternative reconstruction scenarios, including refurbishment, demolition, reconstruction with retained identity, and preservation for future work. Validation is carried out through a case study of a tourist hotel in the historic area of Damascus, where a report confirmed the building posed no structural collapse risk. The results indicate that “preservation for future work” is the most sustainable option environmentally, while “refurbishment” emerges as the most sustainable economically and socially. This study highlights the importance of comprehensive damage assessments and sustainability-oriented tools for resilient and sustainable post-war reconstruction strategies that respect heritage contexts.

Post-earthquake reconstruction involves complex decision-making that extends beyond structural safety to include economic, environmental, and social considerations under conditions of uncertainty and limited resources. Although sustainability-oriented assessment frameworks and multi-criteria decision-making approaches have increasingly been applied in disaster contexts, existing models typically address localized technical interventions and rarely support strategic reconstruction planning after earthquakes. This study develops a sustainability-based decision-support framework for post-earthquake reconstruction of reinforced concrete buildings using the Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessment (MIVES). This framework is derived through a systematic synthesis of the post-earthquake, post-disaster, and MIVES-based literature. Reconstruction alternatives reported in previous studies are first identified and classified to structure the reconstruction decision space. Sustainability requirements, criteria, and indicators are then examined and adapted through processes of retention, modification, elimination, and addition. The principal outcome of the study is an adapted MIVES requirements tree composed of 10 criteria and 19 indicators organized across the sustainability dimensions, providing a context-consistent hierarchical structure for strategic building-level reconstruction decisions. By explicitly linking reconstruction alternatives with sustainability indicators within clearly defined decision boundaries, the framework strengthens methodological rigor in sustainability-oriented reconstruction planning. The present article focuses on the methodological development of the framework (Part I). The operational implementation of the model—including expert-based weighting, value-function definition, indicator aggregation, and empirical validation through case studies—will be presented in a companion study. The proposed framework provides a transparent and transferable basis for sustainability-oriented reconstruction planning and supports informed decision-making by public authorities.