There is an increasing need for buildings to be planned or re-designed with a view to the whole life cycle of buildings, especially with regard to sustainability. The paper outlines the use of masonry for redevelopment purposes in terms of effectiveness of the material used. Within the research work in a first step a number of redeveloped masonry projects mainly located in the Hamburg area is studied and evaluated on the basis of main criteria such as technical feasibility, suitability of masonry in structural, material and energy related terms, differences to other materials, sustainability, properties of the plot, and market acceptance. In a second step a score system is applied that allows to compare the importance of the main criteria studied with each other and to express the degree of fulfilment of them for each project. In a third step an evaluation scheme is developed which yields a “quality factor” based on a scientific and engineering background rather than on a rough estimation of all parameters involved. As a result, for all projects considered the calculated “quality factor” is able to express how successful the redevelopment is in terms of, among others, sustainability and the choice of the material. For a given project to be realised in commercial or residential areas, the calculation of the “quality factor” by means of the score system presented can be a helpful tool for planners, house builders, investors, and decision makers.