Conservation Of Architectural Heritage Research Articles

HBIM Methodology Applied to Architectural Heritage

Objectives: The research aims to develop and promote the HBIM (Heritage Building Information Modeling) methodology for the conservation of architectural heritage. A dissemination model is proposed to share knowledge and good practices, with a view to improve the integrated management of cultural properties and reduce the risks of deterioration. In addition, it seeks to raise awareness among various stakeholders, including professionals and institutions, on the importance of the application of HBIM in heritage preservation. Theoretical Framework: Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a methodology that facilitates the creation and management of digital information of historic buildings, integrating geometric, geospatial and material data. The application of HBIM in heritage projects has gained recognition for its benefits in documentation, collaboration and accuracy in conservation interventions. However, it faces challenges due to the diversity and complexity of historic buildings, as well as the lack of specific regulations. Method: The methodology is based on a comprehensive review of the existing literature on BIM applied to heritage. Academic articles, theses and technical papers have been analyzed to consolidate a robust theoretical framework and establish best practices for the conservation of historic buildings. This review identified trends and challenges, and generated recommendations for effective HBIM implementation. Results and Discussion: The findings highlight the potential of HBIM to transform architectural heritage conservation. The methodology allows the creation of detailed 3D models, integrating information on geometry, materials and construction processes, facilitating the understanding of the structure and condition of buildings. However, challenges include the high cost of detailed models and the need for heritage-specific standards, which limits the adoption of HBIM in certain contexts. Research Implications: At the theoretical level, this research enriches knowledge on the integration of advanced technologies in heritage conservation. In practice, HBIM makes it possible to anticipate material aging problems and to prioritize sustainable conservation actions, which underlines the need to train professionals in these technologies. The adoption of HBIM implies developing technical skills in the conservation sector. Originality/Value: This paper highlights the innovation of HBIM in architectural heritage management through the use of advanced technologies such as laser scanning and photogrammetry. The ability to create detailed digital models enables accurate and sustainable interventions in historic buildings to be documented and planned. In addition, HBIM facilitates a multidisciplinary approach, integrating technology, history and architectural conservation to effectively and sustainably preserve cultural heritage.

Collision of tradition and visual perception: aesthetic evaluation and conservation intent in adapting traditional Chinese gates within architectural heritage

ABSTRACT The sustainable conservation of architectural heritage has attracted significant attention, especially with the rapid development of heritage tourism. Adaptation is a compromise to allow heritage to meet modern development demands; however, unregulated adaptations pose significant risks to sustainable conservation. This study involved 60 participants in a quasi-experimental investigation, using eye-tracking technology combined with evaluation questionnaires. The aim was to explore how material, ornament, and generational age differences impact aesthetic evaluation, visual attention, and conservation intention toward traditional Chinese architectural gates. The results show a general preference for traditional materials (wood) and intricate ornament (Ice Crack), with participants displaying a stronger conservation intention toward these elements. Notably, generational differences were evident, with older participants showing longer visual engagement with architectural heritage design elements. This study extends aesthetic response theory into the heritage domain, emphasizing material authenticity and design complexity in shaping conservation attitudes. It offers valuable insights for heritage adaptation strategies, emphasizing the need to balance historical authenticity with aesthetic appeal to enhance public engagement.

Legislative Frameworks of Architectural Heritage Conservation Acts: A Comparative Study across Nations

Legislative Frameworks of Architectural Heritage Conservation Acts: A Comparative Study across Nations

A Unified Virtual Model for Real-Time Visualization and Diagnosis in Architectural Heritage Conservation

The aim of this paper is to propose a workflow for the real-time visualization of virtual environments that supports diagnostic tasks in heritage buildings. The approach integrates data from terrestrial laser scanning (3D point clouds and meshes), along with panoramic and thermal images, into a unified virtual model. Additionally, the methodology incorporates several post-processing stages designed to enhance the user experience in visualizing both the building and its associated damage. The methodology was tested on the Medieval Templar Church of Vera Cruz in Segovia, utilizing a combination of visible and infrared data, along with manually prepared damage maps. The project results demonstrate that the use of a hybrid digital model—combining 3D point clouds, polygonal meshes, and panoramic images—is highly effective for real-time rendering, providing detailed visualization while maintaining adaptability for mobile devices with limited computational power.

Conservation and regeneration of architectural and urban heritage: The case of the Xinmalu historical site, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

The current discourse about contemporary cities emphasizes the notion of heritage conservation and preservation as a catalyst for expressing local identity and accomplishing community development. This article uses the case of Ningbo City (Zhejiang, China) to interrogate different approaches to preserve and rehabilitate architectural and urban heritage. Over the past two decades, the identification, documentation, and preservation of deteriorating dwellings and the urban context of traditional cities have undergone an unprecedented cycle of transformation. The article explores the economic, social, and cultural practices that inform strategies for heritage conservation, with a particular focus on Ningbo’s experiences. The selected projects from the city’s context range from independent house restoration and rehabilitation to traditional markets and the preservation of its urban heritage core. In addition, the article provides insights into the complexities of the ongoing discourse surrounding the interpretation, evaluation, protection, and augmentation of heritage territories. It confronts questions such as how to encourage inclusivity and diversity in cities’ heritage zones and urban spaces, and how specific chapters of the past are chosen and reintroduced for suggested contemporary functions. The article also examines the cooperation between international organizations and local planning entities in shaping a vision for Ningbo’s heritage conservation and rehabilitation. The study concludes by summarizing the successes of projects in the Xinmalu Heritage District in Ningbo, which foster growth and community development without compromising the value of its heritage.

Green buffer areas and green roofs: performance design to improve the urban water cycle

Abstract While in all Europe the land use does not decrease – contrary to EU soil strategy that would actualize the zero net land use by 2050 – cities are plagued by problems such as air pollution, urban heat island effect and uncontrolled run-off following intense rain events, which degrade the environment threatening the health and the safety of inhabitants. The impermeable materials and are responsible for the worsening of the urban water cycle and, at the same time, for the increase in summer air temperatures: both those effects can be mitigated by nature-based and draining solutions. The paper explains the hydrological phenomena of the urban impervious surfaces, highlighting the typical functional defects, providing then a list of various green technologies suitable to overcome the common issues of city centers like high density / reduced spaces, irreversible impervious surfaces, undersized drainage, presence of sub-structures / sub-systems, conservation of architectural heritage. The technical green solutions on the ground (bio-retention systems, rain gardens, trees, pervious pavements…) and on the roofs, specifically designed, behave 1) as a buffer for the stormwater and superficial run-off, being able to collect water, 2) as providers of side effects that can affect water quality, biodiversity, amenity in cities. Experimental results from a rain simulation are presented in order to argue potentials and limitations of these solutions, often narrated as salvific, or, on the contrary, underestimated in their technological specificities.

20th-Century World Built Heritage Facing Water: Conservation of Fallingwater and Boa Nova Tea House

The conservation of 20th-century architectural heritage presents unique challenges due to the modern materials and construction techniques used by pioneering architects. This paper investigates the preservation challenges of iconic architectural works exposed to water environments, focusing on Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright and the Boa Nova Tea House by Álvaro Siza Vieira. These structures, situated in natural settings with significant exposure to water, serve as case studies for examining conservation methods and their broader implications. This study explores archival documents, interviews with conservation experts, and literature reviews to highlight the main degradation phenomena related to the impact of environmental conditions on the material’s integrity. Despite limited specific data on monitoring and maintenance, this research underscores the importance of ongoing conservation efforts. Fallingwater’s case highlights the necessity of restoration techniques, while the Boa Nova Tea House illustrates minimal intervention strategies to maintain authenticity. This study concludes that the effective conservation of 20th-century built heritage necessitates a balance between preserving original design intents and adapting to environmental challenges. It emphasizes the need for innovative conservation strategies, adherence to international guidelines, and the establishment of comprehensive management and monitoring plans to safeguard the integrity and authenticity of culturally significant architecture.

National Architectural Heritage Conservation Acts and International Charters: Implementation on Amendment Legislation

National Architectural Heritage Conservation Acts and International Charters: Implementation on Amendment Legislation

Geographical Factors Influencing Public Participation in Architectural Heritage Conservation: A Case Study of Chinese Wooden Arch Corridor Bridges

Public participation in architectural heritage protection is a crucial part of promoting the development of heritage conservation. However, even in the same country, different regions protect heritage at different levels. This study, taking national wooden arch corridor bridges as the research object, analyzes the public participation level in wooden arch corridor bridge protection in the last 5 years, studying the factors that influence public participation and the change in rules of public participation caused by geography, providing a theoretical reference for the sustainable development of the protection of wooden arch corridor bridges. The results indicate (1) public participation in the protection of wooden arch corridor bridges has been increasing annually under government guidance; (2) there is a positive correlation between the concentration of wooden arch corridor bridges and the level of public participation; (3) the better the planning is regarding wooden arch corridor bridges and their surrounding areas, the higher the level of public participation, while the lower the level of residents’ participation and willing; (4) the higher the development and better the transportation in the areas where wooden arch corridor bridges are located, the higher the level of public participation; and (5) increasing the popularity of wooden arch corridor bridges, as well as the areas they are located in, can enhance public participation. These conclusions and research methods also provide methodological guidance and theoretical support for other public participation in the study of architectural heritage.

From ‘Objects’ to ‘Sustainable Development’: The Evolution of Architectural Heritage Conservation in Theory and Practice

From ‘Objects’ to ‘Sustainable Development’: The Evolution of Architectural Heritage Conservation in Theory and Practice

Development and application of artificial hydraulic lime for Chinese architectural heritage restorations

Lime is commonly employed in the restoration of historic buildings due to its strength properties, which align well with the demands of architectural heritage conservation. However, recent shortages in high-quality limestone raw materials and the commercial inclusion of finely ground limestone powder in hydrated lime powder have led to significant challenges. These include low initial strength, pronounced shrinkage and cracking, and poor resistance to frost. Although natural hydraulic lime (NHL) offers moderate strength, its high cost presents an obstacle to widespread use in architectural heritage restoration. Three types of artificial hydraulic lime (AHL) — AHL1, AHL2, and AHL3 — were prepared with the objective of low cost and easy scalability. These were formulated by incorporating white cement (WC), blast furnace slag powder (BFSP), heavy calcium carbonate powder (HCCP), and industrial-grade white sugar (WS) into industrial-grade hydrated lime powder (IHLP). To align the setting time of the AHLs with the requirements of traditional builders, WS was incorporated as a retarding agent. The addition of WC, BFSP, and HCCP to IHLP resulted in enhancements over IHLP in several key aspects: compressive strength, pore structure post-hardening, dry shrinkage rate, and frost resistance. This approach will enhance the restoration quality of architectural heritage in China, leading to fewer repeated repairs and significant savings in manpower and material costs. Ultimately, AHL2 was applied in the restoration of the Confucius Temple, proving its efficacy and alignment with traditional construction requirements. This research provides valuable theoretical and practical insights for enhancing the preservation of architectural heritage.

An Analytical Safety Tree for Heritage Buildings: Application to the Archaeological Museum “Domenico Ridola”, Matera (Italy)

ABSTRACT Historical masonry construction is a significant architectural typology that represents the cultural identity of Western Europe. Exposure to seismic events seriously compromises the conservation of architectural heritage, as evidenced by recent earthquakes. In this context, the process of knowledge acquisition, vulnerability evaluation, and planning interventions becomes fundamentally important to identify and implement maintenance and conservation strategies. Safety trees, never used for seismic engineering purposes, are particularly effective in making safety-related decisions in potentially hazardous or complex situations. This paper proposes an analytical framework to evaluate the structural safety of cultural heritage buildings, using an analytical safety tree. This instrument is here applied to assist safety assessments, risk management, and process optimization. Specifically, the proposed tree encompasses a multi-step procedure characterized by three possible vulnerability assessments, with the advantage of providing an overview of the knowledge state, detected pathologies, and analysis of a heritage building, outlining a path to follow to ensure the safety of built heritage. The work first formalizes this new tool, starting from the classical theory of safety decision trees. Secondly, to demonstrate the potential of the approach, the decision tree is developed and applied to the safety assessment of the Archaeological Museum “Domenico Ridola” in Matera, Italy.

Sustainable Conservation of Architectural Heritage to Reduce Environmental Impact: The Morocco Pavilion on Cartuja Island in Seville

Sustainable Conservation of Architectural Heritage to Reduce Environmental Impact: The Morocco Pavilion on Cartuja Island in Seville

Towards Using Digital Technologies to Balance Conservation and Fire Mitigation in Building Heritage Hosting Vulnerable Occupants: Rapid Evacuation Simulator Verification for the “Omero Museum” (Ancona, Italy)

Digital technologies can support designers in balancing architectural heritage conservation and performances using multidisciplinary approaches. Fire safety represents a challenging issue, especially in public historical buildings hosting vulnerable occupants, since heavy modifications are often required to facilitate their evacuation. Digital tools based on evacuation simulation are able to verify the impact of other sustainable, compatible evacuation management and planning approaches, especially considering the use of generic software, which can be used by low-trained technicians according to rapid setups. Nevertheless, simulator reliability should be experimentally verified through case study applications. This work thus offers the experimental verification of a rapid setup-based generic evacuation simulator in the context of a significant case study (the “Omero Museum”, Ancona, Italy), placed in a historic building hosting vulnerable occupants (disabled, elderly, children), thanks to a full-scale evacuation drill. The rapid setup described different vulnerable occupants’ categories according to literature data. Comparisons between drill and simulation results, using consolidated verification indicators, showed the overall reliability of the proposed approach, and thus encourage additional tests in historical buildings. The proposed setup-based simulator could be combined with other digital tools (virtual reality, BIM-related) to provide full support to fire risk and evacuation assessments when vulnerable occupants are present.

ArchGPT: harnessing large language models for supporting renovation and conservation of traditional architectural heritage

The renovation of traditional architecture contributes to the inheritance of cultural heritage and promotes the development of social civilization. However, executing renovation plans that simultaneously align with the demands of residents, heritage conservation personnel, and architectural experts poses a significant challenge. In this paper, we introduce an Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent, Architectural GPT (ArchGPT), designed for comprehensively and accurately understanding needs and tackling architectural renovation tasks, accelerating and assisting the renovation process. To address users’ requirements, ArchGPT utilizes the reasoning capabilities of large language models (LLMs) for task planning. Operating under the use of tools, task-specific models, and professional architectural guidelines, it resolves issues within the architectural domain through sensible planning, combination, and invocation. Ultimately, ArchGPT achieves satisfactory results in terms of response and overall satisfaction rates for customized tasks related to the conservation and restoration of traditional architecture.

(H-BIM IA) Historic Building Information Modelling and Artificial Intelligence as a methodology for the conservation of architectural heritage on land, the case of Khenguet Sidi Nadji city

The architectural heritage built on land in Algeria extends over a large part of its territory and is one of its greatest assets, both locally and internationally. The conservation of this heritage is a highly complex civic and political challenge. The research carried out experiments with an unprecedented methodology, (H-BIM IA) Historic Building Information Modeling and Artificial Intelligence on a specific case study, the city of Khenget sidi Nadji founded in 1602, which over time has given us a capital city rich in architectural value, social relations, and an example of religious and cultural links. For a year, the authorities carried out a programme to improve the rural habitat in a territory far from the old fabric, EL BORDJ, and organised a population displacement. This programme has revolutionised all the architectural, social, and typological values of the old fabric. The aim of the research has been to document the state of conservation of the city and to establish a medotology that allows the incorporation of extensive and rigorous information for its enhancement and subsequent analysis. The project carried out with BIM is enriched with historical, architectural, sociological, and material data, as well as data on the state of conservation and compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This reliable information is used by the AI for political and citizen management of cultural heritage.

Empowering intermediate cities: cost-effective heritage preservation through satellite remote sensing and deep learning

ABSTRACT In the capitalist rush to attract more visitors, cities are committing significant resources to heritage conservation, driven by the substantial economic benefits generated by the tourism industry. However, less famous or less well-resourced cities, often with smaller populations, also known as intermediary cities, find it difficult to allocate funds to protect their most significant heritage sites. In this conservation context, intermediary cities, often on the periphery or ‘at the margins’, can fill the gaps and needs of urbanism through a better strategic understanding of the challenges of global touristification, thus this research provides urban planning tools for local governments with limited resources to preserve their architectural heritage through remote sensing, for its advantages in terms of lower economic cost, as a valuable monitoring tool to effectively identify high-vulnerability sites that require priority attention in the conservation of architectural heritage. In other words, it allows for a reduction in the territory of those areas located ‘at the margins’ in terms of urban planning and management, by approaching the territorial, urban, architectural and tourism problems from a transdisciplinary perspective in the preservation of the architectural heritage. This study explores the application of optical (Sentinel-2) using neural networks for classifying the land cover and radar (Sentinel-1 and PAZ) satellite images to obtain the ground motion as a geotechnical risk study, together with geospatial data, for the monitoring of architectural heritage in intermediate cities. Focusing on the districts of Bragança and Guarda in Portugal, the approach allows the direct identification of vulnerable architectural heritage, identifying 9 highly-vulnerable areas using PAZ data and 7 areas using Sentinel-1 data. Furthermore, this work provides an understanding of the potential and limitations of these technologies in heritage preservation because compares the processing results of freely accessible medium-resolution Sentinel-1 radar imagery with the high-resolution radar images from the innovative PAZ satellite.

Knowledge-Driven and Diffusion Model-Based Methods for Generating Historical Building Facades: A Case Study of Traditional Minnan Residences in China

The preservation of historical traditional architectural ensembles faces multifaceted challenges, and the need for facade renovation and updates has become increasingly prominent. In conventional architectural updating and renovation processes, assessing design schemes and the redesigning component are often time-consuming and labor-intensive. The knowledge-driven method utilizes a wide range of knowledge resources, such as historical documents, architectural drawings, and photographs, commonly used to guide and optimize the conservation, restoration, and management of architectural heritage. Recently, the emergence of artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) technologies has provided new solutions for creating architectural facades, introducing a new research paradigm to the renovation plans for historic districts with their variety of options and high efficiency. In this study, we propose a workflow combining Grasshopper with Stable Diffusion: starting with Grasshopper to generate concise line drawings, then using the ControlNet and low-rank adaptation (LoRA) models to produce images of traditional Minnan architectural facades, allowing designers to quickly preview and modify the facade designs during the renovation of traditional architectural clusters. Our research results demonstrate Stable Diffusion’s precise understanding and execution ability concerning architectural facade elements, capable of generating regional traditional architectural facades that meet architects’ requirements for style, size, and form based on existing images and prompt descriptions, revealing the immense potential for application in the renovation of traditional architectural groups and historic districts. It should be noted that the correlation between specific architectural images and proprietary term prompts still requires further addition due to the limitations of the database. Although the model generally performs well when trained on traditional Chinese ancient buildings, the accuracy and clarity of more complex decorative parts still need enhancement, necessitating further exploration of solutions for handling facade details in the future.

Notes on Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation of Historic Cores in the Middle East: A Critical Review, Evaluation and Recommendations

The historic cores in the Middle East (after this referred to as “ME”) region, a fragmented and thoroughly changed region during the 19th and 20th centuries, have many identities and authenticity challenges. Unfortunately, the rapid development rate, economic and rapid urbanisation, fast population increase, conflicts, lack of appreciation and awareness, and increasing market values gradually replace urban heritage buildings with newer, higher-density identity-less structures. This paper attempts to present the features, obstacles, challenges, and opportunities facing the urban built heritage at the historical cores and the neighbourhood within their physical, cultural and social life in the ME. It analyses questions for maintaining identity and authenticity, the future of traditional physical, technical and functional architectural elements paradigms and their contemporary reinterpretation and rethinking conservation from sustainable technical culture to socio-cultural sustainability. The paper investigates several issues related to the conservation concepts of the urban and architectural heritage in the ME. Special attention is given to the decision-making framework in the conservation practice, the destruction of the traditional urban heritage, and the destruction resulting from the ME region's political changes (modernisation). The focus is to identify, discuss and analyse how to deal with the challenges of maintaining the identity and authenticity of their historic urban cores. Finally, guidelines and framework recommendations are made for possible measures that may be taken for social sustainability.

A Conservation Strategy for the Sanatorio Carlos Duran Cartín in Costa Rica

The Sanatorio Carlos Duran Cartín in Costa Rica is a noteworthy example of tuberculosis sanatorium architecture. Positioned within the broader context of Latin American architectural heritage conservation, the research pays specific attention to tuberculosis sanatoriums as a prevalent architectural typology from the early 1900s to the 1940s. Its historical and cultural significance is explored through contextualizing its architectural value and identifying current challenges and conservation needs. Using archival documents and photographic evidence, the study aimed to delineate tangible and intangible values associated with the complex, thus justifying the need for its preservation and safeguarding. Furthermore, the study aimed to establish guidelines and a conceptual framework for a conservation strategy designed for the Sanatorio Duran.