Construction Of Heritage Research Articles

Evaluation of the influence of climatic changes on the degradation of the historic buildings

While climatic change has been a widely studied topic, its impact on cultural heritage degradation remains a gap to overcome. The environment can contribute to the degradation of historic buildings and materials decay, especially temperature and humidity. So, characterizing the micro-climates of a landmark zone and understanding the influence of the recovery layers, building disposition, and street characteristics on environmental parameters are the first steps to investigating resilience strategies for heritage conservation and micro-climates. Thus, this paper presents a new approach to assess the influence of climatic warming on historic building degradation, combining multiscale experimental data and numerical modeling. The environmental parameters of the historic center of Aracati downtown, such as concentration of CO2, relative humidity, temperature, and air condition, were characterized and used together with urban volumetry to discuss the influence of on the urban microclimate and relate the data to the physical degradation of cultural heritage. An uncrewed aerial vehicle was used to register the volumetry of the historic center, and the data was used to simulate the wind conditions. Following this, numerical analysis was used to investigate the rising damp and thermal tension distributions under temperature variation over the years (from 2023 to 2100). The methodology’s applicability was demonstrated in recurrence with the Nosso Senhor do Bonfim Church, one of the most representative heritage constructions from Aracati downtown. Finally, the new methodology contributed to understanding how urban volumetry contributes to the climatic conditions of a historic area and demonstrates that the increase of the temperature can significantly affect the rising damps and the development of stress tension.

How was a woman general tempered? Incorporating the gender perspective in the construction of a women’s heritage site

Tourism plays a crucial role in delivering and constructing women's heritage values. However, the construction of women's heritage is often carried out in a gendered social and tourism context. Drawing on a critical gender perspective, this study examines how the women's heritage site is constructed in a Chinese context, and how the constructions are experienced by tourists. The heritage site of China's sole woman general, Qin Liangyu, is used as a case. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews and on-site observations, and thematic analysis was conducted. Findings indicate that the constructed heritage and tourism product emphasises Qin's military prowess as a general; however, its contribution to using this woman heritage tourism product towards gender equality is limited. The research highlights that a gender perspective of heritage construction and heritage tourism is needed in delivering the value of women's heritage for gender equality.

A new fire damage index to assess the vulnerability of immovable cultural heritage

The recurrent occurrence of devastating fires in cultural heritage constructions highlights the need for more studies focusing on the assessment of their fire vulnerability to support the development of adequate mitigation measures. To address the limitations of existing methods, this article introduces the Potential Fire Damage Index (PFDI) as a new approach. The PFDI is an indicator-based method that integrates twenty-one Fire Vulnerability Indicators (FVIs) into four categories with varying weights. The method is applicable to various types of heritage constructions and independent of national fire safety codes, which makes it a versatile tool for assessing fire vulnerability and estimating potential damage that can impact the cultural values of these structures. The article emphasizes the significance of the PFDI for preliminary identification of critical points in heritage constructions requiring vulnerability reduction measures, paving the way for subsequent more rigorous fire safety engineering analyses. The detailed criteria for assessing the FVIs are presented, and a case study illustrates the PFDI's applicability. The case study analyses a historic church in Portugal and evaluates its current conditions, as well as the impact of implementing certain measures to reduce fire vulnerability. To evaluate the robustness of the PFDI, its results were also compared with those of a well-established method in the literature.

Automated Surface Crack Detection in Historical Constructions with Various Materials Using Deep Learning-Based YOLO Network

ABSTRACT Cultural heritage (CH) constructions involve the use of diverse masonry materials. Under natural and human influences, masonry materials can undergo various types of damages, with crack damages being most prevalent. Developing a robust model using deep learning (DL) capable of detecting cracks in various CH materials is crucial. In this study, we compared the performance of the DL method You Only Look Once (YOLO) object detection network based on images in different masonry materials (stone, brick, cob, and tile) with that in a modern material (concrete). The dataset used in the study comprised 1213 bricks, 1116 concretes, 955 cobs, 882 stones, and 208 tile images. YOLOv5 architecture, transfer learning, and object detection models were utilized for detecting cracks and compare their performance in different materials. This study represents the first comparison of this kind using an original dataset. The DL model achieved mean average precision values of 94.4%, 93.9%, 92.7%, 87.2%, 83.4%, 81.6%, and 70.3% for concrete; concrete and cob, cob; stone; stone and brick; brick; and tile, respectively. The findings of this study indicate considerable potential for the widespread use of DL techniques in identifying cracks from images across various CH materials and assisting inspection professionals in damage surveys.

Optimization of the Application of Commercial Hydrophobic Coatings for Natural Stone Protection and Preservation

Natural stone has been used worldwide in the construction of archaeological and historical heritage. However, its preservation continues to be threatened by weathering and degradation phenomena. Water is widely recognized as the most threatening external component that contributes to stone deterioration, increasing the need for the development of protective hydrophobic coatings to eliminate water penetration. This study intends to contribute to the better understanding of natural stone treatment strategies to prevent water penetration and subsequent stone alteration by studying the effect of coating and stone substrate temperatures, and the number of coating applications, on the effectiveness, compatibility, and durability of commercial hydrophobic coatings. The results obtained revealed that while more than one application increases coating hydrophobic effectiveness, it frequently leads to changes in the aesthetic appearance of natural stone, including whitening and darkening of the substrate’s original hues. Improved hydrophobic effectiveness (maximum gain of ≈ 9%) is also achieved when applying the commercial coatings at 4 °C to natural stone substrates maintained at room temperature, conditions that are feasible to be used in real life. Additionally, the commercial coating composed of silane/siloxane with modified fluorinated additives was found to be the most effective and durable hydrophobic solution.

Dilemmas of making and unmaking environmental and cultural heritage in Southern Belize

ABSTRACT Heritage is defined and maintained through complex and changing processes. In what ways might heritage scholars and practitioners understand dynamic complexities theoretically, methodologically and ethically? Through reflections on involvement in environmental and cultural heritage initiatives with Maya communities in southern Belize, this paper argues for an explicit forefronting of community aims and goals in heritage-focused project design and implementation. It demonstrates how cultural anthropologists involved in collaborative projects with archaeologists, non-governmental and/or community organisations may use ethnographic approaches to push collectively towards decolonial, community archaeologies. The challenges of ethnographers and archaeologists working together to document heritage past and present are critically and reflexively analysed, using frameworks rooted in environmental anthropology to capture the fluid and negotiated nature of heritage constructions by exploring what it means to live a ‘good life’ in Maya communities in Belize. The insights generated for developing a decolonising approach for future work of this type are also considered. By challenging what constitutes project ‘success’, and discussing the questions simultaneously posed and revealed by the long-term community projects detailed here, the paper argues for a more collaborative, nuanced and fluid conceptualisation of what constitutes heritage, and who is served by its documentation and dissemination.

Role of ice formation mechanisms occurring inside stylolite on limestone tilestone frost susceptibility

Freeze temperature and ice quantity formed inside porous media has been investigated on limestone tilestone samples by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The aim was to determine the role of these stone frost features on limestone damage to Freeze-Thaw (FT) cycles, in relation to the presence of stylolite inside their structure. In fact, the presence of stylolite inside the structure leads to increase locally the pore rate and size, with connected pores. This implies a local increase of ice quantity formed at the surround of stylolite. Damage is thus associated to a heterogeneous nucleation, a rapid growth and ice-front propagation inside pores induced by the presence of stylolite. Specimens exhibiting an increase of quantity of ice formed inside their stylolite – of more than 30% compared to host rock – were damaged by freeze/thaw cycles. Furthermore, stones with freezing temperature lower than the minimum of FT cycles temperature are frost resistant. Finally, low-temperature calorimetry appears to be a practical and cheap method for quickly assessing frost limestone susceptibility. For example, this method can benefit some modest heritage constructions in UNESCO World Heritage site ‘Causse & Cevennes’, made by craftsmen who need to quickly know the frost resistance of the stones they use.

Digital heritage construction: Testing the heritage value of construction documentation and building processes through Virtual Reality

This research paper examines the heritage value of construction documentation and processes via Virtual Reality (VR), with a focus on the Sydney Opera House (SOH). It underscores the importance of comprehending and documenting transient construction techniques for heritage valuation. Utilising VR, the study offers an immersive portrayal of the SOH's construction, emphasising its innovative methods, craftsmanship, and environmental challenges. The paper draws from the Digital Heritage Construction project, showcased at the Heritage Exposition of the ICOMOS General Assembly 2023. This project featured two VR simulations, developed through analysing 200 original shop drawings, historical photographs, and site minutes and reports. The first simulation illustrates the formwork systems used for the SOH's iconic sails, while the second elucidates the assembly methods for the precast vaulted roofs, including the operation of the telescopic erection arch and the installation of concrete segments. The paper examines the novelty of this approach through a survey conducted at the Heritage Exposition. Analysis of the survey's result reveals VR's effectiveness in deepening the appreciation of architectural heritage's intangible qualities, providing new insights into the historical construction processes of the building and their cultural significance.

A critical-discursive investigation of smart heritage politics in China from macro-political, meso-institutional and micro-user perspectives

ABSTRACT The emerging concept of ‘smart’ in the field of cultural heritage in China is shaping new relationships between cultural representation, production, consumption and regulation. The study conducted an urban anthropological exploration of the transformation and construction of smart cultural heritage in Hangzhou, China in 2022–2023. Over 40 stakeholders were interviewed, including officials, heritage experts, museum curators and directors, technicians, and museum visitors. The paper explores the smart heritage politics in China from the macro-political, meso-institutional and micro-user perspectives. This study illustrates the role of smart cultural heritage as a ‘social technological imagination’ and highlights the existence of intercultural communication deficits and disparities between stakeholders. It reveals inconsistencies between the official Chinese technological narratives and the reality of the perceived impacts. The top-down proliferation of smart heritage discourses in China, driven by the authoritarian bureaucracy and leading-edge ICT companies, has overshadowed the voices and experiences of grassroots practitioners and users.

An HBIM Approach for Structural Diagnosis and Intervention Design in Heritage Constructions: The Case of the Certosa di Pisa

In the conservation of monumental heritage, the collection and utilization of information are of primary importance. The Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) procedure harnesses the potential of three-dimensional models, offering significant advantages in accessing documentation, interoperability, multidimensionality of intervention design, cost evaluation, and maintenance management. Our attention here is focused on the Certosa di Pisa (Italy), a large historical complex built in the 14th century as a monastery of the Carthusian Order, currently in a state of deterioration and in need of restoration and re-functionalization. The multifaceted nature of this monumental complex, with its intricate interplay of architectural elements spanning different historical periods and featuring diverse techniques, poses a significant challenge for structural safety assessment. This case study presents an opportunity to explore an HBIM approach to streamline the diagnostic process and facilitate the intervention design phase. The goal is achieved by utilizing an accurate 3D model enriched with data from multiple sources and automating certain operations for a simplified safety assessment of masonry structures under both gravity and seismic loads. The usefulness of the HBIM methodology is highlighted as a valuable tool in the realm of cultural heritage structures for both practitioners and scholars alike.

Virtual Reconstruction of the Deconstructed Heritage: The Former Building of the Belo Horizonte School of Medicine

Built between 1911 and 1914 by architect Francisco Izidoro Monteiro, the former neoclassical building of the Belo Horizonte School of Medicine (BHSM) was located in a central area of the city. Its design, inspired by the European precepts at the time, was embedded in the same architectural language that characterized the cityscape of the capital of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The original building was gradually dismantled and completely demolished in 1960 to make way for the present headquarters. Few records of its existence remain. In order to contribute to the construction of the digital heritage of the old BHSM building, this article presents its virtual reconstruction, and demonstrates and analyzes the application of Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) for this purpose. Based on data collection and the organization of numerous references (historical photographs, former students’ recollections, magazine articles, books, minutes, and photogrammetry of the remains), a hypothetical model of the building was developed to represent its condition as built and prior to demolition. Despite the difficulties in modeling, it was possible to perform a virtual historical reconstruction of the building, providing a better understanding of the building that does not currently exist. The preservation of the digital heritage of the demolished building aims to raise public awareness of its memory, which is consistent with the collection of the Memory Center of the UFMG School of Medicine (CEMEMOR).

Culinary heritage in Asia: National and regional identities – Reflections from the field

This review provides an overview of research trends on culinary heritage in Asia. The first objective is to trace a shift from the appreciation of a Western tangible cultural heritage to the recognition of non-Western intangible cultural heritage, which has underlined the prominence of food as a marker for culinary nationalism or gastronationalism (DeSoucey, 2010). Asian nations promote their culinary heritage in competitive ways. The second objective is to examine the construction of a culinary heritage on regional levels through four different case studies on China and Japan. The third objective is to showcase a rich body of research in English that has emerged in response to new forms of culinary nationalism and has emphasized the analysis of food as a powerful tool for understanding politics and international relations. This review finds that the objective of heritagization on the global level often constitutes nation branding. In contrast, culinary heritage construction on regional levels may occur for various reasons, such as branding a regional specialty, providing economic opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurs, or maintaining historical bonds between a diasporic community and their town of origin.

DunHuangStitch: Unsupervised Deep Image Stitching of Dunhuang Murals.

The digital construction of cultural heritage promotes communication and sharing of digital cultural resources across time and space. Digital storage serves as the foundation for the digital construction of cultural artifacts. In the digital storage of Dunhuang murals, image stitching plays a critical role in restoring the complete image of the cave murals. Traditional image stitching methods are constrained by the detection accuracy of feature points and are not fit for stitching low-texture murals. Despite deep learning-based image stitching methods, parallax misalignment and ghosting are still prevalent issues. For this reason, we perform the first Dunhuang mural stitching based on deep learning in this paper. This is in response to the need for digitizing and storing Dunhuang murals. Two mural stitching datasets are constructed, and we design a progressive regression image alignment network and a feature differential reconstruction soft-coded seam stitching network. We also introduce a soft-coded seam quality evaluation method. The algorithm presented in this paper achieves state-of-the-art alignment and stitching performance in the mural stitching task through unsupervised learning with a smaller number of model parameters, which provides technical support for the digitization and preservation of Dunhuang murals. The codes and models will be available at https://github.com/MmelodYy/DunHuangStitch.

Research on the Application of 3D Animation Technology in the Digital Reproduction and Brand Image Construction of Guibei Ancient Village Cultural Heritage

Abstract The inheritance and protection of the historical, cultural and folk art values of ancient villages in development are generally carried out in three aspects, namely, architectural elements, landscape elements and living elements. This paper applies a 3D animation scanner to collect the point cloud data of Guibei ancient villages and completes the pre-processing of the point cloud data by using the algorithm of SAC-IA coarse alignment + ICP fine alignment for the alignment. After that, the Poisson equation is optimized by using Gaussian filtering to realize the point cloud surface reconstruction of Guibei village buildings, and the cultural information texture extracted by the K-Means clustering algorithm is mapped to realize the digital reproduction of the cultural heritage of ancient villages in the Guibei. On this basis, the cultural brand image of Guibei ancient villages is constructed from multiple perspectives by collecting tourists’ cognitive data about them. The accuracy of the established 3D animation model is as low as 88.02% and as high as 97.21%, the total fluctuation of completeness ranges from 84.93% to 96.43%, and the time used for modeling basically stays below 2.9h. It has a high awareness of its natural landscape (26.44%), humanistic landscape (37.33%), folk culture (20.57%), service facilities (9.23%), characters (4.40%), and specialty food (2.03%). The study provides a theoretical and practical foundation for communicating images of ancient villages.

Matrix and Fractal: On the Structure of Heritage Constructions in Catalonia

Abstract: Heritage is more than isolated and commodified places and events. It is, at least in part, an assemblage of interconnected stories. Changing social, cultural, and political circumstances may strengthen or weaken the ways these stories connect one to another. An examination of heritage exemplars in Barcelona and Catalonia offers a way to better understand what gives the narrative connections between heritage, culture, and identity their tenacity. In Catalonia, heritage often points back to a medieval pre-Spanish past. How any particular example refers back suggests structural linkages that connect it—in history, myth, and collective imagination—to other heritage exemplars. Drawing on El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria and other exemplars, this article uses the terms inventory, ecology, matrix, and fractal to consider the value of the structural connections.

Examining The Continuation of Tradition from The Heritage Construction of Three Ceramic Education Models in Contemporary China

Examining The Continuation of Tradition from The Heritage Construction of Three Ceramic Education Models in Contemporary China

Potentialities of Using Travelogues as a Resource in The ESP Classroom

The article proposes the incorporation of travel writing as a linguistic resource in teaching English for specific purposes (ESP). Introducing generic variety into a language lesson is supported by the principles of communicative language teaching. Travel writing is also proven to be both a vehicle of relevant content and a powerful stimulus for students´ involvement in the lesson. Taking social constructivism as its second vector, the article discusses travel writing as a mediatized resource for making sense of the world. Recent publications of travel experiences in Bulgaria are read through the lens of critical discourse analysis seeking to identify travellers´ levels of engagement with the Bulgarian heritage. Focus on the construction of Bulgarian heritage could stimulate critical thinking by alerting students to the fact that communication is never innocent of ideology and travelogues are often instrumental in popular geopolitics.

Scientists and remaking heritage: the case of shiitake cultivation in a globally important agricultural heritage system in Japan

ABSTRACT A growing number of traditional agricultural systems around the world have been designated Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), as they are exemplars of the accumulated wisdom of human communities and their close relationship with the local ecology. Heritage inscription is a strategy used to conserve and increase awareness of this inheritance. However, the role of scientists in the construction and inscription of the agricultural heritage has been understudied. Through a qualitative methodology and participatory-observation research, this study examines biocultural heritage construction in a GIAHS in the Kunisaki Peninsula of Oita, Japan. Drawing on actor-network theory and based on the experience of scientists who specialise in traditional log-cultivated shiitake farming, this study demonstrates the role of non-human actors – a fungus-covered chip and shiitake, in particular – in the heritagisation process and the role of scientists in stabilising and destabilising the heritage network. I find that the heritage inscription process of the tradition of log-cultivated shiitake farming has created a new form of identity and moral capital associated not only with the conservation of Japanese food and agricultural heritage but also with the continued existence of local rural villages, protection of national food security and global environmental health.

Digital twins for the automation of the heritage construction sector

The implementation of emerging technologies generates new possibility for the Architectural Engineering and Construction sector. Specifically, the study focuses on the applications of Digital Twins in the heritage construction sector, an area characterized by significant potentials and challenges in various research fields (e.g., energy, digital technology, citizen engagement, cultural aspects, management, etc.). Bibliographic and scientometric analyses enable the systematic categorization of the literature, analyzing a total of 133 scientific publication realized in the years 2001–2023. The bibliometric analysis outlines time evolution, geographical distribution, type, and disciplinary fields of the publications. Meanwhile, the scientometric research identifies co-occurrence networks of authors, keyworks, and research topics. Thank to these techniques, the following research topics on Digital Twins in the Built Heritage have been identified and clustered: (i) Digital Twins and 3D scanner techniques; (ii) Digital Twins and virtual reality; (iii) Digital Twins and Heritage Building Information Model (HBIM); and (iv) Digital Twins and Internet of Things (IoT). Each technique is critically discussed, highlighting applications, methods, limitations, and gaps in the literature. This analysis also paves the way for future research directions and potential solutions to enhance the automation in the heritage sector. Additionally, a glossary of essential disciplinary terms is provided to guide the understanding of individual definitions as they apply to heritage constructions. The primary challenges relate to accuracy, security, interoperability, and synchronization of data and technologies from various sources, requiring appropriate verification and validation methodologies, as well as tailored standards, protocols, interfaces, and regulations. Moreover, ethical considerations should underlie the utilization of digitally driven predictions that incorporate human-computer techniques, and human–robot interactions. This extends to the formulation of specific policies, and legislation. Only through this approach, the immense potential of digital technologies can emerge to create cross-cutting professions, interactive engagement techniques, and compatible preservation and management activities.

Risk Assessment and Vulnerability Analysis of a Coastal Concrete Heritage Structure

This research focuses on the risk management of reinforced concrete heritage constructions in coastal environments, with an emphasis on preserving their cultural significance. It addresses a critical gap in existing risk-related research, since this type of heritage site is often overlooked in heritage conservation research. The proposed methodology offers a flexible framework that links natural and human-induced hazards with their impacts on key heritage values, enabling the development of appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies and policies. Climate change-induced threats are also incorporated, allowing for more effective adaptation plans to safeguard concrete coastal heritage for future generations. The Ocean Swimming Pool in Matosinhos, Portugal, designed by the Pritzker Prize winner Álvaro Siza, serves as a pilot study to illustrate the practicality of the risk-based approach, considering its coastal location and exposure to various hazards. By using this case study, the research provides a roadmap for preserving and adapting heritage constructions in similar coastal settings. The integration of cultural values into risk management and conservation policies is a significant contribution of this research. It advocates for a proactive approach that considers the dynamic challenges posed by climate change while preserving the significance of cultural heritage. The adaptable nature of the proposed methodology allows for broader applications, potentially benefiting multiple heritage sites in coastal regions. Ultimately, this research calls for positive changes in risk management practices to ensure the preservation and longevity of culturally significant reinforced concrete heritage sites.