Protection Of Historic Buildings Research Articles

Indoor thermal energy optimization and 3D visualization based on ambient light sensing in the protection of historical architectural landscapes

While preserving cultural heritage, historic buildings also face the challenge of modern comfort and energy efficiency. Thermal energy optimization of indoor environment is an important means to improve living comfort and reduce energy consumption. Especially when protecting historical buildings, it is necessary to analyze how to carry out effective thermal energy management without affecting their appearance and structure. This paper discusses the optimization strategy of indoor thermal energy based on ambient light sensing technology, combined with 3D visualization to achieve the balance between energy conservation and comfort in historic buildings. Through the dynamic monitoring and analysis of indoor thermal environment, a feasible solution is provided for the protection and utilization of historical buildings. In this study, ambient light sensors were deployed in a historical building to monitor indoor light, temperature and humidity in real time. Through data collection and analysis, the main factors affecting indoor thermal environment are identified. 3D visualization technology is used to visualize the indoor heat energy distribution, and specific optimization suggestions are put forward. The research shows that the application of ambient light sensor significantly improves the monitoring accuracy of indoor heat energy, and the implementation of optimization measures reduces the indoor temperature fluctuation and energy consumption. The 3D visualization visually shows the thermal energy changes before and after optimization, providing a basis for managers to make decisions. Combined with 3D visualization technology, it not only enhances the comprehensibility of data, but also provides innovative ideas for the protection and rational use of historical buildings.

Optimization Design Methods for Thermal Environment Problems in Chinese University Teaching Buildings at Various Periods

Chinese universities have gone through three periods of centralized construction and significant differences in the design of teaching buildings in different periods may cause various thermal environment problems. This study takes a city in a cold region in northern China as an example and selects three teaching buildings built during three concentrated construction periods: 1950s to 1960s, 1980s to 1990s, and early 21st century as common cases. Based on field research, thermal environment measurement, APMV and PMV-PPD evaluation, and DeST simulation methods, it was found that the average summer APMV of the three teaching buildings was 1.37, indicating poor thermal comfort. In winter, the ambient temperature of the classrooms was below 18 °C for about 30% to 40% of the whole year, the average PMV value was −2.36, and the PPD value was obtained as 83.28%, far exceeding the standard requirements. The obtained results form a design strategy to optimize the thermal environment of teaching buildings. By considering the teaching building of historical architecture from the 1950s to 1960s as an example, the optimization design was carried out from three aspects to improve the indoor thermal environment and reduce the building’s cooling and heating load. The cumulative load of the building throughout the year was reduced by 21%, the cumulative heat load was reduced by 28.3%, and the cumulative cooling load was reduced by 10.1%. This research is anticipated to be of great reference significance for enhancing the thermal comfort of existing buildings, promoting energy conservation, and reducing carbon emissions. At the same time, it contributes to the protection and optimal use of historical buildings.

Evaluation of the Protection of Historical Buildings in Universities Based on RCM-AHP-FCE

The accumulation of years imbues historical buildings within universities with a profound sense of heritage, evident not only in the temporal imprints within their internal spaces but also in the evolution of their external surroundings. This cultural legacy subtly enriches students’ spatial awareness of history and fosters a collective memory of campus context. Current scholarly inquiry into university historical buildings primarily revolves around comprehensive considerations encompassing the preservation of these edifices, the overarching planning of academic institutions, and the safeguarding of the distinctive features inherent to historical structures. However, the predominant focus lies on qualitative analyses, leaving a pressing need for quantitative assessments and the establishment of an evaluation framework to gauge the efficacy of historical building preservation in academia. Addressing this gap, this study employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) to formulate the University Historical Building Protection Evaluation Framework (UHBPEF). Drawing from the examination and categorization of the primary instructional edifices within the Yujiatou campus of Wuhan University of Technology through the Research Classification Method (RCM), along with the consolidation of insights from experts and academic stakeholders, this study underscores the imperative of enhancing the scientific precision and pertinence of the university’s strategy for preserving historical buildings. By employing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, this study offers innovative insights into the challenges facing historical building preservation in university settings, therefore propounding effective preservation strategies and offering a roadmap for future endeavors in this domain.

Research on the Reconstruction Method of Old Houses in Mindong, Republic of China, Based on a Wearable Mobile Scanning System

To address the complex structures of historical buildings in Mindong, lack of historical reference materials, and heavy workload of traditional surveying and mapping methods in the field, a 3D reconstruction method of historical building based on a wearable mobile scanning system for data acquisition was studied. First, a wearable mobile scanning system is used to scan historical buildings in three dimensions. The data are fused to obtain high-precision three-dimensional point cloud data of historical buildings. Second, based on the processed point cloud, a 2D map of historical buildings is accurately drawn using point cloud slicing. Finally, three-dimensional reconstruction of historical buildings is realized using a 2D atlas of historical buildings and modern modeling technology. The accuracy of the three-dimensional reconstruction model was analyzed using a fitting algorithm and structural geometric relationship to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the method. An old house in Mindong, Republic of China, was taken as the research object. Experimental analysis revealed that (1) a wearable mobile scanning system is suitable for high-quality point cloud data acquisition of buildings with complex geometric features, solving the problems of low efficiency and poor coverage of traditional surveying and mapping results; and (2) the method realizes 2D results rendering and 3D reconstruction of historical buildings based on the wearable mobile scanning system data with good accuracy, providing a reference for the protection and repair of historical buildings and health assessment.

Evaluating protection against lightning for historical buildings and cultural heritage monuments

A review on the lightning risk management and lightning protection of historical buildings and cultural heritage monuments is presented. Cases of lightning-related damages to historical monuments worldwide are presented with emphasis given to cases in Greece. Recorded incidents stress the need for an effective lightning protection system (LPS) design, ensuring sufficient protection of the monument against lightning, including its installations and contents, as well as persons. External LPS of several monuments and historical buildings worldwide are also presented. An external LPS has been designed for the Parthenon monument in Greece in accordance with IEC 62305. The LPS design has been evaluated based on a stochastic lightning attachment model. Revisions to the risk management of IEC 62305 with special focus on historical buildings and cultural heritage monuments are suggested. As this special category of structures is most commonly subject to constraints with respect to aesthetic intervention and construction, dedicated studies employing alternative methods for LPS design, based however on physical grounds, are required.

Revealing the structural behaviour of Brunelleschi’s Dome with machine learning techniques

The Brunelleschi’s Dome is one of the most iconic symbols of the Renaissance and is among the largest masonry domes ever constructed. Since the late 17th century, first masonry cracks appeared on the Dome, giving the start to a monitoring activity. In modern times, since 1988 a monitoring system comprised of 166 electronic sensors, including deformometers and thermometers, has been in operation, providing a valuable source of real-time data on the monument’s health status. With the deformometers taking measurements at least four times per day, a vast amount of data is now available to explore the potential of the latest Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques in the field of historical-architectural heritage conservation. The objective of this contribution is twofold. Firstly, for the first time ever, we aim to unveil the overall structural behaviour of the Dome as a whole, as well as that of its specific sections (known as webs). We achieve this by evaluating the effectiveness of certain dimensionality reduction techniques on the extensive daily detections generated by the monitoring system, while also accounting for fluctuations in temperature over time. Secondly, we estimate a number of recurrent and convolutional neural network models to verify their capability for medium- and long-term prediction of the structural evolution of the Dome. We believe this contribution is an important step forward in the protection and preservation of historical buildings, showing the utility of machine learning in a context in which these are still little used.

Historical building protection and modern functional renovation practice

The article focuses on the practice of historical building protection and modern functional renovation, using Rietveld Schröder House is a case study that explores how to effectively integrate the needs of modern life while respecting historical heritage. Research on Rietveld The structural and exterior protection of the Schröder House and the functional transformation of the internal space are analyzed in detail, and the transformation effect is evaluated through questionnaires and quantitative methods. It is expected to demonstrate the balance between preservation and modernization of historic buildings, and how such renovation can enhance the functionality, aesthetic value and socio-cultural benefits of the building.

A Study of Strategies for the Conservation and Reuse of Historic Building Spaces

Today there are many ancient buildings from the ancients, these buildings are not only the buildings themselves they carry the human civilization of each different era, so in modern times protecting these ancient buildings is particularly important. The protection of historical buildings is complex, and in this process, there are three important principles, the principle of comprehensive protection, the principle of maintaining the status quo as far as possible, and the principle of historical authenticity, which play a key role in the protection of ancient buildings, so that more ancient buildings with a long history can be preserved. At the same time, due to the limited nature of the earth's resources, the reuse of resources is particularly important nowadays, which can make the limited resources expand their usefulness, and the redevelopment of buildings is also the same. In terms of historical sites this not only does a good job of preservation but also economically promotes the economic development of today's society, so that society can be sustainable development.

Green Building Assessment Model for Historic Buildings of Turkey

Grave structures are architectural works reflecting the cultural accumulation, continuity and political power of societies. In the context of sustainability, while "green building" certification systems are developing in building productions in the world, new guidelines are also being created. Of course, new guidelines are also being developed on the certification as green buildings within the scope of the protection and restoration of historical buildings that should be specially considered. In this study, it is aimed to create a model that will allow the historical buildings in Turkey to be evaluated in the context of “the green building” concept. With this model, it is considered that historical building conservation practices will contribute positively to the works of restorers in making those heritage sites more environmentally friendly and sustainable. For the model designed to evaluate historical buildings within the scope of green buildings, historical buildings were handled under 3 groups: a) 1st Group Historical Buildings, b) 2nd Group Historical Buildings and c) Reconstructed Historical Buildings. As creating the designed model, GBC-Italy system criteria were taken as the basis. The criteria were carried out by conducting a questionnaire with experts in this field. Importance of the relevant evaluation criteria in the scoring system were determined by using the AHP method. As a result of the analyzes and calculations, the accuracy of the scoring was confirmed. As historical buildings are evaluated according to the conditions of their periods, it is obvious that they are sustainable buildings. Naturally, nowadays to be able to preserve historical buildings for the future generations in a proper way is usually ensured by giving them a new function. The requirements of the new functions given to create the necessary equipment to provide today's comfort conditions in historical buildings naturally change the sustainable characteristics of the historical heritage. This evaluation system, designed to preserve the green building characteristics of historical buildings and to ensure their sustainability with their new functions, will be an important guide.

Innovative Research on the Protection of Urban History, Culture, and Residential Environment: A Case Study of Tanhualin Street in Wuhan City

With the acceleration of urbanization and the promotion of economic development, the balance between historical building protection and modern urban renewal has become an important issue faced by many cities. As an important component of urban cultural heritage, historical buildings not only have unique historical and artistic value, but also carry rich cultural memories and social significance. However, with the pressure of urban development and the demand for resource utilization, historical buildings often face the risk of destruction, loss, or even abandonment. With the rapid development of urbanization, old buildings and streets are also being updated simultaneously, but in the mainstream trend, streets and urban buildings are gradually converging with little distinctive features. Based on the protection of historical buildings and living environment, this article takes Tanhualin Street in Wuhan as an example to integrate local culture into the architecture and environment, and create a Wuhan street with local characteristics.

Identification of historic building “genes” based on deep learning: a case study on Chinese baroque architecture in Harbin, China

The monitoring and protection of historic buildings require a highly professional team and material resources. Monitoring and protecting historical architectural features is an urgent issue. According to the theory of biological gene expression, genes are the fundamental units that control and express biological traits. Similarly, the “genes” of historical architecture are the basic units that control historic features. Identifying these historical architecture “genes” involves identifying the main factors that control the historic features. This process is important for monitoring and protecting the historic features. At present, qualitative subjectivity, difficult quantification, poor recognition accuracy, and low reasoning and recognition efficiency exist in the genetic identification of historic buildings. As an example, this article describes Chinese Baroque architecture in Harbin, China, and draws on the principles of biological gene recognition to reference methods of architectural gene recognition in cultural geography and architecture. Improved U-Net models, traditional U-Net models, FCN models, and EfficientNet models that incorporate channel attention mechanisms are used to identify historic building genes, obtaining the optimal intelligent recognition for historical architectural genes based on deep learning. This research shows that the accuracy of an improved U-Net model incorporating a channel attention mechanism is 69%, which is 4%, 7%, and 1% higher than those of the traditional U-Net, FCN, and EfficientNet, respectively. The F1 score of the improved U-Net model reaches 0.654, which is higher than the 0.619 of the traditional U-Net model, 0.645 of the EfficientNet model, and 0.501 of the FCN model. Therefore, the improved U-Net model is the optimal method for identifying historical architecture genes. This research can provide new tools and methods for identifying historical architectural genes.

Compressive properties of traditional brick masonry with crack reinforced with GFRP bars embedded in the horizontal mortar joint

Cracking is a common damage form of historical masonry buildings, which has negative effect on its mechanical properties. To improve the compressive properties of historical masonry with crack, the compressive properties of the traditional brick masonry with crack reinforced with glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) bars embedded in the horizontal mortar joint were studied. Five traditional brick masonry specimens, including three specimens with initial crack reinforced with different embedded bar ratios and embedded bar locations, two unreinforced specimens with and without initial cracks were tested under compressive loading. The results showed that the failure of the reinforced specimens was mainly concentrated in narrow surface rather than wide surface and showed ductile failure characteristics. The cracking load, compressive strength and elastic modulus of the reinforced specimens were all increased compared with that of the unreinforced specimen with crack. Specifically, the compressive strength was increased by more than 25%. Furthermore, the calculation method of the compressive strength of the reinforced traditional brick masonry with crack was proposed. Numerical simulation of the reinforced traditional brick masonry with crack was carried out. The influence of the embedded bar ratio on the compressive strength of traditional brick masonry with crack was analyzed, and the optimal embedded bar ratio was obtained. The research results can provide reference for the protection and reinforcement scheme optimization of historical masonry buildings.

Engineering problems of restoration. Protection of historic buildings from negative environmental impact

The relevance of the study is due to the problem of preservation of historical and cultural heritage of Russia and the city of Tomsk in particular.Purpose: The aim of the paper is to draw attention to the disturbance of the structural integrity of architectural monuments such as transport vibrations and stray earth currents.Methodology/approach: Field studies of the architectural monument of the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Tomsk; the analysis of the city plan in the area of Gertsen and Sovetskaya Streets; measures proposed for the monument protection from negative influences of the urban environment. Originality: The paper proposes protection measures for the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky of the regional importance from vibrations and stray earth currents generated by trams moving in the vicinity of the Church.Practical implications: Recommendations are given for eliminating the negative impact of transport vibrations on architectural monuments on the example of the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Tomsk.

Retracted: Digital Protection of Historic Buildings in Urban Planning.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/3549769.].

Protect Hakka Architecture: A Concept of Cultural Inheritance

Hakka culture takes the traditional culture of the Han nationality as its core, and the breeding and formation of Hakka culture conform to the laws of cultural development. It is a complete system that integrates Hakka customs, values, and aesthetic sentiments. However, preserving traditional Hakka buildings confronts challenges due to a lack of protection awareness and negative external impacts. It is urgent to explore strategies and approaches for the protection and sustainable development of the Hakka architecture. We conduct ethnographic research methods in fieldwork, which can provide the researchers with detailed and rich resources to further support the architectural analysis of explicit and implicit attributes in Haka historical architectures. On the basis of the concept of cultural inheritance, it is necessary to explore and research the protection and renewal of current historical buildings from the explicit and implicit aspects. Taking the Hakka architecture in Heyuan as an example, preservation and renewal strategies from the view of cultural inheritance theory are proposed, providing a practical reference for solving the problems that arise during historical building protection. Although external factors may influence cultural inheritance during the inheritance process, we must ensure that with complete cultural attributes and in line with the requirements of the times, we integrate diverse cultural inheritance to promote the effective continuation of cultural inheritance.

Digital Documentation and Conservation of Architectural Heritage Information: An Application in Modern Chinese Architecture

With the rapid advancement of technology, accurate and reliable architectural heritage information is increasingly in demand in the fields of cultural heritage and architectural conservation. This study aimed to establish a positive and harmonious relationship between architectural heritage and urban renewal in China’s sustainable urbanization process by documenting and conserving Chinese architectural heritage information. This work focuses on integrating architectural heritage information into multilevel and multi-dimensional information using scientific and standardized classification methods for documenting and conserving Chinese architectural heritage. The former site of the provisional Senate of the Nanjing National Government was studied and documented for this purpose. A precise 3D modeling for the components of architectural heritage and building information modeling (BIM) technology based on the two-dimensional (2D) drawings and component information were studied, analyzed, and used for restoration. Finally, a component “family” library was created using the common components of existing historical buildings. The results showed that the proposed method could provide both 3D and 2D drawings directly in the digital protection of historical buildings to monitor, repair, and protect architectural heritage, particularly historical buildings, throughout their life cycle. Overall, this work highlights the importance of protecting architectural heritage in sustainable urbanization and proposes an effective method for achieving this goal.

Legislation and practice: the case of historic concrete buildings

PurposeOnly recently have historic concrete buildings received attention and the need for their protection has been understood. Their listing as architectural heritage in most countries is ruled by legislations. The research carried out within the framework of the CONSECH20 JPI project on the conservation of historic concrete buildings in the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Italy and the Netherlands has allowed to study the legislations in the four aforementioned countries and how these are brought to practice. This paper aims at the evaluation of these legislations and of their function in practice.Design/methodology/approachThe legislations have been examined focussing on the protection of historic buildings and the guidelines to achieve a correct technical conservation. These were assessed in practical situations. The situations of the four countries were studied and the parameters used allowed comparisons.FindingsConcrete buildings are at risk and the guidelines should be further developed to meet actual conservation needs, including historical and aesthetical compatibility. The re-use of listed concrete buildings often means transforming and adapting these to a variety of modern needs and norms: the complexity of this assignment asks for a multidisciplinary teamwork. The bottom-up Dutch programme for quality in conservation, striving to bring ethical and technological principles to practice, could be a sound basis for developing respectful conservation strategies of heritage concrete buildings.Research limitations/implicationsThe research concerns the four countries involved in the CONSECH30 project and could be extended to include more countries.Practical implicationsMore stakeholders have to be involved in the process of conservation and transformation of heritage concrete buildings. This should be directed by the legislation.Social implicationsNo direct social implications are foreseen from the outcome of the research. However, the suggestion is made that social involvement is essential in planning concrete building transformations.Originality/valueThe study focussed on the application of theory (the legislation) to practice (thus showing the limits of the legislation), which is an innovative way of contributing to the conservation of historic concrete buildings.

Research on the Protection of Historical Buildings under the Collision of Sino-Portuguese Cultures—Taking the Zheng Family House in Macau as an Example

Research on the Protection of Historical Buildings under the Collision of Sino-Portuguese Cultures—Taking the Zheng Family House in Macau as an Example

Efficacy Assessment of Timber Based In-Plane Strengthening of Wooden Floors on the Seismic Response of Masonry Structures by means of DEM Analyses

Masonry buildings are highly vulnerable to seismic loading, and their dynamic response is strongly influenced by the timber floor in-plane deformability and by the quality of the wall-to-floor connections. Understanding the behavior of timber floors and roofs and their interaction with the masonry walls is therefore important for the protection of historical buildings. In a previous research project, different timber-based dry-connected floor strengthening solutions were tested under in-plane loads. The experimental results show a significant increase in shear strength and stiffness.Discrete Element Method is here used to evaluate the effectiveness of the strengthening solutions in avoiding the triggering of the out-of-plane collapse of masonry walls, first on a simple masonry cell, and then on a heritage listed masonry building. A detailed cyclic model of the floor behavior was implemented: the unreinforced and reinforced floors were described by beams connected with non-linear springs, reproducing the experimental hysteretic response. Both the case studies highlight the effectiveness of the strengthening solutions in reducing the out-of-plane displacements of masonry walls, confirmed also by a comparison with the ideal rigid diaphragm case. The reinforced floor is able to transfer the seismic forces to the shear-resistant walls. The out-of-plane displacements are compatible with the wall capacity, and the reinforced floor hysteretic cycles contribute to dissipate part of the input energy. Moreover, a proper connection design can also cap the transferred seismic forces to an acceptable level for shear-resistant walls.

Building Protection Data Release Planning Based on Multifeature Deep Learning

With the rapid development of China’s economy, the protection of buildings has attracted the attention of many researchers. Although there is no such massive demolition in the past, natural damage still exists. Identify the collected historical building protection data through multifeature deep learning, and provide protection plans through the information in the database. In order to solve the problem of restoration of natural damage more professionally and efficiently, this paper collects the architectural features and restoration methods of each building in different processes through multifeature deep learning based on the current state of building information in China. Based on the collected information, this paper establishes the building information model, and stores and manages the building information. According to the Newton deep learning optimization algorithm, this paper enhances the algorithm to accurately collect building information and uses the collaborative filtering algorithm to provide users with a repair plan. This paper uses the GRU-based recommendation model to pass the threshold cycle unit algorithm for the probability of each building being selected in the list of similar buildings at a time point. Under the two conditions of 10 and 20 recommended numbers, the user coverage rate of the recommended case of deatomized building photos can reach 100%. And this paper recommends high-probability solutions for users to achieve automation, diversification, and intelligence.