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An academic journal, devoted to all aspects regarding the research, conservation, and revitalisation of built heritage, published by Tongji University Press & SpringerNature.

10/06/2026

Kiryu: a silk textile city using water mills
Sakuhito Horio
This study investigates the historical development of Kiryu, a regional city in Japan renowned for its silk textile industry, with a particular focus on the period from the early to the middle Meiji era (approximately 1870–1890). By reconstructing the historical water channel network and analysing the spatial distribution of textile-related industries, this research clarifies how waterpower shaped Kiryu’s urban structure and specialised production processes.

This study investigates the historical development of Kiryu, a regional city in Japan renowned for its silk textile industry, with a particular focus on the period from the early to the middle Meiji era (approximately 1870–1890). By reconstructing the historical water channel network and analysing...

28/05/2026

Assessing heritage value and relocation in Han Chang’an City: a heritage impact assessment approach
Mydung Phan, Yue Li & Wenliang Chen
This study evaluates the heritage impacts of proposed community displacement at Han Chang’an City, which contains the UNESCO-recognised Weiyang Palace site within Xi'an, China. Using the 2022 UNESCO Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) framework, it analyses the relationship between archaeological preservation and the welfare of 54,000 residents across 33 villages within the 36-square-kilometre protected zone.

This study evaluates the heritage impacts of proposed community displacement at Han Chang’an City, which contains the UNESCO-recognised Weiyang Palace site within Xi'an, China. Using the 2022 UNESCO Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) framework, it analyses the relationship between archaeological pre...

27/05/2026

Study on the current status of liquor-brewing industrial heritage sites in Yibin, China
Yixi Wang, Bo Zhou & Xianglei Hu
This study provides a review of the current status and trends regarding brewing industry architectural heritage, both domestically and internationally; adopts an interdisciplinary approach that includes archaeology; and employs field survey methods to identify 62 potential liquor-brewing industrial heritage samples from the city of Yibin. The issues revealed include urban spatial restructuring and land use pressure, a technical gap in conservation practices, typological and morphological homogenisation, an underrecognition of the value of heritage, and a regulatory lag in heritage designation and protection. This study formulates a value-based framework for interpreting Baijiu industrial architectural heritage and outlines preliminary implications for planning control, conservation practices, typological documentation, and the refinement of assessment and regulatory instruments.

Yibin, with its history of brewing spanning more than four millennia, is renowned worldwide as the epicentre of Chinese liquor production. However, with the encroachment of the urbanisation wave, traditional brewing industrial buildings, which carry cultural memory, are gradually disappearing. This....

23/05/2026

Foreign tour guides as mediators of Emirati heritage: interpretation, identity, and authenticity in cultural tourism
Manal Mahmoud Abdellatif
This study investigates how foreign tour guides mediate Emirati heritage within the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) cultural tourism sector and how their interpretations influence perceptions of authenticity and national identity. Employing a qualitative, interpretivist, multi-site case study across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, it integrates participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to explore interactions among institutional narratives, guide performances, and tourist perceptions.

This study investigates how foreign tour guides mediate Emirati heritage within the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) cultural tourism sector and how their interpretations influence perceptions of authenticity and national identity. Employing a qualitative, interpretivist, multi-site case study across D...

20/05/2026

Managing the Magic of Old Places: crafting public policies for people-centred historic preservation
Jana Das Chaudhuri
Jeremy C. Wells’ Managing the Magic of Old Places represents a rare and ambitious intervention in heritage scholarship; it not only critiques the epistemological foundations of conservation but also constructs a viable methodological and policy alternative. At its core, the book argues that the true value of heritage emerges not from fabric, age or technical material integrity, but from the emotional, sensory and psychological experiences that sites evoke. In shifting attention from objects to relationships, Wells offers a reframing capable of transforming both scholarship and practice.

Home Built Heritage Article Managing the Magic of Old Places: crafting public policies for people-centred historic preservation, by Jeremy C. Wells. Knoxville, USA: University of Tennessee Press, 2025. ISBN 9781621909778 Book, conference and exhibition review Open access Published: 08 May 2026 Volum...

19/05/2026

Hydraulic energy and technology transfer in a climate vs. demography context: a historical review
Paolo Buonora
Introducing the Wittfogel antinomy between ‘oriental despotism’ and the occidental ‘multicentre society’, this analysis focused on climatic factors rather than social structure. The paper examines first methodological problems in approaching the history of water technologies from the point of view of the environment, starting from recent researches about climate change in the Zagros mountains during the Neolithic period. The analytic approaches include methods of palaeoclimatology, archaeology and linguistic analysis.

Introducing the Wittfogel antinomy between ‘oriental despotism’ and the occidental ‘multicentre society’, this analysis focused on climatic factors rather than social structure. The paper examines first methodological problems in approaching the history of water technologies from the point o...

05/05/2026

White finishing of the Potala Palace: material system, deterioration patterns and considerations for sustainable conservation
Yuheng Wu, Yang Wu, Jiwei Zhang, Sang Da, Zhonghua Mao, Shizhao Li, Lam Degyi, Puicheng Chao, Zhong Tang & Shibing Dai
The Potala Palace is among the most important historical structures in Tibet and features massive stone masonry walls finished with various earthen slurries. Among them, the white exterior finish—commonly known as the ‘sweet wall or milk wall’ because of its inclusion of milk and sugar—covers most of the surface of the palace and has symbolic and ritual significance. Despite its cultural value and annual renewal tradition, the material system of this finishing has remained scientifically underexplored. This study systematically investigates the white earthen plaster in the Potala Palace, integrating field documentation, sample analysis, and material characterisation.

The Potala Palace is among the most important historical structures in Tibet and features massive stone masonry walls finished with various earthen slurries. Among them, the white exterior finish—commonly known as the ‘sweet wall or milk wall’ because of its inclusion of milk and sugar—cover...

04/05/2026

Evaluation of the heritagisation process of Algerian medinas from the perspectives of stakeholders and residents: the case of Bouna El Haditha, Annaba, Algeria
Sihem RouaissiaKhedidja Boufenara
The objective of this article is to evaluate the heritagisation process and the degree of integration of the Annaba medina, Bouna El Haditha, by analysing the divergences and convergences between the viewpoints of various stakeholders and residents. Our methodology integrates an analysis of the literature related to the concept of heritagisation, combined with qualitative and quantitative approaches. The evaluation grid we designed is inspired by the MATEA model (Models for Architectural Analysis, Theory, and Experimentation). It is structured around three dimensions—a change in status, condition, and use—and six key subdimensions—awareness, selection, justification, conservation, valorisation, and exposure.

The objective of this article is to evaluate the heritagisation process and the degree of integration of the Annaba medina, Bouna El Haditha, by analysing the divergences and convergences between the viewpoints of various stakeholders and residents. Located in northeastern Algeria, Bouna was built i...

01/05/2026

Four-dimensional interpretation strategies of built heritage in the perspective of cultural heritage and tourism integration: the development experience of Guangji Bridge in China
Ying Liu
In light of the new opportunities and challenges resulting from shifting perspectives on heritage conservation, sustained growth of cultural consumption power, and a significant increase in heritage tourism demand, it becomes increasingly challenging for cultural heritage institutions to protect built heritage while appropriately integrating and developing heritage resources to provide visitors with positive and valuable heritage experiences, and to effectively interpretate heritage significance and value to the public. Based on the theoretical foundation of the cultural heritage interpretation system construction, this study proposes a four-dimensional interpretation framework for built heritage interpretation and comprehensively evaluates the innovation path of the interpretation system of Guangji Bridge, one of the four major ancient bridges in China and a typical practice of cultural heritage revitalisation, in terms of four perspectives (Heritage Space, Cultural Space, Social Space, and Symbiotic space) through participatory site investigation and in-depth interviews.

Cultural heritage conservation has stepped out of the old thinking patterns of focusing only on the preservation of ‘remains’ and ‘original objects’ to the concept of ‘revitalisation’ and ‘reuse’ of living heritage conservation, so as to achieve better preservation and sustainable de...

29/04/2026

Reclaiming Darajani Creek: colonial sanitation, urban transformation, conservation and heritage memory in Stone Town of Zanzibar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Salum Suleiman SalumMaximilian Felix Chami
This article examines Darajani Creek in Stone Town, Zanzibar, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and analyses its reclamation, urban development, memory, and conservation. Drawing on archival sources and ethnographic research, the creek’s complex colonial, ecological, and sociocultural histories, which have been shaped by administrative control, public health interventions, racial segregation, and environmental disruption, are examined. In this article, the adoption of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach is advocated to harmonise heritage conservation with urban growth, thereby preserving both tangible and intangible values. Practical strategies include the establishment of exhibitions, installation of interpretive markers, and expansion of heritage tours to enhance public awareness, education, and economic benefits.

This article examines Darajani Creek in Stone Town, Zanzibar, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and analyses its reclamation, urban development, memory, and conservation. Drawing on archival sources and ethnographic research, the creek’s complex colonial, ecological, and sociocultural histori...

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