Built Heritage

22/04/2022

Exploration of cooperative management system of transregional cultural landscape heritage: a case study of Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes
Liang Peng and Alain Marinos
This study introduces an overall landscape protection framework and explores the cooperative management system of the Loire Valley cultural landscapes as a World Heritage Site. By analysing the transregional management system and the relevant policies for protecting the Loire Valley cultural landscapes, this article tries to determine how this coordinating mechanism is constituted and operated and how local authorities and stakeholders can be coordinated to implement protection and development projects that visibly influence the evolution of cultural landscapes in the area. This transregional cooperative management system actively promotes the rehabilitation and revitalisation of the cities and territories of the Loire Valley. Thus, the article summarises key actors and ways to establish an effective cooperation management system that can provide a reference for other transregional heritage sites.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-022-00053-1

There seems to be a general consensus that management and policy play a very significant role in landscape evolution, and the protection and development of cultural landscapes are considered important components of sustainable development. This study introduces an overall landscape protection framew...

02/04/2022

Built heritage and planning laws in Africa: the Nigerian Experience
Afolasade Adewumi
Nigeria is blessed with numerous cultural and natural heritage properties. Most of these heritage sites located in the prime areas of cities are of great beauty and distinction, but they are often subjected to pressure from development activities. It should be noted that the problems associated with built heritage concern planning throughout Africa are related. Over the years, in every country, there have been different regimes that have regulated the preservation and sustainability of built heritage sites, ranging from the traditional pre-colonial era, the colonial era and the post-colonial era. This article from the perspective of law and history examines the trajectory of the heritage management systems over the years in Nigeria to identify necessary areas of improvements that are needed to adequately manage and protect built heritage against the identified endangering factor of urban development.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-022-00052-2

Built heritage has been and is being threatened by natural and man-made factors such as urbanisation, climate change, civil unrest, and activities of extractive industries among others. These factors have led to the destruction of built heritage culminating in a gap in the cultural history and ident...

25/03/2022

Book Review: Adaptive reuse of the built heritage: concepts and cases of an emerging discipline
Liliane Wong
In Adaptive Reuse of the Built Heritage, Plevoets and Van Cleempoel present their insights of reuse projects related to heritage buildings and sites, drawn from established principles of the field. Offering concepts from a contemporary viewpoint, the book is a scholarly addition to a growing body of work on the age-old practice of adaptive reuse.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-022-00054-0

Book, conference and exhibition review Open Access Published: 18 March 2022 Adaptive reuse of the built heritage: concepts and cases of an emerging discipline. By Bie Plevoets and Koenraad Van Cleempoel. Routledge, London, 2019. 256 pp. £36.99. ISBN9781138062764 Liliane Wong1 Built Heritage volume ...

14/03/2022

Local seismic culture in Iranian vernacular architecture: evidence from Yazd earthen architecture
Hamed Azizi-Bondarabadi & Neda Haji Sadeghi
Iran, located in one of the most earthquake-prone regions of the world, has experienced a very large number of destructive earthquakes that brought about considerable loss of human life and economic consequences. The city of Yazd presents a unique and rich vernacular for earthen construction within Iranian architectural heritage, which has resulted in the recognition of the historic fabric of the city as a World Heritage Site since 2017. Considering the importance of exploring different local seismic cultures worldwide, this paper introduces an essential part of Iranian local seismic culture by recognising and classifying the vernacular earthquake-resistant techniques used in the earthen architecture of the city of Yazd.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-022-00051-3

Iran, located in one of the most earthquake-prone regions of the world, has experienced a very large number of destructive earthquakes that brought about considerable loss of human life and economic consequences. The country possesses a vast number of monumental and vernacular built heritages that a...

10/03/2022

Book Review: Heritage Conservation in Postcolonial India
Pilar M. Guerrieri
The book acknowledges that most texts in the field of conservation and heritage in India are predominantly Western focused, and that practices of conservation have been largely legacy of colonial powers and influenced by the international doctrine of conservation. Interestingly, this volume seeks to present a more 'Indian' approach and perspective on the matter of conservation.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-022-00049-x

Book, conference and exhibition review Open Access Published: 07 March 2022 Heritage Conservation in Postcolonial India Pilar M. Guerrieri1 Built Heritage volume 6, Article number: 4 (2022) Cite this article 19 Accesses Metrics details Heritage Conservation in Postcolonial India. Approaches and Chal...

25/02/2022

Critical evaluation of socio-cultural and climatic aspects in a traditional community: a case study of Pillayarpalayam weavers' cluster, Kanchipuram
J. Vijayalaxmi and K. C. Kalam Arathy
This study aimed to assess and evaluate the spatial and climate response features of the vernacular weavers’ settlement in Pillayarpalayam, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. This precinct, delineated as a heritage zone under the National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme by the Government of India, consists of a large number of traditional weavers’ residences that have cultural and social significance. The methodology comprised primary documentation and unstructured interviews to assess the architectural and anthropological development of the settlement. The traditional craft of weaving was losing its importance and only few weavers in this cluster had retained the traditional living and working space. These vernacular dwellings need to be preserved because they represent a unique typology and are evidence of traditional knowledge and culture. Guidelines and recommendations have been proposed to conserve the intangible values such as culture, lifestyles, social factors, and production methods, in addition to conserving the vernacular built heritage and workspaces of this traditional and unique craft industry.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-022-00050-4

Protecting vernacular architecture is important because it reflects a treasure-trove of local information, including climate responses, functions and the socio-cultural context. This study aimed to assess and evaluate the spatial and climate response features of the vernacular weavers’ settlement ...

17/02/2022

Architectural typology of rural housing in Jaen, Peru
Floiran Peña-Huaman, Diego Sifuentes-Rivera, and Cristian Yarasca-Aybar
Jaén is one of the most important cities in the northern highlands of Peru due to its strategic location, commerce, and agricultural activities. This research aims to determine the types of rural housing in Jaén, showing the possible variations and architectural manifestations due to the territorial and cultural characteristics. The results show six architectural types of rural housing classified into two groups: "rural-residential housing" and "rural-agricultural housing". The architectural program is characterised by agricultural activity and family composition, which has grown over time. The most commonly used construction systems are "pirca" and "quincha", using natural materials such as "ichu" and adobe. There is also evidence of cultural traditions rooted in the construction, such as "cambio de fuerzas", "paracaico", and "minga". Therefore, the relevance of Jaén's rural housing is its geographical reading of the territory through the architectural and cultural legacy of these buildings.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-022-00048-y

Jaén is one of the most important cities in the northern highlands of Peru due to its strategic location, commerce, and agricultural activities. Jaén has more than 185 thousand inhabitants, of which 48% live in rural areas, representing approximately 31 thousand rural housing. This research aims t...

09/02/2022

Types of lime binders in mortars used for the construction of the Ming Great Wall of China and their importance for the development of a conservation strategy
Tanja Dettmering and Shibing Dai
The most obvious characteristics of the Ming Great Wall are external masonry walls made of natural stones, bricks and lime mortars. According to the chemical and mineralogical compositions of the original bedding and pointing mortars, dolomitic lime binder was used dominantly in the construction of the Ming Great Wall in provinces such as those around Beijing and Hebei. Calcium-rich lime and air lime with low natural hydraulically reactive phases, which are hydrated and react slowly with the carbon dioxide in air to form calcium carbonate, were used in some western provinces. Chemical and microscopic investigations show that both dolomitic and calcium-rich lime mortars are almost aggregate-free. Historic dolomitic lime mortars are characterised by high strengths, low porosities and dense micro-scale textures. The most recent conservation principle is to preserve the Ming Great Wall as a ruin. Therefore, the conservation strategy should be redefined in terms of mortars. Since some of the damage to the Great Wall is related to reactions between dolomitic lime mortars and air pollutants, calcium-rich lime binders should be used for conservation and even for restoration of those parts of the Great Wall that were originally built with dolomitic lime. Binders based on natural hydraulic lime and calcium-rich lime gauged with natural pozzolana might be more compatible than other binders” for the structural consolidation of the ruins of the Great Wall.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-022-00047-z

The most obvious characteristics of the Ming Great Wall are external masonry walls made of natural stones, bricks and lime mortars. According to the chemical and mineralogical compositions of the original bedding and pointing mortars, dolomitic lime binder was used dominantly in the construction of....

30/01/2022

Built Heritage wish you a happy Chinese New Year of the Tiger!

16/01/2022

The involvement of local communities in the conservation process of earthen architecture in the Sahel-Sahara region – the case of Djenné, Mali
Oussouby Sacko
Recently, many cultural aspects of some African countries have been in danger of being lost due to cultural disruptions, nonadaptive construction techniques and a lack of adequate conservation systems and strategies. In the northwestern part of Africa, the so-called Sahel-Sahara region, earthen architecture has played an important role in cultural identity and has been a key means of community establishment. This paper provides insight into earthen architecture conservation issues and how local communities have used tangible and intangible methods to preserve cultural heritage. This architectural heritage includes a wide variety of creations ranging from simple houses, granaries, and palaces to religious buildings, urban centres, cultural landscapes and archaeological sites.
In this paper, the complex relation between cultural conservation and cultural heritage preservation will be discussed based on observations of restoration projects in Djenné. The aim of this research is to point out, through an anthropological approach, the importance of local community involvement in the conservation process. This research is based on a comparative study of different earthen architecture conservation spaces within the abovementioned region that have been important and were influenced by cultural exchanges during trans-Saharan trade. By studying northwestern African cultural heritage and cultural exchanges during trans-Saharan trade, we can benefit from traditional knowledge and use these teachings to build a sustainable knowledge system for earthen architecture conservation.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00040-y

09/01/2022

Earthen architecture in the Iberian Peninsula: a portrait of vulnerability, sustainability and conservation
Camilla Mileto, Fernando Vegas López-Manzanares, Valentina Cristini and Lidía García Soriano
Earthen architecture, with all its global and rich architectural and constructive manifestations, displays values which have earned it increasing recognition as cultural heritage. For more than a decade, a wide range of Spanish case studies, relating especially to rural inner or abandoned sites and areas, have been analysed by the authors as part of different research projects linked with traditional and monumental architecture, conservation strategies and earthen buildings. In all cases the researchers’ efforts focused on enhancing new perspectives and opportunities for rural earthen buildings, analysing landscapes, contexts, constructive features, decay and problems. The final common aim of this research is to stress these crucial topics to improve tangible or intangible opportunities for conservation strategies.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00043-9

For more than a decade, a wide range of Spanish case studies, relating especially to rural inner or abandoned sites and areas, have been analysed by the authors as part of different research projects linked with traditional and monumental architecture, conservation strategies and earthen buildings.....

08/01/2022

Digital topics on cultural heritage investigated: how can data-driven and data-guided methods support to identify current topics and trends in digital heritage?
Sander Münster, Ronja Utescher and Selda Ulutas Aydogan
In research and policies, the identification of trends as well as emerging topics and topics in decline is an important source of information for both academic and innovation management. Since at present policy analysis mostly employs qualitative research methods, the following article presents and assesses different approaches – trend analysis based on questionnaires, quantitative bibliometric surveys, the use of computer-linguistic approaches and machine learning and qualitative investigations. Against this backdrop, this article examines digital applications in cultural heritage and, in particular, built heritage via various investigative frameworks to identify topics of relevance and trendlines, mainly for European Union (EU)-based research and policies. Furthermore, this article exemplifies and assesses the specific opportunities and limitations of the different methodical approaches against the backdrop of data-driven vs. data-guided analytical frameworks.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00045-7

In research and policies, the identification of trends as well as emerging topics and topics in decline is an important source of information for both academic and innovation management. Since at present policy analysis mostly employs qualitative research methods, the following article presents and....

03/01/2022

Research on the historical and cultural value of and protection strategy for rammed earth watchtower houses in Chongqing, China
Ying Shu and Ying He
Chinese watchtower houses are part of the unique human cultural heritage of the world’s vernacular architectures. Many earthen manor watchtower houses in Chongqing, China, have absorbed the characteristics of other tower houses across the country and have brought together various types of watchtower construction techniques. They are important connection points for the integrity of the Chinese watchtower house as a comprehensive architectural cultural heritage system. They can be a typical sample of Chinese Han classical towers. These buildings are indispensable parts of the Chinese residential watchtower system and have important cultural protection value. However, due to the general lack of excavation and attention to their historical and cultural value, these buildings are on the verge of disappearing.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00042-w

31/12/2021

HAPPY 2022!

13/12/2021

'Rehabilitation of historic Shibam and Zabid, Yemen as an impulse for community and economy' by Tom Leiermann
Conditions in Yemen involving armed conflict and all kinds of structural challenges have also their impact on the fate of its built heritage. Yemen’s three World Heritage Sites have their particular significance, all of them representing a region with its own cultural background: Sanaa in the highlands, Zabid in the coastal Tihama, and Shibam in the remote desert valley of Hadramaut.
Preservation in a background of poverty, weak capacities of official structures, and even war destruction risks can only succeed in connection with active engagement and commitment of the community, which however is heterogeneous and heritage preservation is not always their priority. Efficient strategies must therefore link local livelihood interests to preservation concerns.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00044-8

26/11/2021

River of life，river of culture~
http://www.csstoday.com/Item/9588.aspx

SSCP

16/11/2021

The global challenge of preserving the environment forces us to rethink the way we produce architecture today. We need to understand what motivates people to abandon ancestral materials and knowledge for materials that they cannot manufacture or use themselves. Is this transformation to industrial materials and forms irreversible? Is there nothing we can learn from our rich past? How can we revive endogenous knowledge to produce environmentally wise architecture? These are the questions that the authors wish to answer.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00041-x

06/11/2021

Liang Sicheng (梁思成, 20 April 1901 – 9 January 1972), the honoured architectural historian, is viewed as the “Father of Modern Chinese Architecture”. He was the son of Liang Qichao, a well-known Chinese thinker in the late Qing Dynasty. The meaning of the character ‘Liang’ (梁) in Chinese is ‘beam’.
To cite Princeton University, which awarded him an honorary doctoral degree in 1947, he was “a creative architect who has also been a teacher of architectural history, a pioneer in historical research and exploration in Chinese architecture and planning, and a leader in the restoration and preservation of the priceless monuments of his country.”
2021 marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of Liang Sicheng. Here we would like to share an Editorial and an Exhibition Review to pay our wholehearted tribute to his academic thoughts and scholarly contributions.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00037-7
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00038-6

21/10/2021

Dai populations in South China, especially in Dehong Prefecture, are known for the distinctive architectural style of their hybrid earthen–wooden houses, which stems from their enduring social contact and cultural assimilation with Chinese settlers. This paper, which draws on comprehensive fieldwork conducted in Dai villages in Dehong Prefecture, explores the Dai’s hybrid earthen–wooden architecture.. This paper also presents illustrative examples of earthen–wooden houses, thereby contributing to advancing knowledge about this eclectic, hybrid architecture that remains a gap in the academic literature.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00035-9

17/09/2021

The paper first reviews the interpretation of authenticity in the heritage regulations and local practices in China, as well as the controversies over authenticity in the reconstruction projects. After presenting the research methods and context of the the Shuidong Reconstruction Project in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, the paper further analyses the reasons behind the changes in the articulation of ‘authenticity’ in the original and revised plans of the Project. It contributes to the understanding of the relationship between reconstruction practices and the interpretation of authenticity by showing that the authenticity narratives in local heritage projects are constantly changing because of shifting local socio-political factors.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00033-x

11/09/2021

MOBILIZING WATER HERITAGE IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Registrations are open to everyone——

The authors of 'Temporalities and the conservation of cultural relic protection units: legislative, economic and citizen times of the Bugaoli community in globalising Shanghai' (published in Built Heritage 2020 Vol.4 No.2 https://lnkd.in/g4FEmJsc https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-020-00012-8), Prof. Carola Hein and Kaiyi Zhu (TU Delft) are participating in organising a Re-Scape colloquium on the topic of Mobilizing Water Heritage in Sustainable Development (28 September 2021). The colloquium aims to address the questions of water heritage with the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach for the sustainable urban development of waterfront cities.

The event will be held through Zoom. Registrations are open to everyone: https://www.globalheritage.nl/agenda/2021-09-28-re-scape-colloquium-mobilizing-water-heritage-in-sustainable-development

Participants can join the discussions of the case of their interest upon registration. Additionally, a video will be broadcasted of the Rotterdam excursion to show the city’s waterfronts, waterways and waterscapes. The event will be recorded, edited, and uploaded online to reach to a wider audience.

查看译文

REGISTER HERE Cultural heritage is a driver for sustainable development to tackle the issues, challenges and threats brought on by globalization (Jyoti Hosagrahar et al. 2016). Conservation of cultural heritage can help to increase the resilience and sustainability of cities.

06/09/2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a current global health crisis with dreadful repercussions all over the world. Heritage values and the paradigm of conservation are being themselves revisited in the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals. The cultural heritage should be considered as part of the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS) and contribute to post-COVID recoveries.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00032-y

31/08/2021

Vernacular earthen architecture presents a series of relevant conservation challenges which should be addressed jointly by recombining the technical and the social. In this paper the authors reflect on various potentially useful theoretical frameworks, incorporating concepts from the anthropology of technology and methodological approaches from an ethnography of conservation as a way to work with multiple ontologies.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00034-w

05/08/2021

This article questions the extent to which post-colonial nations are willing to protect and conserve World War II battlefields on their soil. It examines two battlefields in Asia—the Gin Drinkers’ Line in Hong Kong, China, and the Green Ridge battlefield in Kampar, Malaysia—that have been the subject of campaigns to recognise their transnational heritage value. The authors argue that the global nature of WWII makes its commemoration geographically challenging and politically contentious. The WWII battlefields in Asia attest to the historical authenticity of past conflicts and thus should be conserved as neutrally as possible.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00031-z

Wars and conflict have existed since the beginning of time. Most battlefield conservation work is done for battlefields that lie in the borders of the nations that were involved, thus fostering citizens’ personal ties with the site and their national identities. However, some areas of the world su...

18/07/2021

Let the world hear our voices~
Welcome to OWHvoices, an experimental forum that allows people and organizations to share information and viewpoints on the state of conservation of World Heritage sites.
This is a forum designed to run at the same time as the 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which will take place from 16-31 July.
https://owhvoices.org/

OUR VOICES COUNT! Welcome to OWHvoices, an experimental forum that allows people and organizations to share information and viewpoints on the state of conservation of World Heritage sites. OWHvoices is an initiative of OurWorldHeritage, a movement that aims to strengthen UNESCO’s World Heritage p...

16/07/2021

App for the Extended 44th session of the World Heritage Committee

Please download the app for the extended 44th session of the World Heritage Committee according to the instructions to obtain the latest information of the session.

How to Download:

【Android】
1. Scan the QR code and open it in your browser; or click here to enter the download page.

2. Click “Download”.

3. Allow the browser to install the app and click “Continue to download”.

4. Click “Install” to complete the download of the app for the extended 44th session of the World Heritage Committee.

【IOS】
1. Please scan the QR code to enter the download page; or search and download the app “Extended 44th session” in App Store.

11/07/2021

An emotions-informed approach for digital documentation of rural heritage landscapes: Baojiatun, a traditional tunpu village in Guizhou, China

Using a range of data from the Ming-era village of Baojiatun in Guizhou Province, this paper tests an exploratory emotions-based approach and methodology, revealing shifting interpersonal relationships, experiential and praxiological engagement with the landscape, and emotional registers within tunpu culture and heritage management.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00029-7

06/07/2021

Can politically oriented interventions in built heritage contribute to its authenticity?
This paper investigates the potential continuity of Erbil Citadel’s Babylonian Gate as an inevitable change within the site’s built context by studying the Gate’s controversial political impacts on the context’s authenticity.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00030-0

02/07/2021

The architectural and engineering typology of the covered bridge is present in many cultures, with magnificent examples of technical solutions and outstanding cultural and social values. We at Built Heritage are honoured to publish the latest research on the conservation of America's oldest covered bridges by one of the world's most renowned experts, Professor Ronald G. Knapp of State University of New York, who published an article about the corridor bridges in China in BH last year. Hope BH could also be a bridge that can connect different minds from different regions and culture.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00028-8

17/06/2021

The Huangpu River waterfront in Shanghai’s Yangpu District, known as the birthplace of China’s modern industries, has converted its rusty industrial relics into popular attractions for both locals and tourists.A total of 66 historical riverside buildings in 24 areas will be preserved, covering a total of 262,000 square meters.
Yong’an Warehouse is one of them. Here is a tale of it.
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43238-021-00027-9

The urban riverside space of Shanghai is transforming. How to renovate industrial heritage buildings to renew their vitality while retaining their historical memories and integrate them into the contemporary cityscape and today’s urban lifestyle is a common challenge encountered by contemporary ar...