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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.

27/10/2025

Book Review: China’s heritage through history: reconfigured pasts
Nancy S. Steinhardt
More than in other places, in China, local and sometimes even national records inform us of reconstruction. Those writings do not tell us if the bracket sets of a 12th-century structure rebuilt in the 19th century used contemporary style or sought to imitate the original appearance, nor if books, pictures, or local memory guided the restorers. This kind of information is best for an entity like the Forbidden City, but still does not address the questions we ask today. Yujie Zhu’s book, China’s Cultural Heritage through History, tackles these issues from the Chinese and the Western perspectives, and through well-selected questions and buildings or larger architectural settings shows how China has answered them.

Book, conference and exhibition review Open access Published: 14 October 2025 China’s heritage through history: reconfigured pasts, by Yujie Zhu. London: Routledge, 2024. ISBN 9781032395661 Nancy S. Steinhardt1 Built Heritage volume 9, Article number: 57 (2025) Cite this article 140 Accesses Metri...

24/10/2025

Recovering a thatched earthen hut in the lagoon of Valencia
Fernando Vegas López-Manzanares & Camilla Mileto
The Valencia Lagoon has been home to vernacular constructions built with the mud and fibres available in these wetlands since ancient times. They are probably the last evolved vestiges of the primitive prehistoric huts that populated this place and the area surrounding the city of Valencia. It is estimated that in the mid-19th century, several tens of thousands of these huts remained. Fires, arson, new building regulations that prohibited new huts or even prevented their repair, the association with the poverty of yesteryear, and a misunderstood concept of progress reduced this number to the 50 huts that are still standing. This article presents the conservation and adaptive reuse of an 18th-century thatched earthen hut in a state of imminent collapse, from its structural and material degradation to the recovery and reinterpretation of the traditional materials and techniques that have allowed for it to be assigned a public function as the headquarters of an association.

The Valencia Lagoon has been home to vernacular constructions built with the mud and fibres available in these wetlands since ancient times. They are probably the last evolved vestiges of the primitive prehistoric huts that populated this place and the area surrounding the city of Valencia. It is es...

22/10/2025

Exploring participatory governance in Indian cultural heritage: perceptions, practices, and challenges
Rajdeep Routh, Dhruma Bhavsar & Piyush Pandya
This study explores the perception and implementation of participatory governance in cultural heritage management among heritage professionals in India. By surveying 144 professionals and conducting in-depth interviews with selected experts, the research identifies varying levels of familiarity and diverse definitions of participatory governance. This study highlights the benefits of participatory governance—including community trust, socio-economic gains, and better heritage preservation—while noting barriers such as poor communication, political reluctance, and intimidation.

This study explores the perception and implementation of participatory governance in cultural heritage management among heritage professionals in India. By surveying 144 professionals and conducting in-depth interviews with selected experts, the research identifies varying levels of familiarity and....

21/10/2025

Ancestral construction techniques in southern Ecuador: from pre-Hispanic cultures to contemporary practices
Jorge Albuja-Sánchez, Geovanny Solano-Vinueza, Oscar Naranjo, Mariela Anaguano-Marcillo, Mateo Peñaherrera-Aguirre, Amelia Medina-Pons & Francisco Darquea-Cordova
This article examines the construction methods employed in southern Ecuador prior to the Spanish conquest, focusing on their historical development, archaeological presence, and continued application in vernacular architecture. Emphasising the lesser-studied Cañari tradition alongside Inca techniques, this study analyses five methods, bahareque, adobe, rammed earth, cob, and carved stone, on the basis of archaeological records, the historical literature, and field observations. Rather than evaluating individual buildings, this research assesses these techniques as evolving knowledge systems, highlighting their material logic, climatic adaptability, and seismic resilience.

This article examines the construction methods employed in southern Ecuador prior to the Spanish conquest, focusing on their historical development, archaeological presence, and continued application in vernacular architecture. Emphasising the lesser-studied Cañari tradition alongside Inca techniqu...

20/10/2025

Digitisation and virtual restitution applied to the heritage of displaced mural painting: the case of the medieval mural painting of the church of Saints Julián and Basilisa of Bagüés (Spain)
Javier Domingo-Ballestin, Luis Agustín-Hernández & Aurelio Vallespín-Muniesa
This study presents an exploration of the digitisation of medieval mural paintings from the church of Saints Julián and Basilisa in Bagüés (Zaragoza, Spain), an Asset of Cultural Interest. These murals were removed in 1966, resulting in a disconnection between the artworks and their original architectural context. This removal raised concerns regarding decontextualisation and potential loss of heritage significance. To address these challenges, advanced digital techniques, such as laser scanning and photogrammetry, were employed to create highly accurate 3D models of both the church and the museum where the murals are now housed. These models facilitate a detailed geometric analysis, allowing a direct comparison of the two environments and an exploration of the spatial relationships that were lost over time.

This study presents an exploration of the digitisation of medieval mural paintings from the church of Saints Julián and Basilisa in Bagüés (Zaragoza, Spain), an Asset of Cultural Interest. These murals were removed in 1966, resulting in a disconnection between the artworks and their original arch...

08/10/2025

Monument, relics and heritage: the scalar politics of Sacred Hill in Hong Kong
Karma Hoi Pan Kong
In 2014, the discovery of Sacred Hill relics in the Kowloon City district during the construction of the railway station initiated a fierce debate regarding site conservation, urban redevelopment, and heritage management in Hong Kong’s society. The name ‘Sacred Hill’ gradually transformed from a longstanding informal term for that area into an official title for the heritage site. Drawing on recent scholarship concerning the relationship between heritage-making and the construction of scale, this article provides a case study to show how scale is applied as a strategic method to demarcate, extend, and challenge the temporal and spatial boundaries of a heritage site.

In 2014, the discovery of Sacred Hill relics in the Kowloon City district during the construction of the railway station initiated a fierce debate regarding site conservation, urban redevelopment, and heritage management in Hong Kong’s society. The name ‘Sacred Hill’ gradually transformed from...

03/10/2025

A methodology for analysing the impact of contemporary transformation processes in vernacular built environments
Juan Camilo Arias Tapiero, Javier Ortega & Graça Vasconcelos
Vernacular built heritage, which is rich in cultural knowledge and identity, is increasingly threatened by modernisation. The absence of specific assessment tools, however, prevents a thorough evaluation of this impact. To address this gap, this paper presents a methodology for assessing how contemporary transformation processes affect the built heritage of vernacular settlements facing abandonment. This methodology involves inventorying the buildings of a vernacular settlement to identify alterations that significantly impact their vernacular character. Each building is assigned an index value quantifying the impact of these alterations. This process is facilitated by a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach that incorporates the combined judgement and expertise of stakeholders typically involved in site management.

Vernacular built heritage, which is rich in cultural knowledge and identity, is increasingly threatened by modernisation. The absence of specific assessment tools, however, prevents a thorough evaluation of this impact. To address this gap, this paper presents a methodology for assessing how contemp...

01/10/2025

Community-driven heritage preservation in mountainous regions: a comparative study of Italy and China
Shuangning Li & Lorenzo Cantini
Small mountain villages facing depopulation and economic issues are a common challenge in advanced economies. This work examines recent measures for sustaining rural areas through revitalisation policies focused on economic development, environmental protection, and cultural heritage preservation. Two cases are compared: Vogogna in Piedmont, Italy, and Songyang County in China. The analysis highlights the impact of policies adopted by both countries to combat the decline of small villages.

Small mountain villages facing depopulation and economic issues are a common challenge in advanced economies. This work examines recent measures for sustaining rural areas through revitalisation policies focused on economic development, environmental protection, and cultural heritage preservation. T...

25/09/2025

Analysis of urban multifunctional land use in historical centres: the case of the Casbah of Algiers
Manel Souidi
Urban multifunctional land use (MLU) is a concept closely related to sustainability. Research on its parameters recalls the urban parameters of mixed land use in traditional cities. This work highlights the close relationships among sustainability, multifunctionality and traditional cities through an analytical study based on an original GIS map digitalisation of the old city of Algiers (the Ottoman Casbah).

Urban multifunctional land use (MLU) is a concept closely related to sustainability. Research on its parameters recalls the urban parameters of mixed land use in traditional cities. In addition to the density and diversity of housing and facilities, this concept, which was developed after the new ur...

24/09/2025

Emotional and semantic analysis of landscape elements in heritage parks: insights from social media data on visitor perception
SiYi Ren & Xiaolong Chen
Heritage parks preserve cultural heritage while contributing to education, recreation, and sustainable urban development. However, the relationships between landscape elements and visitors' emotional responses remain underexplored. This study aims to bridge this gap by analysing social media reviews to understand how various landscape elements in heritage parks influence emotional experiences, offering insights for enhancing park services and promoting practical cultural heritage preservation.

Heritage parks preserve cultural heritage while contributing to education, recreation, and sustainable urban development. However, the relationships between landscape elements and visitors' emotional responses remain underexplored. This study aims to bridge this gap by analysing social media reviews...

11/09/2025

Concatenated thresholds: rehabilitation of an 18th century house for a family of musicians in Seville, Spain
Miguel Gentil Fernandez, Marta Barrera Altemir & Javier Caro Dominguez
Accomplished in 2018, the refurbishment of an 18th-century house, which is located in the historic centre of Seville (Spain), constitutes a statement of heritage reactivation as a solid platform for keeping historic centres alive. Rehabilitated by Baum Lab under clear heritage intervention principles—analysis, diagnosis, depuration, consolidation and prothesis—this project aimed to preserve not only spatial and construction values but also their role in shaping contemporary urban life and social dynamics.

Accomplished in 2018, the refurbishment of an 18th-century house, which is located in the historic centre of Seville (Spain), constitutes a statement of heritage reactivation as a solid platform for keeping historic centres alive. Rehabilitated by Baum Lab under clear heritage intervention principle...

03/09/2025

Investigation of the concept of sustainability of the nomad vernacular architecture, a case study of the Qashqai tribe in Iran
Najmeh Hassas
This study investigates the sustainability of nomadic vernacular architecture through a case study of the Qashqai tribe in Iran. For nomadic communities, home signifies more than shelter—it represents safety, identity, and the fulfillment of essential needs. The Qashqai’s Black Tent, made from natural materials and adapted to seasonal migrations, exemplifies a resilient and enduring architectural form. This research critically assesses its alignment with principles of sustainable architecture across environmental, physical, economic, and social dimensions.

This study investigates the sustainability of nomadic vernacular architecture through a case study of the Qashqai tribe in Iran. For nomadic communities, home signifies more than shelter—it represents safety, identity, and the fulfillment of essential needs. The Qashqai’s Black Tent, made from n...

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