Built Heritage (2025)

13/11/2025

Comprehensive evaluation of the landscape quality of Danjie Road in Loutang Ancient Town using AHP and entropy methods
Jianbin Li & Yuan Li
This study presents a context-specific evaluation framework for assessing the landscape quality of Danjie Road in Loutang Ancient Town, Shanghai. Drawing on historical research, field surveys, expert consultation, and public participation, this study develops a seven-criteria, twenty-six-indicator system that integrates physical attributes with intangible dimensions such as memory continuity, cultural identity, and microclimate adaptation. Although the AHP–Entropy method is employed to balance subjective and objective weights, the core contribution lies in reframing the evaluation of heritage streetscapes as a multidimensional and culturally embedded process.

This study presents a context-specific evaluation framework for assessing the landscape quality of Danjie Road in Loutang Ancient Town, Shanghai. Drawing on historical research, field surveys, expert consultation, and public participation, this study develops a seven-criteria, twenty-six-indicator s...

12/11/2025

The brick material culture of Urbino (UNESCO World Heritage, Central Italy) as inferred from a multidisciplinary archaeometric study on the historic architecture
Patrizia Santi, Francesco Veneri, Gianluigi Tonelli, Mario Tramontana, Laura Panzeri, Anna Galli & Alberto Renzulli
Roman to Modern times (19th century) brick samples from monuments, walls and other masonry buildings of the historic centre of Urbino were investigated through a multidisciplinary approach, including mineralogy and texture (thin section and XRPD), chemistry (major-trace elements), physical–mechanical properties and thermoluminescence (TL) dating, coupled with the historic literature data. TL mostly confirms the building periods of the architectural structures where the bricks were sampled, also emphasising for the Cathedral a building period that lasted more than three centuries. The absence of standardisation of the pyrotechnological processes probably led to the large variability of the physical–mechanical features even for bricks of the same building period. Uniaxial Compressive Strength of the investigated historic bricks, however, falls within the range of present-day full-bricks, and a general improvement of the brick quality from Roman to Modern times was highlighted, as well as a progressive refinement in preparation techniques before firing. The brick material culture of Urbino continues seamlessly, after the investigated periods, until the second half of the 20th century, testified by the presence of the brick factory of the Fornace Volponi, just outside the historic centre of the city.

Roman to Modern times (19th century) brick samples from monuments, walls and other masonry buildings of the historic centre of Urbino were investigated through a multidisciplinary approach, including mineralogy and texture (thin section and XRPD), chemistry (major-trace elements), physical–mechani...

07/11/2025

Relationship between lime mortars and defects of the Great Wall built by the Ming Dynasty in China
Shibing Dai, Yang Wu & Tanja Dettmering
A defining characteristic of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall is its use of dolomitic and calcium-rich lime mortars with minimal aggregates for bedding and pointing. Notably, the mortars possess higher capillary porosity than the bricks, a feature that historically enhanced the Wall’s durability in pre-industrial environments. However, structural degradation—manifested as cracks in mortar joints and bricks—is primarily attributed to chemical interactions between the mortars and air pollutants, with magnesium sulfates playing a key role in deterioration. To address this issue, compatible natural hydraulic lime (NHL) and formulated lime (FL) mortars have been developed as sustainable alternatives to cement-based grouts. This methodology was informed by prior studies evaluating the efficacy of modified NHL/FL mortars in filling cavities and cracks. Expanding on these findings, mortars based on formulated lime and NHL binders were systematically analysed, with particular emphasis on their pore structure and solid mortar properties.

A defining characteristic of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall is its use of dolomitic and calcium-rich lime mortars with minimal aggregates for bedding and pointing. These mortars exhibit remarkable strength and adhesion to both natural stone and kiln-fired bricks, owing to long-term mineralogical transf...

06/11/2025

Navigating discourses and local practices: the people-centred approach in urban heritage practice
Shuting Sun, Rohit Jigyasu & Naoto Nakajima
The discourse of heritage conservation has developed from a material-centred approach to a people-centred approach (PCA), reflecting a shift towards a relational and dynamic understanding of heritage-making. This study examines two models of PCA implementation in China and Thailand to reveal how discursive visions of heritage are enabled or constrained by extradiscursive forces such as governance practices, resource distribution, and actor dynamics. The authors proposes a staged framework that integrates the PCA discourse with institutions, empowers communities, embeds heritage goals in local planning, and enables iterative feedback mechanisms.

The discourse of heritage conservation has developed from a material-centred approach to a people-centred approach (PCA), reflecting a shift towards a relational and dynamic understanding of heritage-making. While the PCA is prominent in global discourse, its local implementation—particularly its ...

05/11/2025

Local community narratives on world cultural heritage: a case study of Quanzhou, China
Bin Lin
This case study explores local community’s narrative of Quanzhou’s UNESCO World Heritage status, based on interviews with 37 residents. Interview data was collected through 7 questions and analysed using grounded theory, identifying 42 primary concepts, which were organised into 3 core categories: European Authorised Heritage Discourse (AHD), Chinese Authorised Heritage Discourse (AHD), and local counter-discourse, touching upon 4 topics: Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), qualification, influence and tourism. The findings reveal the interplay between global, national, and local counter-discourses in shaping perceptions of local residents.

This case study explores local community’s narrative of Quanzhou’s UNESCO World Heritage status, based on interviews with 37 residents. Interview data was collected through 7 questions and analysed using grounded theory, identifying 42 primary concepts, which were organised into 3 core categorie...

04/11/2025

Heritage exclusivism of the colonial past: the dilemma of choosing what to recall or bury in the context of Qingdao’s urban regeneration
Shutong Man & Ning Lu
This paper takes industrial heritage with the colonial past in Qingdao as an example to explore how colonial heritage is reproduced and disseminated, what memories and values are included or excluded in the process of urban regeneration, and how it can be expressed in various ways. This study identifies the gap between diverse values and argues that a place-based and community-oriented approach is needed that can draw on diverse local value expressions in contemporary urban regeneration practices.

Heritage is essentially a value-based discursive process shaped by competing narratives, which often leads to heritage exclusivism—particularly in colonial heritage marked by value conflicts and attempts at integration. In the context of the Chinese narrative informed by national rejuvenation and ...

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...

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