Built Heritage (2025)

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...

01/09/2025

Ten questions concerning challenges in preserving the materiality and memory of WWII heritage sites: the case study of Trondheim (Norway)
Giulia Boccacci, Kristoffer Eliassen Grini, Francesca Frasca, Jon Olav Hove, Ozge Ogut, Chiara Bertolin & Anna Maria Siani
This study explores the challenges involved in preserving the materiality and memory of World War II (WWII) heritage sites in Trondheim, Norway. Structures such as military installations and bunkers hold significant cultural and historical value, yet their conservation involves facing a range of complexities between varying public perceptions, historical narratives, modern reuses, and physical durability. This study presents ten interconnected research questions designed to build a framework for understanding the various connections needed to address these complexities. By analysing Trondheim’s case study, this research highlights the importance of integrating both tangible and intangible aspects, considering public perceptions and managing the site’s appearance, use and identity to preserve historical narratives.

This study explores the challenges involved in preserving the materiality and memory of World War II (WWII) heritage sites in Trondheim, Norway. Structures such as military installations and bunkers hold significant cultural and historical value, yet their conservation involves facing a range of com...

30/08/2025

Change in and continuity of traditional village architecture: the Bali Aga village of Tenganan Pegringsingan, Bali, Indonesia
Dwita Hadi Rahmi
Tenganan Pegringsingan Village, a traditional Bali Aga village, has developed into a cultural tourism village. This study aims to examine the changes in and continuity of traditional architecture in the Tenganan Pegringsingan Village settlement. The paper revealed that there are changes in four elements of village architecture due to tourism, including village spatial design, the function and design of awangan (open space), the function and layout of houses, and building façades. The intervention of the government and the involvement of the community in tourism activities for economic interests have triggered many changes. However, the continuity of these components still exists because the village community continues to strongly hold traditional rules.

Traditional architecture is a cultural expression of a community that has developed from time to time with changes in and continuity of its cultural values. There are cultural values that remain stable and can still survive in contemporary culture, whereas others change following the socio-cultural....

14/08/2025

Al-Qata'iʿ, Egyptian lost heritage: audio guide towards enhancing a conservative interpretation experience
Mohamed W. Fareed & Mohamed Amer
The valorisation of materialistic and visual cultural components overlooks the significance of other lost components recognized at the designated UNESCO World Heritage site. This research critically examines the use of audio guides as tools for heritage interpretation, investigating their impact on shaping visitor perceptions. Focusing on al-Qata’iʿ, as a lost heritage case study, this study challenges traditional approaches to heritage valorisation. It explores the tension between conservative interpretation methods and their potential to increase cultural identity and memory, both for the local community and visitors.

The valorisation of materialistic and visual cultural components overlooks the significance of other lost components recognized at the designated UNESCO World Heritage site. This practice leads to the deterioration rather than enhancement of history, which could endanger authentic cultural knowledge...

06/08/2025

A potential toolbox for improving the accessibility process in historic villages
Luigi Biocca
Accessibility, defined as inclusiveness in the access to and use of the built environment, is a complex process that involves several factors from multidisciplinary sectors. Thus, it is a prominent topic for heritage and cultural, tourist, social and economic regeneration and exploitation. Many historic villages in Italy offer potential heritage value for greater tourism attractiveness. This paper suggests a toolbox for differentiated accessibility levels. A case study identifies an analysis process of four activities, leading to a methodological scheme for determining accessibility options. The toolbox scheme can guide the accessibility process and steps towards alternative solutions on the basis of selected cultural values.

Accessibility, defined as inclusiveness in the access to and use of the built environment, is a complex process that involves several factors from multidisciplinary sectors. Thus, it is a prominent topic for heritage and cultural, tourist, social and economic regeneration and exploitation. Many hist...

04/08/2025

The politics of remembrance in China: the commemoration and heritagisation of colonial prisons in Qingdao and Dalian
Beixi Sun & Barry Godfrey
In postcolonial China, where government authorities and heritage professionals assume supreme authority in determining what relics of the colonial past should be kept (or not) and how their heritage values should be interpreted to be ‘correctly’ understood by the general public, the colonial prison has been used as a place for invoking the collective memories of the selected part of the colonial past in China. This paper looks at the heritage-making process of the two colonial prison museums in Dalian and Qingdao, with the aim of unpacking the power issues surrounding the heritage making in postcolonial China by investigating how the past associated with colonialisation has been picked, edited, and interpreted by the audience. This study elucidates the instrumental role of prison museums in China and further strengthens the notion that heritage is a process of memory and construction.

Heritage is not only a channel to observe or experience history and the past but also a way to remember or forget. In postcolonial China, where government authorities and heritage professionals assume supreme authority in determining what relics of the colonial past should be kept (or not) and how t...

02/08/2025

Rural Revitalization Symposium 2025👏👏
Abstract submission deadline:20August 2025, 23:59 HKT⏰

🌱 𝐑𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 🌱
📅**Date & Time**
3 Oct 2025 (Fri) 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
4 Oct 2025 (Sat) 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
📍 **Venue**
Yasumoto International Academic Park, CUHK
Lai Chi Wo & Mui Tsz Lam Village, Sha Tau Kok
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**Symposium Theme:**
Contextualizing Urban-Rural Integration: Co-vision, Co-create, Co-operate with the following sub-themes:
- Positioning, Policy & Planning
- Design, Practice & Partnership
- Culture, Heritage & Landscape
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🌍 Overview:
This symposium contextualizes urban-rural integration through the lens of co-vision, co-create and co-operate.Bringing together academics, practitioners and public stakeholders, the symposium creates a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and international collaboration. Through theoretical dialogue and real-world case studies from Hong Kong, mainland China and beyond, participants will address pressing urban-rural challenges and opportunities, while laying the foundation for pilot initiatives and long-term partnerships. Ultimately, the event aims to position its organizers and partners as regional and global leaders in advancing rural revitalization and sustainable urban-rural integration.

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**Joint Organizers:**
- School of Architecture, CUHK
- School of Architecture, Tsinghua University
- Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China) Charitable Foundation
- Institute for Rural Construction, Tsinghua University
- Centre for Sustainable Placemaking and Urban-rural Regeneration (SPUR), CUHK
**Sponsors:**
- Faculty of Social Science, CUHK
- Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme
- Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, CUHK
**Supporting Organizations:**
- Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Office, CUHK
- Sustainable Development Solutions Network Hong Kong (SDSN Hong Kong)
- Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture
- Lai Chi Wo Pui Shing Tong Committee
**Strategic Partner & Sponsor:**
- Lee Hysan Foundation

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📄Call for Papers: Parallel Session📄
The symposium also invites submissions of abstracts for the parallel session. Papers should be written around the theme of the conference symposium on Urban-Rural Integration. For more details, please visit: https://www.art-mate.net/doc/85892
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🖼️Call for Submission: International Exhibition of Outstanding Projects and Papers on Urban-rural Integration🖼️
The International Exhibition of Outstanding Projects and Papers on Urban-rural integration will be held concurrently with the Rural Revitalization Symposium 2025. Submissions should feature practical projects related to the theme of urban-rural integration, such as rural revitalization initiatives, integrated industrial and economic development, ecological co-development, governance innovation, and technology-enabled solutions. For more details, please visit: https://www.art-mate.net/doc/86409
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🤝 Join us for an interdisciplinary exchange with academics, practitioners, and public stakeholders. Together, we’ll tackle urban-rural challenges and build long-term partnerships for sustainable integration!
📞 Contact:
For more info, visit https://art-mate.net/doc/86158
Call: (852) 3943 6518 | (852) 2742 4668
Email: [email protected]
🔗 To learn about the Rural Revitalization Symposium 2023, visit https://www.arch.cuhk.edu.hk/en/process/seminars/2023-rural-revitalization-symposium-2

#鄉村振興研討會2025 #香港中文大學建築學院 #清華大學建築學院 #無止橋慈善基金 #城鄉共融

School of Architecture - CUHK
Tsinghua University
無止橋 Wu Zhi Qiao
Faculty of Social Science, CUHK 香港中文大學社會科學院
CUHK Social Responsibility & Sustainable Development
SDSN Hong Kong

Built Heritage

03/10/2025

01/10/2025

25/09/2025

24/09/2025

11/09/2025

03/09/2025

01/09/2025

30/08/2025

14/08/2025

06/08/2025

04/08/2025

02/08/2025

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