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Heritage
Special Issues
Architectural Heritage and Cultural Landscape
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Architectural Heritage and Cultural Landscape

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 2918

Editors

Dr. Silvia Beltramo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Polytechnic University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Interests: cultural heritage; architectural and urban history in medieval and early modern periods; building archaeology; construction history; town planning history in medieval and early modern periods; territorial analysis; cultural identity; cultural routes
Dr. Filiberto Chiabrando

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Design, Polytechnic University of Turin, 10129 Turin, Italy
Interests: uncrewed aerial vehicle; photogrammetry; laser scanning; 3D reconstruction; rapid mapping; 3D modeling; 360° cameras; GIS and remote sensing; sensor integration; underwater survey
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Monica Naretto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Design, Polytechnic University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Interests: architectural conservation; urban conservation; preservation; risk; heritage values; restoration theories and history; restoration project; restoration site; preventive and planned conservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on architectural heritage as a central field of multidiscilinary research, addressing historical buildings and cultural landscapes within urban, rural, and territorial contexts shaped by ongoing socio-economic, cultural, productive, and administrative transformations.

The Issue aims to collect contributions that provide critical, multi-scalar interpretations of heritage values, fostering advanced methodologies for the knowledge, comprehension, recognition, conservation, enhancement, and management of architectural and landscape heritage. An integrated and interdisciplinary approach is encouraged, bringing together perspectives architectural history, conservation, geomatics, drawing, urban design, landscape and interior architecture, and exhibition design, as well as real estate appraisal and project evaluation, structural analysis and design, and building physics and energy systems, intersecting disciplinary trajectories through established methods and proposing new forms of fertilizations.

Special attention is given to research methodologies as the foundation of heritage protection strategies, guided by the dual principles of compatibility and sustainability. This Special Issue also highlights the role of innovative digital technologies in heritage analysis, historical studies and digital humanities, documentation, restoration, management, and in the communication of research outcomes and intervention strategies.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Architectural history;
  • Digital humanities;
  • Preventive and planned conservation;
  • Restoration;
  • Three-dimensional modelling;
  • BIM, HBIM;
  • Photogrammetry, LiDAR and SLAM;
  • Point clouds;
  • VR/AR applications for architectural cultural heritage;
  • Multi-disciplinary case studies;
  • AI in cultural heritage.

Dr. Silvia Beltramo
Dr. Filiberto Chiabrando
Prof. Dr. Monica Naretto
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • accessibility
  • architetcural conservation
  • architectural history
  • built heritage
  • cultural landcape
  • design
  • ecological and environmental transition
  • geomatics
  • heritage values
  • inclusiveness
  • museum
  • reuse
  • seismic assesment and improvement

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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 6299 KB  
Article
The Village of Two Times: Fragmented Vernacularism and the Biaxial Ontology of Abandoned Settlements in Jordan
by Rama Al-Rabady and Alaa Khashman
Heritage 2026, 9(6), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9060222 - 1 Jun 2026
Viewed by 679
Abstract
This article interrogates the ontological paradox of Jordan’s abandoned vernacular villages (kirbeh), which persist as “villages of two times”—simultaneously abandoned yet present for nearby communities. Existing heritage frameworks, focused on material authenticity and physical integrity, cannot fully account for places that endure through [...] Read more.
This article interrogates the ontological paradox of Jordan’s abandoned vernacular villages (kirbeh), which persist as “villages of two times”—simultaneously abandoned yet present for nearby communities. Existing heritage frameworks, focused on material authenticity and physical integrity, cannot fully account for places that endure through absence rather than preservation. In response, we propose a biaxial ontological framework that explains how fragmentation generates new significance over time—a process conventional fragmentation theory overlooks because it treats breakage as loss rather than as what we term “productive fragmentation.” Specifically, the biaxial framework reveals that as material fragments decay and disperse (horizontal axis), they simultaneously acquire temporal depth and existential meaning (vertical axis). This dual process, which we term “productive fragmentation,” is the paper’s core contribution. Drawing on twenty-four semi-structured interviews across five villages, the study advances this biaxial framework by fusing fragmentation theory with concepts of deep urbanity, generative decay, time rupture, and existential displacement. The key finding is that disintegration generates new significance: fragments become more, not less, meaningful as they decay. The framework distinguishes a horizontal axis (spatial dispersal as collage and palimpsest) from a vertical axis (coexistence of multiple temporalities and anchoring of identity across generations). The implication is a paradigm shift: abandoned vernacular heritage embodies a distinct form of life—lived in the enduring presence of absence. By this phrase, we mean that community members experience the abandoned village not as a dead past but as an active presence—through memories, return visits, stories, and portable fragments like soil or keys—even as its material fabric decays. Absence here is not emptiness but a different mode of being present. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architectural Heritage and Cultural Landscape)
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22 pages, 22832 KB  
Article
Analytical Characterization of the Geomaterials Used in the Construction of the Late Antique Wall in Emerita Augusta (Mérida, Spain)
by Maria Isabel Mota-López, Juan Miguel Meneses-Rodríguez, Pedro Delgado Molina, Rubén Maderuelo-Sanz and Pedro Mateos Cruz
Heritage 2026, 9(5), 180; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9050180 - 3 May 2026
Viewed by 802
Abstract
This work presents the results of an archaeometric research study of the geomaterials used in the construction of the Late Antique wall of Emerita Augusta (currently Mérida, Spain). Dated to the 5th century C.E., this structure belongs to one of the best-preserved historical [...] Read more.
This work presents the results of an archaeometric research study of the geomaterials used in the construction of the Late Antique wall of Emerita Augusta (currently Mérida, Spain). Dated to the 5th century C.E., this structure belongs to one of the best-preserved historical ensembles in Europe. In-depth knowledge of the geomaterials used in this ancient wall is essential for ensuring reliable restoration strategies and the successful long-term conservation of this monument. To this end, a rigorous sampling procedure was conducted in areas containing original archaeological remains. Samples were characterized using optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), thermogravimetry and differential thermal analyses (TGA-DTA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This integrated multi-analytical approach is highly effective for the study of built heritage. The mineralogical, textural, and geochemical properties of the granites allowed for the identification of the granite types used in the wall, while the results obtained for the mortars indicated that lime, fully carbonated and transformed into calcite, was used as the binding agent. Furthermore, the binder/aggregate ratios were found to be consistent with traditional Roman mortar formulations. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the material provenance and construction techniques used in this landmark of late antiquity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architectural Heritage and Cultural Landscape)
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