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Advances in Sustainable Conservation of Architectural and Cultural Heritage

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 18 August 2026 | Viewed by 449

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Defense University Center at the Spanish Naval Academy, University of Vigo, Plaza de España 2, Marín, 36920 Pontevedra, Spain
Interests: cultural heritage; soluble salts; desalination; consolidation; non-destructive testing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Defense University Center at the Spanish Naval Academy, University of Vigo, Plaza de España 2, Marín, 36920 Pontevedra, Spain
Interests: cultural heritage; infrared thermography; computer vision; digital image processing; machine learning and deep learning.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue entitled “The Sustainability of Architectural and Cultural Heritage”, which seeks to explore innovative approaches and emerging challenges in ensuring the long-term preservation and resilience of our built heritage.

Cultural and architectural heritage represent invaluable cultural, historical, and social assets. Their conservation is not only a matter of material protection, but also of ensuring sustainable management, use, and adaptation in the face of environmental, economic, and social changes. This Special Issue aims to highlight how recent advancements in materials, intervention methods, diagnostic techniques, and management strategies contribute to the sustainable conservation of heritage sites.

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

  • Development or improvement of materials and sustainable technologies used in architectural and cultural heritage conservation.
  • Use of nanomaterials and eco-compatible solutions that enhance durability and reduce environmental impact.
  • Application of non-invasive diagnostic and monitoring techniques (e.g., infrared thermography, electrical tomography, ground-penetrating radar) for early detection of pathologies and condition assessment.
  • Innovative and sustainable intervention methods that minimize environmental risk and respect the authenticity of heritage.
  • Optimization of conservation protocols and treatment procedures to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
  • Integrated management approaches that promote the long-term sustainability of heritage conservation, including risk management, stakeholder involvement, and policy frameworks.
  • Case studies demonstrating sustainable practices in heritage conservation, from material analysis to strategic planning.

We also welcome contributions on other relevant topics not explicitly listed here, as long as they align with the overarching theme of this Special Issue—advancing the sustainability of architectural and cultural heritage through materials, methods, and management.

Dr. Jorge Feijoo Conde
Dr. Iván Garrido González
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • heritage conservation
  • sustainable materials
  • non-invasive diagnostic techniques
  • cultural heritage management
  • sustainable interventions
  • historic building preservation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

29 pages, 28319 KB  
Article
A Study on the Defensive Characteristics and Sustainable Conservation Strategies of Ming Dynasty Coastal Defence Settlements in Fujian
by Jingyi Xiong, Chunshan Ke, Mingjing Xie, Kaida Chen and Xiaodong Wang
Sustainability 2025, 17(18), 8406; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17188406 - 19 Sep 2025
Viewed by 281
Abstract
The maritime defence settlements of the Ming Dynasty are a key component of China’s military cultural heritage. This study examines the three coastal defence sectors of Fujian by establishing a three-tier evaluation framework utilising GIS spatial analysis and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) [...] Read more.
The maritime defence settlements of the Ming Dynasty are a key component of China’s military cultural heritage. This study examines the three coastal defence sectors of Fujian by establishing a three-tier evaluation framework utilising GIS spatial analysis and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for quantitative assessment. The findings reveal that the synergy between military outposts significantly enhances overall defence effectiveness, while the independent defence capability of each stronghold is crucial for withstanding external threats. A comprehensive evaluation further indicates that the Fujian central coastal defence sector, characterized by its robust economy and densely distributed fortifications, demonstrates the highest level of defensive performance. By systematically quantifying the defensive performance of Fujian’s maritime defence settlements, this study develops an evaluation model that provides a scientific basis and decision support for value assessment, sustainable conservation, and adaptive reuse of this category of military cultural heritage. Full article
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