Search Results (569)

Semantic segmentation of architectural elements in cultural heritage sites lies at the intersection of computer vision and digital preservation. Moroccan historical monuments spanning mosques, madrasas, royal gates (babs), and mausoleums across Fez, Rabat, Marrakech, Meknes, and Tetouan present unique challenges, including extreme texture ambiguity between weathered wall surfaces and background, pronounced multi-scale variation from individual window and door openings to full rooftop surfaces spanning tens of metres, and severe class imbalance. We introduce MonuSegFormer, a heritage-specific hybrid architecture coupling a pretrained Swin-B encoder (ImageNet-22K) with a Multi-Scale Atrous Fusion (MSAF) module and a CBAM-augmented progressive decoder. Evaluated on the Moroccan Monuments Dataset (MMD, 2686 annotated RGB images, 5 semantic classes, 5 cities) on the held-out test set (403 images), MonuSegFormer achieves mIoU = 81.7%, outperforming SegFormer-B5 (76.4%), Mask2Former (78.9%), and DeepLabV3+ (71.3%). A composite CE+Dice+Focal loss with class-balanced weights addresses severe class imbalance, yielding the largest gains on the minority classes Door (+5.3 p.p.) and Window (+5.3 p.p.) over the next-best Mask2Former. All qualitative results are produced by real trained-model inference on held-out test images. Full article

Digital survey and three-dimensional modelling have become central tools for the documentation and interpretation of architectural heritage, yet their epistemic role in the study of early Christian architecture still requires critical assessment. This article examines three early Christian sacella in northern Italy—Sante Teuteria e Tosca in Verona, Santa Maria Mater Domini in Vicenza, and San Prosdocimo in Padua—in order to evaluate how digital models can support architectural analysis without replacing direct engagement with the material monument. The study combines terrestrial laser scanning, photographic documentation, point-cloud processing, orthophotos, and architectural drawings to investigate masonry evidence, spatial organisation, roofing traces, and volumetric relationships. The results show that digital models make it possible to compare architectural elements that are difficult to observe simultaneously on site, especially in relation to construction sequences, domed spaces, subsidiary vaulted compartments, and traces of earlier phases. At the same time, the analysis demonstrates that digital visibility remains partial, since material presence, light, scale, and bodily experience cannot be fully reproduced in a virtual environment. The article argues that digital models are most valuable when understood as interpretative mediators: tools that extend observation, support comparison, and encourage renewed attention to the architectural fabric itself. Full article

Monumental heritage sites must be protected as rigorously as critical infrastructures, but under aesthetic and architectural constraints that limit where protection technologies can be installed; the purpose of this study is to reconcile effective security with minimal impact on the historical fabric. The paper presents the integrated security and safety system realized for the Royal Palace and Gardens of Caserta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site visited by around one million people per year. This system includes an Internet of Things/Internet of Everything framework integrating a 3D supervision platform, a resilient park-wide network, video surveillance, emergency communications, an artificial-intelligence engine and visitor services. Perimeter video-surveillance design is formulated as a constrained multi-objective optimization problem (coverage, camera count, overlap, reuse of existing installation points) solved with a purpose-built genetic algorithm and characterized through 311 optimization runs and 216 baseline runs on synthetic perimeter instances. The algorithm reached 95–98% perimeter coverage while reusing 95–100% of existing installation points, converging within 120–410 generations. Two greedy baselines were respectively quantified: the price of the aesthetic objectives (a 29–41% camera overhead with respect to a coverage-only design) and the specific contribution of the joint optimization (an order-of-magnitude reduction in coverage redundancy at equal reuse of existing installation points). Sensitivity analysis exposed the coverage–cost trade-off. The framework and method provide a reproducible, quantitatively characterized approach to minimally invasive heritage security design that is transferable to comparable sites. Full article

The ChemiNova project—funded by the Horizon Europe programme and coordinated by the Universitat de València—demonstrates how digital innovation can transform cultural heritage conservation in the face of increasing climate-related emergencies. Through the integration of technologies such as augmented and mixed reality, AI-based analysis, and 3D modelling, ChemiNova will enable real-time monitoring and risk assessment of monuments, museum collections, and movable heritage. These tools became especially relevant during the emergency response to the catastrophic DANA flood that struck the Valencia region on 29 October 2024, which caused extensive damage to both institutional and domestic cultural heritage. In addition to safeguarding private collections, conservation teams intervened in contemporary art holdings at risk. Emergency protocols were activated to clean, stabilize, and digitally document paintings, sculptures, and archival materials using the methodologies developed by ChemiNova. The emergency also revealed the essential role of local museums as emotional and social reference points in times of crisis. These institutions provided spaces for care, community engagement, and memory reconstruction. This experience affirms that conservation must go beyond objects. By combining advanced digital tools with collaborative, community-based processes, projects like ChemiNova point the way toward a more resilient, inclusive, and human-centred approach to cultural heritage preservation. Full article

The 3D geometric documentation of cultural heritage monuments requires spatial datasets that are accurate, complete and suitable for conservation, monitoring, visualization and heritage management. However, complex geometries, occlusions, limited accessibility, vegetation and other field-acquisition constraints often prevent a single surveying technique from providing a complete and metrically reliable representation. In this context, photogrammetry and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-based mapping provide complementary capabilities, with each method offering advantages and limitations regarding metric accuracy, spatial coverage, detail representation, acquisition flexibility and operational efficiency. This work develops, applies and evaluates a reproducible end-to-end workflow for the metric 3D documentation of complex cultural heritage monuments through multi-sensor integration. The proposed approach combines the metric robustness and visual richness of photogrammetric reconstruction with the rapid acquisition and spatial coverage enabled by SLAM-based mapping, while producing reusable datasets for conservation planning, comparative studies, education and broader heritage applications. The workflow integrates unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and close-range photogrammetry, SLAM-based mapping and geodetic control within a common reference system and is demonstrated through the documentation of a historic monastery. Both datasets showed centimetre-level agreement with geodetic observations, while photogrammetry yielded fuller exterior coverage and higher-quality texture, and SLAM enabled rapid interior coverage. The CH-PhotoSLAM3D dataset is released to support reproducibility and further research. Full article

Heritage tourism has become an important driver of tourism development, particularly in Asia, where countries actively promote national and cultural identities to attract visitors. Although individual studies have examined heritage identity in relation to tourism, existing reviews have not systematically synthesised the theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and empirical evidence on how tangible and intangible heritage identities are utilised as tourism development resources across South and Southeast Asia. Accordingly, this systematic review addresses three questions: (i) how research on heritage identity in heritage tourism has evolved in South and Southeast Asia, including its publication trends, theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches; (ii) which forms of tangible and intangible heritage identity are most utilised in South and Southeast Asia; and (iii) what conceptual and practical challenges and future research directions emerge from the literature. This study presents a systematic literature review with narrative synthesis of 44 publications to analyze how tangible and intangible heritage identities are used to promote heritage tourism in the region. The findings indicate that most studies focus on tangible heritage such as monuments, archaeological sites and colonial architecture, while intangible heritage, including cultural festivals and living traditions, remains comparatively underrepresented. The review further shows that heritage identity plays a significant role in strengthening national identity, enhancing visitor experiences and supporting local economic development across South and Southeast Asia. At the same time, several challenges remain, including the underutilisation of heritage resources, limited recognition of intangible heritage and the need to improve visitor management and sustainable tourism practices. The study concludes that Asian countries have significant untapped potential to further integrate heritage identity into tourism strategies, particularly through more innovative uses of intangible cultural heritage and improved heritage governance and management. Full article

The Heritage-Aligned Reconstruction Framework (HARF) was developed and initially evaluated using the Western Buddha of Bamiyan to structure evidence-constrained generative-AI heritage reconstruction. This article examines its bounded generalisation to the Temple of Bel at Palmyra, a materially, formally and iconographically contrasting heritage monument. The Dynamic Prompt Blueprint was re-instantiated using documentary evidence concerning the temple’s dimensions, limestone construction, Corinthian order, architectural layout, inscriptions and decorative programme, while retaining the framework’s top-level structure. A fourteen-item Palmyra questionnaire block was completed by 32 members of the interdisciplinary panel who also completed the Bamiyan evaluation. Within the Palmyra evaluation, Corinthian-column representation received the most favourable rating, whereas restored relief, inscription and surface detail received the least favourable rating. Eighteen respondents (56.2%) selected “none of the iterations are historically accurate” when assessing relief iconography. The paired difference in global prompt-sufficiency ratings did not reach the conventional significance threshold (p = 0.061), although ratings were positively associated across the two sites (Spearman ρ = 0.664, p < 0.001). The seven-domain keyword-coverage profiles were also positively rank-correlated (ρ = 0.771, p = 0.043). These findings support the bounded re-instantiation of HARF’s prompt schema and diagnostic evaluation logic in a contrasting heritage context. They do not establish equivalence between the two implementations, archaeological validity of the generated Temple of Bel images or validation of the complete HARF workflow. Full article

Built cultural heritage in East Africa is often interpreted and taught through monument-based, stylistic, or externally derived frameworks that insufficiently account for the region’s overlapping environmental, cultural, historical, and socio-spatial processes. Responding to this theoretical and pedagogical gap, this article develops a regionally grounded theoretical model of East African built heritage as a layered system, with particular attention to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative, interpretive approach, combining a critical literature review, analysis of selected built heritage layers, and expert perspectives from East African and European/international respondents. The findings show that East African built heritage is shaped by five interrelated layers: environmental foundations, indigenous and vernacular systems, Swahili/coastal Indian Ocean urbanism, colonial reconfiguration, and postcolonial/contemporary transformation. These layers do not form a linear historical sequence; rather, they overlap, interact, are disrupted, and are reinterpreted through material practices, spatial transformation, memory, environmental knowledge, and everyday use. The article argues that East African built heritage is defined by a layered system that is hybrid, fragile, unevenly recognized, partly intangible, and negotiated. It concludes that architectural education must move beyond object-based conservation knowledge transfer toward competency building in historical interpretation, environmental understanding, community engagement, adaptive reuse, and critical design intervention. Full article

Larissa Castle of Argos in the Peloponnese represents one of the most significant fortified landscapes in Greece, reflecting architectural transformation and military adaptation from prehistory to the twentieth century. Amongst its parts, one of the best-preserved towers has recently regained much of its original form through partial restoration works, emerging as a dominant landmark within the castle and the wider Argolic landscape. This study investigates the complete restoration and adaptive reuse of the tower, focusing on the challenge of providing public access while respecting its historical and architectural integrity. Based on detailed architectural analysis, two alternative design approaches for vertical circulation and access to the battlement level are examined. The first proposal employs traditional materials and construction principles, whereas the second introduces a contemporary intervention through a lightweight metal spiral structure. The comparative assessment demonstrates how both solutions can facilitate visitor access, enhance the interpretation of the monument, and reveal the tower’s defensive operation and architectural evolution, while respecting the construction phases of the monument and the international principles of cultural heritage. The proposed reuse as an observation point capitalizes on the tower’s strategic position and exceptional panoramic views over the major archaeological landmarks of the Argolic plain. The original contribution of this study lies in the systematic comparison of two evidence-based intervention strategies—one historically referenced and one explicitly contemporary—within a common conservation framework applicable to similar defense monuments. Full article

Digital technologies have significantly advanced documentation, management, and dissemination of Cultural Heritage (CH) through reality capture, Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM), and Extended Reality (XR). However, the digitisation of large and historically stratified heritage sites still relies on fragmented workflows that compromise interoperability and interrupt the continuity of geometric and semantic information throughout the heritage lifecycle. This paper proposes and validates a platform-independent, ecosystem-based methodology integrating multi-scale reality capture, hybrid Scan-to-HBIM modelling, semantic information management, interoperability, and XR within a continuous digital workflow. The methodology was validated through the large-scale digitisation of the Certosa di Pavia, where more than 1500 terrestrial laser scans, over 200,000 photographs, and approximately 50 billion points were acquired across a monumental complex covering nearly 331,000 m². The proposed framework reconstructs irregular architectural geometries with millimetre-scale accuracy (σ = 0.005 m) while preserving geometric reliability, semantic consistency, and information traceability across point-cloud processing, HBIM environments, Common Data Environments (CDEs), and XR applications. The results demonstrate that the effective digitisation of complex CH depends not only on the accuracy of individual technologies but also on their coordinated integration within interoperable digital ecosystems. The proposed methodology provides a transferable framework for preserving knowledge continuity throughout the heritage lifecycle, enabling HBIM to evolve from a geometric representation into a dynamic knowledge environment supporting conservation, management, research, education, and public dissemination. Full article

This article examines how the Government-General Museum of Korea (1915–1945) reconfigured Korean Buddhist visual culture, transforming objects embedded in living devotional practice into specimens of cultural heritage. Moving beyond existing scholarship on the colonial reorganization of Korean Buddhist institutions, it argues that the museum did not simply house Buddhist materials; rather, it produced a new mode of existence for them, one defined by a constitutive ambivalence in which the very apparatus that detached these objects from their devotional lives also “preserved” them as art-historical heritage. The argument develops through three case studies, each addressing a distinct register of the museum’s reconfigurative work: the acquisition and classification of the ten-story stone pagoda of Gyeongcheon temple, traced from monastic monument to cataloged specimen; the spatial reassembly of a Buddhist pantheon in the inaugural exhibition of 1915, staged within the emptied precincts of Gyeongbok Palace; and the photographic seriation of Unified Silla Buddhist material in the Album of Korean Antiquities. Drawing on theories of the exhibitionary apparatus, museum ritual, and mechanical reproduction, the article demonstrates that the religious identity of the colonial-modern “Buddhist object” was not simply erased but rearchived as an esthetic and art-historical attribute. It concludes that this reconfiguration was not discarded but strategically reappropriated by the postcolonial Korean state, which re-coded the colonial categories for national ends even as it continued to administer Buddhist objects through them. Full article

Earthen heritage constitutes a significant yet vulnerable component of the world’s cultural legacy, encompassing archeological sites, historic monuments, vernacular buildings, and living cultural landscapes. Over the past five decades, approaches to its conservation have evolved in response to changing heritage paradigms. Since their inception in 1972, the international Terra events have played a pivotal role in shaping this field by providing a recurring platform for international exchange, knowledge production, and methodological development. This study aims to examine the shifts in research and practice through the lens of the Terra gatherings. Using a systematic review methodology conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 638 papers from thirteen Terra proceedings (1972–2022) were analyzed and classified by geographic focus, disciplinary background, knowledge area, heritage type, construction techniques, deterioration factors, and intervention methods. The findings reveal a clear transition from early material and monument-centered approaches toward more holistic, interdisciplinary, and people-centered frameworks, with increasing attention to vernacular heritage, cultural landscapes, heritage management, and capacity building. The analysis also identifies persistent regional imbalances, a strong link between conference location and geographic representation, and a growing focus in recent decades on sustainability, disaster risk reduction, and climate change. Overall, the study demonstrates how trends reflected within the Terra proceedings have evolved and contributed to the discourse in earthen heritage conservation. Full article

Virtual reality and geovisualization offer new ways to present, study, and experience geographic space, including urban cultural heritage. This article presents the process of creating a gamified VR application focused on selected preserved monuments in the centre of Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland, a city whose historic fabric was strongly affected by World War II. The aim of the project was not only to introduce users to the city’s cultural heritage, but also to encourage greater interest in, respect for, and appreciation of that heritage. The work was divided into four stages: conceptual design, data preparation, implementation, and publication/evaluation. The application was developed using geospatial data, orthophotography, LoD1 building models, field photographs, archival postcards, manual 3D modelling, interface design, and implementation in Unity. The final VR environment allows users to explore part of the city, view information about monuments, match historical postcards with buildings, receive feedback, collect points, and move between stations. The application was additionally evaluated through an online questionnaire completed by 20 students. The results indicated a generally positive perception of its educational and heritage-communication potential, while the realism of the vegetation appears to be an area that could benefit from further improvement. The case study shows that immersive geovisualization can support spatial understanding, engagement, and heritage communication, and presents a workflow that may be adapted for similar cultural heritage projects. Full article

This article examines the memory landscape of the Bieszczady Mountains and Bieszczady Foothills region in south-eastern Poland, based on an original concept of its structural organization and a comparative analysis of selected sites of memory located in Sanok, Zagórz, Lesko, Baligród, Cisna, and Solina. The aim of the study was to identify the role of individual sites of memory in shaping the regional memory landscape and to explore the relationships between its constituent elements. The research employed an interdisciplinary approach combining memory studies, cultural geography, cultural landscape studies, and conflict heritage research. Case-study analysis, field investigations, historical-interpretative research, and qualitative comparative assessment were applied. The analysis was conducted across five interrelated dimensions: memory types, functions of sites of memory, historical layers, memory narratives, and the significance of sites within the memory landscape structure. The results demonstrate that the regional memory landscape constitutes a multi-layered, polyphonic, and dynamic structure. National, local, traumatic, transnational, landscape-related, and absence-based memories coexist, forming a complex network of narratives and meanings. The findings confirm that the region can be interpreted as a palimpsestic borderland memory landscape in which successive historical and narrative layers do not replace one another but coexist and remain subject to continuous processes of reinterpretation. Full article

Heritage conservation has increasingly shifted from monument-centred protection towards sustainable integrated urban system approaches. However, many operational frameworks still assume adequate governance capacity, institutional coordination, and continuity of implementation. These assumptions are less applicable in contexts where heritage management is fragmented, uneven, or restricted. This study proposes the Constraint–Generator–Instrument (CGI) model as a mechanism-based analytical framework for interpreting urban heritage systems under uneven governance. The model conceptualises heritage outcomes through three interacting mechanisms: Constraint (C), referring to persistence and resistance forces; Generator (G), referring to transformation and activation forces; and Instrument (I), referring to governance mediation capacity. The framework is demonstrated through a qualitative, literature-based comparative application to Erbil, Akre, and Zakho in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Although illustrative, the findings indicate distinct urban heritage outcomes across the three cities. Robustness analyses indicate that Akre is classification-stable, Zakho is moderately stable, and Erbil is boundary-sensitive because all three mechanisms are strongly present and close in value. The contribution of CGI lies in proposing a structured diagnostic approach for examining how persistence, transformation, and governance mediation may interact in unevenly governed urban heritage systems. Further testing with broader case samples, independent expert scoring, threshold and weighting determinations by expert panels, and reapplication is required to evaluate the model’s wider applicability. Full article