U. Pottgiesser
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1
Journal article
(2026)
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Matthias Sahli, Jan Bieser, Jonathan Chenoweth, Jeff Love, Mi Lin, Marco Martens, Maureen Pennock, Uta Pottgiesser
Digitalization has transformed the book market with significant environmental consequences. Various life cycle assessments (LCAs) compare the per-unit greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of reading paper books and e-books. However, they do not capture the net GHG effects of digitalization, which also depend on changes in production and consumption volumes in both formats. This article assesses whether digitalization has increased or decreased the GHG footprint of the book market by combining evidence from LCAs with economic insights on how digitalization affects book supply and demand. Our results show that e-books can lower emissions for heavy readers, while paper books may be more climate-friendly when they are widely shared. While e-books offer advantages such as accessibility and portability that support substitution, many digitalization-driven supply and demand effects expand the overall book market by improving discoverability, lowering costs and prices, and accelerating publication and distribution. Our quantitative analysis indicates that e-books reduce emissions only if they substantially displace print, yet evidence suggests substitution rates are low and emissions may therefore increase. This shows that treating e-books as simple substitutes for paper books is overly simplistic, and that integrated environmental and economic perspectives are needed to assess their net sustainability impact.
...
Digitalization has transformed the book market with significant environmental consequences. Various life cycle assessments (LCAs) compare the per-unit greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of reading paper books and e-books. However, they do not capture the net GHG effects of digitalization, which also depend on changes in production and consumption volumes in both formats. This article assesses whether digitalization has increased or decreased the GHG footprint of the book market by combining evidence from LCAs with economic insights on how digitalization affects book supply and demand. Our results show that e-books can lower emissions for heavy readers, while paper books may be more climate-friendly when they are widely shared. While e-books offer advantages such as accessibility and portability that support substitution, many digitalization-driven supply and demand effects expand the overall book market by improving discoverability, lowering costs and prices, and accelerating publication and distribution. Our quantitative analysis indicates that e-books reduce emissions only if they substantially displace print, yet evidence suggests substitution rates are low and emissions may therefore increase. This shows that treating e-books as simple substitutes for paper books is overly simplistic, and that integrated environmental and economic perspectives are needed to assess their net sustainability impact.
Since its foundation in 1990 Docomomo International has created a body of knowledge through their documentation “fiches” produced by the national working parties and coordinated by the International Specialist Committee (ISC) Registers. Although based on literature and other publications the fiches often do not contain accurate and complete plans and layouts and little spatial information. The Docomomo 3D Platform addresses this last gap by aggregating and publishing multi-modal spatial content of modern movement architecture, and is designed for clarity, interoperability, and public reuse. The platform curates four primary content types: (1) smart point-cloud models that embed semantic tags and condition notes; (2) 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) reconstructions optimized for photoreal, real-time exploration; (3) HBIM models that encode construction logic, materials, and interventions for conservation planning; and (4) synchronized 2D assets (photographs and short videos) that contextualize each building’s design, setting, and use. A consistent metadata schema links these modalities at the building level, enabling users to pivot from a navigable 3D experience to archival stills, plans, and bibliographic notes. The next development phase introduces participatory pipelines: users will be able to upload image sets that the platform processes into community-generated 3DGS models, with automated quality checks and curator review. This opens a path for distributed recording of at-risk sites and creates a living repository that tracks change over time. By unifying documentation types and lowering the barrier to contribution, the Docomomo 3D Platform advances two goals: to improve public understanding of modern architecture and design, its materials, space, and everyday life, and to accelerate responsible dissemination for research, education, advocacy, and finally conservation. The paper outlines the data standards, ingestion workflow, and viewer UX, and presents case studies demonstrating how multi-modal models clarify significance, integrity, and conservation options for modern heritage.
...
Since its foundation in 1990 Docomomo International has created a body of knowledge through their documentation “fiches” produced by the national working parties and coordinated by the International Specialist Committee (ISC) Registers. Although based on literature and other publications the fiches often do not contain accurate and complete plans and layouts and little spatial information. The Docomomo 3D Platform addresses this last gap by aggregating and publishing multi-modal spatial content of modern movement architecture, and is designed for clarity, interoperability, and public reuse. The platform curates four primary content types: (1) smart point-cloud models that embed semantic tags and condition notes; (2) 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) reconstructions optimized for photoreal, real-time exploration; (3) HBIM models that encode construction logic, materials, and interventions for conservation planning; and (4) synchronized 2D assets (photographs and short videos) that contextualize each building’s design, setting, and use. A consistent metadata schema links these modalities at the building level, enabling users to pivot from a navigable 3D experience to archival stills, plans, and bibliographic notes. The next development phase introduces participatory pipelines: users will be able to upload image sets that the platform processes into community-generated 3DGS models, with automated quality checks and curator review. This opens a path for distributed recording of at-risk sites and creates a living repository that tracks change over time. By unifying documentation types and lowering the barrier to contribution, the Docomomo 3D Platform advances two goals: to improve public understanding of modern architecture and design, its materials, space, and everyday life, and to accelerate responsible dissemination for research, education, advocacy, and finally conservation. The paper outlines the data standards, ingestion workflow, and viewer UX, and presents case studies demonstrating how multi-modal models clarify significance, integrity, and conservation options for modern heritage.
For many years, the DOCOMOMO International community was hoping for one of the West coast chapters of DOCOMOMO US to embrace the challenge of organizing a second International DOCOMOMO Conference in the United States of America. The DOCOMOMO community was excited that after the 17th conference in Valencia in 2022, DOCOMOMO US stepped up with a proposal to organize the 19th International DOCOMOMO Conference in Los Angeles in 2026.
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For many years, the DOCOMOMO International community was hoping for one of the West coast chapters of DOCOMOMO US to embrace the challenge of organizing a second International DOCOMOMO Conference in the United States of America. The DOCOMOMO community was excited that after the 17th conference in Valencia in 2022, DOCOMOMO US stepped up with a proposal to organize the 19th International DOCOMOMO Conference in Los Angeles in 2026.
Towards the architectural heritage information infrastructure
A UML-based information model linking HBIM, smart point clouds, and 3D Gaussian splatting
Journal article
(2026)
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Yingwen Yu, P.J.M. van Oosterom, E. Verbree, Zhuoyue Wang, U. Pottgiesser, Abeer Abu Raed, Y. Peng
This paper presents the Architectural Heritage Information Infrastructure (AHII), a standards-operational framework for maintaining identity, semantics, and traceability across three complementary representations used in heritage workflows: Smart Point Clouds (SPC), HBIM/IFC, and Smart 3D Gaussian Splatting (S3DGS). AHII is centered on a compact UML information model and governed code lists, and it operationalizes cross-representation continuity through a shared alignment transform and an explicit identifier crosswalk. This design supports task-driven switching between evidence-grade inspection (SPC), standards-based querying and exchange (IFC), and lightweight photorealistic dissemination (S3DGS), while maintaining auditable correspondence across iterative updates. We validate AHII on two Dutch case studies using a reproducible protocol with fixed evaluation splits and independent checkpoints, complemented by an online, task-anchored user study (N = 200). Results provide evidence of cross-representation interoperability, together with task-appropriate technical performance: intrinsic SPC segmentation reaches macro-mIoU ≈ 0.88, cross-representation co-location achieves 3D RMSE on the order of 1–3 cm, and IFC4 round-trip checks preserve GUIDs with near-lossless property-set retention. Together, these findings show that AHII can be implemented in practice as a traceable information infrastructure linking documentation, modeling, standards-based data and semantic exchange, and dissemination across heterogeneous representations.
...
This paper presents the Architectural Heritage Information Infrastructure (AHII), a standards-operational framework for maintaining identity, semantics, and traceability across three complementary representations used in heritage workflows: Smart Point Clouds (SPC), HBIM/IFC, and Smart 3D Gaussian Splatting (S3DGS). AHII is centered on a compact UML information model and governed code lists, and it operationalizes cross-representation continuity through a shared alignment transform and an explicit identifier crosswalk. This design supports task-driven switching between evidence-grade inspection (SPC), standards-based querying and exchange (IFC), and lightweight photorealistic dissemination (S3DGS), while maintaining auditable correspondence across iterative updates. We validate AHII on two Dutch case studies using a reproducible protocol with fixed evaluation splits and independent checkpoints, complemented by an online, task-anchored user study (N = 200). Results provide evidence of cross-representation interoperability, together with task-appropriate technical performance: intrinsic SPC segmentation reaches macro-mIoU ≈ 0.88, cross-representation co-location achieves 3D RMSE on the order of 1–3 cm, and IFC4 round-trip checks preserve GUIDs with near-lossless property-set retention. Together, these findings show that AHII can be implemented in practice as a traceable information infrastructure linking documentation, modeling, standards-based data and semantic exchange, and dissemination across heterogeneous representations.
Docomomo International is proud to present the second issue of the Docomomo Journal co-edited with the International Specialist Committee on Interior Design (ISC/ID), represented by guest editors Zsuzsanna Böröcz and Deniz Hasirci. Established at the Council Meeting during the 16th International Docomomo Conference in Lisbon in 2016, the ISC/ID has since grown and evolved, as evidenced by significant activities, including seminars, discussions, and publications. Already before the establishment of the ISC/ID, interior design and modern living have been explicit themes in two Docomomo Journal issues: no. 46 Designing for Modern Life and no. 47 Global Design, both published in 2012, extended beyond the architectural scale to encompass the qualities of interior space and the constituent elements and materialities of daily life.
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Docomomo International is proud to present the second issue of the Docomomo Journal co-edited with the International Specialist Committee on Interior Design (ISC/ID), represented by guest editors Zsuzsanna Böröcz and Deniz Hasirci. Established at the Council Meeting during the 16th International Docomomo Conference in Lisbon in 2016, the ISC/ID has since grown and evolved, as evidenced by significant activities, including seminars, discussions, and publications. Already before the establishment of the ISC/ID, interior design and modern living have been explicit themes in two Docomomo Journal issues: no. 46 Designing for Modern Life and no. 47 Global Design, both published in 2012, extended beyond the architectural scale to encompass the qualities of interior space and the constituent elements and materialities of daily life.
Sustainable Design for Mental Health
A Framework of Spatial Indicators for University Campuses
The mental health crisis among university students is gradually increasing, from psychological fatigue, burnout, and anxiety to suicide, forcing universities to integrate a mental health focus in sustainable campus planning. Mental health can be influenced, either alleviated or exacerbated, by the academic environment. Campus Sustainability Assessment Tools (CSATs) provided various indicators, but few include spatial indicators related to mental health. To bridge this gap, it is essential to understand the influence of spatial aspects on students’ psychological well-being. Identifying environmental stressors and spatial qualities and translating them into indicators that can be consistently defined and evaluated is relevant. This study aims to address the gap in CSATs regarding students' mental health and to develop spatial indicators for universities to embed mental health. The goal is to propose spatial indicators that allow universities to evaluate and measure the relationship between the built campus environment and mental health. A comparative analysis was conducted on ten CSAT frameworks and two related frameworks, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Circular Economy (CE), with a focus on identifying and evaluating existing assessments. In parallel, a review was conducted to analyze key psychological stressors and interventions in the academic environment for university students' mental health. This included formulating spatial indicators that describe, quantify, and assess the relationship to psychological outcomes. Findings show that existing CSATs prioritize curriculum and teaching approaches, and research includes scholarship, social network, and operational aspects. However, only the Sustainability Tool for Auditing Universities' Curricula in Higher Education (STAUNCH) and Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) explicitly reference mental health. Apart from STAUNCH and UI GreenMetric, which include indicators of biodiversity and green space ratio, respectively, nearly all frameworks focus on nonphysical, conceptual metrics. The identification of spatial indicators is linked to specific design attributes—such as natural light, spatial openness, and access to nature—that promise reduced stress and enhanced emotional well-being. Key findings related to the study’s spatial indicators propose a three-part indicator set: 1. Psycho-spatial indicators (e.g., light, acoustic, and visual comfort, finishing material, accessibility, air quality, layout). 2. Socio-spatial indicators (e.g., communal area, visibility, accessibility, safety, interconnection). 3. Restorative spatial indicators (e.g., naturalness, spatiality, safety and security, privacy-public balance). Universities must focus on preserving students’ mental health by improving their physical environments, especially because supporting and fostering mental health is no longer optional. Understanding the tangible ways in which space impacts mental health enables universities to define clear, measurable criteria for improvement. These findings offer a practical foundation for evaluating existing environments and guiding future design interventions. A three-part indicator set will be developed and applied through a mixedmethod case study approach, implemented in two existing campuses, and it will be examined in depth via on-site observations, structured interviews, and student surveys to capture both measurable data and lived experiences. The framework aims to articulate the connection between spatial design and mental health and to establish a methodology for identifying, defining, and assessing these indicators across different university settings.
...
The mental health crisis among university students is gradually increasing, from psychological fatigue, burnout, and anxiety to suicide, forcing universities to integrate a mental health focus in sustainable campus planning. Mental health can be influenced, either alleviated or exacerbated, by the academic environment. Campus Sustainability Assessment Tools (CSATs) provided various indicators, but few include spatial indicators related to mental health. To bridge this gap, it is essential to understand the influence of spatial aspects on students’ psychological well-being. Identifying environmental stressors and spatial qualities and translating them into indicators that can be consistently defined and evaluated is relevant. This study aims to address the gap in CSATs regarding students' mental health and to develop spatial indicators for universities to embed mental health. The goal is to propose spatial indicators that allow universities to evaluate and measure the relationship between the built campus environment and mental health. A comparative analysis was conducted on ten CSAT frameworks and two related frameworks, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Circular Economy (CE), with a focus on identifying and evaluating existing assessments. In parallel, a review was conducted to analyze key psychological stressors and interventions in the academic environment for university students' mental health. This included formulating spatial indicators that describe, quantify, and assess the relationship to psychological outcomes. Findings show that existing CSATs prioritize curriculum and teaching approaches, and research includes scholarship, social network, and operational aspects. However, only the Sustainability Tool for Auditing Universities' Curricula in Higher Education (STAUNCH) and Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) explicitly reference mental health. Apart from STAUNCH and UI GreenMetric, which include indicators of biodiversity and green space ratio, respectively, nearly all frameworks focus on nonphysical, conceptual metrics. The identification of spatial indicators is linked to specific design attributes—such as natural light, spatial openness, and access to nature—that promise reduced stress and enhanced emotional well-being. Key findings related to the study’s spatial indicators propose a three-part indicator set: 1. Psycho-spatial indicators (e.g., light, acoustic, and visual comfort, finishing material, accessibility, air quality, layout). 2. Socio-spatial indicators (e.g., communal area, visibility, accessibility, safety, interconnection). 3. Restorative spatial indicators (e.g., naturalness, spatiality, safety and security, privacy-public balance). Universities must focus on preserving students’ mental health by improving their physical environments, especially because supporting and fostering mental health is no longer optional. Understanding the tangible ways in which space impacts mental health enables universities to define clear, measurable criteria for improvement. These findings offer a practical foundation for evaluating existing environments and guiding future design interventions. A three-part indicator set will be developed and applied through a mixedmethod case study approach, implemented in two existing campuses, and it will be examined in depth via on-site observations, structured interviews, and student surveys to capture both measurable data and lived experiences. The framework aims to articulate the connection between spatial design and mental health and to establish a methodology for identifying, defining, and assessing these indicators across different university settings.
From comparison to integration
A workflow evaluation of 3D Gaussian splatting and LiDAR point cloud for modern architectural heritage
Journal article
(2025)
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Yingwen Yu, Edward Verbree, Peter van Oosterom, Uta Pottgiesser, Yuyang Peng, Florent Poux
This paper investigates the role of 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) within point cloud–dominated workflows for modern architectural heritage digitization. While 3DGS enables real-time, photorealistic visualization, its integration into LiDAR-based documentation pipelines remains underexplored. Using Bouwpub, a modern heritage building in the Netherlands, as a case study, the paper compares 3DGS and LiDAR across data acquisition and preservation, visualization, semantic segmentation, and dissemination. Results show that 3DGS offers superior visual expressiveness and user responsiveness, whereas LiDAR provides greater structural accuracy and segmentation reliability. Based on these findings, two integration strategies are proposed: a Blender-based multi-angle rendering workflow and a Level of Detail 3DGS (LOD3DGS) pipeline. Moving from isolated assessment to applied integration, the study positions 3DGS as a complementary visualization and dissemination module rather than a replacement. This hybrid approach supports immersive, scalable, and semantically enriched digital heritage systems, offering new directions for enhancing both expert documentation and public engagement.
...
This paper investigates the role of 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) within point cloud–dominated workflows for modern architectural heritage digitization. While 3DGS enables real-time, photorealistic visualization, its integration into LiDAR-based documentation pipelines remains underexplored. Using Bouwpub, a modern heritage building in the Netherlands, as a case study, the paper compares 3DGS and LiDAR across data acquisition and preservation, visualization, semantic segmentation, and dissemination. Results show that 3DGS offers superior visual expressiveness and user responsiveness, whereas LiDAR provides greater structural accuracy and segmentation reliability. Based on these findings, two integration strategies are proposed: a Blender-based multi-angle rendering workflow and a Level of Detail 3DGS (LOD3DGS) pipeline. Moving from isolated assessment to applied integration, the study positions 3DGS as a complementary visualization and dissemination module rather than a replacement. This hybrid approach supports immersive, scalable, and semantically enriched digital heritage systems, offering new directions for enhancing both expert documentation and public engagement.
A window is an ‘opening especially in the wall of a building for admission of light and air that is usually closed by casements or sashes containing transparent material (such as glass) and capable of being opened and shut’ (Merriam Webster, 2021). Until medieval times windows were openings closed by leather, fabric or wooden shutters in most parts of Europe. Windows are essential functional elements of a building and, at the same time, they are comprehensive architectural and design elements of the massive building envelope. As a building component, the window has to fulfill a wide variety of tasks and requires the collaboration of different craftsmanship techniques in its manufacture. The diversity of the historical, national and regional types of windows is large and as diverse as architecture in general (Koolhaas, 2018). They represent different design characteristics depending on time and region and they include technical and structural developments that respond to different functional requirements, e.g. impermeability, ventilation possibilities, light permeability and operability. Despite or precisely because of this diverse functionality and significance, windows are subject to a particularly high pressure for change (VDL, 2017). Similar to other heritage authorities, Historic England has stated that unsympathetic replacement of windows and doors represents the number one threat of heritage buildings, and that this affects no less than 83% of defined conservation areas (Pickles et al., 2017, p.1). Traditional windows are threatened for many different reasons: they are often completely replaced to improve a building’s energy efficiency, even when simple technical and thermal upgrading options (e.g. draught-proofing, secondary glazing, shutters) would be also feasible at much less cost. Other reasons are safety and security requirements, material decay or the simple wish for change and modernization. […]
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A window is an ‘opening especially in the wall of a building for admission of light and air that is usually closed by casements or sashes containing transparent material (such as glass) and capable of being opened and shut’ (Merriam Webster, 2021). Until medieval times windows were openings closed by leather, fabric or wooden shutters in most parts of Europe. Windows are essential functional elements of a building and, at the same time, they are comprehensive architectural and design elements of the massive building envelope. As a building component, the window has to fulfill a wide variety of tasks and requires the collaboration of different craftsmanship techniques in its manufacture. The diversity of the historical, national and regional types of windows is large and as diverse as architecture in general (Koolhaas, 2018). They represent different design characteristics depending on time and region and they include technical and structural developments that respond to different functional requirements, e.g. impermeability, ventilation possibilities, light permeability and operability. Despite or precisely because of this diverse functionality and significance, windows are subject to a particularly high pressure for change (VDL, 2017). Similar to other heritage authorities, Historic England has stated that unsympathetic replacement of windows and doors represents the number one threat of heritage buildings, and that this affects no less than 83% of defined conservation areas (Pickles et al., 2017, p.1). Traditional windows are threatened for many different reasons: they are often completely replaced to improve a building’s energy efficiency, even when simple technical and thermal upgrading options (e.g. draught-proofing, secondary glazing, shutters) would be also feasible at much less cost. Other reasons are safety and security requirements, material decay or the simple wish for change and modernization. […]
Conference paper
(2025)
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M.V. Davalos Quevedo, Alessandra Luna-Navarro, U. Pottgiesser, P. de la Barra Luegmayer, Pablo Martinez Alcaraz
This paper explores the challenge of gathering occupant feedback in real office environments, focusing on the difference between continuous versus one-time questionnaire methods. Continuous feedback methods are valuable for understanding occupant needs, but they can lead to disengagement and fatigue over time, while one-time questionnaires usually focus on one moment in time and they cannot capture changes or trends over time.
A Pre-Occupancy Evaluation (PrOE) was conducted in a German office before a design intervention. This study compares the data obtained from the German office in a one-time and a continuous questionnaire to evaluate their respective benefits and limitation in informing required design solutions for a pilot area. Both a one-time online questionnaire and a continuous feedback system (implemented using QR codes) were used to collect data on occupant (dis)satisfaction with the office design.
The results of this research show different perception on occupant’s satisfaction between the two surveys. Both surveys show congruency in the dissatisfaction with open offices without partitions than in shared enclosed offices. The one-time survey highlights a lowest satisfaction with the availability of personal control, while the continuous survey presents lowest satisfaction with the acoustic privacy. ...
A Pre-Occupancy Evaluation (PrOE) was conducted in a German office before a design intervention. This study compares the data obtained from the German office in a one-time and a continuous questionnaire to evaluate their respective benefits and limitation in informing required design solutions for a pilot area. Both a one-time online questionnaire and a continuous feedback system (implemented using QR codes) were used to collect data on occupant (dis)satisfaction with the office design.
The results of this research show different perception on occupant’s satisfaction between the two surveys. Both surveys show congruency in the dissatisfaction with open offices without partitions than in shared enclosed offices. The one-time survey highlights a lowest satisfaction with the availability of personal control, while the continuous survey presents lowest satisfaction with the acoustic privacy. ...
This paper explores the challenge of gathering occupant feedback in real office environments, focusing on the difference between continuous versus one-time questionnaire methods. Continuous feedback methods are valuable for understanding occupant needs, but they can lead to disengagement and fatigue over time, while one-time questionnaires usually focus on one moment in time and they cannot capture changes or trends over time.
A Pre-Occupancy Evaluation (PrOE) was conducted in a German office before a design intervention. This study compares the data obtained from the German office in a one-time and a continuous questionnaire to evaluate their respective benefits and limitation in informing required design solutions for a pilot area. Both a one-time online questionnaire and a continuous feedback system (implemented using QR codes) were used to collect data on occupant (dis)satisfaction with the office design.
The results of this research show different perception on occupant’s satisfaction between the two surveys. Both surveys show congruency in the dissatisfaction with open offices without partitions than in shared enclosed offices. The one-time survey highlights a lowest satisfaction with the availability of personal control, while the continuous survey presents lowest satisfaction with the acoustic privacy.
A Pre-Occupancy Evaluation (PrOE) was conducted in a German office before a design intervention. This study compares the data obtained from the German office in a one-time and a continuous questionnaire to evaluate their respective benefits and limitation in informing required design solutions for a pilot area. Both a one-time online questionnaire and a continuous feedback system (implemented using QR codes) were used to collect data on occupant (dis)satisfaction with the office design.
The results of this research show different perception on occupant’s satisfaction between the two surveys. Both surveys show congruency in the dissatisfaction with open offices without partitions than in shared enclosed offices. The one-time survey highlights a lowest satisfaction with the availability of personal control, while the continuous survey presents lowest satisfaction with the acoustic privacy.
3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) is an advanced 3D representation method that enhances point clouds by incorporating spectral image content, enabling high-fidelity heritage documentation. A 3DGS visualization presents these enriched Gaussians, ensuring high geometric accuracy, detailed texture representation, and efficient spatial reconstruction, thereby enhancing both precision and efficiency in digital heritage preservation. This paper applies 3DGS to modern architectural heritage, combining UAV-based data acquisition with advanced rendering techniques. Using the Delft University of Technology Aula and Library buildings as case study, the research establishes a workflow for efficient heritage documentation and visualization.
...
3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) is an advanced 3D representation method that enhances point clouds by incorporating spectral image content, enabling high-fidelity heritage documentation. A 3DGS visualization presents these enriched Gaussians, ensuring high geometric accuracy, detailed texture representation, and efficient spatial reconstruction, thereby enhancing both precision and efficiency in digital heritage preservation. This paper applies 3DGS to modern architectural heritage, combining UAV-based data acquisition with advanced rendering techniques. Using the Delft University of Technology Aula and Library buildings as case study, the research establishes a workflow for efficient heritage documentation and visualization.
How digital technologies have been applied for architectural heritage risk management
A systemic literature review from 2014 to 2024
Review
(2025)
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Yingwen Yu, Abeer Abu Raed, Yuyang Peng, Uta Pottgiesser, Edward Verbree, Peter van Oosterom
This systematic literature review critically examines the application of digital technologies in architectural heritage risk management from 2014 to 2024, focusing exclusively on English-language publications. As the significance of architectural heritage continues to be recognized globally, there is an increasing shift towards integrating digital solutions to ensure its preservation and management. This paper explores the evolution and application of digital technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and advanced imaging techniques within the field. It highlights how these technologies have facilitated the non-destructive evaluation of heritage sites and enhanced accessibility and interaction through virtual and augmented reality applications. By synthesizing data from various case studies and scholarly articles, the review identifies current trends and the expanding scope of digital interventions in heritage conservation. It discusses the interplay between traditional conservation approaches and modern technological solutions, providing insights into their complementary roles. The analysis also addresses the challenges and limitations encountered in the digital preservation of architectural heritage, such as data integration, the compatibility of different technologies, and the need for more comprehensive frameworks to guide the implementation of digital tools in heritage conservation practices. Ultimately, this review underscores the transformative impact of digital technology in managing architectural heritage risks, suggesting directions for future research and the potential for innovative applications in the field.
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This systematic literature review critically examines the application of digital technologies in architectural heritage risk management from 2014 to 2024, focusing exclusively on English-language publications. As the significance of architectural heritage continues to be recognized globally, there is an increasing shift towards integrating digital solutions to ensure its preservation and management. This paper explores the evolution and application of digital technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and advanced imaging techniques within the field. It highlights how these technologies have facilitated the non-destructive evaluation of heritage sites and enhanced accessibility and interaction through virtual and augmented reality applications. By synthesizing data from various case studies and scholarly articles, the review identifies current trends and the expanding scope of digital interventions in heritage conservation. It discusses the interplay between traditional conservation approaches and modern technological solutions, providing insights into their complementary roles. The analysis also addresses the challenges and limitations encountered in the digital preservation of architectural heritage, such as data integration, the compatibility of different technologies, and the need for more comprehensive frameworks to guide the implementation of digital tools in heritage conservation practices. Ultimately, this review underscores the transformative impact of digital technology in managing architectural heritage risks, suggesting directions for future research and the potential for innovative applications in the field.
A Systematic Review of the 15-Minute City Concept
Indicators for Urban Liveability and Sustainability
Urban transformation and urban preservation are often seen as contradicting goals. Currently, there is no agreed-upon strategy on how to transform historic parts of the city while maintaining their heritage values. Many cities today are characterised by modern 20th-century heritage, yet it poses a challenge to their liveability and to the adoption of less car-dependent lifestyles. The concept of 15-minute cities can be used to improve urban liveability, which may positively affect the experience and functionality of modern historic urban landscapes (HUL). A review of the existing literature on the 15-minute city concept was carried out with the aim of identifying its key indicators and proposing possible new ones. This research primarily explores how the 15-minute city concept can be applied holistically and efficiently in modern heritage. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 20 articles published after the introduction of the concept and meeting the inclusion criteria in the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases were reviewed. Selected examples and case studies are analysed to contextualise these variables and explore how they can be reflected in modern historic urban landscapes. As a result, the following variables are identified as central to the 15-minute city concept: mobility, time, distance, speed, functions of the amenities each with their associated indicators. Moreover, spatial characteristics, human-centred factors and heritage values are proposed as variables. The results are expected to give insights into how to operationalise the concept of 15-minute cities in modern sites of historic urban landscapes, in order to improve liveability while simultaneously preserving its values. This research contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting walkable, climate-resilient neighbourhoods. In particular, it aligns with SDG Target 11.4, which focuses on cultural and natural heritage.
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Urban transformation and urban preservation are often seen as contradicting goals. Currently, there is no agreed-upon strategy on how to transform historic parts of the city while maintaining their heritage values. Many cities today are characterised by modern 20th-century heritage, yet it poses a challenge to their liveability and to the adoption of less car-dependent lifestyles. The concept of 15-minute cities can be used to improve urban liveability, which may positively affect the experience and functionality of modern historic urban landscapes (HUL). A review of the existing literature on the 15-minute city concept was carried out with the aim of identifying its key indicators and proposing possible new ones. This research primarily explores how the 15-minute city concept can be applied holistically and efficiently in modern heritage. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 20 articles published after the introduction of the concept and meeting the inclusion criteria in the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases were reviewed. Selected examples and case studies are analysed to contextualise these variables and explore how they can be reflected in modern historic urban landscapes. As a result, the following variables are identified as central to the 15-minute city concept: mobility, time, distance, speed, functions of the amenities each with their associated indicators. Moreover, spatial characteristics, human-centred factors and heritage values are proposed as variables. The results are expected to give insights into how to operationalise the concept of 15-minute cities in modern sites of historic urban landscapes, in order to improve liveability while simultaneously preserving its values. This research contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting walkable, climate-resilient neighbourhoods. In particular, it aligns with SDG Target 11.4, which focuses on cultural and natural heritage.
Review
(2025)
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María Victoria Dávalos Quevedo, Alessandra Luna-Navarro, Uta Pottgiesser, Ulrich Blum
Occupant satisfaction in office spaces is a critical factor influencing occupant’s productivity, satisfaction and overall workplace experience. This systematic review examines the methodologies and approaches used to assess occupant satisfaction with office space design, identifying key evaluation tools and research trends. The study explores the extent to which existing methodologies integrate environmental, spatial and design factors to provide a comprehensive understanding of user experience. Additionally, it highlights the limitations in current assessment tools, including the lack of standardised frameworks for capturing occupant feedback at different stages of the design process. The findings suggest a growing shift towards data-driven and real-time feedback mechanisms to enhance workplace adaptability. By synthesising existing research, this review aims to provide insights for designers, facility managers and policymakers to refine evaluation methods and integrate occupant-centric strategies into office space planning.
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Occupant satisfaction in office spaces is a critical factor influencing occupant’s productivity, satisfaction and overall workplace experience. This systematic review examines the methodologies and approaches used to assess occupant satisfaction with office space design, identifying key evaluation tools and research trends. The study explores the extent to which existing methodologies integrate environmental, spatial and design factors to provide a comprehensive understanding of user experience. Additionally, it highlights the limitations in current assessment tools, including the lack of standardised frameworks for capturing occupant feedback at different stages of the design process. The findings suggest a growing shift towards data-driven and real-time feedback mechanisms to enhance workplace adaptability. By synthesising existing research, this review aims to provide insights for designers, facility managers and policymakers to refine evaluation methods and integrate occupant-centric strategies into office space planning.
The idea for this special issue was born during the Imperfect Modernism conference in a discussion with the guest editors Liutauras Nekrošius and Kateryna Didenko. Held in Vilnius in May 2024 and organized by the guest editors of this special issue, the conference brought together scholars, architects, and experts in heritage preservation from Canada, Cyprus, Eritrea, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Ukraine. A wide range of issues was discussed, highlighting the uniqueness of regional adaptations in conservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the Modern Movement shaped by each country’s political, economic, and socio-cultural factors, while also revealing shared patterns.
Turning to the discussion on the concept of Modernism, it is worth noting that different manifestations and perceptions of modernist heritage have evolved throughout the 20th and 21st centuries across diverse contexts and value systems. Scholarly debates, conservation practices, international initiatives, and local experience have shaped the concept as layered and flexible, now encompassing not only doctrinal modernist works and interpretations but a broader spectrum of modernities. [...] ...
Turning to the discussion on the concept of Modernism, it is worth noting that different manifestations and perceptions of modernist heritage have evolved throughout the 20th and 21st centuries across diverse contexts and value systems. Scholarly debates, conservation practices, international initiatives, and local experience have shaped the concept as layered and flexible, now encompassing not only doctrinal modernist works and interpretations but a broader spectrum of modernities. [...] ...
The idea for this special issue was born during the Imperfect Modernism conference in a discussion with the guest editors Liutauras Nekrošius and Kateryna Didenko. Held in Vilnius in May 2024 and organized by the guest editors of this special issue, the conference brought together scholars, architects, and experts in heritage preservation from Canada, Cyprus, Eritrea, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Ukraine. A wide range of issues was discussed, highlighting the uniqueness of regional adaptations in conservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the Modern Movement shaped by each country’s political, economic, and socio-cultural factors, while also revealing shared patterns.
Turning to the discussion on the concept of Modernism, it is worth noting that different manifestations and perceptions of modernist heritage have evolved throughout the 20th and 21st centuries across diverse contexts and value systems. Scholarly debates, conservation practices, international initiatives, and local experience have shaped the concept as layered and flexible, now encompassing not only doctrinal modernist works and interpretations but a broader spectrum of modernities. [...]
Turning to the discussion on the concept of Modernism, it is worth noting that different manifestations and perceptions of modernist heritage have evolved throughout the 20th and 21st centuries across diverse contexts and value systems. Scholarly debates, conservation practices, international initiatives, and local experience have shaped the concept as layered and flexible, now encompassing not only doctrinal modernist works and interpretations but a broader spectrum of modernities. [...]
This research investigates how community participation can be enhanced to support the sustainable reconstruction of residential heritage in the Old City of Aleppo. In the aftermath of the Syrian war, reconstruction interventions on traditional courtyard houses have been affected by several issues, such as a lack of knowledge among junior architects and craftsmen (regarding houses’ conditions, relevant regulations, and residents’ needs), and limited residents’ participation in decision-making processes. Drawing on international experiences in similar post-war contexts that highlight the role of education and a participatory approach as critical components for sustainable reconstruction efforts. This research conducts a comparative analysis of several international capacity-building and co-creation initiatives to identify effective methods of stakeholder engagement. Building on these findings, the study proposes an education programme tailored to the socio-cultural and regulatory context of the Old City of Aleppo. The proposed programme integrates academic knowledge with community perspectives using validated teaching and participatory methods, such as photovoice, walkthrough, and lectures etc., within a co-creation framework. It aims to raise awareness, build capacity, and enable residents through participation in all phases of the programme: co-diagnostic, co-design, co-implementation and co-monitoring. This way, residents are empowered to play an active role in interventions on residential heritage and to align these interventions with their needs and current regulations. Thus, the research presents a scalable model for cultural and socially sustainable residential heritage reconstruction.
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This research investigates how community participation can be enhanced to support the sustainable reconstruction of residential heritage in the Old City of Aleppo. In the aftermath of the Syrian war, reconstruction interventions on traditional courtyard houses have been affected by several issues, such as a lack of knowledge among junior architects and craftsmen (regarding houses’ conditions, relevant regulations, and residents’ needs), and limited residents’ participation in decision-making processes. Drawing on international experiences in similar post-war contexts that highlight the role of education and a participatory approach as critical components for sustainable reconstruction efforts. This research conducts a comparative analysis of several international capacity-building and co-creation initiatives to identify effective methods of stakeholder engagement. Building on these findings, the study proposes an education programme tailored to the socio-cultural and regulatory context of the Old City of Aleppo. The proposed programme integrates academic knowledge with community perspectives using validated teaching and participatory methods, such as photovoice, walkthrough, and lectures etc., within a co-creation framework. It aims to raise awareness, build capacity, and enable residents through participation in all phases of the programme: co-diagnostic, co-design, co-implementation and co-monitoring. This way, residents are empowered to play an active role in interventions on residential heritage and to align these interventions with their needs and current regulations. Thus, the research presents a scalable model for cultural and socially sustainable residential heritage reconstruction.
Preserving Modern Heritage in the Emirate of Dubai
A Digital Documentation and Semantic HBIM Approach
The rapid urbanization and technological advancements in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have placed its modern architectural heritage from the 1970s and 1980s at increasing risk of being unrecognized and lost, particularly in Dubai following the discovery of oil. This research addresses the critical need for the documentation and heritage representation of Dubai’s modern heritage, a city undergoing rapid transformation within a globalized urban landscape. Focusing on the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building (Toyota Building), an iconic early 1970s residential high-rise representing the modern architecture of Dubai and a significant milestone in its architectural history, this study explores a replicable and cost-effective approach to digitally document and conserve urban heritage under threat. The existing building was meticulously documented and analyzed to highlight its enduring value within the fast-changing urban fabric. Through the innovative combination of drone photography, ground-based photography, and HBIM, a high-resolution 3D model and a semantically organized HBIM prototype were generated. This research demonstrates a replicable measure for identifying architectural values, understanding modernist design typologies, and raising local community awareness about Dubai’s modern heritage. Ultimately, this study contributes toward developing recognition criteria and guiding efforts in documenting modern high-rise buildings as vital heritage worthy of recognition, documentation, and future conservation in the UAE.
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The rapid urbanization and technological advancements in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have placed its modern architectural heritage from the 1970s and 1980s at increasing risk of being unrecognized and lost, particularly in Dubai following the discovery of oil. This research addresses the critical need for the documentation and heritage representation of Dubai’s modern heritage, a city undergoing rapid transformation within a globalized urban landscape. Focusing on the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building (Toyota Building), an iconic early 1970s residential high-rise representing the modern architecture of Dubai and a significant milestone in its architectural history, this study explores a replicable and cost-effective approach to digitally document and conserve urban heritage under threat. The existing building was meticulously documented and analyzed to highlight its enduring value within the fast-changing urban fabric. Through the innovative combination of drone photography, ground-based photography, and HBIM, a high-resolution 3D model and a semantically organized HBIM prototype were generated. This research demonstrates a replicable measure for identifying architectural values, understanding modernist design typologies, and raising local community awareness about Dubai’s modern heritage. Ultimately, this study contributes toward developing recognition criteria and guiding efforts in documenting modern high-rise buildings as vital heritage worthy of recognition, documentation, and future conservation in the UAE.
Urban green spaces, self-rated air pollution and health
A sensitivity analysis of green space characteristics and proximity in four European cities
Journal article
(2024)
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Marcel Cardinali, Mariëlle A. Beenackers, Arjan van Timmeren, Uta Pottgiesser
Exploring the influence of green space characteristics and proximity on health via air pollution mitigation, our study analysed data from 1,365 participants across Porto, Nantes, Sofia, and Høje-Taastrup. Utilizing OpenStreetMap and the AID-PRIGSHARE tool, we generated nine green space indicators around residential addresses at 15 distances, ranging from 100m to 1500m. We performed a mediation analysis for these 135 green space variables and revealed significant associations between self-rated air pollution and self-rated health for specific green space characteristics. In our study, indirect positive effects on health via air pollution were mainly associated with green corridors in intermediate Euclidean distances (800-1,000m) and the amount of accessible green spaces in larger network distances (1,400–1,500m). Our results suggest that the amount of connected green spaces measured in intermediate surroundings seems to be a prime green space characteristic that could drive the air pollution mitigation pathway to health.
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Exploring the influence of green space characteristics and proximity on health via air pollution mitigation, our study analysed data from 1,365 participants across Porto, Nantes, Sofia, and Høje-Taastrup. Utilizing OpenStreetMap and the AID-PRIGSHARE tool, we generated nine green space indicators around residential addresses at 15 distances, ranging from 100m to 1500m. We performed a mediation analysis for these 135 green space variables and revealed significant associations between self-rated air pollution and self-rated health for specific green space characteristics. In our study, indirect positive effects on health via air pollution were mainly associated with green corridors in intermediate Euclidean distances (800-1,000m) and the amount of accessible green spaces in larger network distances (1,400–1,500m). Our results suggest that the amount of connected green spaces measured in intermediate surroundings seems to be a prime green space characteristic that could drive the air pollution mitigation pathway to health.
The relation between proximity to and characteristics of green spaces to physical activity and health
A multi-dimensional sensitivity analysis in four European cities
Journal article
(2024)
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Marcel Cardinali, Mariëlle A. Beenackers, Arjan van Timmeren, Uta Pottgiesser
Introduction: Non-communicable diseases are the global disease burden of our time, with physical inactivity identified as one major risk factor. Green spaces are associated with increased physical activity of nearby residents. But there are still gaps in understanding which proximity and what characteristics of green spaces can trigger physical activity. This study aims to unveil these differences with a rigorous sensitivity analysis. Methods: We gathered data on self-reported health and physical activity from 1365 participants in selected neighbourhoods in Porto, Nantes, Sofia, and Høje-Taastrup. Spatial data were retrieved from OpenStreetMap. We followed the PRIGSHARE guidelines to control for bias. Around the residential addresses, we generated seven different green space indicators for 15 distances (100–1500 m) using the AID-PRIGSHARE tool. We then analysed each of these 105 green space indicators together with physical activity and health in 105 adjusted structural equation models. Results: Green space accessibility and green space uses indicators showed a pattern of significant positive associations to physical activity and indirect to health at distances of 1100 m or less, with a peak at 600 m for most indicators. Greenness in close proximity (100 m) had significant positive effects on physical activity and indirect effects on health. Surrounding greenness showed positive direct effects on health at 500–1100 m and so do green corridors in 800 m network distance. In contrast, a high quantity of green space uses, and surrounding greenness measured in a larger radius (1100–1500 m) showed a negative relationship with physical activity and indirect health effects. Conclusions: Our results provide insight into how green space characteristics can influence health at different scales, with important implications for urban planners on how to integrate accessible green spaces into urban structures and public health decision-makers on the ability of green spaces to combat physical inactivity.
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Introduction: Non-communicable diseases are the global disease burden of our time, with physical inactivity identified as one major risk factor. Green spaces are associated with increased physical activity of nearby residents. But there are still gaps in understanding which proximity and what characteristics of green spaces can trigger physical activity. This study aims to unveil these differences with a rigorous sensitivity analysis. Methods: We gathered data on self-reported health and physical activity from 1365 participants in selected neighbourhoods in Porto, Nantes, Sofia, and Høje-Taastrup. Spatial data were retrieved from OpenStreetMap. We followed the PRIGSHARE guidelines to control for bias. Around the residential addresses, we generated seven different green space indicators for 15 distances (100–1500 m) using the AID-PRIGSHARE tool. We then analysed each of these 105 green space indicators together with physical activity and health in 105 adjusted structural equation models. Results: Green space accessibility and green space uses indicators showed a pattern of significant positive associations to physical activity and indirect to health at distances of 1100 m or less, with a peak at 600 m for most indicators. Greenness in close proximity (100 m) had significant positive effects on physical activity and indirect effects on health. Surrounding greenness showed positive direct effects on health at 500–1100 m and so do green corridors in 800 m network distance. In contrast, a high quantity of green space uses, and surrounding greenness measured in a larger radius (1100–1500 m) showed a negative relationship with physical activity and indirect health effects. Conclusions: Our results provide insight into how green space characteristics can influence health at different scales, with important implications for urban planners on how to integrate accessible green spaces into urban structures and public health decision-makers on the ability of green spaces to combat physical inactivity.
The conference “Conventional to Experimental—Mass Housing and Prefabrication” on which this volume is based was hosted by the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, DOCOMOMO Israel, DOCOMOMO Germany, and the EU COST-Action Middle Class Mass Housing (MCMH-EU) and held online on June 14 and 15, 2021. Mass housing and prefabrication are both recurring themes in architectural academic research and discourse, as well as prominent subjects in the daily debates on housing shortages and possible solutions for providing affordable and quality lodging in the near term. Today, the connection between prefabrication—a field of engineering— and mass housing worldwide is as real as it was in the early days of the modern movement in the interwar period. As early as in the 1920s, prefabrication was one of the solutions proposed by modern architects to answer the housing shortage and to provide affordable homes in Europe after World War I.
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The conference “Conventional to Experimental—Mass Housing and Prefabrication” on which this volume is based was hosted by the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, DOCOMOMO Israel, DOCOMOMO Germany, and the EU COST-Action Middle Class Mass Housing (MCMH-EU) and held online on June 14 and 15, 2021. Mass housing and prefabrication are both recurring themes in architectural academic research and discourse, as well as prominent subjects in the daily debates on housing shortages and possible solutions for providing affordable and quality lodging in the near term. Today, the connection between prefabrication—a field of engineering— and mass housing worldwide is as real as it was in the early days of the modern movement in the interwar period. As early as in the 1920s, prefabrication was one of the solutions proposed by modern architects to answer the housing shortage and to provide affordable homes in Europe after World War I.