The digital documentation of complex architectural heritage requires integrated workflows capable of combining metric accuracy, geometric interpretation, semantic modelling, and accessible forms of visualization. This paper presents a reproducible Scan-to-HBIM workflow for the documentation and dissemination of the “Holy Trinity” in Popoli, Italy, a Baroque building characterized by a central plan, a shallow spherical-cap dome, rich decorative surfaces, and indoor–outdoor survey constraints. The methodology integrates static terrestrial laser scanning and UAV photogrammetry to generate a complete and metrically reliable point cloud, which is then used to support geometric analysis, HBIM modelling, and immersive visualization. Particular attention is given to the dome, whose surveyed geometry is compared with an idealized spherical-cap model in order to assess its regularity, identify deviations from the theoretical form, and guide the modelling abstraction. The resulting HBIM model is structured through levels, sections, geometric primitives, and customized BIM families, and is exported in interoperable formats for visualization and information management. Two complementary dissemination strategies are also examined: a virtual tour based on equirectangular panoramic images acquired during the laser scanning survey, and a BIM-based virtual reality environment enabling interaction with semantic building components. The results demonstrate that the proposed workflow supports accurate documentation, geometric understanding, and accessible communication of complex heritage architecture, providing a useful framework for conservation, management, and public dissemination.
This research aims to address the gap in understanding by exploring the structural components that promote vitality in the public spaces of residential complexes in Tehran, Iran, with a focus on physical, behavioral, and semantic factors. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines both quantitative and qualitative research, the study gathered data through structured questionnaires from housing experts. The study adopts a normative, expert-based approach to evaluate the determinants of residential vitality rather than measuring residents' perceptions or lived experiences. The sample consisted of 500 experts selected via snowball sampling, ensuring adequate sample representation as confirmed by the KMO test. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were verified using Cronbach's alpha and model fit indices. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and path analysis using SPSS and AMOS software. The results show that physical factors have a significant impact on residents' vitality, with mobility serving as a mediating factor. Path analysis identified three key relationships within the structural model: physical attributes, mediated by mobility variables, enhance residents’ vitality; behavioral patterns, also mediated by mobility, contribute to increased vitality; and perceptual-semantic values, representing the dependent dimension of vitality, are significantly influenced by physical factors. Among the physical factors, integrity plays the most important role in enhancing residents' vitality. Mobility, encompassing physical, behavioral, and semantic dimensions, is essential for promoting vitality. Notably, collectivism was identified as one of the most influential determinants of vitality.
Alexandria's waterfront promenade (Corniche) has experienced extensive redevelopment through large-scale construction and privatization, transforming the spatial and social character of one of the city's most significant public spaces. While these interventions aim to modernize the waterfront, their implications for public accessibility, social interaction, and everyday waterfront activities remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates the effects of ongoing urban transformation through a comparative mixed-methods case study of the Sidi Gaber and Cleopatra promenades. Data were collected through structured user surveys (N = 200), field observations, behavioral mapping, spatial analysis, and photographic documentation. The findings reveal significant differences in the performance of the two waterfront segments. At Sidi Gaber, where construction activities were ongoing, 82
Cultural heritage is of great importance and requires precision and methodology in its reconstruction. The traditional houses in the Old City of Mosul are primary examples of the city’s architectural heritage. It is characterized by its uniqueness and elegance, centered around an inner courtyard, and possesses a unique architectural identity and rich spatial composition. This identity has rapidly begun to fade due to urban transformations and ongoing conflicts in the region. This study applies standard shape grammar, a formal design language, to decode traditional Mosul houses, focusing on formal and syntactic (topological) relationships via Euclidean transformations. A sample of 12 traditional house plans was analyzed, yielding 22 generative rules across five design phases. To assess the validity of these rules, five new house designs and three hybrid designs were generated and evaluated using a structured questionnaire administered to 40 academic architects from the University of Mosul to examine the similarities and differences between the newly generated designs and the original houses. The results confirm that standard shape grammars can effectively encode, reproduce, and expand the design logic of traditional houses in Mosul, providing a methodological tool for reconstructing the spirit of heritage in a contemporary style.
The paper addresses the need for a procedure to complement mainstream global-scale metrics with a localised assessment of building material-generated local-scale impacts by first proposing a novel definition of Collateral Landscapes (CLs) to frame localised impacts within global manufacturing processes. Secondly, it proposes the Collateral Landscapes Impact Assessment Tool (CLIAT), which, at present, focuses on extractive activities and is primarily intended for planners and decision-makers to conduct preliminary assessments and prioritise and guide recovery operations. To establish measurable CLIAT parameters, eight Local Impact Categories were identified by grouping systematically reviewed local-scale indicators. Three of them (Visual Impact, Local Biodiversity Impact, and Local Water Footprint) were selected for the first CLIAT implementation and translated into three corresponding subindices. Each subindex relies on Potential Impact Indicators, which quantify the direct and indirect pressures exerted by an extractive activity, and Local Vulnerability Factors, which contextualise these pressures based on the territory’s specific susceptibility. Such parameters are computed through spatial data in a GIS environment. In addition to numerical values, the methodology’s output includes maps and multilayered diagrams. Furthermore, image atlases provide a human-eye perspective on the potentially exposed species and affected landscapes. The methodology is tested on six quarries of coloured marble located in Northern Italy, a territory characterised by high anthropogenic pressure. The application of the CLIAT tool enables the establishment of impact scores for each quarry and the categorisation of them into three impact profiles: high-impact (Quarry 5); an intermediate cluster (Q2, 3, 4, 6); and a lower-impact site (Q1). Such results show the tool’s ability to quickly prioritise recovery or impact-mitigation measures across a pool of extractive sites. To assess the methodology’s reliability, the Visual Impact subindex underwent a validation procedure showing a strong correlation between questionnaire scores and tool results, while the reliability of the whole tool’s scoring methodology was assessed through an uncertainty and sensitivity analysis that systematically perturbed raw data, weighting schemes, and aggregation rules, which provided evidence of CLIAT’s robustness.
