The built heritage as a resource for architectural education: documentation of the vernacular settlements and architecture in Oman

Abstract

PurposeThrough a project of cooperation between the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), a team including faculty members, technicians and students from the SQU department of civil and architectural engineering (CAE), was involved in the project of documentation, survey and the development of management plans of four (4) Omani Vernacular settlements (Harat). Such an experience was meant to initiate students from different levels in undergraduate programs of civil and architectural engineering to the fieldwork and professional practice in the field of built heritage studies. The present research aims to explore the effect of such an experience on the learning process and skills acquired by the involved students.Design/methodology/approachThe research was undertaken with students of CAE undergraduate programs at SQU. The documentation method has been implemented in 4 different settlements with the same students. A questionnaire has been administered to the participating students after their graduation to collect their feedback regarding the benefits of this experience on their education and skills development. The data was complemented by active observation and semi-directive interviews with some students randomly selected among the respondents to the questionnaire.FindingsThe outcome of each documentation campaign as well as the results of the questionnaires administered revealed that this experience has raised students' awareness about the importance of studying the built heritage and safeguarding it. The research has shown that important soft skills, such as team-working, leadership and communication, have been consolidated. It has also revealed that this experience was an opportunity for students to discover the variety of options within the profession of architecture and its intellectual and ethical responsibilities. Such aspects are hardly grasped when taught within a “classical” teaching/learning setting.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitations of this research were the hard working conditions during the summer in Oman and the direct interaction of the students with the buildings. Even cautious, such interaction represents a risk for an already fragile heritage.Practical implicationsThe paper includes a detailed description of the architectural documentation tools and methods used in the case studies. These tools and methods can easily be applicable, with slight adaptations, in other architectural documentation projects involving undergraduate students. The documentation methodology and the generated corpus of 3D digital models can be used in other documentation projects and further studies such as architectural typologies, bioclimatic properties, natural ventilation patterns, daylight performance, etc.Originality/valueThis paper reports on the outcomes of the first experience of its kind in Oman and the Gulf region, where undergraduate students (predominantly females) were involved in an interdisciplinary project for the documentation of important vernacular settlements and their buildings. The added value of this research is that its methodology can be a reference for professors of Architecture and related specialties aiming to integrate research and field work with education.

Establishing the potential for the application of digital storytelling to support Chinese industrial heritage

“…In 2020, the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region (WHITRAP) proposed that the value of industrial heritage history should be deeply explored given the value of combining technological innovation and cultural education (Benkari, 2022). Meanwhile, SDG 4-sub goals encourages stakeholders to "utilize heritage as a source of creativity and innovation to shrink achievement by making learning meaningful and relatable to cultural contexts."…”

“…Digital heritage protection activities also enable heritage education and tourism development (Tzima et al, 2020). Benkari (2022) has shown how a digital documentation resource can support education in built hetitage. Virtual heritage, as a part of Digital Heritage, represents an extension of social science and information and communication technology, which improves the accessibility and recognition of cultural heritage (Brown et al, 2020) and contributes to the methodological and interpretive reconstruction of relevant academic research (Zhao, 2014).…”