Architectural History and Sustainable Architectural Heritage Education: Digitalisation of Heritage in New Zealand

Abstract

Over the last few decades, a significant amount of literature on the preservation and adaptive reuse of historical buildings has been published. More recently, the use of digital technologies in heritage projects and academic research has become increasingly topical worldwide. However, the topic of architectural education and the teaching of architectural history in relation to heritage is less discussed. This paper contributes to this relevant and necessary topic that has not received much attention in academia so far, and presents a case study—a real-life heritage project to teach architectural history in higher education. The methodology applied in this case study is based on the digital methods of heritage surveying. The paper explains the methodology process and illustrates the key tasks across three project phases of a Scan to BIM/Capture to CAD methodology: methods and activities developed with the students, from building survey, data processing, development of BIM models, etc. The aim of the paper is to analyse the positive contribution for the teaching curriculum and the benefits for community and industry. The paper is a reflective narrative piece and seeks to share useful tools and strategies to make educational use of a heritage building and its resources as one way of teaching architectural history and heritage today.