Heritage Conservation and Cultural Preservation

Agile digitization for historic architecture using 360° capture, deep learning, and virtual reality

Farzan Baradaran Rahimi, Claude M.H. Demers, Mohammad Reza Karimi Dastjerdi, Jean-François Lalonde

Published 2025

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📄 Paper
The agile digitization of historic buildings is becoming increasingly critical for preservation, conservation, and maintenance in response to climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and other threats of destruction. This paper explores whether deep learning-based novel-view synthesis, combined with commercial 360° cameras and standalone virtual reality headsets, can streamline the digitization process for historic architecture. A case study of a historic interior in Québec, Canada, is used to evaluate the method's capacity to enhance agility, accuracy, and efficiency. The findings demonstrate that this approach significantly reduces complexity, labor, cost, and time while improving precision and workflow. These outcomes offer particular value to heritage experts, building engineers, and creative professionals seeking practical tools for agile digitization of historic architecture. By advancing digitization methods, this study also inspires future research into the broader applications of deep learning and immersive technologies for cultural heritage preservation.

Abstract

The agile digitization of historic buildings is becoming increasingly critical for preservation, conservation, and maintenance in response to climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and other threats of destruction. This paper explores whether deep learning-based novel-view synthesis, combined with commercial 360° cameras and standalone virtual reality headsets, can streamline the digitization process for historic architecture. A case study of a historic interior in Québec, Canada, is used to evaluate the method's capacity to enhance agility, accuracy, and efficiency. The findings demonstrate that this approach significantly reduces complexity, labor, cost, and time while improving precision and workflow. These outcomes offer particular value to heritage experts, building engineers, and creative professionals seeking practical tools for agile digitization of historic architecture. By advancing digitization methods, this study also inspires future research into the broader applications of deep learning and immersive technologies for cultural heritage preservation.

Topics

2D floor plan3D Reconstruction3D floor plan3D scanningAR cultural experiencesCase StudyDigital Documentation and ArchivingHeritage BIMPredictive Conservation and Risk AssessmentVirtual Reality Experiences and Educationconservation AIcultural heritage VRdigital archivesdigital twinsheritage digitizationmuseum VRphotogrammetrypoint cloudsscene interaction

Cite this paper

@article{7240a790,
title = {Agile digitization for historic architecture using 360° capture, deep learning, and virtual reality},
journal = {Automation in Construction},
volume = {171},
pages = {105986},
year = {2025},
issn = {0926-5805},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2025.105986},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926580525000263},
author = {Farzan {Baradaran Rahimi} and Claude M.H. Demers and Mohammad Reza {Karimi Dastjerdi} and Jean-François Lalonde},
keywords = {Architecture, 360° capture, Deep learning, Virtual reality, Agile methodologies, Cultural heritage, Digitization},
abstract = {The agile digitization of historic buildings is becoming increasingly critical for preservation, conservation, and maintenance in response to climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and other threats of destruction. This paper explores whether deep learning-based novel-view synthesis, combined with commercial 360° cameras and standalone virtual reality headsets, can streamline the digitization process for historic architecture. A case study of a historic interior in Québec, Canada, is used to evaluate the method's capacity to enhance agility, accuracy, and efficiency. The findings demonstrate that this approach significantly reduces complexity, labor, cost, and time while improving precision and workflow. These outcomes offer particular value to heritage experts, building engineers, and creative professionals seeking practical tools for agile digitization of historic architecture. By advancing digitization methods, this study also inspires future research into the broader applications of deep learning and immersive technologies for cultural heritage preservation.}
}