All elements of heritage are exposed to more or less predictable risks. Even though they are in a good state of conservation with economic support for their repair or maintenance, they can suffer sudden accidents leading to their imminent destruction. It is therefore necessary to safeguard them in all scenarios, regardless of the respective scale or state of conservation. That process must at least be based on complete and accurate 3D digitisation. The evolution of devices, software/hardware and platforms nowadays allows such information to be gathered in a sustainable manner. Various existing resources were tried and compared at several heritage sites of different scales with dissimilar risk and protection, following the guidelines of different ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) committees. Each case study addresses the choice of digitisation techniques and the characteristics of the end product obtained. The most suitable modality for each situation is analysed, depending on different factors such as accessibility and risks faced. Although the 3D laser scanner is clearly a very fast and very accurate resource, automated photogrammetry is one of the more accessible and affordable resources; along with the potential of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), this enables the digitisation to be sustainably completed.

Globalization has profoundly impacted architecture by promoting urban homogenization, where global styles and materials overshadow local character. This shift prioritizes standardized functionality and energy efficiency over cultural identity, erasing regional architectural distinctiveness. In historical urban centers, globalization-driven interventions—such as ventilated facades or external thermal insulation systems (ETISs)—often simplify original compositions and alter building materiality, texture, and color. The Ensanche of San Sebastián serves as a case study highlighting this issue. Despite its architectural richness, which includes neoclassical and modernist buildings primarily constructed with sandstone from the Igeldo quarry, unprotected buildings are at risk of unsympathetic renovations. Such changes can distort the identity of what is considered “everyday heritage”, encompassing the residential buildings and public spaces that shape the collective memory of cities. This study presents a replicable methodology for assessing the vulnerability of buildings to facade interventions. By utilizing tools like digital twins, point cloud modeling, and typological analysis, the research establishes criteria for interventions aimed at preserving architectural values. It emphasizes the importance of collaborative efforts with urban planning authorities and public awareness campaigns to safeguard heritage. Ultimately, protecting architectural identity requires balancing the goals of energy efficiency with cultural preservation. This approach ensures that urban landscapes maintain their historical and social significance amidst globalization pressures.

The aim of the study is to obtain fast digitalization of large urban settings. The data of two university campuses in two cities in northern Spain was captured. Challenges were imposed by the lockdown situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited mobility and affected the field work for data readings. The idea was to significantly reduce time spent in the field, using a number of resources, and increasing efficiency as economically as possible. The research design is based on the Design Science Research (DSR) concept as a methodological approach to design the solutions generated by means of 3D models. The digitalization of the campuses is based on the analysis, evolution and optimization of LiDAR ALS points clouds captured by government bodies, which are open access and free. Additional TLS capture techniques were used to complement the clouds, with the study of support of UAV-assisted automated photogrammetric techniques. The results show that with points clouds overlapped with 360 images, produced with a combination of resources and techniques, it was possible to reduce the on-site working time by more than two thirds.

The implementation of energy efficiency improvements in facades, such as ventilated facades or External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS), is leading to a widespread modification of these structures. The lack of appropriate regulations to curb the destruction of the built heritage, particularly in historical centers, has been identified. In response to this issue, a project has been developed to create a prototype for determining regulations for facade interventions. The Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) has been employed in the development of the prototype, which has been tested in a case study of the ensemble formed by the Cortázar and Oriental expansion areas in San Sebastián. The initial prototype has been outlined, corrected, and improved in an iterative process, resulting in a final prototype that enables a faster, more rigorous, and efficient understanding, characterization, classification, study, and definition of intervention criteria, measuring the vulnerability of buildings to these interventions quantitatively. In this study, the vulnerability is defined as the risk that a facade will alter the characteristics of its architectural style and distort the reading of streetscapes that belong to a period with a clearly defined character. The case study results have been compiled into intervention criteria sheets for each of the studied buildings. This material has been presented to the relevant public authorities, with the hope that it may lead to a modification of current legislation, thereby helping to curb the loss of architectural heritage identity.

The renovation of façades to improve energy efficiency has led to rapid and unregulated change in the landscape of cities. A loss of identity is occurring in urban centres, with previously unknown materials, textures and colours distorting the composition and style of buildings and their respective façade surfacing. This article considers the graphic research conducted to create a pilot system that encourages consistency in façade interventions. Modelling and rendering techniques can generate scenarios to test the consequences of certain regulations. Those graphic techniques were accordingly used to view different regulatory proposals applied to façades. More comparative decision-making based on realistic images is hence achieved, using graphic expression as a decision-making mechanism in urban planning.