From Heritage Documentation to Adaptive Reuse: Assessing HBIM as a Pedagogical Tool in Architectural Education

Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) has emerged as a powerful methodology for documenting, analysing, and managing historic buildings. However, its pedagogical potential in teaching adaptive reuse and heritage-sensitive design remains underexplored, particularly in postgraduate architectural education. This study evaluates a pedagogical HBIM framework implemented in a master’s-level course, where students applied HBIM methodologies to propose adaptive reuse interventions for a historic building in Jeddah Historic District, Saudi Arabia. Student design projects were analysed to assess how HBIM informed documentation accuracy, heritage value interpretation, and design decision-making. In addition, a retrospective questionnaire was administered to former students to evaluate the long-term educational effectiveness of the HBIM-based methodology, focusing on learning quality, design comprehension, and professional preparedness. The results indicate that HBIM significantly enhanced students’ understanding of historic fabric, improved their ability to propose context-sensitive reuse strategies, and supported more informed and evidence-based design decisions. Survey findings further demonstrate the high perceived value of HBIM in architectural education, particularly in linking theoretical knowledge with real-world heritage challenges. This research contributes a validated educational framework for integrating HBIM into adaptive reuse curricula and provides evidence-based insights applicable to heritage education and professional practice.