Adaptive cultural mediation through HBIM and VR: enhancing personalized experiences via thematic data structuring

Abstract. The mediation of architectural heritage has gained prominence in cultural and historical research, particularly through advancements in technologies like Historic Building Information Modeling (HBIM) and Extended Reality (XR). While these technologies have been extensively explored individually, their combined application for cultural mediation remains under examined. This paper presents a new concept of Adaptive Cultural Mediation (ACM), integrating HBIM and XR to create an interactive, user-specific mediation environment. ACM enables users to filter information based on interests, such as architectural elements or historical context, providing an immersive, personalized experience. Our approach is exemplified through a virtual model of the Mosque Al-Quaraouiyine in Fez, Morocco, where 3D scanning and HBIM modelling capture architectural details and historical annotations. MongoDB, a NoSQL database, supports the integration of multimedia content and user preferences, structured around thematic filters for real-time adaptability. This setup, powered by Unity in a VR environment, facilitates dynamic content retrieval, enhancing user engagement by aligning information display with selected themes. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of combining HBIM with NoSQL databases in XR environments, displaying how adaptive cultural mediation can transform heritage site exploration into an engaging, context-rich experience.