Digital Immersion Technology and Its Strategy in the Field of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation

Abstract

Urban and architectural heritage, an important part of tangible cultural heritage, is a treasure of humanity and spiritual supply that nourishes and sustains the vitality and cohesiveness of all peoples. With the rapid modernization of cities, the urban and architectural heritage left by our ancestors is facing the risk of irreversible destruction or permanent disappearance, so the research on the application of digital conservation of urban and architectural heritage is of importance and urgency. To this end, based on the research theme of urban and architectural heritage, with the application of digital immersion technology in the field of urban and architectural heritage conservation as a clue, and by sorting out its development status and trends, the application forms of relevant projects are analyzed and relevant ideas, and finally summarized about the four ideas and strategies of “value interpretation”, “authenticity”, “in situ” and “sustainability”. Among them, “value interpretation” is the core of immersion technology application, “authenticity” is the fundamental source, “in situ” is the characteristic highlight, and “sustainability” is the future direction of social, economic and cultural integration, hoping to provide a possible technical approach and reference of ideas and strategies for digital conservation of urban and architectural heritage worldwide.

1. Introduction

In the long evolutionary process of survival and development, human beings have left countless outstanding cultural heritages, among which urban and architectural heritage, as material carriers witnessing and recording historical cultural lineage, are important components of tangible cultural heritage. They can be divided into two major parts: urban heritage and architectural heritage. The former mainly refers to ancient relics buried underground, including settlements and architectural sites, tombs, kiln sites, traffic, etc., which can reflect the historical, artistic, cultural and scientific values of a city; while the latter is subordinate to the former, referring to ancient artificial constructions existing on the ground, including temples, cities, bridges, and various structures, etc., which are material, immovable cultural entities. The conservation of urban and architectural heritage has long been a top research direction in this field in both academia and industry, and is also the most complex area of urban public governance, involving complex conflicts between the values and interests of plural social agents [1].

Early conservation of urban and architectural heritage manifested itself more as a broader study of the cultural heritage dimension, the origins of which can be traced back to the Enlightenment Movement in Europe. On the one hand, the aspirations of the upper classes for democracy and republicanism inspired their passion for the restoration of the architectural remains of ancient Greece and Rome; on the other hand, people believed that they could dictate the future through the power of scientific prophecy and social engineering and rational planning [2]. And the concept and practice of modern urban heritage conservation began in France after the Revolution in the 19th century, with the establishment of measures to protect the first buildings in order to restore the architectural heritage destroyed during the Revolution, which is considered to be the source of modern heritage conservation legislation. The study of urban and architectural heritage conservation in China originated in the 1930s, when architectural conservation experts, represented by Mr. Liang Sicheng, took the lead in focusing on and practicing the conservation of relevant urban heritage [3].

However, with the development of society and changes in the concept of heritage conservation, views on the conservation of urban and architectural heritage have begun to sprout that, in addition to traditional conservation measures such as restoration, rehabilitation and monitoring, many factors such as urban economy, culture, society and environment need to be considered at the same time. The principle of “authenticity” for cultural heritage conservation was introduced in the Venice Charter in 1964. However, there has been a fundamental contradiction between conservation and development in cultural heritage, mainly because some researchers believe that maintaining the “authenticity” of cultural heritage will hinder the planning and development of modern cities to a certain extent. For example, China has experienced rapid urban modernization in recent decades, but while the public has enjoyed modernization, the problem of permanent destruction of the original urban and architectural heritage has come along with it, causing irreparable loss of historical information. Therefore, in response to the practical problem of contradictions and controversies in the field of urban and architectural heritage conservation, new technical tools and interpretations are urgently needed.

In recent decades, the rapid iterative innovation of digital technology has led to a booming wave of digital conservation in the cultural heritage sector, offering new possibilities for solving these problems. Research on digital preservation of cultural heritage can be traced back to the “Memory of the World” project proposed by UNESCO in 1992. In the 1990s, with the support of 3D technology and virtual reality, the digital conservation of cultural heritage entered the 3D era. In 2009, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) launched The London Charter for Computer-Based Visualization of Cultural Heritage [4], which provides an authoritative framework for the digital conservation of cultural heritage, with a landmark significance [5]. Digital conservation of cultural heritage in China began in the late 20th century. For example, the “Dunhuang Frescoes Multimedia Restoration” project of the Dunhuang Research Institute, a project that involves the salvage digital preservation of Dunhuang frescoes through 3D scanning and other technologies. In the process, digital immersion technology (hereinafter referred to as “immersion technology”) has become an increasingly important focus of research and application, mainly in the form of art, culture, technology and industry integration, resulting in a different form of art that brings many changes to social life [6]. Meanwhile, in recent years, based on the application of immersion technology, the vocabulary such as immersive experience evolved from it has been widely used in the fields of film, theater, and theme parks around the world [7]. Therefore, the study of digital immersion technology in urban and architectural site conservation has important research value and application significance.

In this regard, through reviewing the development of digital immersion technology in the field of urban and architectural heritage conservation, sorting out its advantages and analyzing representative cases, it is attempted to summarize its application forms and strategies in this paper, with the aim of providing a reference for the application forms and strategies of digital conservation of urban and architectural heritage in the global context.

2. Current trends in the application of digital immersion technology

The term “immersion” originally refers to the effect of computer technology and means, and there is no unified definition of the concept of “digital immersion technology”, which is broadly understood in this paper as “a general term for a series of technologies that make it difficult for users to distinguish between real and virtual by blurring the boundaries between virtual and real environments”, mainly divided into building technologies based on digital scenes of urban and architectural heritage, such as geographic information, 3D scanning, model building and heritage management, and display planning and experience design based on digital simulation scenes. Therefore, in this paper, the current trend of its development is discussed from three aspects: immersion technology, immersion experience and immersion design.

2.1 Software and hardware immersion technology: growing maturity

Currently, the categories of display forms based on immersion technology are virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality and the newly popular metaverse. The immersion technology mainly stimulates users with multi-sensory through relevant sensing, display and other equipment, so that the user’s sense of presence and participation in the virtual environment can reach the best state. In terms of the development of its hardware and software equipment, it has been increasingly mature with broad future prospects. For example, Meta CEO Zuckerberg introduced Meta’s R&D trends in head-mounted displays in the next 5-10 years: to further enhance the hardware device experience in four aspects: retinal resolution, focal depth, optical distortions, and high dynamic range (HDR), to achieve a dramatically higher experience than the current head-mounted display by 60 times. The fourth “Holocake2” is a holographic display solution to create the lightest, most immersive mixed reality device.

The situation and conditions of contemporary hardware and software immersion technologies extend to the issue of the degree of variability between the psychology and physiology of the user. Some studies have shown that human psychological and physiological responses have reached a similar level between real and virtual environments [8, 9]. Behavioral realism explains the extent to which observers respond to a virtual environment made up of hardware and software immersion devices, just as they do to a physical environment [10]. These responses can cover a wide variety of bodily behaviors, including the way users hold or move their bodies, their performance in Kinesthetic Sense tasks, and their navigation and wayfinding decisions in space. Therefore, the use of immersion technology to create a roaming experience of urban and architectural heritage environment and real scene tour, has now reached the ability to give users a similar experience, which partially supports the increasing maturity of the current software and hardware immersion technology. Whether it is the restoration of a single building site or the whole city site, the display is more image, vivid and realistic, which is a good foundation for better protection and display of urban and architectural heritage.

2.2 Multi-sensory immersion experience: getting more realistic

The increasing maturity of immersion technology and hardware and software products experience innovation, on the one hand, greatly enhance the stability and sustainability of the operation of immersion products, on the other hand, based on this, greatly enhance the experience of immersive virtual environment, reflected in the user’s feelings and the mobilization of the sense of touch, hearing, smell, so that users enjoy a more realistic multi-sensory immersion experience, allowing the display of cultural heritage more realistic and attractive.

The immersion experience was first introduced by the American psychologist Mihaly·Csikszentmihalyi [11] in 1975 and then systematically described in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience in 1990: The “flow” refers to the state of total concentration and forgetfulness when we do something - a state in which one is not aware of the existence of time and feels a sense of energy and satisfaction when things are done.

The development of immersive technologies allows cities and architectural sites to go beyond data collection in research institutions, but to be presented for science and cultural dissemination to a wider audience. Digital interpretation of heritage can make the final presentation interpretive, engaging, and entertaining, interpreting heritage knowledge in a more interesting and engaging way and enhancing interaction with participants [12]. At the same time, immersion technology can recreate unreproducible cultural themes while maintaining the “authenticity” and “integrity” of heritage. Taking the “Reproduction - the Old Summer Palace” [13] project as an example, experts and scholars of the project have restored the Old Summer Palace, which was damaged in 1860 and known as the “Garden of All Gardens”, based on various historical documents and site surveys, and have used immersion technology for interactive display of the virtual site on the basis of the restoration. The products currently available include augmented reality products and immersive realistic spaces, which have attracted a large number of visitors to the site. Thus, immersion technology provides a realistic multi-sensory immersion experience through the integrated use of touch, hearing and smell, allowing for a more realistic presentation of urban and architectural heritage.

2.3 Diversified immersion design: more possibilities

Immersive technologies and immersive experiences benefit from a variety of display and narrative methods, which can be called “diverse immersive design” and offer unlimited possibilities for scenario planning and visual design. For example, Mihaly’s flow experience model is known as the “three-interval model. Following his research using the Experience Sampling Method, he predicted that flow experiences are possible when the challenges people face when participating in an activity match the skills they have acquired; boredom occurs when skills are greater than the challenge, and anxiety occurs when skills are less than the challenge. Following Mihaly, the research team at the University of Milan built on its foundation to create a four interval model and an eight interval model to more precisely locate the evoked location of the flow experience. Later on, as the experimental data accumulated, more scholars such as Hoffman [14] and Novak suggested that data comparison from more dimensions would be more accurate. The VR product Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness [15] is a virtual reality experience based on the dictated diary of blind professor John M. Hull. Using the principles of flow generation, the work is a good balance of curiosity, interactivity, surprise, and presence, which are the key elements of flow generation. In the work, binaural audio and 3D animation effects are used to create an immersive world felt by a person who is gradually losing his sight. The work makes extensive use of ambient sound effects so that the experience can be displaced according to the sound to determine the orientation. In the work, the visual form is particularized and the auditory senses are immersed in the sensory world of the blind professor. This work won the Feature Film Award at Tribeca Film Festival and the VR Work Award at Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival.

Cultural heritage themes often involve religious, mythological and political education scenarios that are difficult to showcase in cultural heritage restoration, but diverse immersion designs can bring about unimagined possibilities. For example, the introduction of VR technology, a branch of immersion technology, into red political education is also an important initiative in the cross-application of VR technology. The practical application of immersive VR in red education resource development is analyzed through the virtual roaming and interaction design of three scenes: red architectural resource scene restoration, red education featured classroom development and grassroots featured virtual exhibition [16]. As can be seen, the immersive experience of scene restoration, interaction design and game design has greatly enhanced the application form and dissemination capability of the site, providing more possibilities for future expansion of immersive products.

In addition, the immersion industry spawned by immersion technology is growing rapidly around the world, showing a vigorous overall vitality that fills people with anticipation [17]. Harry Potter: The Forbidden Forest, which is themed as a Harry Potter experience in the UK, has been widely acclaimed for its strong fan base and immersive interactive experience model, making the immersive night tour experience a new growth point in the UK tourism economy as well. Meanwhile, in 2021, Dunhuang Research Institute, together with Tencent, proposed the “Digital Provider” project on the WeChat applet “Cloud Tour Dunhuang” platform [18], promoting the first public welfare NFT in the cultural and museum industry, connecting the details of the frescoes in Cave 156 of Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves, “Zhang Yichao’s Army Traveling” and “The Traveling of Lady Song” to users through blockchain, metaverse and other popular technologies, creating more possibilities for immersion products.

3. Case form of digital immersion technology application

Urban and architectural heritage immersion technology is mainly divided into online and offline application categories. Online immersion application is primarily based on Web3D, 360° panoramic pictures, 2.5D staggered web display and other technologies, forming a virtual space case form of Web end roaming and 3D immersed in App, such as panoramic Forbidden City, cloud tour of Great Wall, etc. Offline immersion application form, mainly using LED screen, multi-channel projection fusion, interactive sensing equipment, virtual imaging equipment and other hardware base, and under the control of broadcast control software, creates a sensory experience with immersive audio-visual in the enclosed space in the museum. It also generally has two forms: one is the audiovisual immersion form in which the audience stands in the middle position to watch the images wrapped around them, and the other is the fantastic function of increasing the interaction between the audience and the images by adding hardware devices such as radar scanning on top of the first one. Virtual reality technology is currently a more obvious form of immersion experience application. In this paper, this will be briefly explained from the two cases of “Terracotta Warriors VR” and “Samsung Pile VR” that the author’s team participated in developing, respectively.

Known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum and Terracotta Warriors contain rich information and unique value in the field of history, culture, military, science and technology and so on, highlight the core values of Chinese civilization, and have become an epitome of Chinese history and culture [19]. The “VR Terracotta Warriors” project is a virtual interactive roaming experience based on the real 3D space of the site and the 3D restored model of the terracotta warriors, combined with archeological related historical materials such as the color of the terracotta warriors, ancient military system, ancient carriage system, ancient weapon knowledge, etc. The audience uses the knowledge learned during the site visit to perform knowledge breaking activities in the experience. In the form of a serious game combining narrative and experience, they are engaged in an immersive experience of cultural exploration of the Terracotta Warriors in a specific capacity. The audience takes a profound and fantastic journey through time and space in the alternating evolution of real and virtual, space and time. In this interactive process of exploration, the audience are actually submerged in an immersive learning journey about the history and culture of Qin Shi Huang’s tomb under the intentional arrangement of the designers. The actual scenes during the game are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1.

Terracotta warriors site VR immersion tour.

Figure 2.

VR immersion tour into the underground world.

In addition, the case of “Sanxingdui VR” is another immersive application developed in recent years with the participation of the author’s team. Sanxingdui site, as a typical city and architectural site, has a continuous development history of 4800 ~ 2600 years, having experienced the heyday from the end of primitive society to the slave society, and the stages from the dissolution of primitive society to the local state and kingdom, which could be regarded as a more hazy but also more complete early Shu messenger [20]. Through the excavation of Sanxingdui, comparing the artifacts with the documentary materials such as “The Book of the King of Shu” and ancient history and mythology, experts have sorted out the dynastic lineage of Sanxingdui civilization and also outlined the site area stretching about 1200 hectares through relics such as the West City Wall, Moon Bay Wall, Sanxingdui City Wall and Qingyuan Mountain Site. Sanxingdui VR is a newer product application of immersion technology created based on the city and architectural sites of Sanxingdui. The game increases the novelty of the audience through hearing, the guidance and use of props such as torches and force feedback gloves, enabling the audience to further explore the mysteries of knowledge contained in the ancient Shu ruins during the game of finding clues.

During the game immersion experience, the experiencer needs to observe the surrounding environment, select and explore the exit to escape, in which he/she needs to find the totem symbols to be collected in turn. Totems were an important object of worship in the religious life of the Shu people, and a large number of totem ornaments and artifacts in various forms have been excavated from the Sanxingdui site. The content design requires the use of site totems and mask patterns, to which the audience has to tell the symbols represented by the symbols during the collection process. The experiencer can only find the totem pattern to put together to trigger the level to open the ancient tomb of Sanxingdui. The material sources of the totem design are shown in Figure 3. The actual game effects of the immersion experience are shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 3.

Source of material for VR immersive game art creation. Left: Sun god bird gold jewelry. Middle: Golden frog-shaped ware. Right: Bronze man mask.

Figure 4.

VR immersion game scene effect 1.

Figure 5.

VR immersion game scene effect 2.

In the interactive system design of the VR game, the innovation of using the self-made positioning torch as the main interactive prop changes the traditional interaction mode of the handle prop, using the real behavior of blowing the torch and lighting other torches in the cave to promote the interactive narrative clues. Four instructions are set in the experience, such as blowing torch action instructions, lighting cave torches, searching for totem fragments, using fragments to put together the door opening mechanism, etc. If the experiencer does not execute them within 5 seconds, the system will make voice prompts corresponding to the instructions. Figure 6 below shows the comparison between the test environment (left side) and the environment displayed on the head-mounted display (right side) during the experience.

Figure 6.

Comparison chart of test environment and real environment in game immersion experience. (a) Looking up at the cave entrance to receive NPC commands. (b) Picking up falling torches. (c) Rekindling an extinguished torch by blowing. (d) Moving in space using a torch. (e) Finding other torches to light. (f) Finding the totem fragment.

4. Ideas and strategies for the application of digital immersion technology

In the previous section, we discussed the representative cases that can be formed by immersion technology, and combined with the long-term practice and reflection of the author’s team in this field, this section focuses on a brief explanation of the ideas and strategies for the application of immersion technology in the field of urban and architectural heritage conservation.

(1) Following the technical strategy of “value interpretation” as the core of heritage.

The issue of heritage value is often mentioned and concerned first in the field of urban and architectural heritage conservation, which has a universally recognized value division in the heritage community, with historical value, artistic value, scientific value, cultural value and social value. For the classification of heritage values, the subdivision is different in different research fields. For example, Bernard, a famous British architect, divided the values of architectural heritage into three major categories with sixteen subcategories in his book Conservation of Historic Buildings [21]. The first major category of emotional values contains wonder, continuity, respect and spirituality; the second major category of cultural values contains documentary, historic, archeological and age, esthetic and architectural values, townscape, landscape and ecological, technological and scientific; the third major category of use values includes functional, economic (including tourism), social (also including identity and continuity), educational, and political. Using the above categories as criteria, designers can more clearly and objectively reflect the value output they need to express or emphasize in the process of digital immersion design construction and display expression.

These values coexist in most cases, but in some scenarios or aspects, they may conflict with each other, for example, modern urban transportation construction for socio-economic development and monument preservation are sometimes conflicting sides, and some indigenous people have conflicting perceptions of native culture and foreign immigrants’ perceptions of native culture, etc. [22]. Therefore, when using digital immersion technology for heritage display expression, on the one hand, efforts should be made to discover, understand and respect the diversity and unity of the specific cultural values assigned to heritage by the cultural groups to which the heritage belongs, and on the other hand, it is necessary to analyze and select the value content that needs to be expressed in priority according to the usage scenario, thematic content and communication purpose. To this end, a broad ranking of value systems can be further developed to allow designers to better understand the priorities of heritage value presentation and thus identify possible ways of coexistence between value and immersion design.

(2) Preserving the technical strategy of “authenticity” preservation of heritage.

Since the 18th century, a number of principles have evolved in the conservation of urban and built heritage interventions, such as authenticity, legibility, integrity, minimum intervention, reversibility, etc. In the Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, it is mentioned in the assessment of heritage that “the ability to understand the value of a property depends on the trustworthiness or truthfulness of the source of information about that value. The knowledge and understanding of these sources of information relates to the original and subsequently evolving characteristics of cultural heritage and its accumulated meaning over time, which is the necessary basis for assessing its authenticity in all its aspects [23].” It is clear that “authenticity” is fundamental to the understanding of heritage values. However, in the case of the Heritage Convention, the “authenticity” of urban heritage is also full of ambiguities due to the differences in different cultural identities, so immersion technology should be designed to be compatible with the authenticity of heritage in the recording and presentation process.

In general, the design of “authenticity” for urban architectural sites needs to be integrated into the design, storage, conservation and presentation of digital immersion from the very beginning of the planning and design process. For example, when creating a multi-source and heterogeneous database of urban heritage, it is important to prepare the groundwork for sourcing the raw data for in-depth immersion research at a later stage. In addition, digital immersion technology breaks the limitations of geographical space, but the visual design elements and manners of interactive behaviors of digital immersion products should also take full account of the cultural traditions and customary concepts they contain. For example, through the design of the interaction method that matches the theme the most, the connotation of the expressed theme and the cultural characteristics of the place are highlighted, so as to achieve the best flow experience. The general VR game experience relies on handle interaction, and the interaction form is mostly the usual game design thinking, but for the immersive experience design of tangible cities and architectural heritage, the principle of “authenticity” should be given priority. This is reflected in the “Sanxingdui VR”, where the interactive prop is changed from the traditional handle to a real “torch”, which is to maintain the principle of substituting the real theme.

(3) Appropriate application of technical strategies for heritage “in situ” features.

In general, the only visible remains in urban and architectural sites are the foundations of earth platforms, which can directly convey a very limited amount of information, but the sense of history and in situ nature of the site can effectively arouse deep national emotions and desire for exploration among scholars, students and viewers. It would be a good technical idea to combine the unique advantage of “in situ” emotional experience with the presentation and interpretation of multiple information of heritage, so as to present a more interpretive, engaging and entertaining effect.

For example, the author’s team adopted this similar design idea at the Yingtian Gate architectural site in Luoyang, China, achieving an excellent social response. At the site of the gate building, we innovatively superimposed the site and video media to form a dream-like naked-eye immersion audio-visual effect. At this point, through the interpretation of video narratives, site knowledge can be implanted in the minds of visitors in a more receptive, visual and narrative way, allowing them to experience the historical construction techniques and the rise and fall of the Yingtian Gate in an immersive manner, so that heritage knowledge can be effectively and profoundly disseminated and create value in contemporary times.

Such creative narrative technique of artistic expression with “in situ” characteristics, which integrates projected images and site space, has a strong immersion experience, strengthens the audience’s perception and feeling, ensures the artistry, vividness and interactivity in the process of conveying knowledge about the history and form of the Yingtian Gate site, and effectively connects the past with the present, and the knowledge with the audience, so that researchers or learners could efficiently access the information. This authentic case format further validates the importance and usefulness of such digital immersion technology intervention for the interpretation of urban and architectural heritage conservation.

(4) Seeking technical strategies for “sustainability” of heritage development.

Concerning the need for “sustainability” of urban and architectural heritage, the “Sustainability Guidelines” of the London Charter also state this. The current “sustainable” heritage development strategy is mainly reflected in two aspects: on the one hand, actively seeking the co-integration of digital immersion technology and physical buildings or sites, constituting a super-realistic audio-visual immersion of both, forming a superposition of physical heritage and immersion technology, resulting in a “1 + 1 > 2” effect, such as the above-mentioned Yingtian Gate site 3D immersion image case. In addition, the design strategy of cities and architectural sites should not only include immersion technology, but also include the construction of immersion industry into the city construction system, so that immersion technology, heritage conservation and economic construction can develop together in a sustainable way.

On the other hand, although reconstruction cannot replace the original sites, artistic restoration of the existing heritage with respect for history has a certain sustainable development value and significance. For example, the Sui-Tang Luoyang City National Heritage Park project in Luoyang is based on the 2009 Sui-Tang Luoyang City Site Protection Master Plan, which calls for the preservation of the existing Sui-Tang Luoyang City sites on both sides of the Luo River. The Sui-Tang Luoyang City site has an important position in the history of the development of ancient Chinese capitals, and its layout and architectural form have had a profound influence on future generations, even influencing the architecture of East Asian countries [24]. The site overlaps with a busy part of the present-day Luoyang city district, making conservation and restoration difficult, and then through unified and coordinated reconstruction, it has now become a win-win model for heritage conservation and urban development, livelihood improvement, and cultural and tourism integration.

5. Conclusions

In summary, in this paper, based on the current development trend of digital immersion technology, a more comprehensive analysis and outlook from three dimensions of technology, experience and design are presented. Moreover, through the practical explanation and process summary of representative cases, it is not only clear about the current situation and possible innovative forms of digital immersion technology application in the field of urban and architectural heritage conservation, but also clear about the four ideas and strategies of “value interpretation”, “authenticity”, “in situ” and “sustainability” for digital immersion technology application in the field of urban and architectural heritage conservation. Among them, “value interpretation” is the core of immersion technology application, “authenticity” is the fundamental source, “in situ” is the characteristic highlight, and “sustainability” is the future direction of social, economic and cultural integration. In addition, the process of this research has led to several implications for the continuation of similar research in the future:

First, the application of digital immersion technology in the field of urban and architectural heritage conservation has been practiced in principle for many years and has been well received by most experts and scholars, mainly in the following aspects: through digital immersion, it is possible to preserve, record and display urban and architectural heritage in a safer, more comprehensive and flexible way without destroying the “authenticity” of the original heritage, using computer digital bite-sized storage means and simulation-based expression.

Second, the advantages of intuitive, visual, narrative and interactive experience brought by digital immersion technology are highly infectious and efficient in communication, and its vivid and imaginative immersion art techniques are conducive to revealing deeper historical and cultural veins and spiritual connotations of cities and buildings. Also, the interactive features of digital immersion technology can give the audience the feasibility of participation and interaction, allowing the audience to exert more subjective initiative, when the audience is not only the receiver of culture, but also becomes the disseminator of culture, realizing two-way benefits, thus promoting the coordinated development of urban society.

Third, in the context of “living” global heritage, the intervention of digital immersion technology and the conservation application of urban architectural sites are gradually forming an effective means of intervention, and the two have a mutually reinforcing development trajectory. The charm of digital immersion technology stimulates the vitality of traditional heritage and makes it a spiritual thread and source of strength for digital immersion technology and content extraction with its rich urban and architectural heritage. Digital immersion technology is an effective means and an innovative path to bring urban and architectural heritage closer to the present and to the world.

Fourth, in the context of the integration of culture and technology, the acquisition of knowledge and learning of planners, designers or engineers should not be limited to a single professional aspect, but rather should focus on or emphasize the integrated development of “culture, art and technology”, i.e., the direction of training composite talents, so as to create more and more innovative paths for the conservation of urban and architectural heritage in the future.

Fifth, globally, as the application of digital immersion technology in the field of urban and architectural heritage is still in the initial exploration stage, a more practical and systematic methodology cannot be formed yet. However, as people subsequently practice, apply, summarize and reflect on digital immersion technology in large quantities, it is believed that the construction of related methodologies will emerge one after another, which is also the goal and scope of our subsequent research. Looking ahead, the research in this paper represents only a new exploration of digital immersion technology and heritage conservation. We expect more communication, exchange and cooperation with international related research teams to produce more research results.

Acknowledgments

This paper is an outcome of the project “Application research of interaction design in the field of cultural heritage display and communication” (no. 20BG127) supported by National Social Science Foundation of China art Project.