Project Profile

The African Building Heritage Project is a collaborative research initiative spearheaded by faculty and researchers from Northeastern University in collaboration with L’Ecole du Patrimoine African (Porto Novo, Benin). The team includes experts from History, Architecture, Communications, Visual Arts/Engineering, and the DGS department. This project focuses on the preservation of at-risk sub-Saharan African building sites through advanced technological methods, interdisciplinary collaboration, and storytelling. The research, which involves fieldwork and data gathering in Porto Novo, Benin, utilizes LiDAR scanning (including drone photogrammetry), 3D modeling, geospatial technology, oral history, archival research, VR/AR technologies, photographic documentation, and digital preservation to produce a hub that preserves holistically (in digital form) and educates about the importance of at-risk sub-Saharan African Heritage Buildings.