The Role of Architectural Graduation Projects in Preliminary Heritage Documentation in Conflict Contexts: The Case of Yemen

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the contribution of architectural graduation projects to preliminary heritage documentation in conflict contexts, with a focus on Yemen as a case study representing an environment facing complex pressures, including armed conflict, weak institutional capacities, and the accelerating deterioration of built heritage. The study is based on the assumption that architectural graduation projects, when framed within a service-learning approach, have realistic potential to produce preliminary documentation of both cognitive and social value that can later be developed within conservation and restoration programs. The study adopted an exploratory analytical approach within a qualitative framework, relying on content analysis of a purposive sample of graduation projects with a heritage dimension, in addition to semi-structured interviews with academics, heritage specialists, and architecture students. It also employed benchmarking against international literature to determine the minimum acceptable standards for preliminary documentation and to assess the reliability of the outputs. The findings indicate that graduation projects do produce preliminary documentation outputs; however, these outputs show clear variability in quality and completeness due to the absence of a unified methodological framework within the educational process. The results further demonstrate that projects framed within service-learning approaches achieve a higher level of methodological intentionality, awareness of heritage value, and community usability. The originality of the study lies in the proposition that these outputs can help bridge the heritage documentation gap in conflict contexts by serving as foundational documentation that can be further developed, provided that clear methodological frameworks and effective institutional coordination are in place.