Survey for heritage building professionals on regulatory ambiguities.

 

Heritage building professionals, especially for wooden buildings, are invited to participate in a study examining how heritage professionals interpret regulations governing digital documentation. Of special concern are construction, conservation, and heritage preservation of timber/wooden buildings. Your practical knowledge could help address key gaps in how digital tools are applied to forest products, including tropical woods, in the built environment.

 

The Main Goal: This research seeks to validate which regulatory ambiguities create the most significant barriers to digital documentation in practice, and how professionals navigate these uncertainties.

 

Brief Context: Our analysis of international charters, professional standards, and legal frameworks has identified over 40 interpretive ambiguities—ranging from undefined concepts such as "precise documentation" to emerging uncertainties regarding HBIM copyright. However, these ambiguities have only been identified through document analysis. Your direct experience is essential to validate whether they genuinely create barriers in practice.

 

Your Call to Action: Please complete the questionnaire at https://eu.surveymars.com/q/7IQVcibU3 by sharing your professional experience with regulatory ambiguities. Your responses are anonymous and will directly inform practical guidance for the heritage community. The deadline for response is 25 Nov 2026.

 

Benefits to the Community: Your participation will help develop evidence-based guidance for navigating regulatory uncertainty, supporting professionals in justifying digital methods, and ultimately enabling more effective heritage documentation.

 

Your Giveback: You will receive an Executive Summary of findings and a "Regulatory Ambiguity Navigator" quick-reference guide for your professional practice.

 

This survey is being undertaken as part of the research project “Regulatory Barriers to Digital Documentation In Heritage Contexts” at Portsmouth University. If you have any questions please contact up819747@myport.ac.uk

 

Thank you for your expertise.