A Value-Oriented Digital Twin Framework for Architectural Heritage Value Interpretation: Taking the Hegui Building of the Fujian Tulou as an Example

Digital twin technology provides new opportunities to integrate heterogeneous architectural heritage information and to support value interpretation. However, existing digital heritage studies are primarily concerned with geometric modeling and visual presentation, making it difficult to organize and interpret the relationships underlying heritage value formation and promote public understanding of heritage. To address this challenge, this study proposes a value-oriented digital twin framework for interpreting heritage value. The framework organizes existing physical modeling, semantic organization, dynamic simulation, and interactive representation around heritage value, structuring the information carriers and relationships associated with value formation for further interpretation. This study confirmed the efficacy of the model framework by utilizing the Hegui Building, a Fujian Tulou World Heritage site, as a case study. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework enables fragmented heritage information to be integrated into an interconnected value network. Physical entities, traditional knowledge, dynamic mechanisms, and interactive experiences can be linked to systematically organize and interpret relationships among construction techniques, structural logic, social pattern, and environmental adaptation. Furthermore, dynamic simulation and interactive visualization provide new possibilities for public understanding of heritage values by transforming static information into observable processes. This study contributes a value-oriented perspective for applying digital twin technologies in architectural heritage, shifting the focus from object-oriented representation toward value-oriented interpretation.