Bridging Alexandria’s Heritage and Innovation: Sustainable Interior Design Strategies for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina through an XR-Based Virtual Museum Environment | ||
| المجلة الدولية للتصاميم والبحوث التطبيقية | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 29 August 2025 | ||
| Document Type: الدراسات والبحوث التطبيقية. | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ijdar.2025.418660.1040 | ||
| Author | ||
| Amira Hamdy El.Sayed Abdou* | ||
| Décor Depatment, Faculty of Arts and Design, Pharos University in Alexandria, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, as an effort to resurrect the ancient Library of Alexandria and an institution, presented by the UNESCO, as a cultural symbol, has to contend with the twofold task of preserving the cultural heritage of the Alexandrian region and being responsive to both educational and social needs of modern times. The traditional exhibits in the west Wing of the library despite being valuable, have spatial, temporal and convenience constraints that normally lock out the younger people, and even the people who are reluctant to come due to distance. It is becoming increasingly clear that digital technologies are revolutionary to museums, but most of the literature on these topics is limited to Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR), rather than the extended reality (XR) as a longer-term sustainable and encompassing approach. Motivation This research paper suggests and analyzes an XR-based dynamic museum in the main building of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Unlike any other VR-only or AR-only solution, XR flexibly integrates opportunities of both technologies by providing the option of flexible digital concourse that will work at the levels of immersive and non-immersive engagement. The flexibility is capable of providing on-site and off-site involvement, thus fitting the strategic priorities of Egypt through its Vision 2030 within the spheres of education, innovation, and the preservation of cultural heritage. This study proposes and experiments with a digital setting encompassing immersive narration, sustainable interior design and inclusive design to promote cultural interaction and long-term learning. The results prove that XR technology has high potential to make cultural appreciation more pronounced, enhance accessibility, and raise sustainability awareness and maintain usability and aestheticity. The project provides input in increasing the preservation of heritage by eliminating the need to handle physical artifacts, and lessening the physical wear and tear that is generated by such handling as well as increase the access to the heritage by making the museum more inclusive to audience through the innovation of the space. The work highlights how XR should not only be perceived as a technological innovation, but as a management strategy towards cultural sustainability, inclusion and digital diplomacy. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Extended Reality (XR); Virtual Museums; Cultural Heritage; Sustainability; Vision 2030 | ||
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