Architectural Design Restoration for the Reconstruction of Heritage Buildings: Case Study of the Chieu Kinh Dien Temple, Hue Imperial City, Vietnam

This study aims to present the results of the restoration of architectural design drawings of the Chieu Kinh Dien Temple (Hue Imperial City), and to support the figurative restitution project of this building. The Temple was built in the 3rd year of the Gia Long period (1804) and collapsed during the Vietnam–French War (1947–1954). Currently, the roof and wooden structure of the building have been lost, with only the foundation ruins remaining. Based on a multidisciplinary study approach—including historical document studies, archaeology, andarchitectural proportion analysis—and by referencing the architectural form of the Long Duc Dien Temple, this study successfully restored the original architectural design drawings of the Chieu Kinh Dien Temple. These include the floor plan, roof plan, transverse longitude and latitude section, and the main facades. This study consolidates a methodology for the reconstruction of the lost architectural heritage, and provides guidance for the restoration and reconstruction of architectural heritage in Hue in particular and in Vietnam in general. It contributes to the accurate restoration of the Hue Imperial City in accordance with the original architectural planning of the early Nguyen Dynasty, ensuring authenticity in heritage reconstruction activities, in the spirit of the Nara Convention of 1994.