Research on Digital Protection and Green Exhibition Design of Textile Cultural Heritage Oriented towards Sustainable Development

Hailong Liu, Weiping Lu

Article
2026 / Volume 9 / Pages 733-747
Received 12 September 2025; Accepted 15 October 2025; Published 26 March 2026
https://doi.org/10.31881/TLR.2026.733

Abstract
The long-term conservation of historic textiles, with their fragile organic fibers and susceptibility to degradation, presents a significant challenge within museum settings. This study investigates an integrated model—the Digital Twin for Sustainable Exhibition (DTSE)—to address the conflict between the physical preservation needs of textile artifacts and the environmental impact of their exhibition. The core thesis is that a high-fidelity digital twin, capturing not only the visual pattern but also the micro-geometry of the weave structure and material condition, serves as a foundational enabler for green exhibition design. The methodology employs a comparative scenario analysis, grounded in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) principles, to quantify the potential environmental footprint of exhibiting historic silk artifacts, using the China National Silk Museum in Zhejiang as a representative case. Data for traditional exhibitions using MDF and halogen lighting are contrasted with the DTSE model, which minimizes the display of original textiles and utilizes sustainable materials such as bamboo panels and LED lighting. The results indicate that this approach can reduce an exhibition’s carbon footprint by an estimated 40–60%, achieved through the strategic reduction of physical display infrastructure and energy loads, while simultaneously mitigating the physical and environmental stresses on the textiles. Consequently, the DTSE model offers a synergistic solution that enhances textile conservation by limiting physical exposure while advancing sustainability. This approach is highly replicable, providing a scalable framework for the preservation of a wide range of historic textiles and other delicate cultural heritage materials.

Keywords
textile, digital preservation, sustainable exhibition, silk