Ref04 santanastulensaddison by COPRED UCV

Mario Santana Quintero Anouk Stulens Alonzo C. Addison Daniel Pletinckx

Editor: Daniel Pletinckx Coordinator: Halina Gottlieb The Interactive Institute

Monitoring Monuments A low-cost digital early warning system for preventive conservation of built heritage

Mario Santana Quintero Anouk Stulens Alonzo C. Addison Daniel Pletinckx

Monitoring Monuments Editor: Daniel Pletinckx Coordinator: Halina Gottlieb The Interactive Institute

A low-cost digital early warning system for preventive conservation of built heritage

Monitoring Monuments

Without preventive maintenance, small problems with monuments and buildings can quickly grow into critical issues. Monitoring is crucial for preventive conservation but often overlooked due to the lack of a simple, straightforward process. Using low-cost digital tools, and building upon more than 15 years of experience of Monument Watch of Flanders, this KNOWHOW booklet details a straightforward, easily-replicated process for keeping an eye on buildings and monuments. This approach makes use of simple computer ﬁeld collection forms, digital photography and databases to appropriately and systematically monitor and maintain built heritage. Both the well-tested monitoring process and the

operational structure of this innovative Belgian not-for-proﬁt are described here in detail in order to help others learn from their success.

Background Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen The methodology in the following pages is based largely upon the successful example of Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen vzw (Monument Watch or MWV for short). Founded in 1991 as an independent advisory body for owners, managers and caretakers of the ‘Built Cultural Heritage’ in the Flemish Region of Belgium, the organisation’s goal is to enhance conservation of built heritage by stimulating owners to apply regular maintenance and thus avoid costlier and more disruptive large-scale restoration [MWV].

Inspecting a church roof 2

Monitoring Monuments

Through an early warning system for decay (regular monitoring and tracking) combined with an appropriate response (maintenance or repair at the right time and place), damage is prevented and large-scale restoration can be delayed or even totally avoided. This systematic method results in a substantially lower “loss of signiﬁcance” of monuments in the long term and lower costs for all stakeholders (from owners and managers to the government). For further details on the “signiﬁcance” of monuments, see the “Recording Architectural Heritage” KNOWHOW booklet in this series. Monument Watch operates on two levels: – To stop decay through immediate action by offering a regular condition assessment of buildings and the historic interiors – To affect a gradual change of mentality through information and sensitization The foundation of the Monument Watch philosophy lies within ICOMOS’s Charter of Venice (1964) from which point the focus

in built heritage shifts from restoration to preventive conservation and regular maintenance [CHAR].

Flemish region in Belgium

The ﬁrst Monument Watch was founded in the Netherlands in 1972. Today, Monument Watch organisations are present in several European countries (the Netherlands, the Flemish Region of Belgium, Denmark, Germany,

Austria, and Hungary). Monument Watch of Flanders, the organisation in the Flemish Region, is composed of a group of six not-for-proﬁt associations (ﬁve provincial associations and one umbrella association)

An organisational and ﬁnancial model Monument Watch works with a voluntary membership — a bottom-up approach which has proven very successful. The organisation helps the owner in a positive and non-restrictive way. The objective advice is not binding, leaving the initiative for maintenance and repair with the owner. Monument Watch is not part of the government and its inspections are private. Since 1991 owners of more than 5000 buildings (50% listed monuments) have joined as members. They represent all types of structures (e.g.1600 churches) and all kinds of owners, from private (40%) to public authorities (30%) and church councils. Since 1993 the Flemish government has offered a maintenance grant for listed monuments. As the condition survey of Monument Watch is acceptable as part of the application dossier, this has served to encourage further membership.

Monument Watch is able to offer its services at a low cost to owners thanks to its not-for-proﬁt status and a subsidised ﬁnancial structure based upon support from the Flemish (25%) and provincial (65%) governments, with only 10% coming from inspection fees.

The monitoring process: making regular condition reports With the exception of calamities (such as ﬁre, earthquakes, war, etc.) buildings generally decay gradually over time. Major problems and damage are often the result of minor issues or failures that were not discovered or taken care of in due course. It is common knowledge that regular attention and maintenance can slow down the process of decay (or even partially prevent it). But regular maintenance requires accurate records and up-to-date knowledge of the condition of the building (monitoring) and its “needs”. This is in itself a considerable task for the owner or administrator of the building. Delicate

areas are very often difﬁcult to reach for inspection or need a specialist’s opinion, and recordkeeping can be a challenge. This is where expertise such as that offered by Monument Watch is helpful: it has a number of carefully recruited, adequately equipped and constantly trained two-person teams at the service of building owners or administrators to conduct inspections. Two types of monitoring inspections are important: – Architectural inspections – Interior (and movable artifact) inspections

Assessing the roof of a heritage place using industrial rope access techniques

Monitoring Monuments

As a general principle these inspection surveys should be carried out every two or three years. –

Architectural inspection Architectural inspections consist of a detailed assessment of the building from rooftop to basement, both inside and out. Special attention should be given to places that are less accessible, but at the same time especially susceptible to decay (roofs, gutters, etc.).

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An architectural inspection team consists of two experts: – A trained architect or engineer, preferably with an advanced degree in construction or conservation – A craftsman with knowledge of historic building techniques

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Recommended equipment includes: – A voice recorder or dictaphone (today this can be built into a tablet computer and even autotranscribe notes into text) – A ﬁeld portable or tablet computer

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(simplifies the note-taking and formfilling process, saving later work in the office) A digital camera with adequate storage and battery packs Binoculars A laser distance meter (for rapid field measurements – some models can be immediately docked to the laptop to upload measurements in the field) A handheld GPS device, although optional, can be useful at remote sites or those without good location maps A fully equipped van with ladders for access and material for small immediate repairs (tools, slates, etc.)

Each inspection team has a fully equiped van

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Personal safety equipment (helmet, safety ropes, body harnesses, etc.) Specialised tools, as needed (such as strain gauges for crack monitoring, etc.)

Step 1: Preparatory work Any inspection should be preceded by a review of building records and any previous inspection reports and risk assessments. An up-to-date inspection database can greatly simplify this process. Step 2: Visual inspection on site – collecting information The ﬁrst step in the process is an integral visual inspection of the building. During this

inspection the necessary data is collected for a: - Condition assessment and risk assessment: the state of the building, past damages, current deterioration processes with their consequences and future risks of damage - Health and safety risk assessment: the safe accessibility of all building parts and possible risks for the inspectors - Rooftop plan: basic measurement of exterior roof structure - Maintenance assessment: evaluation of the ongoing maintenance actions

Further information can be gathered on site by interviewing the owner or caretaker.

Weathering issues affecting the building surfaces, such as humidity and plants.

Scoring report showing the scoring criteria and a row of data

A standard procedure for inspection can be deployed using a preformatted checklist itemising all building elements (ideally on a ﬁeld portable computer or tablet PC to avoid data entry later on). To prevent consequential damage, but not to enter into false competition with building contractors, it is suggested only small and urgent repairs should be carried out on site.

Step 3: Interpretation of the information Later at the ofﬁce, a three-part digital status report is drawn up. This can be as simple as a word processing template or as rich as a database. It contains three parts in the following format: 1) A scoring report with the percentages of the different condition classes (good – reasonable – moderate – bad – not inspected) and pictures (the percentages will be used for future statistic analysis) 2) Recommendations for maintenance and repair in three categories: 1. Recommendations to improve the safe accessibility of all building parts 2. Recommendations on the necessary works of repair 3. Recommendations on durable and cyclical maintenance 3) A rooftop plan with indication of safety measures and localisation of critical points. This plan is not a detailed survey, but merely a sketch. It can be generated in a low cost computer aided design (CAD) programme such as Vector Works or AutoCAD LT.

Monitoring Monuments

Step 4: Managing the data An inspection database is used to collate information about the owner, the caretaker, the type of building and all inspection data collected.

Structure of the recommendations for maintenance and repair in the report

Rooftop plan

Step 5: Dissemination of the information - Sensitisation A status report with colour photos and a rooftop plan is delivered to the owner by mail or email. It is very important to make an appointment on site with the owner after the delivery of the report to discuss the most important points and to highlight the weaknesses that need immediate attention. This enables the owner to better understand the maintenance priorities. At the same time, more information can be given about the techniques of maintenance and repair, on the selection of contractors (methodology) and about existing ﬁnancial tools that can support the owner (e.g. government maintenance grants). Several times a year, Monument Watch also sends owners practical brochures on

1. Inspection database used to collect all ﬁeld information. This example is in Microsoft Access, although any of the comparable free Open Source databases could also be used. 2. Example of the type of inspection that can be recorded in the database and the input of actual inspection hours on site 3. The percentages of the different condition classes (good – reasonable – moderate – bad – not inspected) give an indication of volume, are entered in the database and can be used for statistical analysis.

Monitoring Monuments

speciﬁc themes concerning maintenance and conservation. Step 6: Implementation of the advice In the case of Monument Watch, as the report is voluntary and non-binding, owners can choose to use it as they wish. Monument Watch can be a partner, but only at the request of the owner. Even if it is a listed monument, the only obligation owners in Flanders have is to maintain it in a proper way. If grants from the Flemish government are used, there are regulations to be followed for the maintenance works. With the report, an owner can: - Contact contractors / architects / specialists - Adopt maintenance methods to given guidelines - Apply for a maintenance grant

Interior inspection An interior survey focuses on the movable contents and ﬁxed interior elements of churches, castles and private houses.

Monitoring Monuments

Specialists inspect the interior of the building including wall and ﬂoor coverings, ceilings, furniture, paintings, sculptures, textiles and metal objects. This implicates a large knowledge of various materials, deterioration phenomena, preventive conservation measures, theory and practice of hands-on conservation and restoration.

Step 1: Preparatory work An inspection should be preceded by a review of existing inventories of movable artefacts (in Flanders, churches are legally obliged to keep such inventories), previous inspection reports and the risk assessment for accessibility, if present.

Interior inspectors are typically highly qualiﬁed, with backgrounds as art historians and conservation specialists and/or restorers of paintings, sculptures and textiles. It is recommended that they work in a multidisciplinary team of two specialists. In addition to the equipment needed for an architectural inspection, an interior inspection team will beneﬁt from environmental monitoring tools such as light meters, relative humidity sensors, etc. Many of these tools today are digital and can record data over extended periods of time.

Step 2: Visual inspection on site – collecting information The ﬁrst step of an inspection, similar to the architectural inspection, is an integral survey: a complete overview of the state and condition of the interior and its movable contents. It is important that the results of the architectural inspection are also veriﬁed so that the correlation between structural problems and consequential damage in the interior can be located. Ideally, both inspections should be carried out at the same time.

An inspector performing urgent conservation work on site to prevent consequential damage

Interior surveyors spend more time communicating with the owners and users of the building. It is important to assess the use, habits and procedures. The focus

is on housekeeping: what they do, why and how. On the one hand, surveyors may have to encourage regular maintenance, but on the other hand, they may need to slow down or redirect over-zealous cleaning or advise on correct products and methods. It may be necessary to set an example and to demonstrate methods, such as cleaning silver with non-corrosive products. Apart from these interventions, interior surveyors should be trained and equipped to carry out urgent conservation works on site to prevent consequential damage.

Interior inspection

An intervention on site to show the caretaker how a silver object can be cleaned using non-corrosive products.

On site, the necessary data is collected

Monitoring Monuments

to perform the different assessments, mainly from the recorded interview and via a thorough visual survey. On the spot, condition and damage assessments are predominant. Monument Watch makes use of a toolbox approach, integrating different methodologies: – Expert assessments: the quality of expert assessments is kept at a high level by training and “calibrating” the surveyors using a control interior. -– Condition assessment: the condition of objects and interiors is systematically assessed and qualiﬁed. The surveyors determine how stable the condition is and therefore how urgently conservation may be needed, which is done by predicting the rate at which an object is likely to deteriorate. The rating of ‘good’ condition means that it is ready for use and needs no action. The concept of stability is central in condition assessment and is crucial for prioritisation.

Monitoring the indoor climate The reasons for monitoring the indoor climate are not predominantly to see whether ideal standards are reached (as opposed to museum practice). These are not always considered feasible in the context of a historic interior. The principle rationale is to interpret the damage (for example to wooden interior elements or organs) and to eliminate the cause of the damage (for example harmful heating systems). Measurements can be used in a predictive manner to assess risk (e.g. the risk of mold growth). Monitoring of pests is carried out to detect risk or to see if an outbreak is still active. It can be a good strategy –

A damage survey systematically assesses and analyses damage and the effects of decay and tries to diagnose the causes. This assessment unravels cause and

to simultaneously monitor and reduce infestation as for example pheromone moth traps are both a measurement and elimination tool.

The awareness of the destructive effects of light has grown over the past decade or so. Measuring lux and UV doses allows the surveyor to predict noticeable changes to sensitive objects such as paintings and textiles. Another promising method is the use of earlywarning-systems such as LightCheck. LightCheck is a tool that enables evaluation of the quantity of light received by an artefact. It will accurately indicate cumulative light exposure even when exposed to only dim light (such as 50 lux) for long periods [LCH].

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effect, starting from the evidence of damage. A risk assessment assesses the possible harms of theft and ﬁre. Today, this

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assessment is rather ambiguous and is subject to improvement. Another important tool is the monitoring of environmental conditions by measuring the exposure of the interior to light, climate conditions, insects, etc. This has become a standard part of interior surveys.

As with the architectural inspection, an interior survey should follow a standard procedure and use a preformatted digital checklist containing all ﬁttings, ﬁxtures and object types to inspect.

An inspector is making notes about the condition of the building using a laptop.

Step 3: Interpretation of the information In the days following the inspection, a status report is made at the ofﬁce. Survey reports include recommendations for conservation and restoration, preventive measures and regular maintenance. The detailed status reports mention all elements of heritage value, qualiﬁed on a sliding scale from very bad to excellent condition.

An Elsec data logger used to quantify the light received by an artefact.

Results from device readings on environmental monitoring (light, temperature, relative humidity)

The report is built up in 3 parts: 1. A scoring report with the assessment of the condition (good – reasonable – moderate – bad – not measured) 2. Recommendations for maintenance and conservation in six categories: 1. Conservation and/or restoration (urgent to long term, on site or not) 2. Moulds and insects 3. Preventive measures (location, storage, handling) 4. Regular maintenance 5. Correct environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, light) 6. Protection against theft, vandalism and ﬁre

Monitoring Monuments

3. Photographs of the most critical damage and diagrams/charts of environmental condition Recommendations contain standard texts on best practice (for example: use padded hangers on textile, put cork behind the paintings, keep the relative humidity stable). The report should be used as a conservation planning document. At Monument Watch the goal is to improve prioritisation of the recommendations. Until now, these

Planned methodology for interior inspection using risk assessment

Monitoring Monuments

were mainly based on the condition assessments, which focus on the deterioration processes and which provide the analysis of testimonies or consequences of deterioration processes in the past. Environmental monitoring, dosimetry and early warning systems provide information on the exposure, a step earlier in the chain of cause to effect. Monument Watch intends to expand its toolbox approach in terms of predicting damage in the future by considering potential causes of damage. This can be done by integrating risk assessment, which is the exercise of assessing every potential threat from all potential causes of deterioration, and quantifying the potential negative effect in the future. Monument Watch also wants to improve prioritisation by taking into account the relative signiﬁcance of the elements and focusing on what is really important to and valued by heritage experts and the communities involved. In other words, an

object that is considered likely to degrade and is ranked with high signiﬁcance can therefore be given conservation treatment ﬁrst. Through this approach, the principles of Cultural Heritage Risk Assessment as promoted by ICCROM, CCI-ICC and ICN are being adopted. Step 4: Managing the data As with architectural inspections, the information of the interior inspection is entered into a database. Following a SWOT analysis of Monument Watch’s forms and reporting system in 2007, opportunities were found for enhancement, including: – Improvements of the service to the custodians and members (e.g. by offering diverse report formats) – Better prioritisation of the recommendations – Reduction of the time-consuming reporting by the surveyors – Central quality management – Integration with the architectural

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surveys Adopting methodological improvements, such as more objective condition and risk assessment

– – –

A database application called CAT (or Condition Assessment Tool) developed by the Scottish Museum Council is being adapted at Monument Watch to allow a more systematic condition survey and integration of records for interior elements and causes of deterioration. This will support the integration of the current methodology, which is focused on a condition assessment of current damage and ongoing deterioration processes, with integral risk assessment. Step 5: Dissemination of the information The owner receives a interior inspection report, possibly together with the architectural inspection report. The focus, however, is on the communication on site with owner/manager/caretaker. Interior inspectors:

– – –

Establish a direct relationship with owners and users Behave as guests, and take the local context into account Emphasize the importance of care by the local community custodians Focus on use and procedures in interviews and observations Focus on housekeeping Recognize any religious use

Communicating with the local stakeholders and caretakers is of utmost importance, hence Monument Watch organises courses and distributes low-proﬁle publications to raise awareness and encourage better caretaking skills. Step 6: Implementation of the information The inspection report allows the owner to take the following steps on a voluntary basis: – Contact restorers / specialists – Adapt maintenance methods to given guidelines – Apply for maintenance grants

Statistical analysis

An interior inspector explaining a source of decay to the site manager.

A database of inspection records makes it easier to analyse a wide variety of trends and patterns, helps to identify problems and measure the effectiveness of regular monitoring and maintenance programs. At a regional level, this information can be used to support monument care policy and track the evolution of the state of listed buildings.

Monitoring Monuments

between several parameters: - Provinces - Year of inspection - Function of the building - Listed vs. not listed buildings - Building category in m³ - Type of owner In addition to informing the Flemish government on the evolution of the state of the listed buildings of MWV members, statistics are used internally to focus on speciﬁc problems and to choose useful themes for publications (maintenance brochures) and training.

Future developments at Monument Watch Table showing the current state and evolution of speciﬁc building elements

Monument Watch Flanders, as the umbrella association for the ﬁve provincial associations in the Flemish region, collects all the data from its inspections into one central database, allowing overall statistical

analysis. Since 2001, building conditions have been recorded in the database as percentages, allowing MWV to recognize evolutions in the condition of building parts with the possibility of differentiating

Provide cost and planning information The methodology described in this KNOWHOW booklet offers owners and caretakers of historic buildings a useful condition report on a building and its contents, with recommendations for repair, conservation, and maintenance. This service would be even more valuable, if it could

provide an overview of the costs of those works over a certain period. Monument Watch is developing a new process to provide cost calculation and short-term (10 year) maintenance planning guidance. This service should be available in 2009. To be able to offer this service, basic measurement of the building parts will be necessary in order to provide a description with measurements and calculate the costs. Digital tools will most likely play an important role in providing this service. It should be noted that this cost calculation is not intended to be a full blueprint with specifications, which will remain the responsibility of the building contractor or architect. Improve the recording and processing of data As Monument Watch is growing rapidly every year, 400 additional buildings require inspection in addition to the 5000 current member structures - it is necessary to find more efficient ways to record and process inspection information, while guaranteeing

the regularity of inspection. The staff of 35 architectural and 9 interior inspectors must be enlarged, but this expansion depends on political goodwill and is not without limits.

Digital recording techniques could save time on site and automated reporting systems could reduce the time spent at the ofﬁce. The database of Monument Watch

Database ﬂowchart, showing a proposed architecture to improve the information ﬂow among monument watchers and other stakeholders

Monitoring Monuments

currently runs locally at the ﬁve provincial associations — these ﬁve databases are uploaded in a central system once every three months. A project is underway to centralise all the information in one location, while allowing remote access. This will enable instant up-to-the-minute reporting, as well as links to other repositories (e.g. the database of listed monuments of the Flemish government) and members consulting their status reports online. Maritime heritage At the request of the Flemish government, a new type of inspection is being developed for historical boats. A team of specialists has been recruited and a methodology for inspection is being developed. International Collaboration The Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (RLICC) at the K.U.Leuven (Belgium) and Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen vzw are setting up a network of experts and practitioners as part of

Monitoring Monuments

an application for a UNESCO chair on “preventive conservation, monitoring, maintenance of the architectural heritage”. The network seeks to establish a forum for exchange on the latest research, practice and needs in preventive conservation [SPRE]. Others As it is difficult for owners and caretakers to find professional building contractors that are interested in small repair works and cyclical maintenance, it is necessary to stimulate a larger maintenance offering with sufficient quality for historic buildings.

Summary This KNOWHOW booklet presents a preventive monitoring process that has proven to be effective. The technology used is simple and cost-effective, applying digital tools to measure and document buildings and their environmental parameters. New developments within this maintenance system rely on ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) to scale

the activity, to make it more effective, to communicate more efﬁciently with the members and to derive statistical data and trends to inﬂuence monument care policies and decide on internal priorities.

Acknowledgements The concepts and methodology presented in this book are based largely on the successful experience and practice of Monument Watch (Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen vzw) who we thank for their support and assistance.

References [CHAR] http://international.icomos.org/charters.htm [LCH] http://www.keepsafe.ca/lightcheck/ [MWV] http://www.monumentenwacht.be/ [SPRE] http://sprecomah.eu/network/

Monitoring Monuments

Monitoring Monuments Project team Authors:

Project Management:

Mario Santana Quintero

Jean-Louis Luxen

Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation, KU Leuven

CHEDI asbl

Anouk Stulens

Daniel Pletinckx Visual Dimension bvba

Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen vzw Alonzo C. Addison UNESCO World Heritage Centre Daniel Pletinckx Visual Dimension bvba

External Reviewers: Anne Lemaistre

Nele Goeminne Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation, KU Leuven

Illustrations: Mario Santana Quintero Photographs: Mario Santana Quintero and Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen vzw Proof-reading for booklets: Kristi Wilson Lindroth

UNESCO World Heritage Centre Christian Manhart UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Project Rapporteur:

With additional thanks to: Koen van Balen and Luc Verpoest, Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation, KU Leuven

Bill Blake

Publisher: The Interactive Institute AB, Stockholm, Sweden Editor: Daniel Pletinckx Coordinator: Halina Gottlieb Graphical design: Rafał Sosin

English Heritage Dina Bakhoum The Aga Khan Trust for Culture

With support by the European Commission under the Community’s Sixth Framework Programme, contract no. IST-2002-507382.

Without preventive maintenance, small problems at monuments and buildings can quickly grow into critical issues. Monitoring is crucial for preventive conservation, but often overlooked for lack of a simple, straightforward process. Using low-cost digital tools, and building upon more than fifteen years of experience of Monument Watch of Flanders, this KNOWHOW booklet outlines a practical, easily-replicable process for keeping an eye on buildings and monuments. This approach makes use of simple computer field collection forms, digital photography, and databases to appropriately and systematically monitor and maintain heritage places. Both the well-tested monitoring process and the operational structure of this innovative Belgian not-for-profit are explained in order to help others learn from their success.

The KNOWHOW booklets are an inspirational series cataloguing existing examples of a variety of projects which use ICT for the recording, display and interpretation of cultural heritage. These booklets highlight functional information covering the design, development and implementation of ideas and their solutions, and give thoughtful suggestions for alternative applications within the cultural heritage sector. The KNOWHOW booklets aim to support people working in the area of museums, heritage sites and monuments. The information covered within the booklets beneﬁts managers, exhibition producers/curators, pedagogues and professionals working with digital restoration, as well as those working with communication and audiences. These booklets cover projects developed by the partners of EPOCH, and are divided into the following categories: MUSEUMS, HERITAGE SITES and MONUMENTS. www.tii.se/knowhow

› cultural heritage › management › natural heritage

cultural heritage repositories: Digital Archives for Conservation and Management

› protection › repository › world heritage The unique and irreplaceable value of cultural heritage has long been recognized. Similarly, the need for accurate and detailed information about heritage for its conservation and management is well understood. Yet the records of our heritage have received less thorough treatment. From the need for heritage repositories, to the steps in creating them, this paper provides a high-level look at digital archives of cultural heritage. Using the evolving UNESCO World Heritage portal as our example, we provide an overview of the requirements for cultural heritage organizations, from planning to design, to deploy, and maintaining a digital repository, emphasizing information speciﬁc to the management, monitoring, and conservation of cultural heritage.

alonzo addison UNESCO World Heritage Centre Paris, France http://whc.unesco.org Alonzo C. Addison serves as Special Advisor for applied technology to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Past Director of the Center for Design Visualization at the University of California at Berkeley, his work spans historical visualization to design simulation, information architecture, and collaborative networks. As Vice President of Cyra Technologies in the 1990s, he helped develop one of the ﬁrst commercially viable laser scanners – a ‘monument-scale’ 3D LIDAR camera now common in heritage documentation. A co-founder of the Virtual Heritage Network, he is Vice President of the ICOMOS Int’l Scientiﬁc Committee (ISC) on Interpretation and Presentation (ICIP), on the board of the ICOMOS ISC on Heritage Documentation (CIPA), and Vice President of the VSMM Society. Author of Disappearing World: the Earth’s Most Extraordinary and Endangered Places, he has written extensively on heritage and its documentation.

mario santana quintero University of Leuven Heverlee, Belgium www.kuleuven.be Mario Santana Quintero completed studies of architecture in 1994 at the Universidad Central de Venezuela. In 2003 he obtained a PhD on ‘The use of three-dimensional documentation and dissemination techniques in studying built heritage’ at the R. Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (University of Leuven). He is currently Assistant Professor at the Lemaire Centre and post-doctoral researcher for the MACE EU Project, University of Leuven. He is also a Professor at the University of Applied Sciences St Lieven and associate faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as Vice President of the ICOMOS Scientiﬁc Committee on Heritage Documentation (CIPA) and Executive Oﬃcer of the Virtual Systems and Multimedia Society.

marta severo UNESCO World Heritage Centre Paris, France http://whc.unesco.org Marta Severo has just obtained a PhD in Management of Cultural Heritage (at IMT Lucca) with a dissertation on web-based tools to manage network cultural heritage. She graduated at the Communication Department of the University of Bologna. Since 2006, she serves as consultant for several UNESCO sectors. Currently, she is coordinating the web community of the UNESCO Network of Migration Museums.

background: cultural heritage and conservation cultural heritage

Cultural heritage – our shared legacy from the past – is a unique and irreplaceable source of identity and inspiration. As defined in the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (or World Heritage Convention as it is more commonly known), “cultural heritage” refers to “monuments”, “groups of buildings”, or “sites” with “historical, artistic, aesthetic, scientific, ethnological or anthropological… outstanding universal value”1. These heritage places can range from “a large area such as a whole region or landscape” to “a small area such as a feature or building”2. With recognition of the universal value of these heritage places has come increased focus on their conservation. From the creation of the world’s first national park at Yellowstone in 1872, to the adoption of the World Heritage Convention by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the 16th of November 19723, we have increasingly sought to identify, protect and preserve our heritage. Today heritage conservation is a major discipline, with thousands of professionals, from archaeologists, to architects, historians, museologists, masons, surveyors, and others working to conserve and manage cultural sites across the globe. Fig. 1: Aachen Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Germany (photograph by M. Santana).

heritage information The growth of the field of conservation has brought with it vast quantities of heritage information, from scientific records, to historical studies, surveys, inventories, photographs, maps, and field documentation. Once laboriously collected by hand and recorded on paper, this information is today increasingly gathered, organized, and archived digitally. Today it plays a vital role in defining a heritage place’s significance, integrity, extent, and threats, and is crucial to understanding, protection, and management. Information challenges Yet the explosion in heritage information has exacerbated 3 key data challenges: 1. Fragmentation: despite the importance of this information, it remains largely disjointed, typically residing with the individuals that produce it rather than in shared or common repositories known to a site manager or international conservation organizations. Sadly, this means that valuable time, resources, and knowledge are often lost in reproducing already completed work, adversely impacting on heritage places and their conservation. 2. Reliability: with increased awareness of heritage, has come increased information and documentation of cultural heritage. The ubiquity of digital cameras alone has led to the production of more imagery of cultural heritage in the last decade than in all previous recorded history. Although often well intentioned, the rapid growth in the quantity of data, as well as numbers and backgrounds of individuals producing information about sites, ?

cultural heritage repositories

has brought with it significant challenges. Mislabelling and miscategorization is common. Without provenance, professionals find it hard to trust much of this new generation of information. As shown in Tab. 1, reliability, especially with the new era of digital data, has five sources of error or bias.

Error/Bias

Description

Artifact

Sites are not constant – they evolve, age and are modiﬁed over time, meaning data about them must consider what point in history it is pertaining to.

Device

From rounding errors to calibration and issues like CCD color accuracy, the tools play an important role in accuracy.

Environmental

From temperature to sunlight and cloud cover, environmental conditions play a role in accuracy.

Human

Perhaps the hardest to identify, human error/bias is always present to some extent.

Provenance

Without an attached record of why, how or with what, where, and by whom, accuracy is limited.

Tab. 1: Information Reliability (from Addison 2006).

3. Longevity: although information survival has always been an issue, the growth of digital records has also increased a long-standing problem. As illustrated in Fig. 2, without special care, heritage records today stand little chance of surviving as long as the monuments they are meant to document. Fig. 2: Record Longevity (from Addison 2006).

Heritage repositories institutional repositories 

 

Necessitated by both the quantity of information, as well as the burdens of archiving, organizing, and disseminating it, researchers and heritage managers have deployed a broad array of tools and methods to store their records. These new repositories are largely ad-hoc, developed in-house to solve specific challenges.An overview of the types of information systems in typical use today are presented in Tab. 3. Often important for making informed decisions about the identification, classification, management and conservation of heritage places, some of these systems are also valuable aids in promoting cultural identity and tourism.

cultural mace book heritage repositories

Types

Pro’s

Con’s

Examples

Physical (document and photographic inventories and catalogues)

+ Simple to setup + Low cost

www.nps.gov/history/hdp/ standards/CRGIS/paper.htm (description of a planned migration from paper to digital)

Localized electronic databases

+ Highly customizable + Relatively easy to get started with + Simpliﬁes indexing

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

+ Strong data mgmt potential + Highly customizable

3D Earth Viewers (online GIS with spatial imagery)

+Combines advantages of GIS with an intuitive and easy to understand ‘real’ background

Hybrid, shared, ‘Web 2.0’ systems with relational data structures, XML, & other standards

+ Highly customizable, adaptable, and shared

- Typically linear/hard to cross-index - Hard to search/query - Physical storage requirements can become a challenge - Interaction with other inventories is diﬃcult - Non-standard, specialized query tools hard for novice users - Adding and managing data can be complex - Requires considerable input of mapping info. - Steep learning curve. - Can be costly - Not as useful for non-spatial data - Nothing more than a nice visual interface (i.e. little data management and requires other tools to extend) - Emerging technology

www.kikirpa.be/www2/en/ doc/docu.htm www.mip.berkeley.edu/spiro

www.timemap.net http://zimas.lacity.org

http://earth.google.com http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov www.microsoft.com/VirtualEarth

http://whc.unesco.org

Tab. 3: Types of heritage information systems (based on research by M. Santana).

building a digital repository: lessons from unesco’s world heritage portal Using the UNESCO World Heritage web portal (http://whc.unesco.org) and its redesign as our example, the steps in creating a modern repository are outlined below.

The official web site of UNESCO’s flagship Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the World Heritage portal is the source of the most definitive information about the World Heritage List, the Convention, and its many partners around the world. Both the repository of all statutory information about the treaty, as well as a public information tool, scientific material archive, community workspace, and news source, it illustrates many of the challenges of a modern heritage repository. It serves as an information dissemination and exchange tool at an international, regional, and local level, raising awareness and aiding in conservation management, monitoring, and mobilization. Fig. 2: UNESCO World Heritage portal (accessed: 23/06/2008).

cultural heritage repositories

Understanding heritage information There is a wealth of information about heritage documentation, from what is useful to collect, to how to collect it, and standards for organizing it. The following documents, although not specifically about digital repositories, provide a good background on heritage information and are an important starting point for anyone who wants to develop a digital cultural heritage information repository:  Principles for the analysis, conservation and structural restoration of architectural heritage (Charter ratified by ICOMOS in 2003)4;  ICOMOS Principles for the Recording of Monuments, Groups of Buildings and Sites (Principles ratified by ICOMOS in 1996)5;  Guidance on inventory and documentation of the cultural heritage (available as a book from the Council of Europe, 2002)6;  The Core Data Index to Historic Buildings and Monuments of the Architectural Heritage (1995 Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, adopted in 1998 by the Getty Information Institute’s ObjectID program and available in the book Documenting the Cultural Heritage, R. Thornes and J. Bold, eds.)7;  The International Core Standard for Archaeological Sites and Monuments (1992 Standard from the International Council of Museums (ICOM) International Committee for Documentation (CIDOC) in collaboration with the Council of Europe, adopted in 1998 by the Getty Information Institute’s ObjectID program and available in the book Documenting the Cultural Heritage, R. Thornes and J. Bold, eds.)8.

Defining goals and organizing data A well-designed cultural heritage repository should:  Safely store multidisciplinary knowledge of a place, its value/significance, and integrity;  Archive together all a place’s rich media, from maps to images, drawings, documents, CAD files, movies, audio recordings, etc.;  Allow intuitive querying and straightforward contributions of additional records;  Guarantee long-term viability of the records through clear, simple, and humandecodable data structures;  Promote interest and involvement in the preservation of the heritage through the dissemination of acquired information;  Enable informed decision making;  Ensure that a place’s management, maintenance and conservation is related to its integrity (physical form, materials, construction, etc) and its historical and cultural significance.

To fulﬁll UNESCO’s and the Convention’s mission, the World Heritage portal needed to accomplish a series of goals that included improving accessibility and enhancing and linking information about the Convention, and its sites, stakeholders, and activities. This could only be accomplished by organizing data in an eﬀective and coherent repository with easy public access via an interactive web interface. In the case of the World Heritage portal, it was decided early on to group the underlying data into 7 key categories: 1. Sites (the List of protected sites); 8?

cultural mace book heritage repositories

2. States (the Nations that have signed the Convention); 3. News (news about the places); 4. Activities (projects about the places); 5. People (from staff to the conservation workers, site managers, researchers, and the public with interests or activities at places); 6. Money (financial assistance expended in support of sites); 7. Documents (from official reports to images, maps, movies, and other rich media). Each of these categories is 2-way referenced to every other to allow rich and fast searching and interrelationships. In addition, data is increasingly thematically and spatially tagged wherever possible. Although certain data is available only to the World Heritage professional community upon site login, a vast amount is publicly accessible. Among the most visited pages are those of the individual World Heritage properties. These 878 dynamic pages present a friendly interface to a vast repository of information previously only available in paper archives. Since the design of the data structure cross-links seven key categories of information, a wealth of related data can be pulled and displayed for each site, from imagery to official decisions, nomination files, and so forth. The information available from the site pages includes (although not all is publicly accessible): Main Tab  Name, Location and Latitude/Longitude position  Flag and Country (cross-linked to country information)  Zoomable flash map showing location in the world  Iconic image of site  Date of inscription and Criteria (summary)  Official “Brief Description”  Justification for inscription and Statement of Significance/OUV  Related News, Events, Activities, and Web Links Locations Tab  Coordinates and descriptions for serial sub properties  Scanned nomination maps (under development)  IS tool (under development) Media Tab  Photographs, panoramic images, CAD files, movies, sound clips, etc Documents Tab (a sortable list of all official records mentioning the site)  Nomination file as originally submitted to UNESCO  Decisions of the World Heritage Committee about the preservation of the site  Annual State of Conservation reports  Longer-term Periodic Reports on conservation status as submitted by States  Mission reports of site visits Issues (Threats) Tab  Danger listing  Details of danger listing  Threats statistical graph  Photographs of issues (under development)  Related Information (under development)

cultural heritage repositories

A ‘related information’ section, currently under development, will allow the user to contribute research papers, news, events, multimedia files (photographs, QTVR panoramas, sound, CAD, and other relevant files), links, etc. This will allow WH staff, site managers, professionals, and the public to interact towards a better understanding of the site and its needs. This should enrich preservation activities and the decision making processes as interested parties use the portal to exchange preservation information (otherwise transferred through meetings and personal contacts), to carry out benchmarking analyses, and to define shared policies. These interactions will be managed offsite by the ‘Virtual Heritage Network’, an associated organization to the World Heritage Centre’s Information Management Initiative. This organization’s remote servers will allow Web 2.0-like community input contributions, which could not be hosted by UNESCO itself, as they are not official governmental records. Fig. 3: A World Heritage Property sub-page details, UNESCO World Heritage Centre9.

Choosing a technology platform

In the digital world, technology choices can have far-reaching consequences. Given the rapid advances in digital technology, choosing a system is particularly challenging. In the case of the World Heritage portal, moving from paper records and a simple html website to an advanced digital repository presented many challenges. A variety of complete ‘commercial oﬀ-the-shelf’ tools were proposed but all ultimately rejected as they hid the data in a ‘black-box’. Knowing that technology would evolve and such a system would eventually need to be replaced, we considered it crucial that the underlying data structure be designed, clear, intuitive, and visible. Instead of selecting a single system, the World Heritage portal uses an assemblage of tools. At its heart is an open-source relational database (MySQL). On top of this, the website is driven by a commercial web development language (Adobe’s ColdFusion), which at the time the project started was considered more stable than some of the other open-source tools (such as PHP) then beginning to emerge. Much of the look and feel is controlled with style sheets (CSS), Flash, Javascript, etc. This is an evolving project and in the future the scripting language will likely be migrated into either a ‘code framework’, to make code management easier, or potentially even into one of the many community-supported ‘content management systems’ (CMSes) built on PHP, ColdFusion, etc.

Providing a simple, intuitive interface

As important as the underlying technology is ease of use. Many repositories today (including online heritage photo archives) can be challenging to use, from 10?

cultural mace book heritage repositories

complex interfaces to specialized data classiﬁcation and search systems. Good data organization is a ﬁrst step, but a clear and simple interface is also crucial. Before the launch of its new online repository, UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre relied upon an overcrowded static website, printed newsletters, journals, and books to disseminate knowledge and issues related to its mandate as Secretariat of the Convention. This led to a considerable gap between the information available at the World Heritage Centre and the amount of information being disseminated to stakeholders and the public in general.

Today the World Heritage Centre has a dynamic engine and regularly updated content, which serves thousands of professionals and public users every day. Each of the 878 current sites on the World Heritage List can be accessed geographically using a dynamic world map, by region, by category or by simple typing its name in the internal search engine. Each property has its own dynamically generated page, providing the most up-todate information, from facts, to documents, activities, partners, ﬁnancial support, events and news. Similarly, there are dynamic and richly cross-linked pages for each of the States Parties to the Convention, as well as news, projects, events, etc.

conclusions browsing 

Using the UNESCO World Heritage portal as an example, this paper has presented a set of ideas useful for the creation of eﬀective digital repositories for heritage. Although still in its early stages, the new World Heritage web portal has already shown itself to be a useful conservation, communication, and archiving tool. With more than 600,000 visitors each month, and one-third of all UNESCO web traﬃc, it has quickly grown to be one of the most powerful tools in World Heritage conservation and communication.

Although successful, much still remains to be done. The ﬁnal step of building any repository is to launch, track and reﬁne it. Future goals for the World Heritage portal include Web2.0-like features to allow authorized users, from site managers to governments, to directly update and contribute new information, news and multimedia in a tracked, Wiki-like format. User interface improvements are also planned, from general layout, to better media gallery tools and customization based on general user type (from general public, to child, researcher, and site manager). Using the power of the web and the growing numbers of related professional and amateur repositories, from Flickr photo libraries to serious archives like ArchNet, future plans call for using next generation web technologies to better interlink and cross-reference repositories while ensuring archival viability.

cultural heritage repositories

notes  http://whc.unesco.org/en/conventiontext/ (accessed //)  Australian Heritage Commission. Protecting local heritage places: a guide for communities, Sydney , p  http://whc.unesco.org/en/conventiontext/ (accessed //)  http://www.international.icomos.org/charters/structures_e.htm (accessed //)  http://www.international.icomos.org/recording.htm (accessed //)  http://book.coe.int/EN/ﬁcheouvrage.php?PAGEID=&lang=EN&produit_aliasid= (accessed //)  http://www.object-id.com/heritage/index.html (accessed //)  ibid (accessed //)  http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ (Last accessed: //)

acknowledgements The World Heritage (http://whc.unesco.org) portal is the product of an interdisciplinary team and thousands of hours of work. Conceived by Alonzo Addison and supported by Francesco Bandarin, Minja Yang and Kishore Rao, among the many involved in the system development include: Scot Refsland, Mario Santana, Eric Esquivel, Benjamin Geebelen, Nicolas Caris, Maria Lepeigne-Cobo, Pierre Smars, Jurgen De Keyser, Hung Nguyen, Olivia Prevost, Roel Bylemans, Francesca Balzani, Marta Severo, and Peter Stott. Major support has come from the World Heritage Fund, the Flemish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and French governments, and Hewlett Packard. We would also like to thank Rand Eppich for his insightful feedback.

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Teaching Digital Three-Dimensional Documentation Methods to Architectural Heritage Conservators Mario SANTANA QUINTERO, Barbara VAN DER WEE, Koenraad VAN BALEN, Herman NEUCKERMANS Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation, Faculty of Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

ABSTRACT

archaeology, e.a., in the field of the conservation and restoration of monuments and sites.

This paper describes the incorporation of digital three-dimensional recording techniques in the education programme of an interdisciplinary group of young professional in the framework of an advanced postgraduate programme in conservation and restoration of urban and rural architectural heritage.

The combination of a variety of research activities and the intervention of an internationally recognized staff of guest lectures contribute to the continuous updating of the study programme.

The incorporation of these techniques into the current contents of this programme consists of the combination of a theoretical approach and a number of practical exercises.

In the tradition of the permanent updating, the centre has recently incorporated recent developments in digital 3D documentation methods.

The theoretical approach consists of lectures by distinguished specialists in the use and application of recording methods in the documentation of the architectural heritage. Furthermore, the practical framework of the project work deals with applying the concepts and principals explained in the theoretical courses in a real conservation project. Keywords: education, architectural heritage, conservation, building archaeology, Computer-Aided Drafting, documentation, Bauforschung, metric survey, architecture, archaeology.

1. INTRODUCTION The R. Lemaire International Centre for Conservation is a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;postgraduate education and research centre, offering an advanced international and interdisciplinary study programme in the conservation and restoration of urban and rural architectural heritage. Graduates from the Centre are awarded the degree of Master in Conservation of Historic Towns and Buildingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; [RLICC 2002]. This Master programme consists of two academic years, it aims at training young professionals with a university or equivalent degree in architecture, urbanism, civil engineering, art history or

Figure 1: Students using a REDM Total Station for measuring a Chapel, IPW01 Lecture of English Heritage, Castle of Arenberg, Leuven 2001, Belgium

These methods have been integrated in the course module dealing with ‘Analysis and registration techniques’, which is focusing on presenting the documentation of the geometric morphology and texture of the subject and its context. Moreover, this course is developed through a series of lectures from recognized international experts from different disciplines dealing with development and use of documentation methods, ranging from conventional hand-survey, image-based and electronic methods to Digital Information Systems. In addition, some of the lectures also address the specific requirements for theoretical reconstitution of buildings (anastylosis). These lectures provide an appropriate theoretical framework, combining recent technological developments in documentation methods, principles in the use of these tools, and its adapted application by explaining first-hand architectural conservation documentation projects. In addition, the students are assisted in the use of these techniques, selecting the most sustainable methods in their own practical exercises within the framework of the course module of the ‘Integrated Project work’.

Theoretical framework

The lectures devoted to three-dimensional surveying tools included in the module Analysis and registration techniques provide an overview of available methods for three-dimensional documentation, consisting of capturing devices (non- and image based instruments), processing computer applications (Computer Aided Drafting), and dissemination tools (paper plotting and Information Systems).

Figure 2: Students using Hand survey techniques for recording an architectural detail 1998, IPW1

The staff of lecturers includes: -

Practice of surveying historical buildings - Koen VAN BALEN (engineer-architect, Ph.D. in engineering; professor at the K.U.Leuven) – M. SANTANAQUINTERO (Researcher, architect, Master in Conservation – KU Leuven – RWTH Aachen)

Surveying techniques, including photogrammetry, Aerial survey, and photo interpretation - Yves EGELS (engineer; head of department at l’Institut Géographique National, Service de Photogrammétrie, Paris)

In addition, to explaining the available instruments, the contents are enhanced by the confrontation of their use with principals in documentation of built heritage.

Surveying techniques, including Electronic Distance Measurement methods – Bill BLAKE (Measured Survey Manager, English Heritage)

Furthermore, each guest lecturer explains the application of the methods using real first-hand cases and eventual field demonstrations of their effectiveness.

Surveying techniques, including Terrestrial Long range Three-dimensional Scanning System and Advanced Information Systems in Architectural Heritage – Alonzo C. ADDISON (Director, Center for Design Visualization, UC Berkeley)

Archaeological

The ranging of tools explained consists of electronic distance measurement instruments (Reflectorless Electronic Distance Measurements devices) and Long-range Mapping Scanners to image-based methods (stereo close-range architectural photogrammetry and rectified photography).

methods,

including

anastylosis

- Friedmund HUEBER (Ph.D.,director of the L. Boltzmann Institut für Archäologische Bauforschung & Denkmalpflege, T.U. Wien) - Michael JANSEN (PhD, professor, RWTH Aachen; member of the UNESCO International Consult. Committee (ICC) to MohenjoDaro, Pakistan) -

Architectural design theory and methods, CAAD: conceptual and physical modelling - Herman NEUCKERMANS (engineer-architect; Ph.D. in engineering; professor at the K.U.Leuven)

Practical framework

In the course module “Integrated Project Work: Conservation Project for a Building and its Urban Context”, the Centre provides the students the opportunity of exploring and applying directly the ‘theoretical insights’ (RLICC, 2002) extracted from the lectures taught in ‘Analysis and Registration Techniques’ in a real conservation project. The Integrated Project Work staff includes: -

Coordinator : B. VAN DER WEE (architect, Master in Conservation; professor at the K.U.Leuven) - R. ENGELS (engineer-architect, Master in Conservation; Assistant) Survey : K. VAN BALEN (engineer-architect, Ph.D. in engineering; professor at the K.U.Leuven) - M. SANTANA QUINTERO (Researcher, architect, Master in Conservation – KU Leuven – RWTH Aachen) - B. VAN DER WEE (architect, Master in Conservation; professor at the K.U.Leuven) Historical Analysis : K. DE JONGE (engineer-architect, Ph.D. in engineering; professor at the K.U.Leuven) - L. VERPOEST (engineer-architect, Ph.D. in engineering; professor at the K.U.Leuven) - B. VAN DER WEE (architect, Master in Conservation; professor at the K.U.Leuven) Urban Analysis : A. MELISSINOS (architect; professor) - P. LIEVEVROUW (architect; professor) Technical Analysis : K. VAN BALEN (engineer-architect, Ph.D. in engineering; professor at the K.U.Leuven) Conservation project : Staff & Visiting professors - B. VAN DER WEE (architect, Master in Conservation; professor at the K.U.Leuven)

The practical work is undertaken in small groups, consisting of students of different origins and professional education. The preparation of the conservation project involves the preliminary preparation of a ‘dataset’ of measured representations of the building geometry, texture, and urban-topographic context. The Student guidance, timing, and extend in the use of selected digital three-dimensional methods, including Reflectorless

Figure 3: IPW 1, the resulting Hand drawing of an architectural detail of the Castle of Arenberg, Leuven 1997, Belgium (IPW1 - F. O’Mahony) Electronic Distance Measurement devices (REDM) and rectified photography is undertaken by specialized members of the teaching staff and by the guest professors, chosen according to the difficulty of the task. Student guidance is undertaken by the members of the teaching staff and by the guest professors and specialists, chosen according to the subject selected.

2.1 Integrated Project Work 1: Approaching the problem of recording historic buildings: Conventional Hand-Survey Techniques This first exercise consists of preparing a set of measured representations (orthogonal views: plan sections, sections, elevation, etc) using conventional hand-survey and pencil-drawing techniques of an architectural element (e.g. window, door, arch, etc) . The aim is to confront the students to the problem of recording an element using a time constraint conventional tool, a technique that can deliver a high degree of on-site analysis and rationalization of

the history and condition of the subject be directly experiencing the geometry, texture, and dimension of the object (See Figures 2 and 3). In addition, this exercise focuses on learning to read and understand an architectural element and to graphically communicate the result of the research. The results are discussed with the staff in order to reach some conclusions about the aim of using these conventional documentation techniques and the contribution they can provide for the use of more advanced electronic and image-based recording tools.

2.2 Integrated Project Work 2: urban analysis: This exercise aims at gathering an understanding the actual urban and historic evolution of a specific site within its urban context. The exercise does not focus on the elaboration of a detailed research of an architectural element or particular building but on confronting the general diagnosis of the problems in an urban quarter. Subsequently, these diagnosis solutions are presented in the formulation of policies. Reading of the urban fabric comprises amongst others: historical analysis and growth evolution of the urban quarter, analysis of morphology of urban layout and architectural form, analysis of public space and traffic intensity, functional and sociological analysis of the quarter, confrontation with different actors of city development. Finally these analyses are synthesized in a evaluation of strengths, and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the urban quarter. The representation in graphic documents concerning the urban context using similar techniques in presenting architectural detail can help understanding the richness and complexity of the urban shape and in structuring the identity of the urban public space as a negative of the architectural evidence.

2.3

Integrated Project Work 3: conservation project on a specific historical building and urban or rural site

The preparation of the conservation project involves a wide range of preliminary activities using an adequate methodology. Within the time schedule of the academic year many hours are reserved for research and personal work (in libraries, archives and on site), for discussions within the work group, and for the preparation of the documents illustrating the practical work (surveys, plans, photos,

Figure 4: a student using a REDM Total Station to record the interior of a Chapel, Monastery of Carthusian Monks, Antwerp 2002, Belgium, IPW3 etc.). In this final long-term exercise and during the past academic year the Raymond Lemaire Centre has successfully incorporated the use of the following techniques for the preparation of the dataset of Measured representations of their particular subject and context: -

Reflectorless EDM Total Station (See Figure 4)

Simple plan parallel rectified photography.

In order to provide adequate students guidance in the use of these techniques, the tools are explained in a two days exercise with the support of experts coming from the Metric Survey Team of English Heritage. This short practical courses focuses on explaining common critical issues in the use of this more advanced techniques for capturing and Computer-Aided Drafting applications in representation historic buildings, including: -

Notion of scale: referring that even if CADR drawings are prepared 1:1 in the computer, the surveyor is required

Figure 5: A CADR 3D section drawing prepared to present possible interventions for the conservation of the building, IPW3 Convent of the Black Sisters, Leuven, Belgium [Privitera, L. et al, 2002] to think about the plotting scale before performing the survey. -

Density of measurements: the use of Electronic and Image-based techniques provide sufficient tools to acquired more measurements of the object than a handsurvey tool, therefore the student needs to be aware of the fact that a higher density of measurements will provide a higher quality to the survey (e.g.; avoiding defining a wall edge with two points).

These limitations are very useful, because the students are confronted to the need of performing a very effective survey thought the definition of a methodology, taking into consideration the: -

Definition of the problem: where is the intervention of the technique more relevant, perhaps to document areas that are not reachable with hand-survey tools and to establish the levels and orientations of the different spaces composing the building.

Expression tools: the computer can provide the same quality of expression as a pencil drawing. The use of line-weight and different line types is encouraged.

Expected results: what are the requirements of precision and the amount of measurements to be gathered using the more sophisticated technique.

Subsequently, the students are provided with a number of constraints:

Selection and combination of the Technique: application of the technique and method for processing the data collected, choosing techniques, which are more suitable for the problem.

Evaluation and feedback: included in their final research dissertation, the students provide a feedback of the method and tools used on how they can be improved.

On-site timeframe: Implementation of the survey during a period of two to three days â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;in situâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Off-site support timeframe: the students are essentially provided with one full day for questions regarding the processing of the measurements collected.

The resulting measured plans are used by the students to carry out thematic assessments about the condition of conservation and history of the subject and context, including:

Figure 6: A plan elevation prepared with the combination of REDM Total Station and plan parallel Digital Rectified Photography, the resulting CADR drawing prepared presents an assessment about the actual condition of the building, IPW3 Former Property Vandenpeerenboom, Anderlecht , Belgium [Devolver, R. et al, 2002] Spatial and Typological Study (Context and architecture): deals with the analysis of the Building morphology and its context (topographic – Urban morphology). The analysis is carried out basically using the dataset prepared in the Measured representations ‘dataset’ (See Figure 5). Historical Assessment: deals with the comparative study of historical documents and the answers to be found evidenced in the stratigraphy of the object, in order to clarify the historical chronology of the object, providing facts about the history of the building and historic context, in relation with the characteristics of the built environment surrounding it in past and present. In this case, the measured survey plans are used as mapping instruments to identify the construction phasing, evidenced both in the documentary research sources and in the fabric of the subject; it is a comparative study that analyses and verifies these facts in the fabric to define a stratigraphy of the object. This assessment makes use of different techniques, such as Historical Documentary research (Map regression, Iconographical research, and Archival-Bibliographical Research) and study of the stratigraphy of the fabric.

Condition Assessment: deals with the study of the fabric of the object by mapping the materials and weathering forms and its causes (Condition Mapping); as well as the Structural Analysis (Deformation, crack analysis, stability, etc). The metric survey dataset is used as base for this mapping process, monitoring of the mechanism of change in the fabric of the building, and to study the anatomy of the structural design (See Figures 6 and 7). The study of the anatomy of the object deals with the analysis of the structural support design and changes, masonry sequence, jointing characteristics, materials used, and other relevant subjects associated with the construction.

Results and Conclusions

The presentation of Project Works prepared by the group of students of the current academic year showed a high degree of understanding of these recent developments in Three-dimensional documentation techniques and their adequate adoption of their potential and the needs in recording architectural heritage in view of its conservation.

Future perspectives

In relation to the Master’s programme:

The centre is looking at ways of incorporating more advanced three-dimensional recording techniques already presented in the theoretical framework of the curricula into the practical work of the students. This perspective includes demonstrations of potentials in LongRange Laser Mapping devices and making Stereo-Photogrammetry available for the students to apply in their own Integrated Practical Work 3. In relation to Research: The Centre has incorporated efforts in the development of an image-based acquisition and modeling tool, called VIRTERF [RLICC 2001] currently in a prototype state that introduces an ‘acquisition tools largely automated’ for the generation of threedimensional depth maps, textures, and a cloud of points. The 3D model resulting from this application is linked to an integrated information system that allows the identification, navigation, visualization and exploration of all kind of thematic information through a 3D geometric-textured model of the object.

REFERENCES Addison, A. ‘Emerging Trends in Virtual Heritage’ IEEE Multimedia Journal, Vol 7/2 April-June 2000 Andrews, D., Blake, B., Fradgley, N., Lunnon, S. & Roberts, P. ‘The Presentation of Historic Building Survey in CAD’, English Heritage, Sterling, London 1999. Devolver, R. Heirman, K. Suciu, E. Lascar, L. Integrated Project Work 3 Former Property Vandenpeerenboom, Anderlecht 2002 Fellin, V. Gomes, J. Misson, J.S. Lemineur, P. Integrated Project Work 3 Former Monastery of Carthusian Monks, Antwerp 2002 Privitera, L. Wuyts, V. Cufi, D. Mikrou, T. Saito, A. Flores de la Cuba, J. Integrated Project Work 3 Convent of the Black Sisters, Leuven 2002 Purcar, C. Debonne, V. Olivier, F. Gauthier, P. Integrated Project Work 3 Anneessens Tower and Part of the First City Wall of Brussels, Brussels 2002 Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation Homepage http://rlicc.asro.kuleuven.ac.be (Last visited: 05/07/2002) Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation – Master Programme 2000 - 2001 Saint Aubin, J.P. ‘Le Relev et la Reprsentation de l’Architecture’, Service de l’Inventaire Gnral, Paris 1992.

Schouteden, J. Pollefeys, M. Vergauwen, M. & Van Gool, L. ‘Image-based 3D Acquisition tool for Architectural Conservation’ Proceedings of the Surveying and Documentation of Histoirc Buildings – Monuments – Sites Traditional and Modern Methods, Cipa 2001 International Symposium, Potsdam 2001. Swallow, P. Watt, D. & Ashton, R. ‘Measurement and Recording of Historic Buildings’ , Donhead, London 1993. VIRTERF: “ Three dimensional digital information system for the documentation, representation and conservation of our architectural heritage.” The abbreviation VIRTERF refers to Virtual Heritage (in Dutch). The project started on September the 1rst 1999 and lasts for a period of two years. It was developed by a Research Consortium, including the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, the Raymond Lemaire Centre for Conservation, the Department of Electronics, and the Department of Mechanics of the KU Leuven in Belgium. The Flemish Community financed the project. http://virterf.asro.kuleuven.ac.be/virterf/ (Last visited: 20/11/2001)

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Mario Santana Quintero is Responsable for the Integration of Digital Documentation Techniques in the Module IPW (Master in Conservation), he holds a degree in architecture and Master in Conservation at the KULeuven. He can be contacted at: RLICC - KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 01, B3001 Leuven(Heverlee), Belgium. Email: mario.santan a@asro.kuleuven.ac.be Barbara Van der Wee is the Coordinator of the Integrated Project Work (Master in Conservation) and Professor at the K.U.Leuven; independent architect; she holds degrees of Architect and a Master in Conservation of Historic Towns and Buildings from R. Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (KU leuven). She can be contacted at: RLICC - KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 01, B3001 Leuven(Heverlee), Belgium. Email: barbara.vanderwee@asro.kuleuven.ac.be Koen Van Balen is the Coordinator of the Module of Analysis and registration techniques (Master in Conservation) and a Professor at the KU Leuven, he holds a degree of Architectural Engineer and a Ph.D. in engineering from the KU Leuven. He can be contacted at: RLICC - KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 01, B3001 Leuven(Heverlee), Belgium. Email: koenraad.vanbalen@bwk.kuleuven.ac.be Herman Neuckermans is the Coordinator of the Module of Analysis and registration techniques (Master in Conservation); and a professor at the KU Leuven, he holds a degree of Architectural Engineer and a Ph.D. in engineering from the KU Leuven. He can be contacted at: Dept. ASRO - KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 01, B3001 Leuven(Heverlee), Belgium. Email: herman.neuck ermans@asro.kuleuven.ac.be

Figure 7: A plan elevation prepared with the combination of REDM Total Station and plan parallel Digital Rectified Photography, the resulting CADR drawing prepared presents an assessment about the actual condition of the building using a chart explaining the different weathering forms affecting the fabric of the building, IPW3 Anneessens Tower and Part of the First City Wall of Brussels, Belgium [Purcar, C. et al, 2002]

Figure 8: the general ground map of the building, prepared with the combination of REDM Total Station and hand-survey measurements, the resulting CADR drawing prepared presents an assessment about the actual condition of the building, IPW3 Former Property Vandenpeerenboom, Anderlecht , Belgium [Devolver, R. et al, 2002]

bibliography Addison, A. “World Heritage Information Systems Initiative”, unpublished presentation to the World Heritage Committee, Paris, . Addison, A. “The Vanishing Virtual: Safeguarding Heritage’s Endangered Digital Record”, in Proc. of the New Heritage Forum: New Heritage: Beyond verisimilitude; interpretation of cultural heritage through new media, Y. Kalay & T. Kvan, eds. Hong Kong Univ.: . Box, P. GIS and Cultural Resources Management: A Manual for Heritage Managers. UNESCO, Bangkok, . Burnett, J. and Morrison, I. Deﬁning and recording the resource: documentation. In Manual of Heritage Management, R. Harrison, ed. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, , -. Clark, K. Informed Conservation. English Heritage, London, . Eppich, R. (ed.). Documentation for Conservation: Illustrated Examples. The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles [forthcoming]. Evans, K. and Fielding, L. Giza: The use of GIS in managing a World Heritage Site, in Shackley, M. (ed.) Visitor Management: Case Studies from World Heritage Sites. Butterworth, Oxford, , -. Matero, F. et al. Archaeological site conservation and management: An appraisal of recent trends. Conservation and management of archaeological sites , , -. Palumbo, G. Beyond CAD: a look at data analysis and integration using GIS, in GRADOC. Graphic Documentation Systems in Mural Painting Conservation. ICCROM, Rome, , -. Pearson, M., Sullivan, S. Assessing the Value of Heritage Places, in Looking After Heritage Places. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, , -. Santana Quintero, M., A. Addison, S. Refsland, and E. Esquivel. “A Portal to the World’s Heritage: Rethinking UNESCO’s World Heritage Web”, in Proc. VSMM : th Int’l Conference on Virtual Systems and Multimedia, Gifu, Japan, November . Severo, M. Sharing Information about Network Cultural Heritage, in EVA Conference Proceedings, Vienna, . Stovel, H. Monitoring world cultural heritage sites. ICOMOS Canada Bulletin , (), -. Thornes, R. and Bold, J. Documenting the Cultural Heritage. J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, . Wheatley, D. The impact of information technology on the practice of archaeological management, in Cooper, M.A., Firth, A., Carman, J. and Wheatley, D. (eds). Managing archaeology. Routledge, London, , -.

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