by Cristina Gonzalez-Longo (University of Strathclyde, Department of Architecture, ADCRU). Presentation given at the DEDICATE final seminar (University of Glasgow, 21st October 2013)

1. Beyond Built Heritage Documentation:
digital applications needs
for research and conservation
Cristina Gonzalez-Longo
RIBA SCA RIAS AFHE
Architectural Design and Conservation Research Unit (ADCRU)
DEDICATE- Glasgow 21 October 2013

2. Building capacity in Architectural Research, Design and
Conservation:
MSc in Architectural Design for the Conservation of Built Heritage (ADCoBH)
starting in 2014
Architectural Design and Conservation Research Unit (ADCRU)
Two fully funded PhD students and Six 4th year dissertations
Research-informed practice

3. ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH
Existing and new data

4. Researchers
• Lack of digital literacy- large scale use of architectural and art
historical digital data is at the moment severely hindered by
generational as well as technical issues: incompatibilities, multiple
formats, specifications and a lack of shared vocabularies
• “Treasure hunt’: some researchers place the scope of the research
in finding new, unknown, documents rather than to use the
documents to bring new knowledge and to use also the buildings as
source of information, analysis and interpretation.
• There is more search for the “new unknown” rather that
consultation of “old known” documents and the buildings

5. Archives
• Separation of documents and drawings (different
conservation needs)
• Ownership

6. • Impossibility to reproduce and/or high cost
• Poor conservation (specially 17th c), documents partially
damaged
• Geographical location
• Poor digital repositories, limited visibility:
CANNOT LOOK IN DETAIL / MULTIPLE DOCUMENTS /
PARTIAL ACCESS

7. Owners
• Lack understanding about the importance of the material they own
• Cost
SLIDES!

8. NEED TO INTERROGATE DATA BASES

10. Layers
Artist, craftsmen, materials

11. Masons

12. People

13. Comparisons
Influences

14. Not just buildings:
Landscape, decoration, objects, books, memorabilia….

15. Hamilton Palace
(1682, 1693-1701)
Demolished in 1929

16. http://hamilton.rcahms.gov.uk/

17. http://hamilton.rcahms.gov.uk/

18. http://www.scran.ac.uk/

19. http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/

20. ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE

21. ARCHITECT’S NEED FOR DIGITAL CURATION OF THEIR WORK
• Publicity, awards, reference for future projects
• Architects are legally required to keep project records and drawings
as claims can arise many years after the completion of a project .
• Most claims occur in the first ten years following completion, but
data may need to be kept for as long as 20 years after the date of
the certificate of making good defects. If documents are being
retained electronically material can be destroyed 10 years after the
date of practical completion.
• The architect has to conduct a risk assessment against the costs of
archiving the material. Any filing system should take the ease of
retrieval into account.

22. CONSERVATION PROJECT

23. • Preliminary Investigations and Research
• Analysis and Diagnosis
• Architectural Design Project
• Site Works
• Maintenance

24. Preliminary HISTORICAL and ARCHAEOLOGICAL
RESEARCH should inform interventions on valuable
reliminary nvestigations and
esearch
buildings, including research on construction history
P
I
R

25. SURVEY, ANALYSIS and identification of the
CAUSES OF DECAY

26. Structural and material investigations
Preferably NON-DESTRUCTIVE techniques
3D scan, ultrasonic, X-ray, thermography, etc
http://www.irtsurveys.co.uk
AOC Archaeology Group

29.  Keep photographic/scan RECORDS of works and
findings, to be kept by building owner and user
 These data helps to establish clearly the
PROCEDURE and TIMETABLE for regular
maintenance.

31. It relies on the skill of the individual user to pull all the
information together, often in a very rudimentary way,
which cannot be transferred to others
No time and money in projects to comprehensibly
record and curate

34. The construction industry is new-build orientated
rather than conservation
This must change!
50% of costruction work
is in refubishment/conservation
85% of today’s buildings will form
70% of the building stock in 2050

35. http://www.ribaplanofwork.com/

36. ‘Digital Built Britain’ network
“products that could talk digitally to each other”
‘Digital Conserved Britain’….?
Information about the architecture and construction
of existing buildings will also contribute to energy
efficiency and carbon reduction.

37. http://www.riba-insight.com/

38. http://www.architecture.com/

39. CREATIVE v STANDARD
Concerns about design quality
LACK OF DIGITAL TRAINING EARLY ON IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
COST
http://www.gsconnect.co.uk

40. CIC regional BIM Hubs – Task group
Scotland
“To develop the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the Scottish
built environment and to demonstrate the benefits that can be achieved
through knowledge sharing, collaboration and best practice guidance”
COBie
CIC Building Information Modelling (BIM) Protocol 2013
requirement for the role of Information Manager engaged by the Employer
http://www.bimtaskgroup.org

41. Outreach
http://www.bimtaskgroup.org

42. http://www.3d-coform.eu/

43. http://www.3d-coform.eu/

44. Although we understand now the close relationship
between immovable-movable and
tangible-intangible built cultural heritage,
existing research and conservation practices
do not support this theoretical framework

45. Very positive impact of:
“The Care and Conservation of
Georgian Houses” in Edinburgh
(or, internationally, “Manuale di
recupero della Cittá di Roma”)
They can be updated, considering also
modern means to disseminate
information, like interactive tools and
modelling
From the ‘Manual’ to the handling of big
data

46. NEED TO EASILY SEARCH, LINK AND MANIPULATE DATA

47. Democratisation of data
Common ‘language’
Digital citizens
Integration
Interactive
Simplicity
Clarity

48.  Design a new accessible digital platform which will allow for an
integrated knowledge and analysis of buildings and architectural
collections from around the world.
 A common digital environment with large 3D and image linking and
enhancing capabilities: architectural, artistic, technical and scientific data
relating to a single building
 Drawn on established research and techniques from a variety of
disciplines, with a convergence of Arts and Humanities with Technical
disciplines.
 Able to document and analyse historical techniques through extremely
accurate visual capabilities
 This can also lead to new attributions, finding comparative
objects/fabrics, which will inform research (dating, traces of previous
conservation, etc) and conservation.

49. “Collaboration, scholarship and sweat”
Prof Charles McKean
Cristina Gonzalez-Longo
c.gonzalez-longo@strath.ac.uk
www.cglarchitect.com