This document provides an overview of documentation techniques for cultural heritage conservation. It discusses how documentation has evolved from initially collecting data for study purposes to now being essential for conservation work. Precise documentation is needed to understand historic buildings, preserve data before restoration, analyze deterioration causes, and record conservation work. Examples of techniques include historic drawings, photographs, precise technical drawings, mapping material analysis, and advanced methods like laser scanning. Overall, the document outlines the importance of thorough documentation for both understanding and preserving cultural heritage sites.

1. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. Anna Lobovikov-Katz -Technion – Israel Institute of TechnologyDr. Anna Lobovikov-Katz -Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Educational ToolkitEducational Toolkit
Values and AwarenessModuleModule 11
Basic CourseBasic Course
TopicTopic 1.51.5 Documentation of cultural heritage
Teaching MaterialTeaching Material

2. Dr. Anna Lobovikov-Katz -Technion – Israel Institute of TechnologyDr. Anna Lobovikov-Katz -Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
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– Educational Linkage Approach in Cultural Heritage within the framework of EuroMed Cultural Heritage 4
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Photographs: Courtesy of Anna Lobovikov-Katz

3. Dr. Anna Lobovikov-Katz -Technion – Israel Institute of TechnologyDr. Anna Lobovikov-Katz -Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Abstract Topic 1.5. Documentation of cultural heritage provides an
overview of documentation and a survey of built cultural
heritage which is specifically targeted to facilitate its
conservation. It explains why such documentation needed,
what is special about documentation for conservation
purposes, and provides selected examples of the
documentation of historic buildings.
Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage

4. Dr. Anna Lobovikov-Katz -Technion – Israel Institute of TechnologyDr. Anna Lobovikov-Katz -Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Content
Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Content of Topic 1.5
1.3. Documentation of cultural heritage
1.5.1. Aims of documentation for
the conservation of cultural heritage
1.5.2. Role of study and documentation in
the conservation of cultural heritage
1.5.3. The selected examples of
documentation techniques and results

5. Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage
Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
1.5.1. Aims of documentation for conservation
of cultural heritage
What is it?
Slide 5
Documentation of built heritage comprises
collecting on site and processing precise data on
historic buildings and sites, both in written and two-
dimensional images, which involves different types
and techniques of documentation and
measurements, from photography and sketches to
precise drawings and sophisticated advanced
techniques, like photogrammetry and laser
scanning.

6. Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage
Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Slide 6
Documentation of historic buildings and sites is not
a new area of human activity. Precise drawings
and images of historic buildings were created
centuries ago by artists and architects.
Reasons for this were different: beauty or historic
importance of the buildings could draw the
attention of an artist; a series of precise images of
buildings of a whole city could be ordered by a king
or an emperor.
From the 18th
century documentation of important
buildings became common in Europe.
1.5.1. Aims of documentation for conservation
of cultural heritage

7. Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage
Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Aims
Slide 7
Documentation can serve two main purposes:
1.collecting and storing data on built heritage for the
purposes of its study and understanding, e.g. by art and
architecture historians, and by architecture students and
architects;
2.enabling actual conservation of historic buildings and
sites.
1.5.1. Aims of documentation for conservation
of cultural heritage

8. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
1.3.1. Conservation theory and practice
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 8
1.5.2. Role of study and documentation
in conservation of cultural heritage
First, documentation was aimed
mainly at collecting and storing data
on built heritage for the purposes of
its study and understanding
But later, with the development of
conservation theory and practice, the
necessity of documentation of
monuments before the conservation,
and of documentation of conservation
steps was formulated.

9. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 9
What is the difference between the two:
Documentation for
collecting and
storing data on
built heritage for
the purposes of its
study and
understanding
Documentation for
collecting and
storing data on
built heritage for
the purposes of its
study and
understanding
Documentation
aimed at enabling
actual conservation
of historic buildings
and sites.
Documentation
aimed at enabling
actual conservation
of historic buildings
and sites.
AND
1.5.2. Role of study and documentation
in conservation of cultural heritage

10. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 10
Answer:
Documentation should depict a
building in order to understand its
architecture, while minor
deflections of its “ideal” form
occurred during its construction
or due to its deterioration are not
important., e.g.
if some stones had fallen out of the
wall, it would not be important for
the study of a building’s original
Documentation should depict a
building in order to understand its
architecture, while minor
deflections of its “ideal” form
occurred during its construction
or due to its deterioration are not
important., e.g.
if some stones had fallen out of the
wall, it would not be important for
the study of a building’s original
Documentation for
collecting and
storing data on
built heritage for
the purposes of its
study and
understanding:
Documentation for
collecting and
storing data on
built heritage for
the purposes of its
study and
understanding:
1.5.2. Role of study and documentation
in conservation of cultural heritage

11. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 11
Answer:
1.5.2. Role of study and documentation
in conservation of cultural heritage
Precise full documentation is
important, including even tiny
details and discrepancies
which might have been caused
by deterioration, or present
from the original construction
period, e.g. wall which is
supposed to be vertical, but
actually is not; later
replacement of some details by
identical ones, etc.
Precise full documentation is
important, including even tiny
details and discrepancies
which might have been caused
by deterioration, or present
from the original construction
period, e.g. wall which is
supposed to be vertical, but
actually is not; later
replacement of some details by
identical ones, etc.
Documentation
aimed at enabling
actual
conservation of
historic buildings
and sites:
Documentation
aimed at enabling
actual
conservation of
historic buildings
and sites:

12. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
1.3.1. Conservation theory and practice
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 12
Step by step documentation of
conservation works
Study, documentation,
investigation, analysis
On site Laboratory
Conservation project
Conservation works
Post-conservation: evaluation of
conservation, prevention of
deterioration, maintenance
1.5.2. Role of study and documentation
in conservation of cultural heritage
in different phases of
conservation
Documentation, investigation
before conservation intervention
Documentation, investigation
of a past-conservation period
Application of
documentation

13. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
1.3.1. Conservation theory and practice
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 13
1.5.2. Role of study and documentation
in conservation of cultural heritage
Documentation enables conservators, among other things:
1.To understand a historic building/site
2.To preserve the data on a historic building/site before restoration/
conservation
3.To study and analyse a historic building/site; to come with correct
diagnosis of the causes of its deterioration in order to develop a
suitable conservation program (project) and, finally, to undertake its
conservation
4.To keep the data on the conservation process, in order to know
precisely in the future what parts were restored, and with what
materials and techniques
5.To evaluate the results of conservation works, and to follow up their
effect over the years

14. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
1.3.1. Conservation theory and practice
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 14
1.5.3. Selected examples of documentation
techniques and results
Documentation methods and techniques
Historic images
Drawings and paintings by artists
can be precise. Even several
centuries ago, long before
photography was used, artists used
techniques (e.g. camera obscura)
that helped them to produce precise
images of buildings. Artistic images
can provide information regarding
state the of a building before it was
rebuilt, destroyed or restored in the
past.
The Colosseum, Rome, before the restoration of early 19th
century was undertaken:
Piranesi, Courtesy of The Knights of Columbus Museum.

15. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 15
Documentation methods and techniques
Photographic survey
1.5.3. Selected examples of documentation
techniques and results
Photography can provide
data regarding the shape of
the building, its
conservation state, and
different materials used in
its construction/ repair/
previous restorations.
Photographic surveys can
be focused on general info
– general view of a
building, as well as
document systematically
every single detail.

16. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 16
Documentation methods and techniques
Photographic survey
Photography can
provide data regarding
the shape of the building,
its conservation state,
and different materials
used in its construction.
Photographic surveys
can be focused on
general info – general
view of a building, as well
as document
systematically every
single detail.
1.5.3. Selected examples of documentation
techniques and results

17. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 17
Documentation methods and techniques
Photographic survey
1.5.3. Selected examples of documentation
techniques and results
Photographic survey
From students’ work in the course
“Documentation of historic building
and sites” Faculty of Architecture and
Town Planning, Technion,
(supervised by author) 2011.
Work by Yanai Apelbaum, Zahi
Zafrani, Ronit Negrea, Daniel Koppel,
Ori Roll; Boaz Barr, Ben Coen, Omer
Cohen

18. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 18
Documentation methods and techniques
Precise drawings
1.5.3. Selected examples of documentation
techniques and results
Precise drawings: façade –
shows a view (projection) of a
wall, in accordance with a set
of requirements applied in
precise drawing (drafting).
Students’ work in the course “Documentation
of historic building and sites” Faculty of
Architecture and Town Planning, Technion,
(supervised by author) 2011. Work by Uri
Kfir, Yael Itzkin, Na'ama Sivan, Reut Shpatz

19. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 19
Documentation methods and techniques
Precise drawings
Precise drawings: plan – shows a view (projection) of a floor from above, in
accordance with a set of requirements applied in precise drawing (drafting).
Student’s work in the course “Documentation of historic building and sites” Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning,
Technion (supervised by author) 2003. Precise drawing coordination by Anna Shiffman, Vladimir Feigin, Yulia Podolsky
1.5.3. Selected examples of documentation
techniques and results

20. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 20
Documentation methods and techniques
Mapping
1.5.3. Selected examples of documentation
techniques and results
The results of the
documentation and
measurements undertaken on
a historic building/ site can be
processed and combined in a
graphic representation of the
analysis of building materials
used in a building, and its
conservation state. This is
called “mapping”. Students’ work in
the course “Documentation of historic building
and sites” Faculty of Architecture and Town
Planning, Technion, (supervised by author)
2011. Work by Uri Kfir, Yael Itzkin, Na'ama
Sivan, Reut Shpatz

21. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage Slide 21
Documentation methods and techniques
Equipment
Equipment developed for geodetic survey is
widely used in conservation and varies from a
simple to sophisticated. Here a simple level
(leveling instrument) allows establishment of a
virtual horizontal plane, to enable the surveyor to
collect data about relative height, e.g. of different
parts and elements of this courtyard of a “Khan”
(inn) built at the end of 18th
century in Acre. Are
you sure the floor is horizontal? Columns are of
equal height? You can check it with level. Nothing
should be “assumed” by a conservation surveyor -
everything should be measured and documented.
1.5.3. Selected examples of documentation
techniques and results

22. Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch.– Topic 1.5: Documentation of cultural heritage
Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Text
Slide 22
A few examples of advanced documentation techniques might be
accessed on the Advanced Topics section of Module 1, e.g.
regarding laser scanner:
Digital Documentation of Heritage. Queen’s University, Belfast, School
of Geography, Archaeology, and Palaeoecology - funded by Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6PMcP8BkWE.
1.5.3. Selected examples of documentation
techniques and results
Documentation methods and techniques

23. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
Thank you for your attention
Dr. A. Lobovikov-Katz, Arch. Slide 23
© Anna Lobovikov-Katz
© Anna Lobovikov-Katz