Author(s)

M. Cabeza Gonzalez, A. Soler Estrela

Abstract

Interest in architectural heritage conservation arises from the need to preserve the cultural memory of the society to which it belongs. However, many examples have been lost over the course of history, and we currently only have brief written summaries of their existence or, at best, a few remains of historic buildings in ruins.

Due to the lack of original documentation on these constructions, most of the resources are devoted to on-site data collection to ensure virtual models are as faithful to the originals as possible. Advances in digital photography have placed photogrammetric methods at the forefront of data collection systems. The images taken offer extensive information, making these methods ideal for the study of architectural remains from masonry buildings, where factors such as colour and texture of the remains are determining factors in reconstruction processes.

This paper details how to undertake accurate architectural surveys for this type of case, using photogrammetric restitution techniques and low-cost devices such as conventional digital cameras to generate elevations and three-dimensional models with photo-realistic textures, and high accuracy for these types of survey.

Keywords

masonry, data collection, photogrammetry