DIGITAL RECORDING AND NON-DESTRUCTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE FOR REHABILITATING HISTORIC STRUCTURES AT THE KATHMANDU VALLEY AFTER GORKHA EARTHQUAKE 2015

On 25 April 2015, the Gorkha earthquake of magnitude 7.8, severely damaged the cultural heritage sites of Nepal. In particular, the seven monument zones of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site suffered extensive damage. Out of 195 surveyed monuments, 38 have completely collapsed and 157 partially damaged (DoA, 2015). In particular, the world historic city of Bhaktapur was heavily affected by the earthquake. There is, in general, a lack of knowledge regarding the traditional construction technology used in many of the most important temple monuments in Bhaktapur. To address this limitation and to assist in reconstruction and rehabilitation of the area, this study documents the existing condition of different historic structures in the Kathmandu Valley. In particular, the Nyatapola Temple is studied in detail. To record and document the condition of this temple, a combination of laser scanning and terrestrial and aerial photogrammetry are used. By also including evaluation of the temple and its supporting plinth structure using non-destructive evaluation techniques like geo-radar and micro-tremor dynamic analysis, this study will form the basis of a structural analysis study to assess the anticipated future seismic performance of the Nyatapola Temple.

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EVOLVING TECHNIQUES OF DOCUMENTATION OF A WORLD HERITAGE SITE IN LAHORE

ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprs-archives-xlii-2-w5-33-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol XLII-2/W5 ◽

pp. 33-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R. Arif ◽

K. Essa

Keyword(s):

Laser Scanning ◽

World Heritage ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Heritage Conservation ◽

Full Potential ◽

Architectural Drawings ◽

World Heritage Sites ◽

Heritage Sites ◽

Heritage Site ◽

Unesco World Heritage Site

Lahore is an ancient, culturally rich city amidst which are embedded two world heritage sites. The state of historic preservation in the country is impoverished with a dearth of training and poor documentation skills, thus these monuments are decaying and in dire need of attention. The Aga Khan Cultural Service - Pakistan is one of the first working in heritage conservation in the country. AKCSP is currently subjecting the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Mughal era Lahore Fort to an intensive and multi-faceted architectural documentation process. This is presented here as a case study to chart the evolution of documentation techniques and enunciate the spectrum of challenges faced in the documentation of an intricate Mughal heritage site for conservation in the Pakistani context. 3D - laser scanning is used for the purpose of heritage conservation for the first time, and since has been utilised on heritage buildings and urban fabric in ongoing projects. These include Lahore Fort, Walled city of Lahore as well as the Baltit Fort, a project restored in the past, assisting in the maintenance of conserved buildings. The documentation team is currently discovering the full potential of this technology especially its use in heritage conservation simultaneously overcoming challenges faced. Moreover negotiating solutions to auto-generate 2D architectural drawings from the 3D pointcloud output. The historic architecture is juxtaposed with contemporary technology in a region where such a combination is rarely found. The goal is to continually develop the documentation methodologies whilst investigating other technologies in the future.

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Debating Identity: Reflections on Coverage of Dharaharā and Kāṣṭhmaṇḍap Post Gorkha-Earthquake 2015

Bodhi An Interdisciplinary Journal ◽

10.3126/bodhi.v7i0.27905 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 67-104

Author(s):

Abhas Dharananda Rajopadhyaya

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

National Unity ◽

Gorkha Earthquake ◽

Heritage Sites ◽

Construction Of Identity ◽

Heritage Site ◽

National Media ◽

Tower Structure ◽

Historical Sites

The 7.8 Mw Gorkhā-earthquake in April 2015, took 8,857 lives, injured 21,952, destroyed 755,549 buildings, 581 heritages and cost an estimated approximate $513.38 billion. Many heritage sites, including those enlisted in the World Heritage Site, were damaged due to this disaster. The fall of Dharaharā, among all cultural-historical sites, was given (un- ) due attention by many national media, owing to high number of deaths and as a popular landmark of the city. This modern elite tower structure was presented as symbol of national unity and of 'rising back'. But there are other important public heritages too - many centuries older than Dharaharā and they too had stories of deaths, of injuries and of survivals, but received a very small space or almost none in the national media. I take an example of Kāṣṭhamaṇḍap that hosted over 54 people during the earthquake. I have used the method of qualitative content analysis to discuss the construction of identity by national media.

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The development of legal framework for the management of World Heritage Sites in Oman: a case study on Bahla Oasis

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development ◽

10.1108/jchmsd-07-2020-0106 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Mohamed Ali Mohamed Khalil ◽

Eman Hanye Mohamed Nasr

Keyword(s):

Cultural Heritage ◽

World Heritage ◽

Heritage Management ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Content Type ◽

World Heritage Sites ◽

Heritage Sites ◽

Heritage Site ◽

The World ◽

Heritage Legislation

PurposeThe study aims to analyze the development of Omani heritage legislation against the UNESCO World Heritage Convention (WHC), 1972 and WHC Operational Guidelines (WHC-OGs) to predict the possible effects of the recent developments on the management of the World Heritage Site in Oman.Design/methodology/approachThis study discusses the development of the heritage protection legislation in Sultanate of Oman since 1970; it analyses the Omani Cultural Heritage Law 35/2019 against the recommendations of the UNESCO WHC as well as the requirements of the World Heritage Operational Guidelines. Moreover, the research investigates the possible effects of the recent heritage legislation developments on the management of Bahla Fort and Oasis in Oman, which is the first Omani World Heritage Site and the only site with special management regulations.FindingsThe paper outlines the effects of both the Omani Cultural Heritage Law 35/2019 and the Special Management Regulations 81/2019 on the implementation of the Bahla Management Plan. Additionally, the research establishes how the customization of heritage legislation as a special heritage management regulation facilitates the implementation of national legislation to solve specific local problems.Originality/valueThe study establishes the significance of developing comprehensive legislation to protect and manage the rich Omani cultural heritage and World Heritage Sites in alignment with the WHC and the WHC-OGs.

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The Assessment of Historic Towns’ Outstanding Universal Value Based on the Interchange of Human Values They Exhibit

Heritage ◽

10.3390/heritage2030114 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 1874-1891

Author(s):

Abdel Tawab

Keyword(s):

Cultural Heritage ◽

Cultural Context ◽

World Heritage ◽

Town Planning ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Human Values ◽

World Heritage Sites ◽

Heritage Sites ◽

Heritage Site ◽

Outstanding Universal Value

Influences exerted by cultural heritage properties on developments in architecture, town planning, or landscape design represent one of the criteria that are used to evaluate the Outstanding Universal Value of the properties nominated for listing as World Heritage Sites, which is criterion (ii). In 1996, the wording of criterion (ii) was revised to address the interchange of human values exhibited by cultural heritage properties. The main aim of this study was to discuss the changes that occurred to the application of criterion (ii) following the revision of its wording of 1996, particularly in relation to historic towns. The study also aimed at investigating the applicability of the revised version of criterion (ii) to the particularity of the cultural heritage of an Egyptian historic town and a potential World Heritage Site, which is “Historic quarters and monuments of Rosetta/Rachid”. To achieve these aims, a sample of World Heritage Sites, or potential ones, representing both the pre-1996 and the post-1996 historic towns whose Outstanding Universal Value was justified based on criterion (ii), was adopted for the analysis of the changes in the application of criterion (ii). Subsequently, a brief preview of the major features that represent the mutual influences experienced throughout Rosetta’s wider cultural context was carried out. The findings revealed that the prevalent trend in the post-1996 listings of historic towns is the emphasis on other cultures’ influences exerted on the concerned historic towns through interchanges of human values that take the form of exchanges of technical know-how, traditions and religious values. The findings also indicated the applicability of the revised version of criterion (ii) to the particularity of Rosetta’s cultural heritage. The study recommends inscribing Rosetta on the World Heritage List based on criterion (ii).

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Tower of Belém (Lisbon)–Status Quo 3D Documentation and Material Origin Determination

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20082355 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (8) ◽

pp. 2355

Author(s):

Paula Redweik ◽

José Juan de Sanjosé Blasco ◽

Manuel Sánchez-Fernández ◽

Alan D. Atkinson ◽

Luís Francisco Martínez Corrales

Keyword(s):

Laser Scanning ◽

3D Model ◽

Terrestrial Laser Scanning ◽

Status Quo ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Heritage Site ◽

Tagus River ◽

Stone Material ◽

Origin Determination ◽

3D Documentation

The Tower of Belém, an early 16th century defense tower located at the mouth of the Tagus river, is the iconic symbol of Lisbon. It belongs to the Belém complex, classified since 1983 as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, and it is the second most visited monument in Portugal. On November 1st, 1755, there was a heavy earthquake in Lisbon followed by a tsunami, causing between 60,000 and 100,000 deaths. There is a possibility of a repetition of such a catastrophe, which could bring about the collapse of the structure. This was the reasoning behind the decision to evaluate the Tower of Belém by means of surveys using Terrestrial Laser Scanning and photogrammetry. Until now, there was no high-resolution 3D model of the interior and exterior of the tower. A complete 3D documentation of the state of the Tower was achieved with a cloud of more than 6,200 million 3D points in the ETRS89 PT-TM06 coordinate system. Additionally, measurements were made using a hyperspectral camera and a spectroradiometer to characterize the stone material used in the Tower. The result is a digital 3D representation of the Tower of Belém, and the identification of the quarries that may have been used to extract its stone. The work carried out combines geometrical and material analysis. The methods used may constitute a guide when documenting and intervening in similar heritage elements. Finally, the information contained therein will allow an eventual reconstruction of the Tower in the case of another catastrophe.

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Bringing the Community Back: A Case Study of the Post-Earthquake Heritage Restoration in Kathmandu Valley

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10082798 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 2798 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Stelios Lekakis ◽

Shobhit Shakya ◽

Vasilis Kostakis

Keyword(s):

Heritage Management ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Western World ◽

Kathmandu Valley ◽

Cultural Resources ◽

Heritage Preservation ◽

The Public ◽

Heritage Site ◽

National Heritage ◽

The Commons

Heritage preservation is a resource-intensive activity nested among other processes in the public administration, related to identity building and touristic product enhancement. Strategies and schemata associated with heritage preservation sprang in the western world after WWII and they have been adapted, in the form of ‘heritage management’, in various contexts with questionable effectiveness regarding sustainability. Our paper discusses the case of the post-earthquake cultural, social and political landscape of the World Heritage Site of Kathmandu valley in Nepal. By reviewing the bibliography and drawing upon various case studies of post-earthquake heritage restoration, we focus on the traditional ways of managing human and cultural resources in the area as related to the modern national heritage management mechanism. We also examine how traditional practices, re-interpreted into a modern context, can point towards inclusive and sustainable forms of collaboration based on the commons. We shed light on the elements of an emerging management system that could protect the vulnerable monuments through community participation, adapted to the challenging realities of the Nepalese heritage and its stakeholders.

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Frequent Microalgae in the Fountains of the Alhambra and Generalife: Identification and Creation of a Culture Collection

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10186603 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (18) ◽

pp. 6603

Author(s):

Fernando Bolívar-Galiano ◽

Clara Abad-Ruiz ◽

Pedro Sánchez-Castillo ◽

Maurizio Toscano ◽

Julio Romero-Noguera

Keyword(s):

Green Algae ◽

Culture Collection ◽

Point Of View ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Heritage Sites ◽

Artistic Value ◽

New Methods ◽

Heritage Site ◽

Reference Collection ◽

Significant Factors

Cyanobacteria, green algae and diatoms are significant factors in the biodeterioration of stone cultural heritage sites, and specifically fountain monuments, due to the constant presence of water. In this study, samples were taken from different fountains in the Alhambra and Generalife, which are among the Spanish monuments of greatest historical and artistic value and which together were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. The aim was to identify which species of colonising microalgae are most frequent and to obtain monoalgal cultures from them. From a conservation point of view, it is interesting to identify which algae are growing in these fountains and how they behave in order to develop new methods to control their growth. The most abundant groups of algae in our samples were green algae and cyanobacteria. The most common genera in the former group were Bracteacoccus, Chlorosarcina, Chlorosarcinopsis, Apatococcus and Klebsormidium. As for cyanobacteria, the most abundant genera were Phormidium, Calothrix, Leptolyngbya, Chamaesiphon, Pleurocapsa and Chlorogloea. Using our collected samples, 10 genera of green algae and 13 genera of cyanobacteria were isolated, thereby constituting the base samples for the creation of a reference collection of living algae from the Alhambra and Generalife contexts, which can be used in subsequent studies to develop new types of treatment against biodeterioration.

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Non-Invasive Characterization of Stone Artifacts from the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, Mexico

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/opl.2015.2 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1656 ◽

pp. 293-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mayra Dafne Manrique-Ortega ◽

Pieterjan Claes ◽

Valentina Aguilar-Melo ◽

Malinalli Wong-Rueda ◽

José Luis Ruvalcaba-Sil ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mineral Resources ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Chemical Information ◽

High Status ◽

Trade Routes ◽

Stone Artifacts ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Heritage Site ◽

The City ◽

Non Destructive

ABSTRACTThe Museum of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan in Mexico City holds a collection of several thousands of polished stone artifacts that were excavated and identified as temple offerings. These can stratigraphically be related to the sequential construction stages (II-VII) of the ceremonial area of the Aztec capital from the foundation of the city in 1325 to 1521, when the Spaniards conquered the city. A non-destructive investigation of the elemental and chemical composition of these archaeological artifacts helps us to understand the provenance of these pieces, their use and the specific mineralogical choice for these artifacts as well as more information regarding trade routes relevant to the development of the Aztec empire. A mineralogical analysis of, in total, 450 stone artifacts was carried out using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). From this, eighty-five pieces were selected according to their excavation location, either in the Great Temple itself or in the surrounding buildings, as well as to represent the different construction stages of the area (this is part of a World Heritage Site). The resulting mineralogical and chemical information was related to possible mineral resources that were controlled and used as the empire expanded. Artifacts made from high-status semi-precious minerals, like jadeite and turquoise, are found to be concentrated in the central buildings and in the Great Temple itself, but also in the later construction periods of the area.

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The Antonine Wall's distance-slabs: LiDAR as metric survey

Journal of Roman Archaeology ◽

10.1017/s1047759400074201 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 ◽

pp. 447-468 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nick Hannon ◽

Darrell J. Rohl ◽

Lyn Wilson

Keyword(s):

Roman Empire ◽

Laser Scanning ◽

Landscape Archaeology ◽

World Heritage ◽

Heritage Management ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Aerial Images ◽

Primary Data ◽

Data Set ◽

Heritage Site

The “Hidden Landscape of a Roman Frontier” is a collaborative research project run and jointly funded by Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES). Intended to run for a 3-year period, it began in October 2015. The project focuses on the landscape archaeology, history, and heritage management of the Roman frontier in Scotland, part of the “Frontiers of the Roman Empire” transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. The project's primary data-set is comprised of aerial LiDAR at 0.5-m resolution covering the World Heritage Site, combined with terrestrial laser-scanning coverage for the forts at Bar Hill and Rough Castle and the fortlet at Kinneil. All data was commissioned under the auspices of the Scottish Ten Project; the aerial data was captured in spring 2010, the terrestrial data in July 2013 and April 2016. The project also draws upon a number of supplemental data sources, including the National Monuments Record of Scotland (https://canmore.org.uk/), geophysical survey data, archive aerial images, colour infra-red imagery, and additional LiDAR data from the UK Environment Agency.

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Syria: A place beyond displacement

10.26686/wgtn.16691497 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Joeffry Henriquez Erices

Keyword(s):

Design Thinking ◽

Historical Narrative ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

State Of Emergency ◽

Architectural Form ◽

Heritage Sites ◽

Political Conflicts ◽

Post Conflict ◽

Heritage Site ◽

Unesco World Heritage Site

In a state of emergency with multiple transitions and disorientation disasters, wars and political conflicts have resulted in a humanitarian crisis and the displacement of more than 11 million people in the Syrian Arab Republic, transforming their homes, livelihoods, and lives of individuals (UNESCO). The reality of these issues has seen the fields of architecture and preservation become a catalyst for representing these events, documenting and recording the importance of fear that, one day, such historic places may no longer exist. This thesis argues for a more subjective representation of these circumstances through abstracted narrative and allegorical architectural form by testing a reality-based displacement. This design-led research investigation argues that the fields of architecture and preservation can contribute to a tailored experiential story of war-torn heritage sites by managing, manipulating, and renewing the build conditions, to sustain a place and its cultural identity. Over the last few decades, technological advancements have transformed how the world sees a conflict. This investigation applies Al Sanobi’s novel The Battle of Homs as a literacy provocateur; the research investigates and translates how architecture can play a fundamental role in conveying critical underlying ideas and how architecture and preservation can become more of a speculative exploration by asserting more active roles in present-day struggles. Using Aleppo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as the area of study, this thesis undertakes a speculative position reimagining the historic fabric of the city as a malleable asset for survival and outlining the escalated journey of displaced refugees and their relationship to identity and place of site. As a design-led research thesis, the research focuses on the design exploration of post-conflict preparations. This alternative narrative reconsiders design thinking as a tool for intervention, mutual collaborations, tactics, and policies that can be more actively employed during times of conflict, safeguarding the site’s historical narrative while envisioning a more pragmatic solution for a reality affected by the war.

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