Augmenting the City: The Photo-Realistic Animation of a Historic Building and its influence on spatial perception and meaning

Augmented Reality (AR), defined as the holographic overlay of physical space with virtual objects in real time (Azuma, 1997), can be considered a prime example of mediatization. This development is particularly evident in the public space of the “mediatised city” (Hepp, Simon & Sowinska, 2018), being a focal point of the latest media technologies already overlaid with a multitude of AR content. But how does AR change the perception and meaning of urban space? And how can researchers capture methodically the appropriation of complex, large-scaled AR content experienced via high-tech AR glasses? To answer these questions, a historical building, that had been destroyed during the Second World War, was reconstructed as a holographic animation on a public city square. In order to resurrect this building in AR, old photographs, paintings and postcards were evaluated and used to create a virtual model in the original size and place it at its original location. The test subjects were then able to view the hologram from various different angles using AR glasses (Microsoft HoloLens 2), move freely around the square and even enter it. Combining quantitative, before-and-after questionnaires and qualitative thinking-aloud protocols, our results show that the holographic animation of a historical building can influence both the sensual-aesthetic perception and the personal meaning of a public square for city dwellers. Specifically, our test subjects perceived differences in its accessibility, coherence and aesthetics, simplicity, atmosphere and legibility. The meaning of the square was altered with regard to personal memories (= the self), typical groups of people (= others) and certain opportunities (= environment) associated with it by city dwellers.

A Durability Prediction Method for Historical Square Rebar Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Square rebars were developed and used for decades in the early development of reinforced concrete (RC) structures; however, the objectives of modern concrete structure durability analyses and standards are centered on round rebars in past decades, which are not suited for RC buildings utilizing square rebars. Considering the absence of proper evaluation techniques to evaluate the square rebar RC structures’ durability accurately, a novel durability prediction method has been proposed for this type of historical building. The method is based on major parts as in-situ investigation, finite element model simulation, component importance analysis, and structural durability prediction. The durability prediction calculation method was established on the experimental results of the realistic historical concrete tests and corrosion-induced cover cracking experiments for square rebar components. It was found that the carbonization-resistant ability of historical concretes was relatively weaker than that of current concretes and the calculation method for critical corrosion depth of square rebar was different from that of round rebar. Furthermore, two typical application cases are presented to introduce the procedure of the method in detail. Consequently, the research outcomes can be directly used on the durability prediction and protection works for historical RC buildings.

Thermophysical parameters of the Kežmarok sandstone

Thermophysical parameters of building materials are required for calculating the complex heat and water transfer in building structures. It can be performed by modern simulation software such as Wufi, Delphin, Math, Comsol Multiphysics and other. This software is suitable for evaluation of water and heat transport in construction of historical buildings, because it can include the impact of water on material properties, driven rain, ground water, heat and water accumulation and other. The material properties of historical building materials are required for the use of this software. In Slovakia, the most used building material was sandstone. Sandstone from Kežmarok was chosen for this paper, which was used in the construction of historic buildings such as churches and town houses. The method of dynamic impulse transition by thermophysical tester RTB was used to determine the thermal properties of sandstone.

Attributes of the outstanding universal value of Kazan university astronomical observatories

Since 2003, UNESCO has been actively promoting an initiative to include monuments related to astronomical heritage in the World Heritage List. One of the potential objects within the framework of this initiative could be observatories of Kazan University – the historical building of the observatory of Kazan Imperial University of the 19th century and the complex of the country observatory named after V.P. Engelhardt (1901). The article provides a detailed description of these objects, the justification of their outstanding universal value, considers possible criteria of value within the framework of UNESCO nomination rules, as well as the authenticity and integrity of the astronomical objects nominated.

Multivariate Characterization of Temperature Fluctuations in a Historical Building Using Energy-Efficient IoT Wireless Sensors

Adequate thermic conditions are required for the preventive conservation of artworks, but such optimum conditions cannot always be achieved in historical buildings such as ancient churches. In those cases, it is of interest to assess the potential risk of punctual changes in indoor environments that can be harmful to artworks. These conditions can be assessed by means of a microclimate monitoring system comprised of a set of energy-efficient wireless sensors connected to the cloud using IoT techniques. This approach was followed at the baroque church of Saint Thomas and Saint Philip Neri in Valencia (Spain). A set of 26 wireless nodes was installed, which recorded values of temperature and relative humidity every hour for a period of 7 months. Small differences of temperature were obtained among sensors, so that an efficient methodology based on principal component analysis (PCA) was applied for the characterization of similarities and dissimilarities between sensors. Daily ranges of temperatures were studied as well as mean trajectories, differences between days of the week, and changes in the correlation structure of daily median values over time. Results provide a framework for an efficient characterization of temperatures in heritage buildings based on a network of wireless sensors. Such a framework is useful to assess the potential risk of temperature fluctuations on the preventive conservation of historical buildings and artworks.

Large-Scale Reality Modeling of a University Campus Using Combined UAV and Terrestrial Photogrammetry for Historical Preservation and Practical Use

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) enable detailed historical preservation of large-scale infrastructure and contribute to cultural heritage preservation, improved maintenance, public relations, and development planning. Aerial and terrestrial photo data coupled with high accuracy GPS create hyper-realistic mesh and texture models, high resolution point clouds, orthophotos, and digital elevation models (DEMs) that preserve a snapshot of history. A case study is presented of the development of a hyper-realistic 3D model that spans the complex 1.7 km2 area of the Brigham Young University campus in Provo, Utah, USA and includes over 75 significant structures. The model leverages photos obtained during the historic COVID-19 pandemic during a mandatory and rare campus closure and details a large scale modeling workflow and best practice data acquisition and processing techniques. The model utilizes 80,384 images and high accuracy GPS surveying points to create a 1.65 trillion-pixel textured structure-from-motion (SfM) model with an average ground sampling distance (GSD) near structures of 0.5 cm and maximum of 4 cm. Separate model segments (31) taken from data gathered between April and August 2020 are combined into one cohesive final model with an average absolute error of 3.3 cm and a full model absolute error of <1 cm (relative accuracies from 0.25 cm to 1.03 cm). Optimized and automated UAV techniques complement the data acquisition of the large-scale model, and opportunities are explored to archive as-is building and campus information to enable historical building preservation, facility maintenance, campus planning, public outreach, 3D-printed miniatures, and the possibility of education through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tours.

Application of 3D Laser Scanning for Digitization, Design and Analysis of Multistoried Building

Laser scanning is a fast-developing technology, which collects millions of points and creates a framework within a few minutes, generating a 'point cloud' of the structure. Laser scanning is a quite new but rapidly evolving technology that has been reviewed. this research study has used most modern models of laser scanners and their accompanying software that are capable of accurate capture and alignment of point clouds. Consequently, the laser scans have precisely captured the current geometry of each structure, which is irregular in many cases due to inherently complex geometry, anomalies during the original construction, aging, deterioration, and structural damage. As both the exterior and interior of the structure have been scanned, the point cloud became a digital 3D image of the historical building, which can be virtually toured from inside and outside. A 4-story public building was scanned using a 3D laser scanner to determine the architectural and structural drawings of the response to an earthquake. The application of passive control using a damper with the laser scanner has been modelled in this study. The results corroborate that this technique provides the best outcomes for reducing seismic damage collapses.

Super Insulation Materials—An Application to Historical Buildings

The main purpose of this paper is to present the use of super thermal insulation materials for a historical building through a calculation-based case study. The development of the insulation materials is based on the objective of making buildings as energy efficient as possible, and the energy loss should be kept to a minimum, for both new and existing buildings. For this purpose, the thermal insulation materials used so far have not always achieved maximum effectiveness. In the case of historical buildings, it is particularly difficult to solve insulation issues, as the building cannot lose its former appearance. However, aerogel and vacuum insulation panels can also be used as thin thermal protective layers. In this paper, we will specifically deal with the presentation of the possible application of super thermal insulation materials, such as vacuum insulation panels and aerogels. We will present thermal conductivity measurement results as well as their application through building energetic calculations applied to a historical building as a case study. We will also present certain calculations regarding the costs. The paper highlights that savings of energy costs of approximately 30% can be reached using vacuum insulation sandwich panels. Furthermore, the overall thermal transmittance of the building also decreases by about 35% if vacuum insulation sandwich panels are used for the refurbishment.

Radon monitoring in a historical building in Košice city, Slovakia – a case study

It is known that the highest contribution to the yearly radiation dose for the population derives from natural radioactivity. About 50% of that is estimated to be caused by exposure to radon (Rn) and its products. Human exposure to indoor Rn is currently considered a relevant research topic, because of the associated epidemiological aspects. This paper aimed at Rn concentration measurement in a selected building in Košice city, Slovakia. The continuous monitoring of indoor radon levels was performed over a period of 40 days. The measured concentrations ranged in a wide interval up to 92 Bq/m3. The WHO limit value of 100 Bq/m3 wasn´t exceeded. Analysing the possible sources, both contributions of radon from the building materials and radon from the soil was observed.