Restorations in Chile in the Mid-Twentieth Century: The National Monuments Council and Some of the First Architectural Heritage Interventions

This paper presents the initial results of an ongoing historical research project that addresses some of the first architectural restoration interventions led by the Chilean State through the National Monuments Council, the institution responsible for management of the country’s cultural heritage. The National Monuments Council was created in 1925 by Decree-Law No. 651, the first long-standing legal provision to cover this aspect of cultural heritage. It remained in place for several decades before being superseded in 1970 by the current National Monuments Law (No. 17,288). The State’s first steps in regard to architectural restoration were made possible by this legislation, and by the mid-twentieth century, the National Monuments Council was working systematically to register, analyse and take action to restore the country’s architectural heritage. In 1949, a Conservation Commission was formed as part of the Council, and this body played a key role in the promotion of restoration projects at the time. The National Monuments Council worked in partnership with the General Directorate of Public Works, and efforts on the part of the two public institutions resulted in the creation of an annual budget for architectural restoration. By the 1950s, numerous buildings and sites considered relevant to the national identity were being restored, and efforts were made to emphasise their cultural significance and value. These early interventions were some of the first of their type to be funded by the State and were fundamental to the local architectural historical context. Work focused primarily on religious and military colonial buildings, including churches, chapels and fortresses located the length of Chile. Archival material from the time, such as National Monuments Council session minutes and institutional bulletins drafted under Decree-Law No. 651, provide a record of these early interventions. Analysis of these sources from a technical and theoretical perspective provides insights into the motivations and selection criteria used to establish an order of priority for the restoration of buildings and sites. This paper presents the main actions taken at a time when architectural restoration was first being promoted by the Chilean State and explores how these provided the foundations upon which future development of the local discipline would occur.

Postoccupancy evaluation of historic buildings after their adaptive reuse into boutique hotels: an experience from Yazd, Iran

PurposeIn the early 2000s, a wave of new practices concerning the adaptive reuse (AR) of historic buildings into boutique hotels began in Yazd, Iran. This study presents the findings of a postoccupancy evaluation (POE) of adaptively reused historic buildings into boutique hotels. It aims to explore and prioritize the main factors of architecture's physical aspects in the adapted buildings.Design/methodology/approachIn order to carry out a POE, hotel guests' written reviews from online international and national travel platforms were analyzed. According to this preliminary analysis, a questionnaire was designed and randomly distributed among 300 hotel guests. The data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS software. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce a set of indicators into the main components.FindingsThe findings revealed that “preliminary physical feasibility study and evaluation of building's functional potential” is the most important component with a weight of 0.709. Then, “adaptive reuse design” and “quality of building conservation” are placed with a weight of 0.232 and 0.058, respectively. The results show the mere attention of practitioners to architectural restoration rather than adapting historic buildings into boutique hotels in Yazd. Also, the lack of a specific framework for this purpose is felt in Iran.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research could evaluate the architectural aspects of historic buildings that have been converted into various functions from the main users' views.Practical implicationsThis research's main contribution is to recommend guidelines for more user-friendly boutique hotels. This includes principal components and their sub-indicators that should be considered in the AR process of historic buildings by conservators, investors and hoteliers. Also, the extracted factors can be implemented for boutique hotels' improvements in operation because they determine the order of priority from the users' viewpoint.Originality/valueThis study introduces a new application of POE in the field of conservation of heritage assets and the hospitality industry; it focuses on the evaluation of the users' feedback regarding the architectural aspects of adaptively reused historic buildings into boutique hotels based on original empirical data.

Cultural Heritage Restoration of a Hemispherical Vault by 3D Modelling and Projection of Video Images with Unknown Parameters and from Unknown Locations

Reverse engineering applied to architectural restoration for the reconstruction of structural surfaces depends on metric precision. Sometimes there are elements on these surfaces whose value is even higher than the building itself. This is the case for many churches whose ceilings have pictorial works of art. Reconstruction requires the existence of some identifiable remainder and/or a surface geometry that enables mathematical development. In our case, the vault has an irregular hemispherical geometry (without possible mathematical development), and there are no significant remains of the painting (which was destroyed by a fire). Through the 3D modelling of the irregular vault and two historic frames with a camera of unknown geometry, an inverse methodology is designed to project the original painting without metric deformations. For this, a new methodology to locate the camera positions is developed. After, a 3D virtual mathematical model of the complete image on the vault is calculated, and from it, partial 3D virtual images are automatically calculated depending on the variable unknown positions of the video cannons (distributed along the upper corridor of the apse) that will project them (visually forming a perfect complete 3D image).

Ruins: living heritage

Ruins are representative of European values and illustrative of European history and heritage and our aim should be to raise awareness of this heritage in order to create a stronger identification with Europe and a further European integration as well. While people are living in and around World Heritage sites, their role in heritage processes and management has changed considerably. Nowadays we must connect the conservation goals with the objective of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth. Local communities must be encouraged to use their local cultural assets as a springboard through a process whereby local actors, are encouraged to assume an active stewardship over the heritage and are empowered develop that heritage in a responsible, profitable and sustainable manner. In their evocative and fascinating image, ruins must be returned to the contemporary life from which they often appear, instead, dramatically separated. Interventions on ruins appear difficult and risky, on the boundary line between archaeological and architectural restoration. The contemporary architectural interventions on the ruin oscillate from conservation to reintegration, up to the absolute extremism consisting in the reconstruction, considered acceptable and suitable only if based on the contemporary design that, from the knowledge of the history, leads to a creative and modern form and image of the architectural work.

THE USING OF TERRESTRIAL LASER (POINT CLOUD) SCANNING TECHNOLOGIES ON URBAN SCALE: EXAMPLE OF THE HISTORICAL URBAN TEXTURE OF LAPSEKİ

Aim: This study aims to comparatively evaluate the use potential of orthophoto images obtained by terrestrial laser scanning technologies on an urban scale through the "Old Lapseki Finds Life Project" prepared using terrestrial laser scanning technologies and the "Enez Historical City Square Project" prepared using traditional methods. Method: In the study, street improvement projects of 29.210 m2 Lapseki and 29.214 m2 Enez city designed on an urban scale were evaluated and compared with descriptive statistics based on different parameters. Results: In the study, it has been determined that terrestrial laser (point cloud) technologies are 99,9% accurate when compared to traditional methods, save time by 83,08% and reduce workforce by 80%. In addition, it has been determined that terrestrial laser scanning technologies accelerate project processes compared to traditional methods. Conclusion: In this study, the use of laser scanning technologies, which are basically reverse engineering applications, in architectural restoration projects, determination of the current situation and damage, architectural documentation of structures and preparation of three-dimensional models, in terms of efficiency in survey studies are evaluated. It has been observed that orthophoto images obtained by terrestrial laser scanning technologies in architectural relief-restoration-restitution projects have potentials' worth using in different stages of the project.

Suitability of modified low carbon Roman cements for architectural restoration

Article is devoted to the investigation of suitability of low carbon Roman cement for restoration and finishing works. The history of the development of Roman cement as a natural hydraulic binder, which was commonly used to decorate building facades in the 19th and early 20th centuries, is presented. The properties of mortars based on Roman cement make it an excellent product for architectural restoration and conservation, as they are characterized by fast setting, high porosity typical for lime mortars, high resistance to weather conditions, high initial strength. At the same time, due to the high surface activity and increased water demand for cement, with the age of hardening, shrinkage deformations can develop, which leads to the formation of main cracks on the surface of the products. It is shown that the addition of gypsum is an effective regulator of the setting time of Roman cement and contributes to an increase in the strength of the cement paste. Analogs of Roman cement based on multicomponent cement binders modified with plasticizing and air-entraining additives are presented.