A new software tool that can segment the façade of historic buildings into component parts and make it easier to detect defects has been launched.
The tool, developed by Historic Environment Scotland (HES)
and the University of Edinburgh and Heriot Watt University, uses data from
laser scanning and photogrammetry (multiple overlapping digital photos) to create
a 3D model.
It then uses the data to automatically segment facades into
component parts, making it easier to detect problems within masonry and extract
information regarding the amount of stone and mortar required for conservation
repair works.
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The tool has been made freely accessible for the
conservation sector to use, in the hope that it will be widely adopted by
professionals involved in the conservation and maintenance of traditional
buildings.
The tool’s developers said they hoped it would provide a
cost-effective alternative to traditional methods of inspection which require
manual survey and often scaffolding.
Lyn Wilson, digital documentation manager at HES, said: "Scotland
is home to a rich and diverse built environment of around half a million
traditional buildings. Around 20% of the nation’s housing stock is made up of
traditional buildings, and it is crucial that these existing assets can be
repaired, maintained and adapted effectively to support national sustainability
commitments."
"Any repair work to historic buildings must be carried
out sensitively, and traditional masonry surveys to identify what conservation
work is required can be costly and complex."
"This new tool offers the advantage of being able to
conduct inspection and analysis of 3D data remotely, while still obtaining
precise results."
"We hope that by making this new technology freely
available we can champion the benefits and possibilities that laser scanning
and photogrammetry can offer to the management of traditional buildings, and
encourage wider adoption of these methods to help protect our precious historic
buildings and promote the importance of reuse for a sustainable future”
Dr Alan Forster, associate professor in building
conservation, low carbon materials and construction technology at Heriot Watt
University, said: “Financial austerity forces us to focus more than ever on
cost-efficient, accurate evaluation of our historic buildings. The ability of
our open source digital technologies to support these activities enables the
money for repair to be spent where it is most urgently needed, namely on the
building itself."
“Importantly, conservation companies, whether large or
small, will benefit from the open source software giving them greater
confidence in accurately costing their work, and saving time and materials all
within a safer working environment."
"The ultimate winners are local communities and wider
society that should see more of their much-loved historic buildings conserved
better with a lower environmental impact as materials can be more sparingly
used.”
