Zprávy památkové péče 2019, 79(2):146-153 | DOI: 10.56112/zpp.2019.2.05

Documenting modern architecture using modern technologies

Hana Hasníková, Jiří Kunecký, Kateřina Kulawiecová

ÚTAM AV ČR

The digitization of cultural heritage is a very current issue, as is the heritage conservation of modern architecture. Using examples of important buildings from the 1960s and 1970s, the article presents the creation of digital documentation of existing buildings which uses BIM modeling in combination with simple data collection methods such as photogrammetry. The article also focuses on effective forms of making 3D dynamic models available to the public.
The article briefly compares the heritage conservation status of modern architecture in the Czech Republic and in the world. It presents in detail Czech structures that strive for heritage protection; their dynamic 3D digital models are being created as part of the project "Analysis and presentation of the values of modern architecture of the 1960s and 1970s as part of the national and cultural identity of the Czech Republic". Specifically, these are the railway station in Ostrava-Vítkovice and the Prior/Kotva department store in Prague.
Digital Modeling uses BIM ("Building Information Modeling") technology, which allows, in addition to capturing the geometry of an existing structure, information to be stored in the model's internal database (e.g. photographs, mechanical material properties, price) or including links to external databases. The newly created parameters of the individual structural elements are used for this purpose. Through the links, the model is connected, for example, to the central database of the National Heritage Institute (the Heritage Catalog), which provides important data on the heritage value of structures.
The structural model of the building is supplemented by 3D mesh models of selected unique elements, such as works of art, that were created by processing data from photogrammetry. These models are also published in the Sketchfab database where potential visitors can view them in detail. The method of photo processing is described in the text as well as the innovative SCAN-to-BIM procedure, which uses "point cloud" as one of the photogrammetric outputs, and smooth NURBS curves to create a 3D model.
The article concludes by outlining some of the possibilities of digitization of modern heritage properties. For the most part, these are methods of the popularization of cultural heritage using 3D printing or virtual reality.

Keywords: modern architecture, brutalism, BIM, close-range photogrammetry, digitization of cultural heritage

Published: June 1, 2019  Show citation