Oriel Prizeman | Cardiff University (original) (raw)
articles by Oriel Prizeman
PUBLIC LIBRARY QUARTERLY, 2020
After over a century of service, many Carnegie library buildings in Britain are at risk, often co... more After over a century of service, many Carnegie library buildings
in Britain are at risk, often condemned for presumed poor
energy performance with heritage protection perceived as
a further burden to negotiate. Although most now have heritage
status, saving them from demolition, demands to meet
changing agendas for efficiency mean that increasingly these
buildings are being sold and re-used. A more nuanced reading
of measures of performance is necessary. By interrogating
operational data in context and establishing indicators for lifecycle
analysis, this paper aims to offer generalizable steps to
justify their continued service in promoting wellbeing.
Applied Sciences, 2020
Featured Application: For optimizing the conservation planning and considerations for efficient r... more Featured Application: For optimizing the conservation planning and considerations for efficient refurbishment of early twentieth century public Buildings in the UK. Abstract: Awareness of the logic and context of original (and subsequent) design priorities is critical to informing decisions relating to valorisation, repair, refurbishment, energy retrofit or re-use of built heritage. A key benefit of collating data through Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) should be to assist others facing similar challenges. Here, examples for sharing understanding of how components belong to a system are outlined in the context of a newly completed dataset of public library buildings in the UK funded by Andrew Carnegie, predominantly built between 1900 and 1914. Demands for the functionality and economy of public library buildings, coupled with the emergent standardisation of building components at the time, provide a specific condition with potential for further iteration to other buildings of the period or related typologies. The work highlights the urgency of providing cost-efficient knowledge sharing structures in an era of altered priorities with respect to energy use for modern heritage. We propose the means for mapping common features to network knowledge amongst stakeholders through relevant open source pathways. The results demonstrate that integrating geographic approaches to knowledge sharing in HBIM with environmental considerations also supports wider questions of risk management related to the stewardship of historic buildings in the context of climate change.
Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is limited by the irrelevance of object libraries ... more Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is limited by the irrelevance of object libraries and the inability of 3D scans to determine structures in buildings of dissimilar age and construction. The potential for energy conscious initiatives to make informed judgments regarding the 'deep renovation' of traditional buildings requires development of better non-invasive appraisal methods. Presumptions are dangerous for the majority of forms of historic building construction, yet older buildings benefit from better statutory control against alteration in any event. Here it is proposed that the pre-existing standard methods of nineteenth-and early twentieth-century construction could improve capacity to build data for a significant number of buildings of that era. The matching of images to develop place recognition algorithms has been deployed in a number of contexts. Standards, Patents and Specifications provide the means for developing new object libraries nested and shared from the surface to the structure. The example of decorative finishes, commonly used in public buildings at the turn of the twentieth century, demonstrates a traceable route whereby classifications could be determined using historic specifications and product data. The wider potential for such groundwork to enhance capacity to model energy performance of these less well protected buildings is suggested. Introduction Relevance and method Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM), aiming to meet government demands for auditing the building industry has to date struggled to gain traction beyond quantified outcomes such as cost or structural performance. 1 In theory, for historic buildings, the presence of long term records, and their measurability should make them better sources of data than those that are proposed on the basis of projected performance standards yet their idiosyncrasies defy pigeonholing and blanket statements. The contribution of increasingly usable scanning techniques whether by 3D laser scan or structure-from-motion methods are limited to providing data which records the surface finish and dimensional characteristics of a space or a building exterior. Here, it is proposed that advantage is taken of the data generated through the increasingly mechanised building industry and professionalisation of designers around the turn of the last century in order to inform measured data. For this significant proportion of the UK 'traditional' building stock, standards
This study explores the changing value attached to historical references in modern public library... more This study explores the changing value attached to historical references in modern public library design through examples cast in an era of transition. Pittsburgh was the crucible of Carnegie Library design; the city in which Andrew Carnegie manufactured his fortune making steel and where his philanthropic transaction with working people was most obvious. The last two of the eight branch libraries he built in Pittsburgh, South Side (1909) and Homewood (1910), illustrate apparently divergent approaches to library identity. Their decorative language can be misrepresented and misinterpreted and it is important to recognize the functional role that architectural ornament played in the context of modernity. Historic architectural references were used to invent new narratives for public interaction. The places in which these appear to be most conventional therefore often reveal themselves conversely, to be the most radical.
Caerphilly Castle (1268-70) is the first concentric castle in Britain and the second largest in t... more Caerphilly Castle (1268-70) is the first concentric castle in Britain and the second largest in the UK. The dramatic inclination of its ruinous south west tower has been noted since 1539. Comparing data from historical surveys and a terrestrial laser scan undertaken in 2015, this paper seeks to review evidence for the long-term stability of the tower. Digital documentation and archival research by architects is collated to provide data for structural analysis by engineers. A terrestrial laser scan was used to create a detailed three dimensional finite element model to enable structural analysis of the current shape of the tower made by tetrahedral elements. An automated strategy has been implemented for the transformation of the complex three dimensional point cloud into a three dimensional finite element model. Numerical analysis has been carried out aiming at understanding the main structural weaknesses of the tower in its present condition. Comparisons of four sets of data: 1539, 1830, 1870 and 2015 enabled us to determine change albeit between very different methods of measurement.
Purpose The courtyard dwellings of Tbilisi form a critical part of the city’s architectural ident... more Purpose The courtyard dwellings of Tbilisi form a critical part of the city’s architectural identity. However, the multiple occupation of these buildings is blamed for confounding their prospects for repair and consequent valorisation as a world heritage site. Models for the shared ownership of residential blocks, have been adapted globally. Some have established communal sources for rehabilitation and maintenance applicable to historic buildings. This paper assesses the relevance of such precedents to the complex and urgent context of Tbilisi’s threatened architectural heritage. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses existing literature and data to establish a hypothesis in support of adopting a collaborative approach for the maintenance and rehabilitation of shared buildings in a challenging and specific context. Using socio-economic data to characterise the occupants of such buildings and current critical sources, the paper investigates how existing collective communities can be empowered to capitalise from their unique social frameworks. Findings It finds evidence to support theoretical claims that there is scope for co-operative networks to flourish there. Research limitations/implications The paper is limited to a desk top analysis and relies upon available data and literature to draw its conclusions Originality/value This paper addresses a critical problem in the formulation of conservation plans for Old Tbilisi, it tests the relevance of global exemplars for community repair programmes by reference to existing data for the care of the predominantly domestic architecture of Old Tbilisi at a time of rapid change.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel approach to inform heritage conservatio... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel approach to inform heritage conservation based on the effective integration of documentation-based research with advanced survey methods for the creation of a sharable historic building information modelling (HBIM) objects database, specifically oriented to the study of Carnegie libraries whose designs in the USA and the UK were somewhat systematised by early principles of standardisation. The aim is to generate an exemplar developing new methodologies for the salvage, re-use and re-invigoration of shared inherited public buildings which have many common and standardized features. Design/methodology/approach This project will also involve the collaboration of conservation practice and digital recording together with library history. Digital laser scanning and structure from motion will be used together with archival documents to accurately build an information-rich framework for CAD and building information modelling applications. Findings By providing the base elements for the semi-automatic generation of a wide variety of morphological typologies and construction elements, this work ultimately promotes a shift towards the implementation of HBIM to support the conservation, maintenance and management of a high number of insufficiently protected public buildings from the turn of the last century. Originality/value The intention is that the resulting multidimensional parametric object library will provide suitable support for the faster generation of enriched 3D historic models and ultimately support the preservation of a large proportion of the huge but threatened public library building heritage in the UK and USA.
books by Oriel Prizeman
Conference papers by Oriel Prizeman
At the turn of the Twentieth century, the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie supported the constructio... more At the turn of the Twentieth century, the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie supported the construction of over 2800 public libraries, across Britain and America at a time of disruptive technological change. Although designed by different architects, the common influence over the procurement of these buildings had a significant impact upon the standardisation of the public library typology. Specifically, economic design strategies with respect to light for public interiors were iteratively refined. Both spatial arrangements and socio-functional rules associated with increasing access to knowledge were developed. This study builds on previous work to present a multidimensional analysis of a set of Carnegie library buildings and aims to foster the potential for their collective radiant logic to endure. The relations between formal features and intangible properties, in terms of their latent shared identity, will be analysed using both space syntax and luminance mapping in an attempt to derive indicators for decision-making. This study is part of an AHRC funded research project aiming to investigate the potential for standard elements of Carnegie libraries to be adapted and rehabilitated so developing efficient methods for conservation practice.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, during a period of technological change, design guidan... more Towards the end of the nineteenth century, during a period of technological change, design guidance and standards for lighting in early public libraries were formulated at a rapid pace. With the aid of philanthropy, libraries began to proliferate across Britain and America. The emergence of this new typology within polluted industrialised towns exacerbated the requirements of daylight design and increased the desire for electric light as it became more widely available. These functional buildings, as "free libraries," were also required to invent precedents for new kinds of publicly accessible interiors. A detailed case study of Wednesbury Library, by Crouch, Butler and Savage, 1908, examines how contemporary theory, formulated in response to economic and environmental constraints, affected the delivery of this new form of public light in practice.
PUBLIC LIBRARY QUARTERLY, 2020
After over a century of service, many Carnegie library buildings in Britain are at risk, often co... more After over a century of service, many Carnegie library buildings
in Britain are at risk, often condemned for presumed poor
energy performance with heritage protection perceived as
a further burden to negotiate. Although most now have heritage
status, saving them from demolition, demands to meet
changing agendas for efficiency mean that increasingly these
buildings are being sold and re-used. A more nuanced reading
of measures of performance is necessary. By interrogating
operational data in context and establishing indicators for lifecycle
analysis, this paper aims to offer generalizable steps to
justify their continued service in promoting wellbeing.
Applied Sciences, 2020
Featured Application: For optimizing the conservation planning and considerations for efficient r... more Featured Application: For optimizing the conservation planning and considerations for efficient refurbishment of early twentieth century public Buildings in the UK. Abstract: Awareness of the logic and context of original (and subsequent) design priorities is critical to informing decisions relating to valorisation, repair, refurbishment, energy retrofit or re-use of built heritage. A key benefit of collating data through Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) should be to assist others facing similar challenges. Here, examples for sharing understanding of how components belong to a system are outlined in the context of a newly completed dataset of public library buildings in the UK funded by Andrew Carnegie, predominantly built between 1900 and 1914. Demands for the functionality and economy of public library buildings, coupled with the emergent standardisation of building components at the time, provide a specific condition with potential for further iteration to other buildings of the period or related typologies. The work highlights the urgency of providing cost-efficient knowledge sharing structures in an era of altered priorities with respect to energy use for modern heritage. We propose the means for mapping common features to network knowledge amongst stakeholders through relevant open source pathways. The results demonstrate that integrating geographic approaches to knowledge sharing in HBIM with environmental considerations also supports wider questions of risk management related to the stewardship of historic buildings in the context of climate change.
Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is limited by the irrelevance of object libraries ... more Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is limited by the irrelevance of object libraries and the inability of 3D scans to determine structures in buildings of dissimilar age and construction. The potential for energy conscious initiatives to make informed judgments regarding the 'deep renovation' of traditional buildings requires development of better non-invasive appraisal methods. Presumptions are dangerous for the majority of forms of historic building construction, yet older buildings benefit from better statutory control against alteration in any event. Here it is proposed that the pre-existing standard methods of nineteenth-and early twentieth-century construction could improve capacity to build data for a significant number of buildings of that era. The matching of images to develop place recognition algorithms has been deployed in a number of contexts. Standards, Patents and Specifications provide the means for developing new object libraries nested and shared from the surface to the structure. The example of decorative finishes, commonly used in public buildings at the turn of the twentieth century, demonstrates a traceable route whereby classifications could be determined using historic specifications and product data. The wider potential for such groundwork to enhance capacity to model energy performance of these less well protected buildings is suggested. Introduction Relevance and method Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM), aiming to meet government demands for auditing the building industry has to date struggled to gain traction beyond quantified outcomes such as cost or structural performance. 1 In theory, for historic buildings, the presence of long term records, and their measurability should make them better sources of data than those that are proposed on the basis of projected performance standards yet their idiosyncrasies defy pigeonholing and blanket statements. The contribution of increasingly usable scanning techniques whether by 3D laser scan or structure-from-motion methods are limited to providing data which records the surface finish and dimensional characteristics of a space or a building exterior. Here, it is proposed that advantage is taken of the data generated through the increasingly mechanised building industry and professionalisation of designers around the turn of the last century in order to inform measured data. For this significant proportion of the UK 'traditional' building stock, standards
This study explores the changing value attached to historical references in modern public library... more This study explores the changing value attached to historical references in modern public library design through examples cast in an era of transition. Pittsburgh was the crucible of Carnegie Library design; the city in which Andrew Carnegie manufactured his fortune making steel and where his philanthropic transaction with working people was most obvious. The last two of the eight branch libraries he built in Pittsburgh, South Side (1909) and Homewood (1910), illustrate apparently divergent approaches to library identity. Their decorative language can be misrepresented and misinterpreted and it is important to recognize the functional role that architectural ornament played in the context of modernity. Historic architectural references were used to invent new narratives for public interaction. The places in which these appear to be most conventional therefore often reveal themselves conversely, to be the most radical.
Caerphilly Castle (1268-70) is the first concentric castle in Britain and the second largest in t... more Caerphilly Castle (1268-70) is the first concentric castle in Britain and the second largest in the UK. The dramatic inclination of its ruinous south west tower has been noted since 1539. Comparing data from historical surveys and a terrestrial laser scan undertaken in 2015, this paper seeks to review evidence for the long-term stability of the tower. Digital documentation and archival research by architects is collated to provide data for structural analysis by engineers. A terrestrial laser scan was used to create a detailed three dimensional finite element model to enable structural analysis of the current shape of the tower made by tetrahedral elements. An automated strategy has been implemented for the transformation of the complex three dimensional point cloud into a three dimensional finite element model. Numerical analysis has been carried out aiming at understanding the main structural weaknesses of the tower in its present condition. Comparisons of four sets of data: 1539, 1830, 1870 and 2015 enabled us to determine change albeit between very different methods of measurement.
Purpose The courtyard dwellings of Tbilisi form a critical part of the city’s architectural ident... more Purpose The courtyard dwellings of Tbilisi form a critical part of the city’s architectural identity. However, the multiple occupation of these buildings is blamed for confounding their prospects for repair and consequent valorisation as a world heritage site. Models for the shared ownership of residential blocks, have been adapted globally. Some have established communal sources for rehabilitation and maintenance applicable to historic buildings. This paper assesses the relevance of such precedents to the complex and urgent context of Tbilisi’s threatened architectural heritage. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses existing literature and data to establish a hypothesis in support of adopting a collaborative approach for the maintenance and rehabilitation of shared buildings in a challenging and specific context. Using socio-economic data to characterise the occupants of such buildings and current critical sources, the paper investigates how existing collective communities can be empowered to capitalise from their unique social frameworks. Findings It finds evidence to support theoretical claims that there is scope for co-operative networks to flourish there. Research limitations/implications The paper is limited to a desk top analysis and relies upon available data and literature to draw its conclusions Originality/value This paper addresses a critical problem in the formulation of conservation plans for Old Tbilisi, it tests the relevance of global exemplars for community repair programmes by reference to existing data for the care of the predominantly domestic architecture of Old Tbilisi at a time of rapid change.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel approach to inform heritage conservatio... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel approach to inform heritage conservation based on the effective integration of documentation-based research with advanced survey methods for the creation of a sharable historic building information modelling (HBIM) objects database, specifically oriented to the study of Carnegie libraries whose designs in the USA and the UK were somewhat systematised by early principles of standardisation. The aim is to generate an exemplar developing new methodologies for the salvage, re-use and re-invigoration of shared inherited public buildings which have many common and standardized features. Design/methodology/approach This project will also involve the collaboration of conservation practice and digital recording together with library history. Digital laser scanning and structure from motion will be used together with archival documents to accurately build an information-rich framework for CAD and building information modelling applications. Findings By providing the base elements for the semi-automatic generation of a wide variety of morphological typologies and construction elements, this work ultimately promotes a shift towards the implementation of HBIM to support the conservation, maintenance and management of a high number of insufficiently protected public buildings from the turn of the last century. Originality/value The intention is that the resulting multidimensional parametric object library will provide suitable support for the faster generation of enriched 3D historic models and ultimately support the preservation of a large proportion of the huge but threatened public library building heritage in the UK and USA.
At the turn of the Twentieth century, the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie supported the constructio... more At the turn of the Twentieth century, the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie supported the construction of over 2800 public libraries, across Britain and America at a time of disruptive technological change. Although designed by different architects, the common influence over the procurement of these buildings had a significant impact upon the standardisation of the public library typology. Specifically, economic design strategies with respect to light for public interiors were iteratively refined. Both spatial arrangements and socio-functional rules associated with increasing access to knowledge were developed. This study builds on previous work to present a multidimensional analysis of a set of Carnegie library buildings and aims to foster the potential for their collective radiant logic to endure. The relations between formal features and intangible properties, in terms of their latent shared identity, will be analysed using both space syntax and luminance mapping in an attempt to derive indicators for decision-making. This study is part of an AHRC funded research project aiming to investigate the potential for standard elements of Carnegie libraries to be adapted and rehabilitated so developing efficient methods for conservation practice.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, during a period of technological change, design guidan... more Towards the end of the nineteenth century, during a period of technological change, design guidance and standards for lighting in early public libraries were formulated at a rapid pace. With the aid of philanthropy, libraries began to proliferate across Britain and America. The emergence of this new typology within polluted industrialised towns exacerbated the requirements of daylight design and increased the desire for electric light as it became more widely available. These functional buildings, as "free libraries," were also required to invent precedents for new kinds of publicly accessible interiors. A detailed case study of Wednesbury Library, by Crouch, Butler and Savage, 1908, examines how contemporary theory, formulated in response to economic and environmental constraints, affected the delivery of this new form of public light in practice.
The scoping study here funded by Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland and Cadw, looks ... more The scoping study here funded by Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland and Cadw, looks at the potential for a developing a research framework to address the potential for energy efficiency for historic buildings to be increased with better maintenance programmes. The new British Standard for conservation has already triggered recognition of the correlation of dampness to energy efficiency (British Standards Institution., 2013), here we aim to address further means to link building condition to building performance and to further substantiate that claim. More broadly the paper investigates the potential for recovering evidence in the interests of incentivising maintenance as a business case addressed to stakeholders and custodians, underwriters and legislators.
The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Aug 28, 2021
The driving forces behind the rapid development of accessible 3d modelling acquisition are genera... more The driving forces behind the rapid development of accessible 3d modelling acquisition are generally economic. As the requirements for on-site data acquisition technology become cheaper and more user friendly, opportunities for the geographic dislocation of expertise become more viable. In effect, much of the diagnosis of a monuments' morphology or condition can be made remotely, as a virtual model is constructed. This potential portability serves to reduce the impact, invasiveness and cost of survey and documentation processes. In cases of contested heritage conservation practices, the simple act of photographic recording can cause concern. However, photogrammetric recording is eminently advantageous for its capacity to provide non-destructive means to consider degradation and condition mapping as well as to record and monitor change over time. Here, two rapid surveys taken with portable 360° cameras a year apart, demonstrate the potential value and limitations of deploying recent techniques in order to deliver credible or useful survey data in a highly complex pillared hall that is intensively occupied.
The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Jun 26, 2023
Digitisation for the purposes of recording cultural heritage and its condition is conventionally ... more Digitisation for the purposes of recording cultural heritage and its condition is conventionally associated with the task of documentation for conservation. Occasionally emergency recording will anticipate the potential imminent destruction of heritage at risk. By contrast here, although the heritage status of the site whilst proposed in the 1990s, it was never secured yet the closure and eventual dismemberment of the buildings is a plan that is already underway. The coal washeries of Onllwyn sit within a vast landscape that is now most widely recognised as a National Park. During the last century, however, it was a thriving industrial site. The assembly of buildings used to wash and sort coal prior to distribution were recorded using a terrestrial laser scanner and an aerial drone in August 2022 shortly prior to the closure of a site that had been part of a changing industrial landscape since the mid-nineteenth century. As part of a wide agreement to build a historic narrative for a once large industrial site with a planned closure a comprehensive historical review has been built. This included the acquisition of historic maps but also of numerous historical aerial and terrestrial photographs as well as the collation of films and oral histories. Here pointclouds generated from terrestrial laser scans, photogrammetry from drone imagery and photogrammetry from historical aerial images have been combined in an attempt to create a navigable digital backdrop to the decommissioning of a vast industrial landscape as it anticipates a new future. The aim of the models created is to provide a virtual spatial platform to co-locate memories of a community life that is left centred around a lost place of work.
working at an interdisciplinary level in the historic environment. If there are criticismsaimed m... more working at an interdisciplinary level in the historic environment. If there are criticismsaimed more at the publisher than the editor or authorsit is that several photographs are excessively dark and diagrams are unhelpfully small.
APT Québec City 2014, Oct 1, 2015
This paper examines issues arising from an inter-disciplinary work in progress involving ethnogra... more This paper examines issues arising from an inter-disciplinary work in progress involving ethnographers, architects, historians and conservators. The aim is to develop a digital model through which information relating to the history, ritual use, religious significance and cultural habits of a mixed community can be accessed for the purpose of more responsive conservation planning. The case study site is the walled city of Ajmer in Rajasthan, India, a populous pilgrimage centre that holds tangible and intangible cultural value for many diverse groups of residents and visitors but which remains largely unmapped in conventional terms.
It has been acknowledged that the protection of cultural heritage can be the very cause of its gr... more It has been acknowledged that the protection of cultural heritage can be the very cause of its gradual extraction from the society from which it emerged, however, in practice there remains an urgency in making the most of resources that are available. In 2010, the Jantar Mantar at Jaipur, at last became the first of four remaining eighteenth century astrological constructions of Jai Singh II to receive world heritage recognition soon to be followed by Jaipur city being recognised under the UNESCO Creative City Network as a City of Crafts and Folk Art on 2015. The problem of balancing the expansion of intellectual and physical accessibility, of making knowledge as well as physical interaction more widely available is critical. In Jaipur, as a part of the “Smart Cities” initiative, the historic city area includes proposals on conservation of Jantar Mantar Buffer zone, crafts walks, global arts square along with use of advanced technology and free wifi zones The Jantar Mantar has recently been scanned with LIDAR as part of a project by the Department of Telecommunications, Rajasthan together with other monuments in Rajasthan to help them develop contents for Augmented Reality apps for the Jantar Mantar. Currently, complete LiDAR scanning of entire historic walled city of Jaipur is in process by the same Department. A parallel initiative to provide a digital platform for the crafts and craftspeople is also in process with efforts of local organisations. This paper seeks to address, in discussion with critical partners in practice, key issues of how digital interfaces may be developed to enhance accessibility and to seize opportunities for development without creating yet another layer of separation. In particular, it focuses on the potential contribution to knowledge creation for trades and crafts skills networks in a city with an exemplary legacy for fabrication.
The historic centre of Ajmer acts as both pilgrimage destination and city centre, however, despit... more The historic centre of Ajmer acts as both pilgrimage destination and city centre, however, despite certain infrastructural upgrades, its narrow streets are challenged to accommodate the constant and increasing movement of vehicular, pedestrian and animal traffic. The issues at hand are hugely complex: the historical and intangible cultural significances overlay religions and generations all occupying the same physical space at the same time. Communication is a key concern for those working to improve infrastructural and civic features whilst compelled to respect traditions and both tangible and intangible heritage. A recent example of the kind of problem at stake was the installation of subterranean power lines, which ultimately failed because they terminate at thresholds in the street before reaching end users. Events and ritual calendars may collide with daily routines or extreme weather events. The question of how to better map or delineate these complex interactions becomes a key pre-requisite of successful future conservation planning. The project is part of the AHRC-ICHR supported Networking Grant for Culture Heritage and Rapid Urbanisation in India, titled “The historic city of Ajmer-Pushkar: mapping layers of history, use and meaning for sustainable planning and conservation” and runs from January to December 2016. The project aims to develop methods for enhancing interaction between occupants, developers and planners in a city that has almost no accurate maps. This aim to develop community participation in conservation management has a significant legacy in both theory and practice. Here rapid prototype models, both physical and digital are used to record participant contributions, oral histories and over-layered timetables. The aim to transcribe these to a 3D model for public consultation is tested in the context of a small ‘Chowk’ or public node in the city. The extent of the space leads from a crowded road intersection surrounded with shops and businesses, through courtyards of an adjoining nineteenth century ‘Haveli’ or courtyard house and beyond that to its private shrine. Using ethnographic methods to collect data and architectural conventions to model and map it, the experimental project is a collaborative one involving students of SPA Bhopal. The core collaborators are the Welsh School of Architecture (WSA), Cardiff University (Prof. Adam Hardy, Principal Investigator; Dr. Oriel Prizeman, Co-investigator), the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Bhopal (Prof. Ajay Khare, Co-Investigator), and DRONAH Foundation, the not-for-profit wing of the heritage NGO (Dr. Shikha Jain, Co-Investigator). The work builds on a workshop held in Ajmer in February 2016. It aims to develop a prototype for recording the motion of events on a map [that is yet to be drawn], whilst the less obvious static occupations and memories of individuals are sourced and then attached to an interactive model based on a 3d Laser Scan.
Public library design is rooted in the era of Victorian philanthropists, who strove to maintain c... more Public library design is rooted in the era of Victorian philanthropists, who strove to maintain collective order while facilitating individual exploration. But today’s advances in technology and civil unrest have put this dual requirement to the test. This review charts how six recent libraries are tackling the challenge as they attempt to bridge the past and the present