(2016) When an isolated building becomes a guideline for the urban pattern. The case of “Torrenostra” in Torreblanca, Castellón, Spain (original) (raw)

When an isolated building becomes a guideline for t he urban pattern. The case of “Torrenostra” in Torreblanca, Castellón , Spain

2016

The defence of the Valencian coast (s. XVI-XVII) by building towers visually connected is part of a specific and well-planned defensive network, similar to other countries. Starting from the XIX century, the gradual resolution of this menace has reduced or cancelled the need for many of these fortifications and people start to consider them in different ways, sometimes demolishing them, sometimes using them for housing or other urban use. The case study presented here, the so called “Torrenostra” (“our tower”) in Torreblanca , shows the peculiar aspect of being included as a part of a block of houses facing the sea. The environment around the tower has seen significant changes, the seaside extended, the tower transformed by its new users. After a robust restoration operated in the past years the tower shows now itself as probably it was in its original condition if not for its totally decontextualized condition and the “not so easy” connection to the contiguous houses. In the resear...

Comprehensive Methodology for Documenting the Defense Towers of the Valencian Coast (Spain)

DEFENSIVE ARCHITECTURE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN XV to XVIII Centuries - Pablo RODRÍGUEZ-NAVARRO (Ed.), 2015

For years we have approached the architectural heritage through the traditional drawings, based on data collection taken from sketches and point to point measurements; however, today we can rely on different systems that make necessary to consider not only the phases of the elevation but the methodology to follow, constituting in itself a study that needs to be addressed from the knowledge of advanced data collection techniques. Thus we must analyze what is special about the work and what are our research needs, which will give rise to a list of products to be obtained and will result in a number of plans to scale, photogrammetries, 3D models, pictures and videos. Only then will we obtain the appropriate methodology which may include traditional direct surveys, photogrammetric surveys (2D correction, 3D restitution), 3D laser scans, drones, photographs, spherical panoramic photographs, video, etc. In the present communication we describe the process followed in determining the methodology that is being carried out in the elevation of a building corpus that presents special characteristics due to the diversity of geographical locations and the dimensions and materials used, as well as its conservation status.

Ferreira Lopes, P. W., Molina Rozalem, J.F. (2018). Historical SDI, thematic maps and analysis of a complex network of medieval towers (13th-15th century) in the Moorish Strip. In Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLII-4, (pp.177-183)

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., 2018

This work is part of an investigation into the use of GIS for the documentation and comprehension of medieval architectural heritage in the ancient Kingdom of Seville. The research was done in the framework of the project " Sustainable guardianship of cultural heritage through digital BIM and GIS models: contribution to knowledge and social innovation " , an interdisciplinary project focused on the applications of information technology in architectural heritage in Spain. The study case of this pape r is located in the Guadalquivir valley during the period between 13 th and 15 th centuries. It concerns the Moorish Strip site, fortified by the Christian Kingdom of Castile with the aim of creating a barrier with the Moorish Kingdom. Its deteriorated state has led us to create a historical and spatial database in order to contribute to its conservation management plan. Apart from the historical documentation research and the data gathering, intensive fieldwork was also done to collect information about the buildings. In this paper we present a Historical SDI to investigate the hypothesis that the spatial patterns of the Moorish Band obey rules of " inter-visibility " control. Some analysis has been done on the site scale, such as: i) a thematic map of building material; ii) a spatiotemporal analysis; iii) the density of the distribution of towers over the territory; iv) a simulation of the territory visibility from the towers; v) the inter-visibility among towers; iv) thematic maps using attribute values. These analyses permitted us to highlight the need to create a preservation plan that should consider the network visibility system as an important value for heritage interpretation and knowledge.

"Drones above the stones: A new aerial approach in large scale documentation and modeling of architectural heritage", by M. Katsaros, M. Christofi, M. Bacharidou, N. P. Dimitriou, M. Naki

2015

Recent advancements in spatial mapping and in the development of innovative software and navigational tools, have set a new technological framework within which, analogue or physical tools are transformed into digital ones. The integration of interdisciplinary technological resources to traditional surveying and simulating methods extends our capabilities in multiple levels of spatial analysis, i.e. the simultaneous control and modeling of environmental data corresponding to various aspects & dimensions. In such a framework, investigation of the aspects of sustainability and resilience of architectural heritage can be approached as a process of interrelating parameters and properties associated in multiple scales to spatial and geographical structures and stratifications. This study attempts to present the development of a "digital multi-parametric methodology" with which, we may rapidly, directly and reliably detect the spatial structures and their properties which comprise environments of our architectural heritage, through the case study of a complex of semi-deserted settlements in the Doris Municipality, in Greece. As for fieldwork, using the new digital media (drones, thermal cameras, etc.) as well as the analogue ones (recording + surveying typological, building and morphological data, etc.), the method originally tests the framework of the field research and its potential range, while at the same time is integrating and processing the results (of the field research) through the development of a new online digital platform. The resulting simulated spatial structure in organizational patterns, aims in decoding the unique sequences of data which identify spatial entities found in the examined settlement, as well as recognizing interactions among them. On a larger scale, the interaction of each spatial entity (object) with the broader built environment is examined, whilst in a third level the settlement itself is associated with the adjacent natural environment, its resources, and the neighboring communities, based on factors related to sustainability and resilience of the specific cultural landscape. Considering all the above, the study aims to suggest possible new innovative ways of reading architectural heritage and parameters that deem the viability and resilience over time and changes in regards with their existing state.

Urban Environment of Disappeared Heritage: Graphic Analysis of Puerta Real in Seville

Heritage, 2023

Antonio Gámiz-Gordo / Daniel Antón / Pedro Barrero-Ortega (2023): "Urban Environment of Disappeared Heritage: Graphic Analysis of Puerta Real in Seville", Heritage, v. 6, no. 7, pp. 5469-5499. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6070288 The city of Seville experienced a remarkable rise in the 16th century thanks to trade with America. Based on a report by the architect Hernán Ruiz, it was decided to renovate the gates of the walled city. The Puerta Real, also called Puerta de Goles, was remodelled between 1560 and 1566, and King Philip II entered through it in 1570. However, it was demolished around 1864, and only the remains of the adjacent wall stand today. This research aims to graphically analyse the gate and its immediate surroundings to gain a more profound knowledge of it and to promote its heritage value. To this end, an extensive collection and analysis of historical images has been carried out, which are essential for understanding the transformations of the site. A photograph by Masson (c. 1855–1860) was next used to support the virtual reconstruction of the gate. A 3D laser scanner was also used to document the existing archaeological remains and, via game-engine technology, to recreate rigorously, for the first time, this 16th-century gate in its current environment. This research could be useful for future scientific reconstruction to promote the heritage revitalisation of this city area.

(2017). The Technologies of Architectural Survey: A New Comparison Based on the Tower of Sotillo de la Ribera, Burgos. In: 5th INTBAU International Annual Event Heritage, Place, Design: Putting Tradition into Practice, pp. 475-484

The paper offers an original research about the analysis and the comparison of different techniques of survey concerning the architectural field – image-based and range-based – throughout the development of the theory of errors in order to evaluate reliability and precision of the results. In particular, this analysis will be focused on the tower of the parochial Church of Santa Águeda, a building located in the small village of Sotillo de la Ribera, within the province of Burgos (Spain). The first part of this work, therefore, has been submitted to the implementation of different methodologies, from the direct survey used as a basis, to the procedure to represent graphically the results (elevation, orthophoto and 3D model). The second phase, better illustrated here, deals with the validation of everything taken into account in order to evaluate the reliability and the precision of the graphics generated by means of traditional survey, photogrammetric survey and laser scanner.

Digital construction for analysis: the Scalambri defensive system in Sicily

This research is focused around Italian defensive system on the southern coast of Sicily, in the territory of Ragusa. Object of this study is the system consisting in three coastal watchtowers, located in three hamlets in Santa Croce Camerina, a small town near Ragusa. These works of military engineering are nominated as Torre Vigliena in Punta Braccetto, Torre di Mezzo (or Torre di Pietro) in the homonym hamlet and Torre Scalambri in Punta Secca. Despite their poor state of preservation, these towers have always been an eye catcher for their territory. Today, observing this defensive system, one can note a variable state of decay: their original geometric characteristics and morphological shapes are not clearly legible. This work consist in a first historical investigation, useful for the temporal location and for the comprehension of the roles of these towers. Following, the study develops with the investigation of the environmental characteristics, to better understand the tower orientations and their observation devices. The comparison between the three towers and with other examples from Sicily, numerous not only on the coastal area, will create a volumetric hypothesis; this construction, positioned in the virtual world of Google Earth, will complete the analysis providing valid observation points for the evaluation of their placement on the coast. The study presented will be completed with an overview of the inner relations of the defensive tower system, regarding their volumes, geometry, materials and functions: this to better understand design strategy of settlement and to create a model comparable with other similar defensive configurations.