HERITAGE INFORMATION Recording , documentation and information management for the conservation of Heritage Places

1. HERITAGE INFORMATION Recording, documentation and information management for the conservation of Heritage Places GUIDING PRINCIPLES and ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLES AIDA 2° - RESTORATION DESIGN 2012-13 – PROF. ARCH. MARINA D’APRILE Recording, documentation and information management for the conservation of Heritage Places. Guiding principles and illustrated examples, GCI (The Getty Conservation Institute – Los Angeles), 2007.

2. Heritage Information (HI) – the activity and products of recording, documenting and managing the information of cultural heritage (CH) places – should be notonly an integral part of a conservationprojectbutalso an activitythatcontinues long after the interventioniscompleted. Itis the basis for the monitoring, management, and routine maintanance of a site and provides a way to transmitknowledgeaboutheritageplaces, aswellasitsconservationinterventionworks, to future generations. Thislectureprovides a comprehensiveoverview of the fundamentalprinciples and guidelines to documentingCHplaces, that are HI activities, whichrepresent a verypowerful and indispensabletool for decisionmaking and planning in conservationfield .

3. HI activitiesrepresentessentialactivities of allphases oh the conservationprocess and must be fullyintegratedintothisprocess. All HI products must be consideredasintegral part of an integratedproject dossier. CH placerefers in general to immovable cultural heritage, suchas single monuments, archeologicalsites, groups of buildings, historictows and cultural landscapes. DOCUMENTATION represents the alreadyexisting stock of information about a CH place. As an activitystands for the systematiccollection and archiving of thesekinds of records, whichhave to be transmitted to future. RECORDING meansthe acquisition of new information deriving from allactivities on a heritageasset, includingheritagerecording, research and investigation, conservation, use and management, and maintanance and monitoring. HERITAGE RECORDING means the graphic and-or photographiccapturing information describing the physicalconfiguration, evolution and condition of a heritageatknownpoints in time. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT represents the process of finding, cataloguing, storing and sharing information about CH. RESEARCH and INVESTIGATION are used to describe in general a variety of activitiesaimedatacquisition of information useful to increasingknowledge of a CH place. RESEARCH isrelated more to off-site serveys (e.g. archivalresearch). INVESTIGATION relates to directacquisition of information from the CH placeas a primary source. Thus RECORDING isalways an essential component of research and investigationateachstep and ateachlevel of the conservationprocess.

4. RESEARCHis the first step, becausebefore new records are prepared, all the existingsources of information should be found, gathered and eximined for adequacy. HERITAGE RECORDS must accuratelyidentify and locate the CH places and theirsetting, and note the sources of allrelated information. They must alsoinclude metric, qualitative and quantitative information about the assets, theirvalues and significance, theirconditionand management, theirmaintanance and repairs, and the threats and risks to theirsafekeeping. The selection of appropriate scope, level and methods of recordingrequiresthat the methods of recording and the type of documentationproduced are appropriate to the nature and importance of the CH place, the project’sneeds, the purpose of the record, the cultural context and the resourcesavailable. Preferenceshould be given to nonintrusivetechniques. RECORDINGshould use standardized formats, and be preserved and up-to-date backed up.

5. HERITAGE RECORDERS WHO SPECIALIZE IN A. PHOTOGRAPHYB. PHOTOGRAMMETRYC. SURVEYING, GPSD. GISE. 3-D LASER SCANNINGF. 3-D MODELINGG. GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTIONH. ETC. WHICH GENERALLY USE STATEOF-THE-ART RECORDING TOOLS THE ICOMOS PRINCIPLES (1996). Adopted and ratifiedduring the 11th ICOMOS General Assembly in Sofia (Bulgaria), thisdocumentrepresents the fundamentalnotions, principles and severalguiding-linesabout the HI issues. Itestablishes the whyof recording in general and greaterdetails, the who(responsability), the how(planning), the what(contents) and the managment of the recordsobtained. Information Users Conservation Expertswho specialize ina. Researchb. Inventoriesc. Initial studiesd. Conservation planninge. Project managementf. Maintenanceg. MonitoringWhich generally uselow-cost recording methodsand tools

6. The sixphasesinvolved in the Heritage conservationprocess

7. The conservationprocess and relatedproject information activities The output of diverse researchinitiativesconsists of information units

8. The term recording is used referring to the acquisition of new information deriving from all activities on a heritage place. These activities, including measured surveys, research and investigation, conservation, use and management, and maintenance and monitoring, are carried out by a variety of specialists in pursuit of the common goal of gaining a better understanding of the heritage place and of the risks affecting its long-term conservation. Heritage recording is the capturing of graphic and photographic information describing the physical configuration, evolution, and condition of a heritage place. Today, due to rapid technological development in the field of measured survey techniques, this activity is mainly performed by heritage recorders. These technical experts are trained to apply a broad range of recording techniques and to choose the measured survey tool (or combination of tools) that will best match project requirements. Based on the needs defined by the project manager, heritage recorders produce precise and reliable measured drawings and photographs. Heritage recorders may also undertake technical analysis, which consists of providing accurate and objective visual descriptions of the design, construction, materials, and condition of heritage places. The resulting heritage record is a technical dossier consisting of graphic records that provide the necessary basic data for conservation and conservation-related activities and/or provide the public archives with posterity records. Graphic records are used as base maps for adding data from investigation, design, treatment, maintenance, and monitoring. The output of recording activities is a number of research, investigation, or treatment records, which include different data formats, such as text, tables, diagrams, photographs, and graphic information.

9. The production and integration of data to create the complete record of a heritage place

10. Three levels of recording may generally be considered: 1. Reconnaissance recording 2. Preliminary recording 3. Detailed recording Each of these recording levels may be partial; that is, each consists of a limited set of graphic records tailored to specified needs as the conservation activity evolves over time. Reconnaissance recording is typically an overview photo survey with sketched plans that allows conservation professionals to visualize, in entirety, a site and its related buildings and features in sufficient detail to understand the site’s overall characteristics. It should permit rapid identification of significant features and problem areas. The quantity of photos taken will vary according to the size of the site and related structures and features. For a building, reconnaissance recording normally would include sketches of plans and elevations together with important details. Preliminary recording is more accurate than reconnaissance recording and includes measured graphic records. It is meant to complement reconnaissance recording by providing more complete information pertaining to each components of a site. The purpose of this recording is to produce a set of graphic records of the asset’s major features that are needed early in the conservation process for preliminary analysis, and to define areas for further investigation and related detailed recording. The accuracy of graphic records is ± 10 cm for plans, elevations, and cross sections, and ± 2 cm for structural and other elements. Detailedrecordingcan take place prior to, during, or after a conservation activity to accurately record a site’s physical configuration, condition, and significant features.The accuracy of a detailed record can vary between approximately ± 2 mm and 5 mm for building elements and between ± 10 mm and 25 mm for building plans, elevations, and cross sections.

11. In summary, reconnaissance recording provides quick sketches and photos to understand a heritage place and its configuration before a project begins. Preliminary recording provides additional focused information to the project dossier to better understand project needs early in the process. Detailed recording consists of accurate graphic records for detailed studiesand design requirements.

13. Tools for heritage recording: (a) measuring tape and plumb line, (b) electronic distance meter, (c) digital camera, (d) Tablet PC, (e) total station.

18. Rectified and scaled (measurable) photo-mosaics of the dry ditch masonry walls at Fort Henry (Canada). The photo-mosaics were prepared by professional heritage recorders and used by conservation specialists to determine the masonry’s condition.

19. Rectified and scaled (measurable) photo-mosaics are essential tools to survey and record CH place properties and defects.