New Tools for Ancient Ruins
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24 Engineering Sciences german research 1 / 2011 german research 1 / 2011 25 Rainer Drewello, Burkhard Freitag, Christoph Schlieder New Tools for Ancient Ruins Architectural monuments are perpetual construction sites, and historical plans, drafts and photographs are essential for their restoration. Yet the archives of many churches, castles and palaces are either in poor condition or diffi cult to access. Cultural researchers and engineering scientists are now adding these sources to a database system in order to increase their usability rchitects are not computer sci- tremendously signifi cant both for and art historians are, for example, A entists, and computer scientists historical and practical reasons, still using exquisite ink drawings are not cultural studies researchers. they are neither appropriately cata- from around 1900 – an anachronism Just as a computer scientist’s daily logued nor accessible to either pri- in this digital age of almost unsur- tasks do not normally include draw- vate persons or scientifi c research- passable surveying techniques. This ing, cultural studies researchers are ers. And Nuremburg is no isolated purposeful usage of older sources, not required to programme com- example, as the Dombaumeister however, has its advantages. These puters, and interpreting historical [master cathedral architects] who buildings are so complex that even sources is not part of an architect’s manages and restores around 140 the most accurate digital measure- remit. All these differing skills may, major properties in Central Europe ments can be translated into a us- however, be required of someone in- – from Vienna to Trondheim, via able form only through consider- volved with historical monuments. Cologne – will attest. able investment of time and effort. After all, cathedral, castle or palace One major problem with archi- This effort is often avoided, not least complexes are not just converted tectural archives is their incomplete because it is not possible to ensure spaces or Facility Management ob- or outdated document fi ling sys- the longevity of this valuable data jects. Instead, their form, function tems. Written documents, pictures without a long-term archiving so- and history have transformed them and plans are usually categorised, lution. Instead, tried and true solu- into living witnesses to the past, to either chronologically or by source tions are employed. places where architectural, social type, using only the most basic of Yet the fascinating opportuni- and cultural history intersect. systems. Boxes of photographs or ties afforded by digital technologies In architectural monuments, rolls of blueprints do not, however, speak for themselves, particularly historical tradition plays an impor- permit content searches, reducing when these take into account dif- tant role. The two main churches research to games of chance or pa- ferent user requirements and work- in Nuremburg, St Lorenz and St tience. ing habits. The digital age and its Sebaldus, to name just two exam- Architectural monuments are associated qualitative leap require ples, have archives containing 3000 not only historical or technical dual-purpose storage and archiv- papers and documents dating back witnesses, however. They are also ing systems to be established. These to 1580. They also contain around large-scale construction sites. Each 1500 articles published in books time a renovation is undertaken, and magazines, 2200 black and the documentation from the previ- The Cathedral and Old Town in Passau. white photographs, and 6500 slides, ous renovation must be referenced: The Cathedral archive houses numerous not to mention 1500 hand-drawn consequently, these documents are documents. These are now being indexed Illustration: Dombauhütte Passau maps. While these documents are often accessed and used. Architects with the help of a database. 26 Engineering Sciences german research 1 / 2011 german research 1 / 2011 27 systems must serve two functions. cussions typically centre on nam- Right: On-screen mapping of histori- Firstly, they must be capable of ing and counting methods (“What cal planning documents. Centre: Every managing traditional archive ob- do you call the transition between stone of Passau’s Cathedral is assigned jects. Secondly, they must archive a church’s nave and transept?” a number, enabling extremely precise next-generation documents, with Should structural elements be spatial assignments to be made. Below: all their compatibility issues, in such counted from east to west, or by All the information is added to the Digi- a way as to render them usable and cardinal direction? Should num- tal Monument Archive, where it can be readable in 100 years’ time. bers or letters be used?” And so electronically accessed. Take, for example, the Cathedral on.). Fortunately, the engineering in Passau, where the church masons’ sciences, architecture and art share guild has defined a comprehensive similar tools and a common lan- and digitisation of the existing re- naming key. This key is designed guage: that of the pen, the sketch sources. The effort involved in this to ensure that every last stone of and the plan. Each line and area of task is well-invested, as it provides the building can be catalogued, and crosshatching is a stipulation, while archivists with two standalone so- Illustration: U Bamberg / Kulturinformatik to facilitate access to its data. The every outline is an abstraction that lutions. Linking archives via the simplest way to do this would be can be understood with few words. web would then create a network to “virtually attach” existing docu- It is the normative properties of the of distributed servers within which ments to their appropriate locations line which enables plans to form an specialist information could be ex- – such as towers, wall frescoes, al- almost perfect basis for archiving changed. Whether and how this tars, or even individual stones of the building data. Illustration: Fritsch could work has been tested using church. It is crucial that the keys to the example of the two Nuremburg the data storage archive are the spa- his is where the Digital Monu- churches. Their document archives tial references for the objects in the T ment Archive (DMA) comes 3D data. What is unique about it is are to be made accessible via the In- inventory system. in. An organisation which offers that the DMA uses a freely defin- ternet, enabling them to be viewed The spatial referencing concept specialist databases for historic able building structure key, which via web browsers. has taken centre stage due to the buildings, the DMA stores docu- begins with the building as a whole Expanding the information base difficulties involved in describ- ments with the most diverse prov- and ends with its individual com- is crucial to this concept. After all, ing buildings which are, because enances, whether these are plans, ponents. Documents to be archived drawings and maps are more than of their history and architectural text and image sources, tables or are attached to “their” locations and lines and planes. Instead, they also styles, seldom homogenous. Dis- photographs, as well as videos and furnished with metadata, which are contain information which can Screenshot: Dombauhütte Passau assigned to thematic catalogues. This be deciphered by careful reading. enables data pertaining to a struc- One aid in highlighting particular tural element to be found either by features is the MMS (Mobile Map- navigating through a data tree or ping System), which converts the via a plan. Keyword searches and bits and bytes of scanned plans into filtering by thematic category are tangible information, attaches it to also possible. These enable objects the correct position in the drawing to be found by category or theme, and scans it into the Digital Monu- irrespective of their actual position ment Archive. In this way, plans be- in the building. come information databases which Creating a digital archive, how- can be expanded and used for com- ever, requires the prior organisation parisons. In his 2003 publication on the western façade of Cologne Cathe- Left: Restoring the façade of Passau dral, Marc Steinmann illustrated the Cathedral is an arduous process. Above: usefulness of “semantic maps” in Historical graphical material belonging to an exemplary way. In this work, he Illustration: Dombauhütte Passau / Hauck the archives of St. Lorenz’s Church in Nu- analysed the medieval façade plan Screenshot: U Passau / IFIS remburg is studied before being digitised. “F” using all the rules of art (his- 28 Engineering Sciences german research 1 / 2011 german research on the road german research 1 / 2011 29 Rembert Unterstell tory). The sketch, which is pieced things. Whether, however, human- a mixture of Persian (Islamic con- together from sheets of parchment wrought city structures represent text), Uzbek (the local language), and rendered in ink, is both a mi- utter chaos or organic time/space Russian (the official language) and crocosm of the medieval intellec- constructs, is a matter of perspec- German (research interest) termi- tual world and a flawless technical tive. What is certain is that it takes nology. masterpiece. Juxtaposing the de- time to get one’s bearings in urban- Whether state-of-the-art tech- coded knowledge and the draw- ised regions, and the faster these nology can go beyond providing ing would deliver a master plan for areas grow up, the more confusing technical advantages to generate High Gothic. they seem. Even in small mazes, synergies – and thus, to help create people reach their limits very bridges between cultures or define n practice, however, to achieve quickly. new intersections in research – re- I detailed observations of this type One example to support this as- mains to be seen. It will, in future, and intensity is almost impossible. sertion is provided by the old town be impossible to progress without The tremendous dimensions of the of Bukhara in Uzbekistan, which building such bridges. After all, drawing, which is over four metres was built during the 16th century tools are meant to be used for the tall, make things extremely difficult.