The process of digital fabrication and 3D printing as a tool in the study of heritage pathologies: Carcabuey Castle (Cordoba)

Abstract

[EN] Precise documentation is essential to carry out the restoration and enhancement processes of protected heritage contexts. Data collection has been increasingly perfected, to the point of being able to perform virtual recreations of complex historical sites, in order to carry out in-depth studies and analyses. An example is Carcabuey Castle (Cordoba, Andalusia), a large fortress with important medieval structures. It is a monumental site of the so-called "Frontier Castles", which were located between the Kingdom of Aragon, and the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. With the aim of restoring it and highlighting its value, an in-depth study was developed for its conservation and subsequent intervention. The data collection included terrestrial laser scanning and vectorising all the structures, as well as a complex and complete photogrammetric survey. From these previous data and carrying out a deductive analytical methodology, a model was generated which, after being printed in 3D (different models at different scales of detail), would allow the volumes, materials and textures which make up the castle, to be studied. The multidisciplinary team, composed of architects, archaeologists, historians and engineers, made it possible to provide multifaceted and inclusive character to all the work, both in the study of pathologies based on the models, and in the construction phases, detected by the stereotomy of the ashlars, or chemical composition of mortars. Since then, with all the data obtained in the research, summarised in this article, it has been possible to carry out a correct diagnosis for the restoration and enhancement of the heritage site. Highlights:

High-definition scanning and 3D printing have been used as tools in the detection of heritage pathologies, as well as in the study of materials. The Carcabuey castle has been digitized and the volumetric data recovered from the study of its materials typology and its stereotomy, obtained with laser scanning. The study of construction and material phases, and the pathologies produced by them, has been carried out from the 3D printing of the heritage structure parts.

[ES] La documentación precisa es fundamental para poder llevar a cabo los procesos de restauración y puesta en valor de los contextos patrimoniales protegidos. La toma de datos cada vez se ha ido perfeccionando más hasta el punto de poder realizar de forma virtual recreaciones de conjuntos históricos complejos para poder llevar a cabo profundos estudios y análisis. Un ejemplo de ello es el Castillo de Carcabuey (Córdoba, Andalucía), una gran fortaleza con importantes estructuras emergentes de época medieval. Se trata de un conjunto monumental de los llamados Castillos de Frontera que se ubicaban entre el reino de Aragón y el reino nazarí de Granada. Con el objetivo de restaurarlo y realzar su valor, se llevó a cabo un profundo estudio para su conservación y posterior intervención. La toma de datos consistió en el escaneado láser terrestre y vectorizado de todas las estructuras, así como en un complejo y completo levantamiento fotogramétrico. A partir de estos datos previos y llevando a cabo una metodología analítico-deductiva, se generó un modelado que permitiría, tras ser impreso en 3D (diferentes modelos a diferentes escalas de detalle), estudiar los volúmenes, materiales y texturas que configuran el castillo. El equipo multidisciplinar compuesto por arquitectos, arqueólogos, historiadores e ingenieros, permitió dar un carácter poliédrico e inclusivo a todo el trabajo, tanto de estudio de patologías a partir de los modelos, como de las fases constructivas detectadas por la estereotomía de los sillares o composición química de morteros. A partir de este momento, con todos los datos obtenidos en la investigación sintetizada en este artículo, se ha podido llevar a cabo una correcta diagnosis para la restauración y puesta en valor del conjunto patrimonial.