Construction Of Heritage Research Articles

Разработка методики создания геоинформационной системы культурного наследия на примере Новосибирской области

The authors discuss the results of working at the development of methods for creating GIS of cultural heritage. A brief analysis of modern research in the field of geoinformation cultural heritage mapping had been made befor. The existing methods of creation GIS of cultural heritage objects basing upon the analysis of the performed experimental works are studied. The basic requirements to the methodology of GIS creation of cultural heritage objects are defined. The developed technique of creating GIS for cultural heritage objects on the basis of HTML, CSS and JavaScript-technologies is presented. In the course of the study, a prototype of the geographic information system “Cultural heritage of Novosibirsk region” was developed, it can be used by anyone for educational purposes, as well as by territorial agencies of cultural heritage protection, local governments, construction organizations, road enterprises, land use and subsoil use enterprises, educational and scientific organizations, as well as tour operators and other economic entities.

Creative Destruction and the Social (Re) Construction of Heritage

AbstractIn an era when war, acts of terror, and the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change loom large in the public conscience, the conservation community is grappling with the associated loss of the historic built environment and potential responses. But the built environment—at least some aspects of it—is becoming progressively obsolete due to environmental and social changes. Coastal sea-level rise, inefficient resource and land use, and the role of the built environment in perpetuating social exclusion raise questions about the potential value of destruction and the opportunities it affords for reframing spatial memory and historical narrative in more just and sustainable ways. The heritage field’s preoccupation with the physical, place-based fabric will be challenged in the face of this obsolescence, compelling a reexamination of attitudes toward destruction and reconstruction. This article borrows loosely from Joseph Schumpeter’s economic concept of creative destruction to explore the ways in which both innovation and new lenses on history and memory may be borne of change, loss, and obsolescence. Using the discourse surrounding past and contemporary North American cases, it examines some fundamental ideas regarding capital in the built environment and the economic value of destruction. It also explores the negative social consequences of destruction and the historical influence cum perspective of the heritage enterprise and posits potentially positive values and opportunities engendered through destruction. Finally, it reimagines how approaches to reconstruction by the heritage field may contribute to more socially just and sustainable futures.

The restricted heritage significance of historic mosques in Qatar

ABSTRACT The study of contemporary mosque rehabilitation and restoration projects in Qatar reveals that the relationship between cultural heritage subjects and their actual and potential stewards is complicated and possibly fragile. In this article, I discuss the efforts put towards identifying stakeholders for a mosque preservation initiative in Qatar and the challenges that it encountered in the context of shifting politics of heritage construction. Rather than focus on specific attitudes that may give rise to an apparent failure of such a preservation initiative, I discuss the how failure of heritage preservation projects can be examined productively in the study of preservation practices and discourses. I consider, specifically, the ways in which institutions forge stewardship through stakeholder engagement in order to discuss how material culture is made to acquire significance as a modern “Islamic” and Qatari heritage.

Evaluation of the GPR (1.2 GHz) technique in the characterization of masonry shells of the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract The geometric characterization and evaluation of structural integrity are challenges for the preservation of historical buildings. The challenges are associated to the lack of constructive records, material diversity, access and contact restrictions, and sample extraction. Non-destructive tests are indicated in these cases. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technique with 1.2 GHz antenna in the study of the determination of material thickness and discontinuities in the masonry shells of the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, a heritage built in early 20th century, with high historical and cultural value. With paintings by renowned artists on their intrados, the domes and vault of brick masonry were at risk of collapse in the 1970s due to differential settlements in the supports and moisture, compromising their paintings. A strengthening intervention was carried out in 1976. Considering the masonry of bricks the main component, the electromagnetic wave propagation velocity was determined as 0,15 m/ns in one of the support walls, allowing to estimate the thicknesses of the elements ranging between 20 and 31 cm. Materials incorporated into the structure were identified: reinforcement, metal inserts and bricks. However, the frequency of the antenna did not allow the detection of damages. The application of the GPR to the characterization of materials and investigation of the integrity of the domes of the Theatro Municipal highlights the potential of this technology to study heritage and other constructions.

A Fuzzy Logic Approach to Preventive Conservation of Cultural Heritage Churches in Popayán, Colombia

ABSTRACT From a decision-maker’s perspective, the management of cultural heritage is a challenging task because of different objectives pursued, the public/private nature of heritage constructions studied, the wide variety of associated values (artistic, historical, cultural, economic) and diverse interests of different stakeholders. Careful consideration of environmental, social and economic factors is crucial in order to predict the functional service life of heritage constructions. This study outlines a new fuzzy system approach based on expert knowledge, which focuses on the serviceability of heritage buildings using a Mamdani fuzzy model. The method input considers 10 intrinsic variables directly related to the vulnerability of buildings and 9 external hazards, classified according to static-structural features and environmental hazards, which are considered useful for defining emergency programs in historical centres in South America (Colombia). The automation of inspection programs similar to the one described here may reduce the consumption of natural resources and benefit a more rational management of future maintenance actions. In general terms, this type of fuzzy logic model approach is designed to serve as an indicator for the future evolution of the functionality of buildings. This research contributes to the study of new service life models applied to heritage buildings in South America.

The Construction And Usage Of The Past In The Strategies Of Urban Development – Totma As A 'Town Of Sailors'

The different levels of the tourism service system are not just another intermediary between the heritage and the visitor, but an important aspect which influences the construction of heritage and past discourses. Noel Salazar suggested considering natural and cultural-historical heritage sites as the basis for constructing imaginary realities. We explored the formation of a visual tourist space through the example of a small old Russian town, Totma. In the tourist space of Totma we identified several alternating or complementary tourist narratives, based on an appeal to different themes from the past, from the representation of the as a salting center and monastery center to the construction of the image of Totma as a city of sailors. The study showed how, and under what influence, the different local tourist narratives about Totma are now intertwined in modern representations of the city.

What Can We Weave? Authority, Reconstructing, and Negotiating Heritages Through Archaeological Open-Air Museums

The construction of heritage is an ongoing process, with numerous voices involved in it. Physical remains of the past frequently—though not always—play a significant role as focal points that heritage narratives attach to. As resources, these remains can be used to draw both domestic and foreign tourism, providing economic benefit to states and providing a platform from which heritage narratives may be told. Such narratives can be economically, socially, and politically powerful. They have been previously examined through the authorized heritage discourse, wherein only certain ‘pasts’ are explored, or as heritage brands. In a world of change in society and in tourism, the authority of archaeologist/historian/scholar, governing bodies, tourism agencies, passionate ‘non-specialists’, and multiple publics over heritages is one of contestation. Each is a weaver of heritage. This article examines the creation of archaeological open-air museums (AOAMs) as renewable resources for tourism within a fragmenting market. It explores the authorities and threads of heritage that result in different capacities to actively address visitor perceptions of the ‘past’ and present they are touring. This paper concludes with viewing the use of an AOAM as a location of contestation, as any other heritage property can become, though one more malleable to the changing needs of heritage weavers due to its existence in conflict with understandings of linear time.

TEOS Modified With Nano-Calcium Oxalate and PDMS to Protect Concrete Based Cultural Heritage Buildings

Cultural Heritage constructions of 20th century consist largely of mortar and concrete substrates. These concrete structures have suffered different types of decay processes. One of the most widely used consolidants is the Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), which forms the basis of most existing commercial strengthening agents to protect porous building materials against deterioration. A novel, nontoxic strengthening and protective agent for mortar and concrete substrates was synthesized in a one-pot sol-gel procedure, incorporating in TEOS, Polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) and nanoparticles of synthesized calcium oxalate (CaOx). PDMS provided hydrophobicity and reduced surface tension that causes cracks on the surface of produced xerogel. The synthesized nanocomposite both in sol and xerogel form was assessed with a variety of analytical techniques (FTIR, XRF, SEM, Optical Microscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering, Thermogravimetric analysis). The excellent physical properties of the produced colloidal solution of the nanocomposite, such as low viscosity and density, allow a penetration up to 2 cm from the surface in the treated cement mortars. This involved improvement of the mechanical and physical properties, such as the dynamic modulus of elasticity and increased water repellency. The treated cement mortars exhibited well-preserved aesthetic surface parameters and significant maintenance of the treatment. Furthermore, no harmful byproducts were identified indicating the nanocomposite compatibility to the siliceous and carbonate nature of the treated cement mortars.

A Risk-Based Approach for Assessing Social Sustainability Performance of Cultural Heritage Construction Works

ABSTRACT The multidimensional problems that archaeological sites and cultural heritage assets face demand effective multiple criteria decision-making, regarding risk impact identification and evaluation. There is a great array of risks affecting cultural heritage sites and assets nowadays, including environmental and manmade factors. Risk assessment towards decision-making always considers cultural sites’ and asset’s intrinsic values that determine their cultural significance and thus contribute to conservation planning and management through prioritization of the needs and allocation of the available budget accordingly. Therefore, the aim of this study is to support decision-making for maintenance and conservation interventions in archaeological sites and cultural heritage assets. The paper proposes a risk-based approach utilising the Analytic Network Process (ANP), a multi-criteria decision-making method incorporating both qualitative and quantitative criteria with interdependences and feedback. The proposed approach is tested and validated through an illustrative application regarding a classical monument of an archaeological site of Athens subjected to the conditions of a typical urban environment. The application of this method allows for interdisciplinary, multi-criteria analysis of risk towards interventions decision-making against complex and demanding conservation cases.

A functional structure for state functions of moisture transfer in heritage building elements

The good knowledge of the moisture transfer in materials used in the construction of architectonic cultural heritage is a key issue to define conservation and restoration actions. In recent years, numerical models are used in this field to improve the hygrothermal characterization of these materials. However, the structure of state functions involved in the modelization is not standardised, and they present a highly empirical parametrization. For this reason, the main objective of this work is to review the structure of the state functions corresponding to moisture transport (moisture content, liquid and vapour water permeabilities) and to suggest more compact functional structures that allow reducing the number of parameters.Two conventional tests used to characterize the hygrothermal behaviour of heritage elements, (i) water absorption by capillary test (EN 15801) and (ii) water vapour permeability test (EN 15803) have been simulated to check the capacity and quality of the moisture transfer simulation with the new functions. These numerical exercises were carried out using a moisture transport module implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics. The material selected was the limestone used in the construction of the Cathedral of Santa María and San Julián (Cuenca, Spain). The satisfactory results obtained demonstrate the utility of the functions proposed to model the hydraulic conductivity and diffusion resistance factor. A significant reduction in the number of material parameters is achieved without compromising the simulation capacity.

Heritage, resilience and climate change: A fuzzy logic application in timber-framed masonry buildings in Valparaíso, Chile

Architectural heritage is one of the most essential parts of community well-being; it reflects a complexity of ideas and local cultural values. Currently, new plans or programmes are needed to manage and protect heritage building areas, such as the cities on the Pacific Chilean coastline that are susceptible to natural afflictions. This research intends to apply a functional service life methodology to a new context in Chile: the city of Valparaíso, which represents one of the most excellent examples of late 19th century urban and architectural development in Latin America. The service life model assists a panel of professional experts in making key decisions about heritage building preservation. This research work applied the serviceability method to 25 heritage building constructions (timber-framed masonry) located in Valparaíso. The viability of the system has been verified in previous works and applications in Europe (Spain and Portugal) and the South of Chile (Valdivia). The majority of the sample presents a good functional level, with the exception of just three cases which are positioned in the middle level/grey area (cost and benefits are taken into account and balanced). These case studies should be analysed periodically over time to preserve their functionality. Intervention has been defined as a priority; this information is completely relevant to establishing an approximate periodicity of intervention for this kind of heritage construction and in this kind of context in South America. This work is complemented by a climate change approximation which considers the main possible effects on built heritage located in Valparaíso, Chile. The research work can help stakeholders become involved in the definition of future effective preventive maintenance programmes for heritage building stock.

The Ecosystem Protection and Promotion of Mogao Grottoes

The cultural heritage of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves is a valuable as set for China, but the site is located in Gansu Province in northern China, where the ecological environment is fragile, the environmental space is relatively small and the environmental carrying capacity is limited. In the process of accelerating the tourism development and construction of Mogao Caves cultural heritage, the ecological balance of the environment has been upset and problems have emerged. This paper investigates the ecological and environmental management and enhancement of the site, as well as the conservation and protection of the non-renewable resources of the Mogao Caves cultural heritage.

Climate change impacts and fungal decay in vulnerable historic structures at Svalbard

This paper emphasises on degradation of wood in cultural heritage structures at Svalbard. Nowhere else does global heating occur faster. Negative impacts of climate change will increase the strain on wooden structures and can daily be observed at Svalbard. The severe changes affect the degradation rate of wooden constructions, including cultural heritage. Certain microclimates, also in Polar areas, are favourable to fungal growth and decay. The probable enhancing effects climate change have on fungal degradation in wooden structures are however alarming. The paper displays findings of measurements from four different case study projects at Svalbard between 2009 and 2019. The results have been analysed separately, compiled and discussed in context, and towards relevant literature. We claim that impacts of climate change may not be generalized in order to predict effects in building materials. Further, that with extended knowledge on how climate change affects natural development of fungal decay, negative impacts may be reduced. Lessons learned from high Arctic areas might add longevity and sustainability to wooden cultural heritage constructions, also in different areas and environments. The paper is part of two of the authors' PhD work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

The Right to the City, the Right to Heritage – Material and Non-Material Traces of Scheibler’s ‘New Weaving Mill’ in Łódź

The paper presents the case of post-industrial space of the New Weaving Mill in Kilińskiego Street in Łódź, which was a part of Karol Scheibler’s empire. We use it to illustrate the tensions between actors of the city life and the related right to the city including the right to heritage. At the same time, we indicate the significance of involving different actors in the process of creating narratives (also those contributing to the extension of the research field) of it. In our discussion, we mostly perceive this space as everyday space – space of work that was marked with an unusual event: the visit of John Paul II in 1987. Thus, we consider the practices and strategies for commemorating/forgetting in the context of urban practices connected with the construction of heritage and the right to it.

Middle-class struggles against high-rise construction in Buenos Aires. Urban democratization or enforcement of particular interests?

ABSTRACT It is a relatively new phenomenon in the context of urban development in Buenos Aires that citizens from the middle class have been increasingly claiming empowerment in local decision making. In this paper, we analyze the spatial-political outcome of protests against high-rise construction and demolitions of the urban heritage in Buenos Aires. Based on a frame analysis, the results of the paper show that the citizens’ initiatives under study have been able to incorporate several key issues into the agenda of the public debate: the relevance of the urban heritage, the negative effects of market-oriented municipal politics, and deficient citizen participation. Moreover, the controversies surrounding high-rise constructions in the 2000s and early 2010s disclose a clear degree of politicization. A permanent struggle for primacy in municipal policy models has been sparked, in which victory and defeat alternate, and attention is drawn to more fundamental societal issues beyond urban development.

Discourses about language and literacy education in Portugal: past and present

Abstract This article presents a historical analysis of discourses about language and literacy that have emerged during different periods in the political and cultural history of Portugal. It covers six periods, from the colonial era to the present, and it considers different geopolitical spaces, including the Portuguese mainland, the Atlantic archipelagos, former Portuguese colonies and diasporic spaces created as a result of emigration from Portugal. The article traces three kinds of discursive shift: (1) shifts in discourses in Portuguese society regarding the goals of language and literacy education, along with associated discourses about appropriate language and literacy pedagogies; (2) shifts in discourses about the specific nature and significance of literacy in Portuguese; and (3) shifts in discourses about the value and symbolic power of standardized forms of spoken and written Portuguese. It shows how each historical period has been characterized by distinctive political and ideological currents which have, in turn, shaped and re-shaped ways of thinking about the role of language and literacy education in the definition of citizenship and national identity, in the construction of heritage, in the creation of a “modern” democratic state and, more recently, in the retooling of human resources to create a flexible labour force.

Walking and Stumbling on the Paths of Heritage-making for Rural Development in the Arica Highlands

To reflect on the potential of the Cultural Route heritage category as an instrument for cultural revitalization and community strengthening in highland regions, we analyze an interaction of actors involved in the co-construction of a hiking circuit in northern Chile that succeeded in its heritage-based design but not in its touristic implementation. Based on an in-depth analysis of the socioterritorial context and on participatory action research carried out to design the circuit, we discuss the reasons for the project's failure during the phase of community-based tourism model definition. This leads to broader conclusions on the intersections of current policies on heritage, multiculturalism, and environment, relating to the 2014 inscription of the Qhapaq nan Andean road system on the World Heritage List. Finally, we highlight 3 lessons: (1) the need to clarify the risk of confusion between cultural revitalization and cultural tourism; (2) the Cultural Route category as a complex and heterogeneous heritage construct that is difficult to apply from global to local scales, and (3) the need to further develop Latin American regulations on heritage.

Non-Destructive Tests on Carpentry Steels

Background: Industrial archaeology represents a modern branch of urbanism and architecture that studies, applying an interdisciplinary method, all the evidence inherent the process of industrialization from its origins to the actuality. Aim: Looking at the cities of our epoch, more and more are the testimonies of these historical artefacts, which in fact represent our cultural identity and are often intended to be recovered and converted into modern destinations of use. Methods: If the identification of constructive schemes is based on direct essays and surveys, the definition of material properties requires material testing and investigation. For metal structures, the standards involve destructive investigations only, with a sampling of specimens, which often conflict with the protection requirements of the artefact. This leads to the need to refine and make reliable non-destructive investigations using the Leeb method, by means of portable micro-durometers, for in-situ characterization of carpentry steels, so to suggest new regulatory guidelines for existing structures surveys. Results: In the paper, the classification of carpentry steels based on non-destructive hardness test was illustrated and discussed. Firstly, for the evaluation of the resistance class of a structural steel, it was recorded that the execution of tests required a careful cleaning of the surface of samples. Subsequently, analyzing the data obtained from the experimentation, it was clear that the best methodology of data conversion from micro-hardness (Leeb method) tests for the determination of the steel class was given by tables and formulations of the ASTM standard. In the case of a few values to be converted, the most effective method was the manual use of the tables, with an average error of 0.10%. Conclusion: In conclusion, it should be remarked that differently from the reinforced concrete structures, where the non-destructive tests are allowed by the current Italian technical code on, for metallic structures only, destructive tests are permitted, so that the use of non-destructive ones should be encouraged, especially when interventions on cultural heritage constructions are of concern.

The 2014 Ngolog Mitmit: A Case Study Examining Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, FSM

This article provides an ethnographic case study of heritage processes in action that were observed and recorded during fieldwork in 2013 and 2014 on the Main Islands of Yap State—the westernmost state of the Federated States of Micronesia. A description will be provided of a historic traditional gathering known as a mitmit which from the day it was decided upon activated the transmission of cultural heritage knowledge and practices throughout Yap’s Main Islands. By examining the mitmit, the event’s significance for Yapese stakeholders, and how the U.S. National Park Service was indirectly involved, several findings emerge. It is found that the planning, organization and performance of the mitmit assisted in preserving elements of Yapese cultural heritage that local stakeholders identified as most valuable and in need of safeguarding. The case study also supports the continuing utility of Chambers’ (2006) public and private heritage constructs, especially when evaluating heritage practices within indigenous contexts where the preservation of intangible cultural heritage is often a more critical concern. The analysis suggests that more attention should be devoted to identifying how public heritage interventions can activate private heritage practices, thereby mitigating the hegemonic effects of Smith’s (2004) authorized heritage discourse (AHD).

Calcium hydroxide nanoparticles coatings applied on cultural heritage materials: Their influence on physical characteristics of earthen plasters

Calcium hydroxide nanoparticles (nanolime) are a novel solution for consolidating clay-based plasters and adobes in cultural heritage constructions. The suspension is applied as a coating and fully compatible with calcareous earthen materials. Ca(OH)2 nanoparticles (NPs) are transformed into protective CaCO3 coatings due to a carbonation reaction. This work aims to study the effectiveness of Ca(OH)2 NPs coatings in protecting the surface of earthen plasters. To do this, the effect of nanolime on surface consolidation, water permeability and durability in front of rain action is evaluated. It was found that the treatment improved the superficial cohesion and reduced water permeability of plasters due to formation of calcareous coatings and partial obstruction of pores on the surface. In contrast, the effectiveness of the treatment is not demonstrated against rainwater and acid environments (HCl). Finally, acid rain simulation (H2SO4) led to deposition of protective films of gypsum that might delay the plaster deterioration in the long term.