The Implementation of the New Technologies for Advanced Graphic Expression in Studies Conducted using Structural Graphical Statics and its Comparison with Architectural Treatises of the Time

Abstract

Technological evolution has brought us new methods of analysing and studying historical architectural buildings by means of advanced graphic documentation and the use of high definition resources such as the laser scanner and the architectural photogrammetry. The application of these systems and equipment has made it possible to graphically document a number of buildings with a certain degree of thoroughness and precision, while optimising the available resources and the time required for data collection. At the same time, the need for auxiliary devices has been reduced and reliable results have been obtained at a lower cost. Once the necessary graphic documentation has been obtained, it can been used to construct a reverse architectural model, and digital methods will then be implemented in order to apply the structural criteria of the era in which the building was constructed. This entire process will be carried out by means of graphic methods, or what is known as graphical statics, and the results will be compared. The results thus obtained can then be compared with a series of architectural treatises of the time. In this particular case, the studies involved several examples of religious architecture constructed in the early 17th century, in the province of Castellon, Spain, and their stability and approximation have been tested by graphical statics methods applied to advanced graphical documentation by comparing them with the treatises of the time (Rodrigo Gil de Hontanon by Simon Garcia, Hernan Ruiz the younger and Blondel) and the stability of the temple itself (Kooharian - Heyman).