Gardens play a key role in the definition of the cultural landscape since they reflect the culture, identity, and history of a people. They also contribute to the ecological balance of the city. Despite the fact that gardens have an historic and social value, they are not protected as much as the rest of the existing heritage, such as architecture and archaeological sites. While methods of built-heritage mapping and monitoring are increasing and constantly improving to reduce built-heritage loss and the severe impact of natural disasters, the documentation and survey techniques for gardens are often antiquated. In addition, inventories are typically made by non-updated/updateable reports, and they are rarely in digital format or in 3D. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study on the latest technology for laser scanning in gardens. We compared static terrestrial laser scanning and mobile laser scanning point clouds generated by the Focus 3D S120 and the Leica BLK2GO, respectively, to evaluate their quality for documentation, estimate tree attributes, and terrain morphology. The evaluation is based on visual observation, C2C comparisons, and terrain information extraction capabilities, i.e., M3C2 comparisons for topography, DTM generation, and contour lines. Both methods produced useful outcomes for the scope of the research within their limitations. Terrestrial laser scanning is still the method that offers accurate point clouds with a higher point density and less noise. However, the more recent mobile laser scanning is able to survey in less time, significantly reducing the costs for site activities, data post-production, and registration. Both methods have their own restrictions that are amplified by site features, mainly the lack of plans for the geometric alignment of scans and the simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) process. We offer a critical description of the issues related to the functionality of the two sensors, such as the operative range limit, light dependency, scanning time, point cloud completeness and size, and noise level.

Preparing a city for the impact of global warming is becoming of major importance. Adopting climate-proof policies and strategies in response to climate change has become a fundamental element for city planning. To this end, this research considers a multidisciplinary approach, at the local scale, able to connect urban planning and architecture, as a vital base for considering a coastal cities’ ability to control the consequences of climate change, specifically floods. So far, there is a scarcity of research connecting sea ground and land surveys, and this study could become a foundational reference for coastline settlement management using BIM. We found in BIM (Building Information Modeling) a possible tool for managing coastal risk, since it can combine crowdsourced data for geometric and information modeling of the city. The proposed BIM model includes a topography used for 3D thematic maps, a riverbed model, and a waterway model. This model aims to facilitate coordination across separate actors and interests since the urban area model is always updatable and improvable. Focusing on a case study of Lisbon, we developed risk-based 3D maps of the area close to the shoreline of the Tagus River.

Gardens play a key role in the definition of the cultural landscape since they reflect the culture, identity and history of a people. They also contribute to the ecological balance of the city. Despite gardens have an historic and social value, they are not protected as much as the rest of the existing heritage, like architecture and archaeological sites. While methods of built-heritage mapping and monitoring are increasing and constantly improving to reduce built-heritage loss and the severe impact of natural disasters, the documentation and survey techniques for gardens are often antiquated, inventories are typically made by non-updated/updatable reports, and rarely they are on digital format and in 3D. This paper presents the preliminary results of a study on latest technology for gardens laser scanning. We compared static Terrestrial Laser Scanning and Mobile Laser Scanning point clouds, to evaluate their quality for documentation and the estimation of the tree attributes. The evaluation is based on visual observation and graphic comparison of the two point clouds acquired in different instances. Both methods produced useful outcomes for the research scope within their limitations. Terrestrial Laser Scanning is still the method that offers more accurate point clouds with a higher point density and less noise level. However, the more recent Mobile Laser Scanning is able to survey in less time, significantly reducing the costs for site activities, data post-production and registration. Both methods have their own restrictions that are amplified by site features, mainly the lack of plans for the geometric alignment of scans and for the Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) process. We also offer the results of a comparison of the functional range of the two machines, as well as for a comparison of their terrain information extraction capabilities.

Scan-to-BIM is the process of digitally capturing and converting buildings into a Building Information Modelling (BIM) model. It represents the initial step in understanding a building’s morphometric characteristics for an HBIM project, where HBIM refers to BIM for heritage. Proficiency in point cloud management, sharing information, and adhering to BIM standards is required. Incorporating Scan-to-BIM and HBIM courses into architectural curricula is essential. It enables architecture students to develop a more sensitive and fair approach to safeguarding our invaluable architectural heritage. Additionally, it prepares them to be competitive for the emerging demands of the job market. However, the intricate nature of HBIM and the scarcity of comprehensive educational resources pose significant teaching challenges. This paper explores the relevance and the feasibility of teaching Heritage BIM, examining diverse teaching methods, resources, and associated challenges. Ultimately, the paper presents the outcomes of the Scan-to-BIM course at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Lisbon (2021–22, 2022–23). It aims to shed light on effective pedagogical strategies for this critical subject, advocating for BIM adoption in preserving and adaptively reusing historic structures. This equips students and educators to proficiently address forthcoming opportunities and challenges in a future that belongs to those who are adequately prepared. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->

The 18th century in Portugal was a time of grandiose constructions, marked by the construction of the National Palace of Mafra (NPM), listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019. Our understanding of this heritage is limited due to the minimal documentation that has survived to the present day. In this research, we address the lack of stereotomic studies, focusing on developing a methodology to document and model these constructive solutions. Our methodology includes the inventory of the stereotomic solutions, surveying with laser scanning and/or photogrammetry, understanding the generative geometric principles, and generating parametric models. Within the scope of this paper, we address one vault that, when represented as a parametric model, can be reused to fit other vaults of the NPM or of the same type in other buildings. These results represent an initial step toward developing a reusable library of stereotomic solutions for surveys and contemporary designs.