What follows is an excerpt from a paper I wrote on my visit to The Engine Shed during the Summer of 2024:
A Visit to Historic Environment Scotland’s Engine Shed
Historic Environment Scotland uses digital documentation in a wide range of ways “that informs conservation and heritage management decisions, learning and interpretation.” (Historic Environment Scotland, 2024) They use digital documentation as a way of recording and remembering Scotland’s heritage.
Digital documentation has been used “in innovative ways for conservation, accessibility, learning, and engagement.” (Historic Environment Scotland, 2024) These four reasons apply to a wide variety of programs put on by the Engine Shed. For conservation, this includes research in the conservation of real-world artifacts, creating scale replicas through manufacturing processes, and engaging in condition monitoring to maintain structures that have suffered damages. Planning for future preservation tasks are also explored with digital documentation through what’s called Building Information Modeling, which allows archeologists to plan out a landmark’s restoration efforts for future years.
While much of documentation is used for professional use, The Engine Shed also uses their scans for educational use as well, to raise awareness of different landmarks and the historical value behind them. This can include the likes of 3D gaming environments for a more immersive experience, with the potential for virtual reality to be implemented. With these ideas, The Engine Shed is able to achieve an innovative way of connecting audiences with history. Experimentation with virtual subjects can also be achieved, allowing for further learning. Additionally, One of the main goals of Historic Environment Scotland is to make sure history is being accurately represented. When they mean accessibility is one of their main goals, they want their documentation projects to allow for more accessible connections to cultural heritage. Thus, providing the value of their preserved subjects and their historical contexts to the general public.
Activities at The Engine Shed include digital documentation. This involves collecting 3D data by scanning all kinds of landmarks and artifacts with the use of their different types of scanning technologies. Projects involving digital documentation include the Scottish Ten, where ten famous landmarks across the world are being documented to help in future preservation efforts. As for the heritage science team, they specialize in researching different materials of on-site landmarks and artifacts. They analyze the different subjects to check for different qualities, including decay, thermal efficiency, and climate change effects. Lastly, is the education division. This department specializes in educating the public about history with the many historical subjects they work with. This is achieved through the likes of publications, educational opportunities, and training. Training services consist of courses in stone-masonry, energy efficiency, and even a class on the maintenance of historical structures.
4 Major Takeaways
The four biggest takeaways I got from visiting the Engine shed included the following:
- The sheer complexity of some of the landmarks they’ve scanned, each being presented in high quality in their main activity room (looks more impressive in-person!)
- The many different uses for digital documentation really stood out to me. I knew about the idea of historical preservation, though I didn’t realize what types of applications existed. The most significant example to me had to do with Glasgow’s School of Art’s Mackintosh building having much of its interior and roof replaced after a fire broke out. They were replaced with new parts in a restoration effort that wouldn’t have been as effective without the use of scans that were taken before the fire.
- The Scottish Ten sounded like a very exciting project to be working for, especially since it keeps records of a few international landmarks as well. The landmarks being documented include New Lanark, Mount Rushmore, Neolithic Orkney, Rani ki Vav, St. Kilda, Edinburgh, Eastern Qing Tombs, Sydney Opera House, Antonine Wall, and Nagasaki.
- The variety of scanning technologies used in their projects was also very interesting to learn about. Despite only getting to use photogrammetry, I’m interested in observing how the other options work.
Digital Documentation
Digital documentation is the process of making virtual 3D reconstructions of various historical subjects for a variety of purposes. However, the idea of digital documentation doesn’t just stop at keeping virtual records archived for others to view/use. In the guide-book, Applied Digital Documentation In the Historic Environment, by Historic Environment Scotland, goes into detail about another important piece of digital documentation. The historical context of the subjects should be preserved as well, to be sure that the expansion of digital documentation does not lead to the meanings of these subjects getting lost in the process.
Lidar:
Lidar, or Light Detecting and Ranging, is a type of scanning technique that involves using laser technologies by “firing a beam of laser light at a surface and measuring its return properties…” (Frost, 2018) A mirror is also used for an added measuring process. This in turn allows for a very accurate 3D scan, and is used in many professional settings. Sometimes, an aircraft is used to capture a full-scale aerial of a subject. This in turn can allow for very large scans to be taken.
Photogrammetry:
Photogrammetry is the method of scanning that was used during OSU’s Scotland FLP. This method involves “using multiple 2D photographs to create a 3D dataset. The processing software detects the same points in the photos, then calculates their position in the 3D space.” (Wang, 2024) This allows a wide range of camera technologies to achieve photogrammetry scans. Even the smartphones people carry in their pockets are able to achieve this type of technology with a specialized app. One of the more common types of photogrammetry capturing devices involves strapping a camera to a drone so a camera can be flown around an object. Photos would constantly be taken from as many angles as possible to get views of areas that may not be accessible otherwise. Taking scans usually consists of moving around a subject to as close to a 360 capture as possible, with plenty of overlap between photos.
Each piece of cited information in this report comes from the webpage and digital guides of Historic Environment Scotland’s Engine Shed. Check out their website here if you’d like to learn more: https://www.engineshed.scot/
