Digital Documentation Workflow and Challenges for Tropical Vernacular Architecture in the Case of the Kasepuhan Palace in Cirebon, Indonesia
Résumé
The digital documentation of heritage buildings has become more and more important in recent times in order to archive historic sites endangered by both natural and anthropological threats. The use of photogrammetry and laser scanning has become the norm in 3D heritage documentation and has proven its worth in various case studies. However, these methods have not been used extensively in the context of tropical and vernacular architecture, the type of which is often encountered in the lndonesian archipelago. The Kasepuhan Palace in Cirebon, Indonesia, presents a prime example of urban vernacular architecture which corresponds to this particular problem. The palace exhibits some vernacular elements with timber masonry, while at the same time addressing typical tropical climate concerns in its design and layout. The objective of this paper is to implement the digital documentation workflow using both photogrammetry and laser scanning in documenting the site, while addressing specific challenges and concerns regarding its characteristic architectural style. In terms of sensors, terrestrial laser scanners, DSLR and spherical cameras, as well as UAVs were utilized to this end. The end product at this stage of the project is a hybrid georeferenced 3D model resulting from the integration of all sensors. Results have shown that although the proposed workflow has been successfully employed on the Kasepuhan Palace site, specific challenges need to be addressed in a particular manner.