Proceedings 18 th International Symposium CIPA 2001 
Potsdam (Germany), September 18 - 21, 2001 
VIRTUAL RECONSTRUCTION OF REAL ARCHITECTURE: 
A REVITALISATION AND GLOBAL AWARENESS PROJECT IN THE NET 
Juan José Fernández 
José Martínez Rubio 
Jesús Ignacio San José Alonso 
Architectural Photogrammetry Laboratory 
The University of Valladolid, Spain 
Mail: Avenida de Salamanca S/N, 47014 Valladolid (Spain) 
Tel.: 983 42 36 57, Fax: 983 42 34 25, lfa @ ega.uva.es 
KEY WORDS: ARVE, Virtual Reconstruction, Internet, Spain 
ABSTRACT 
This work originates from an apparently evident and often-repeated idea. We are referring to the need to document our cultural 
heritage. Unfortunately, there are many historical buildings with insufficient or no documentation. Some have been abandoned and 
are in danger of disappearing leaving little or no evidence or trace of their existence. 
In the region of Castile and Leon - Spain - we are faced by a process of depopulation of the rural environment, leading to the 
abandonment of rural architecture and unfortunately its ruin and disappearance. In these rural areas there are over one thousand 
churches, hemmitages or roadside chapels or shrines in danger of disappearing. They are small buildings for which no use has been 
found that allows them to be preserved. They are buildings of unquestionable interest, but whose cultural heritage value is lowest 
among all the historical buildings that the region of Castile and Leon must preserve. 
The Architectural Photogrammetry Laboratory has initiated a project called ARVE (Religious Architecture in Danger of Extinction), 
which aims to document these buildings efficiently in order to preserve their historical and cultural memory. There is, however, 
another element to the project. The goal is to achieve their virtual reconstnuction so as to create an ideal recuperation that may be 
visited on the Internet. It could be said that we are creating a new kind of pilgrim: the virtual pilgrim. This initiative has another two 
aspects, which are no less interesting. 
On the one hand we have perfommed the photogrammetric reconstruction and planimetric documentation of the real situation that, 
together with the introduction of all the data currently available on the building fomm part of a database. This infommation has been 
made freely available on the net and the database is open to receiving any documents which people may wish to contribute. This 
documentation may be used for the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects of these buildings on the part of individuals, 
associations or official bodies. 
The other aspect comes about as a result of the awareness emerging from the project. By publicly declaring the state of these 
buildings, we are stirring the collective conscience of the institutions charged with preserving them, of those who enjoyed them in 
their time and of historians who once forgot them. This is even truer when these building are threatened with a rapid disappearance, 
with the irreparable loss of something that is of incalculable cultural value. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
At the II International Congress “Restoring Memory”, held during the ARPA 2000 (Second National Fair on Art and Cultural 
Heritage Restoration), the common belief was stressed time and time again that the urgent requirement for our cultural heritage was 
the need to focus on preservation prior to restoration. 
The idea of preservation implies a sense of natural permanence of the cultural heritage and its values and therefore a maintaining of 
its use, arising from its enjoyment, which is what will guarantee its survival through the years. 
There are, unfortunately, many examples of above all architectural assets, whose lack of use has led to their neglect, their failure to 
be preserved and as a result to their irreversible deterioration, no matter what costly restoration work may have been subsequently 
carried out and may have led to a new use and value of the building. From our point of view any restoration means a certain failure in 
the conservation of the asset in question, not forgetting that this involves an interpretation that, to a greater or lesser degree, alters the 
state and characteristics of the object being restored. At times, these operations may be considered as taxidermy, preserving certain 
values of the building, but leading to the disappearance of others such as the true use and vitality for which it was conceived. 
This has led us to put forward the idea of setting up a process of prestige and valuing of our cultural heritage. The aim is to set up a 
series of stages starting with an awareness of our cultural heritage. An understanding (or providing an understanding should this prior 
and essential step not exist), which leads us to appreciate what forms part of our immediate cultural heritage environment. It should 
not then prove difficult to for us to try to conserve what interests us and what we consider, if not essential, then at least important. 
When neglect or lack of interest leave us no other option we should then restore.