Mapping Ukraine's War-Damaged Historic Buildings
Emmanuel Durand, a French engineer, reviews the grounds of a historic fire station near Kharkiv's Church of the Three Saints, which was damaged by Russian bombardment. Durand spent two days mapping the "amazing" site and gaining the trust of the local fire department. The officials were so impressed with his completed 3D rendering that they gave him a private tour of a local museum. Volunteering for this activity "brings a lot of joy," he told AFP, and having a "very understanding wife" also helps.
Durand sets up his scanner near the old Kharkiv fire station, which was built in 1887, with the use of a crane. "The scanner records 500,000 points per second. We'll get 10 million points from this location. Then we'll change location and go round the whole building, outside and inside. A billion points in all," he explains.
Durand takes readings from within the ruins of the destroyed Kharkiv fire station. The technology is particularly beneficial for identifying spots where emergency work might be performed to stabilize a structure. Durand is grateful that the Heritage Emergency Response Initiative, a Ukrainian NGO, extended its help to ensure that he was able to work at multiple locations around Ukraine quickly and safely.
Durand will digitally reconstruct the structure after completing his scans by piecing all of the data together on a computer "like a jigsaw puzzle." The result is a flawless digital replica that can be spun in any direction and divided into sections while remaining accurate to five millimeters.
"This enables us to map out the building for the future. That could help us work out if anything has moved, which is important for safety purposes, and see what can be restored and what can't. It's also useful from a historical point of view," he says.
Two days of labor yielded comprehensive drawings that can be utilized by a variety of professionals, including architects and engineers, who can examine the damage in detail, and historians who will have a 3D model to use in museums for future generations.
A bird's-eye view of the 3D mapping of the historic fire station in Kharkiv. It can be rotated, magnified, and viewed in millimetric detail.
A detailed look at the damage inflicted on the historic fire station in Kharkiv.
Because Durand is self-employed, he can choose the projects he wants to work on, such as the Beirut port explosion. "To capture a scene that no longer exists as it has to be cleared for access purposes digitally is very important," he says. "The work is for history, architecture, museums, and forensics," he continues, "and possibly more as technology advances."
Durand uses his 3D laser to scan this shelled church in Ukraine's Chernihiv region which was used as a base by Russian forces and was virtually destroyed by the Ukrainian Army when it reclaimed the area.
"When they say thank you, it adds joy to my life," Durand says of sharing his knowledge with his Ukrainian peers who face enormous challenges in their work.