Reflections on current archaeological surveying

[EN] Archaeology is the science of studying the arts, monuments and ancient objects through their remains. Since its inception, the methodology used to carry out this study has been based on the detailed drawing of these objects, to which other types of physical and chemical analysis were incorporated. In this way, we can say that all the archaeological objects and sites that we wish to analyze are drawn for their better knowledge, restoration and dissemination. However, although we can say that modern archaeology has existed as a discipline since the 19th century, it has been during the last decade, with the maturity of digital applications, when archaeological drawing has experienced a real revolution. Already towards the end of the 20th century, with the appearance of computerized drawing and the incipient digital photography, we witnessed some changes, although not substantial, coexisting with these new technologies with manual surveying techniques.Rodríguez Navarro, P. (2017). Reflections on current archaeological surveying. DisegnareCon. 10(19):1-5. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/102310S15101

New Contributions on the Escuelas Pías Dome in Valencia

[EN] In the city of Valencia (Spain), domes covered by blue-glazed roofing tiles are common, but there is one that stands out above all others; the dome of the Escuelas Pias, one of the largest single-shell domes of Christianity. This dome is pending repair due to the appearance of large cracks. The present contribution aims to take us closer to the construction of the dome. By following a historical trajectory, we broaden its formal analysis providing a constructive approach that determines some factors on which some questions and controversies have been raised. Thus, we intend to solve these issues and others based on the results obtained from a high-precision graphic survey carried out by the authors. Based on the analysis of this graphic survey, new contributions regarding to its current morphology and the construction system used will be facilitated, revealing some unknowns that enable the understanding of its structural functioning and its constructive technology.Rodríguez Navarro, P.; Gil Piqueras, T. (2020). New Contributions on the Escuelas Pías Dome in Valencia. Nexus Network Journal (Online). 22(4):1081-1098. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-020-00500-5S10811098224Bails, Benito. 1796. Elementos de matemáticas. Que trata de la arquitectura civil, Tom. IX, parte 1, 2ª ed. Madrid: Imprenta de la Viuda de D. Joaquín Ibarra.Bérchez, Joaquín. 1983. Iglesia de las Escuelas Pías. In: Catálogo de Monumentos y conjuntos de la Comunidad Valenciana, vol. 2, ed. Joaquín Bérchez, 492–504. Valencia: Generalitat Valenciana, Conselleria de Cultura, Educació i Ciència.Corbín Ferrer, José-Luis. 2001. Origen e historia de las calles del centro histórico de Valencia, vol. 1. Valencia: Fundación de Aguas de Valencia.Cortés Meseguer, Luis. 2018. La reforma neóclasica de la Catedral de Valencia: diseño y ejecución. In: Thesaurus Ecclesiae, Thesaurus Mundi. Las Jornadas sobre el Patrimonio Cultural de la Iglesia, Xàtiva, 2016, ed. J. I. Pérez Giménez, 67–92. Xátiva: Iglesia Colegial Basílica de Santa María de Xàtiva.Ferrer, Francisco. 1831. Plano geométrico de la ciudad de Valencia llamada del Cid. Dedicado a la Real Sociedad Económica de la misma por D. Francisco Ferrer Académico de mérito en la clase de Arquitectura de la Real de Nobles Artes de S. Carlos, AÑO 1831. Biblioteca Valenciana Digital. https://bv2.gva.es/es/consulta/registro.do?id=7310.Fontana, Carlo. 1694. Il Tempio Vaticano e sua origine, 399–401. Rome: Nella Stamparia di Gio. Francesco Buagni.Guastavino, Rafael. 1893. Essay on the theory and history of cohesive construction, applied especially to the timbrel vault, 2ª ed. Boston: Ticknor and company.Huerta Fernández, Santiago. 2007. Oval Domes: History, Geometry and Mechanics. Nexus Network Journal 9(2): 211-248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-007-0040-3.Montoliu Soler, Violeta. 1983. Escuelas Pías. In: Catalogo monumental de la ciudad de Valencia, ed. F. M. Garín Ortiz de Taranco, 355–356. Valencia: Caja de Ahorros de Valencia.Murphy, Maurice, Sara Pavia, Eugene McGovern. 2015. Correlation of Laser-scan Surveys of Irish Classical Architecture with Historic Documentation from Architectural Pattern Books. In: Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future, eds. Kim Williams and Michael J. Ostwald, vol. II, 541–550. Basel: Birkhäuser.Rodríguez-Navarro, Pablo. 2012. Automated Digital photogrammetry versus the systems based on active 3D sensors – La Fotogrametría Digital Automatizada frente a los sistemas basados en sensores 3D activos. Revista EGA, 20, año 17: 100–111.Soler Verdú, Rafael. 1993. Escuelas Pías Master plan. Valencia: not published.Soler Verdú, Rafael. 1996. Cúpulas en la arquitectura valenciana de los siglos XVI a XVIII. In: Actas del Primer Congreso Nacional de Historia de la Construcción, eds. A. de las Casas, S. Huerta, E. Rabasa, 491–498. Madrid: I. Juan de Herrera, CEHOPU.Soler Verdú, Rafael and Alba Soler Estrela. 2015. Tipología de cúpulas tabicadas. Geometría y construcción en la Valencia del siglo XVIII. Informes de la Construcción. http://dx.doi.org/10.3989/ic.13.180.Soler Blázquez, Víctor José. 2017. Origen y establecimiento de las Escuelas Pías en Valencia (1735–1742). Tesis Doctoral. Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera. Valencia. https://repositorioinstitucional.ceu.es/bitstream/10637/8539/1/Origen%20y%20establecimiento%20de%20las%20Escuelas%20P%c3%adas%20en%20Valencia_1735-1742.pdfSpallone, Roberta, and Marco Vitali. 2017. Volte stellari e planteriane negli atri barocchi in Torino. Canterano: Aracne.Verdiani, Giorgio. 2019. Digital survey: from new technology to everyday use, a knowledge path and challenge for scholars. EGE Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación 11: 94-105.Zacarés, José María. 1849. Antigüedades y bellezas de Valencia. Colegio Andresiano e Iglesia de las Escuelas Pías. Revista Edetana, 369–371, 401–403. Valencia: Jose Ruis

Tradition and Sustainability in Vernacular Architecture of Southeast Morocco

[EN] This article is presented after ten years of research on the earthen architecture of southeastern Morocco, more specifically that of the natural axis connecting the cities of Midelt and Er-Rachidia, located North and South of the Moroccan northern High Atlas. The typology studied is called ksar (ksour, pl.). Throughout various research projects, we have been able to explore this territory, documenting in field sheets the characteristics of a total of 30 ksour in the Outat valley, 20 in the mountain range and 53 in the Mdagra oasis. The objective of the present work is to analyze, through qualitative and quantitative data, the main characteristics of this vernacular architecture as a perfect example of an environmentally respectful habitat, obtaining concrete data on its traditional character and its sustainability. The methodology followed is based on case studies and, as a result, we have obtained a typological classification of the ksour of this region and their relationship with the territory, as well as the social, functional, defensive, productive, and building characteristics that define them. Knowing and puttin in value this vernacular heritage is the first step towards protecting it and to show our commitment to future generations.This research was funded by the following projects: Arquitectura Habitacional de Tierra en el Alto Atlas Septentrional. Midelt (Marruecos). PAID 06-11; Estudio de la Arquitectura Habitacional de Tierra en el Alto Atlas Septentrional. Midelt (Marruecos). Categorizacion, Sostenibilidad y Puesta en Valor del Patrimonio Arquitectonico para Contribuir a la Descentralizacion y al Desarrollo Sostenible, ADSIDEO-2011; and Arquitectura y Habitat: Investigacion Para la Mejora Global de Espacios Habitacionales en la Region del Tafilalt, AD1409, under the program of Research Projects in Technology for Human of the Center for Development Cooperation of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Gil Piqueras, T.; Rodríguez Navarro, P. (2021). Tradition and Sustainability in Vernacular Architecture of Southeast Morocco. Sustainability. 13(2):1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020684S118132Fernandes, J., Peixoto, M., Mateus, R., & Gervásio, H. (2019). Life cycle analysis of environmental impacts of earthen materials in the Portuguese context: Rammed earth and compressed earth blocks. Journal of Cleaner Production, 241, 118286. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118286Arrigoni, A., Beckett, C., Ciancio, D., & Dotelli, G. (2017). Life cycle analysis of environmental impact vs. durability of stabilised rammed earth. Construction and Building Materials, 142, 128-136. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.03.066Peyron, M. (1976). Habitat rural et vie montagnarde dans le Haut Atlas de Midelt (Maroc). Revue de géographie alpine, 64(3), 327-363. doi:10.3406/rga.1976.2051Light Earth Designs: Natural material, natural structure. (2014). Earthen Architecture: Past, Present and Future, 321-326. doi:10.1201/b17392-55Gil-Piqueras, T., & Rodríguez-Navarro, P. (2020). THE <i>KSOUR</i> OF THE MDAGRA OASIS (ER-RACHIDIA, MOROCCO): AN INVENTORY. The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, XLIV-M-1-2020, 961-968. doi:10.5194/isprs-archives-xliv-m-1-2020-961-2020Carta del Patrimonio Vernáculo Construido. Ratificada por la 12 Asamblea General del ICOMOS Celebrada en Mexico del 17 al 24 de Octubre de 1999. Centro de Documentación de la Unescohttps://www.icomos.org/images/DOCUMENTS/Charters/vernacular_sp.pdfInforme de la Comisión Mundial sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo. “Nuestro Futuro Común”. Cuadragésimo Segundo Período de Sesiones Terna 83 del Programa Provisionalhttp://www.ecominga.uqam.ca/PDF/BIBLIOGRAPHIE/GUIDE_LECTURE_1/CMMAD-Informe-Comision-Brundtland-sobre-Medio-Ambiente-Desarrollo.pdfComponentes de la Sostenibilidad de la Vivienda Tradicional en la Huasteca Potosina: Hacia una Vivienda Rural Sustentable. Editorial EUMED: Mexico. Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosíhttps://www.academia.edu/37283289/COMPONENTES_DE_SOSTENIBILIDAD_DE_LA_VIVIENDA_TRADICIONAL_EN_EL_%C3%81MBITO_RURAL_DE_LA_REGI%C3%93N_HUASTECA_DE_SAN_LUIS_POTOS%C3%8D_HACIA_UNA_ARQUITECTURA_RURAL_SUSTENTABLERodríguez-Navarro, P., & Gil Piqueras, T. (2018). Preservation Strategies for Southern Morocco’s At-Risk Built Heritage. Buildings, 8(2), 16. doi:10.3390/buildings8020016Maldonado Flores, D. I. (2009). LA CLASIFICACIÓN: UNA HERRAMIENTA PARA LA INCLUSIÓN DE LA VIVIENDA VERNÁCULA URBANA EN EL UNIVERSO ARQUITECTÓNICO. Revista INVI, 24(66). doi:10.4067/s0718-83582009000200004Fernandes, J., Mateus, R., Gervásio, H., Silva, S. M., & Bragança, L. (2019). Passive strategies used in Southern Portugal vernacular rammed earth buildings and their influence in thermal performance. Renewable Energy, 142, 345-363. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2019.04.09

The ksour of the Mdagra oasis (Er-Rachidia, Morocco): an inventory

[EN] The Mdagra Oasis is located in the province of Er-Rachidia, in southern Morocco. The objective of this contribution is to present an unparalleled inventory of the ksour existing in that oasis, the result of several years of study and field exploration. During the Saadi period (16th century), this area of the Ziz basin was a compulsory stop for traders on the route of caravans crossing the High Atlas. Later, during the Alauita period, the area was consolidated, and for more than 400 years many important cities were constructed using rammed earth, as Ksar es Souq or Sidi Bou Abdellah Ksar. This is how the oasis came to have an important community integrated by Berbers, Arabs and Jews. Today, most of the oasis¿ ksour are abandoned for different reasons and remain in a state of advanced ruin. Through fieldwork, we have been able to identify, record, analyze and classify 53 earthen human settlements, providing an unprecedented study of all of them. Subsequently, a first typological classification was proposed based on aspects such as the implementation in the territory, the external morphology, the urban organization, or the occupation area. The ultimate goal was to document this rammed earth, at-risk heritage since we have witnessed its rapid degradation, and even disappearance in some cases, throughout this investigation.Gil Piqueras, T.; Rodríguez Navarro, P. (2020). The ksour of the Mdagra oasis (Er-Rachidia, Morocco): an inventory. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences (Online). 44:961-968. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLIV-M-1-2020-961-2020S9619684

Restauración del Mausoleo de Sidi Bou Guertif, El Khorbat, Marruecos

[EN] This contribution tries to describe the research and intervention process that the authors have carried out for the conservation of the Sidi Bou Guertif Mausoleum. The methodological process has been based on the prior knowledge of the construction systems, as well as the conservation and recovery-reconstruction techniques used by the region’s master builders, practices that are respectful with the building and that are validated by their use for centuries. In addition, the project contemplated the involvement of young locals interested in learning about these jobs that unfortunately disappear, but are absolutely necessary to preserve this heritage at-risk.[ES] La presente contribución describe el proceso de investigación e intervención que los autores han seguido para la restauración del Mausoleo de Sidi Bou Guertif. El proceso metodológico se ha basado en el conocimiento previo de los sistemas constructivos, así como de las técnicas de conservación y recuperación-reconstrucción empleadas por los maestros de obras de la región, prácticas que son respetuosas con el edificio y que se encuentran validadas por su uso durante siglos. Además el proyecto contempló la incorporación de jóvenes locales interesados en conocer estos oficios que lamentablemente van desapareciendo, pero que son absolutamente necesarios para poder preservar este patrimonio en peligro.Proyecto ADSIDEO-Cooperación del Centro de Cooperación al Desarrollo de la Universitat Politècnica de ValènciaGil Piqueras, MT.; Rodríguez Navarro, P. (2019). Restoration of the Sidi Bou Guertif Marabout, El Khorbat, Morocco. Loggia, Arquitectura & Restauración. 0(32):60-73. https://doi.org/10.4995/loggia.2019.11899OJS6073032AAVV, 2005. Conservation manual for Earth Architecture Heritage in the pre-Saharan valleys of Morocco: CERKAS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre / CRATerre-EAG.ACHENZA, M. M., 2012. "Elements for the definition of good practices for the conservation and the restoration of the historical urban fabric of a Moroccan Pre-Saharan oasis" in Rammed Earth Conservation: Proceedings of the First International Conference on Rammed Earth Conservation, Restapia 2012, Valencia, Spain, 21-23 June 2012, eds. Camilla Mileto, Fernando Vegas, and Valentina Cristini, pp. 607-613. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15164-104GIL-PIQUERAS, T. and P. RODRÍGUEZ-NAVARRO. 2018. Hábitat y desarrollo en el Sur de Marruecos. El Khorbat en el Oasis del Ferkla: Argumentum, Lisboa (Portugal).ICHTER, J.P. and H.SASS, 1967. "Les Ksour du Tafilalt", in Revue africaine d'architecture et d'urbanisme n°5, Rabat.NIJST, A.L.M.T. et ali. 1973. Living on the edge of the Sahara. A study of traditional forms of habitation and types of settlement in Morocco: Ed.Government Publishing Office. The Hague.RODRÍGUEZ-NAVARRO, P., F. JUAN VIDAL and T. GIL-PIQUERAS, 2012. "Earth construction techniques in the northern High Atlas, Morocco", in Rammed Earth Conservation: Proceedings of the First International Conference on Rammed Earth Conservation, Restapia 2012, Valencia, Spain, 21-23 June 2012, eds. Camilla Mileto, Fernando Vegas, and Valentina Cristini, pp. 569-574. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15164-9

Image quality eigenfunctions for the human eye

This work presents a compact statistical model of the retinal image quality in a large population of human eyes following two objectives. The first was to develop a general modal representation of the optical transfer function (OTF) in terms of orthogonal functions and construct a basis composed of cross-correlations between pairs of complex Zernike polynomials. That basis was not orthogonal and highly redundant, requiring the application of singular value decomposition (SVD) to obtain an orthogonal basis with a significantly lower dimensionality. The first mode is the OTF of the perfect system, and hence the modal representation, is highly compact for well-corrected optical systems, and vice-versa. The second objective is to apply this modal representation to the OTFs of a large population of human eyes for a pupil diameter of 5 mm. This permits an initial strong data compression. Next, principal component analysis (PCA) is applied to obtain further data compression, leading to a compact statistical model of the initial population. In this model each OTF is approximated by the sum of the population mean plus a linear combination of orthogonal eigenfunctions (eigen-OTF) accounting for a selected percentage (90%) of the population variance. This type of models can be useful for Monte Carlo simulations among other application

Las preexistencias estructurales en los interiores de las torres árabes de las alquerías valencianas. Hipótesis sobre la formación de bóvedas de cañón

[ES] Sin resumenRodríguez Navarro, P. (2009). Las preexistencias estructurales en los interiores de las torres árabes de las alquerías valencianas. Hipótesis sobre la formación de bóvedas de cañón. EGA. Revista de Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica. (14):122-131. https://doi.org/10.4995/ega.2009.10247SWORD1221311

Limits, stability and disturbance rejection analysis of voltage control loop strategies for grid forming converters in DC and AC microgrids with high penetration of constant power loads

This paper extensively analyzes the operation limits, system stability and disturbance rejection capability of the voltage control loops used in master-slave AC and DC Microgrids (MGs). Two different control schemes are studied analytically, simulated and experimentally tested, focusing on Constant Power Loads (CPL). Additionally, the use of the virtual capacitance (VC) as a tool for response enhancement is introduced. The study pursues the proper selection of the controllers gains and minimization of capacitance values by considering the dynamic behavior

Predictive frequency-based sequence estimator for control of grid-tied converters under highly distorted conditions

This paper proposes a novel frequency-based predictive sequence extractor that allows to isolate the harmonic components of both voltages and currents needed for the control of grid-tied converters. The proposed method is based on a modification of the Sliding Goertzel Transformation (SGT) that allows to include a predictive behavior with a prediction horizon equal to the processing window needed for the algorithm. The technique performance is compared with the well-established DSOGI alternative, allowing for a higher bandwidth in the estimation as well as improved immunity to changes in the magnitude, frequency and phase of the tracked signals. Additionally, the impact of the proposed method on the closed-loop performance of the current controlled converter is proposed as a metric, thus enabling other researches to have a clear view about the expected real impact of the different existing methods