Context 168 - June 2021

C O N T E X T 1 6 8 : J U N E 2 0 2 1 11 APPLYING DIGI TAL TECHNOLOGY Opposite: Photo and graphic by Rob Cowan Editorial Managing change in a digital world Over the past 15 years or sodigital technology has transformed every aspect of theway we work and interact, from the use of mobile phones and computers to photography and scanning. As recently as 2007 the IHBC’s annual school was covered using a film camera, not a digital one, because few digital cameras then had enough pixels for a full A4 front cover. Now most of us carry phones with more pixels than those early digital cameras, andWi-Fi allows us to transfer the photos seamlessly up to the cloud. The pace of change has been phenomenal. On the one hand, all this technology makes our lives easier, our work faster and our output better (or at least greater), enabling us to make better-informed decisions. On the other hand, the extent and speed of change has brought problems as we all struggle to understand where this technology is best applied, and how. One aspect that continues to concern conservation professionals is building informationmodelling (BIM), which Joanna Hull discusses (page 12).Off-the-shelf BIM systems designed for the construction of a new building may seem inappropriate for many conservation projects, but conservation work generates a huge variety of data that ought to be readily accessible to others. This includes digital survey drawings and scans, inspection reports and drawings, specifications, photographs of fabric before and after repair, scans of older records, and all the rest. Whether or not an off-the-shelf BIM systemmay offer the best method of collating and accessing this data, it is clear that time should be set aside in every project to consider how best to integrate new and pre-existing data. Where a building’s data is not already managed by an adequate informationmodelling system, the problems of creating one will become more complex as the digital records accumulate over time. Hamish McMichael explores the use of BIM for retrofitting buildings and reducing carbon (page 17). New forms of digital survey technology provide a wealth of data that is enabling us to better understand the movement of moisture and heat in particular, if used correctly. Historic Scotland’s Sophia Mirashrafi and Maureen Young illustrate the use of state-of-the-art thermography and microwave moisture monitoring at Hill House (page 20). Michael Netter describes how digital modelling can be used in retrofitting buildings to reduce their energy use (page 19) and Paul Bryan discusses recent developments in the use of drones (page 23). From a heritage perspective, digital technology also has a potentially more chal- lenging side. The increasing reliance on online shopping poses an additional threat to traditional high streets and urban centres as they emerge from lockdown, many of which were already struggling before the pandemic. In the short-term urban centres may also need to adapt to the rise of the virtual commute and the decline in real footfall, as Dave Chetwyn highlights (page 29). Rapidly changing technology leading to rapid urban and environmental change calls for, more than ever, the skills of building conservationists in managing the process. Adrian Grant (page 26) gives a taste of how unfamiliar those skills may be when he describes gaming the urban past: using the power and realism of video gaming technology to communicate heritage value in urban regeneration.We may not know what is digitally around the corner for building conservation, but it could be fun.