Innovative survey methods for the digital documentation of vernacular architectural Heritage in Syria

In rural villages to the south of Aleppo (Siria), dome-shaped buildings made of adobe were studied in the Culture 2007 European research project Coupoles et Habitats. Une tradition constructive entre Orient et Occident: les villages de Syrie du Nord; these buildings represent an exceptionally important historical-architectural heritage. The objectives of this project include the study and understanding of the cultural heritage shared by East and West and attention is also focussed on the preservation and protection of local traditional building techniques. The basic unit of these buildings is defined by a volume that is almost a cube; the very thick walls of variable height (usually between two and three metres) are covered by a pseudo cone-shaped dome with horizontal courses, constructed entirely in sun-dried bricks. The spatial continuity of the domes and the consequent lack of sharp edges create difficulties for traditional surveying methods. To over-come these limits our scientific unit used classical topographical surveying techniques to realize the topographical net, 3D scanning systems for the detailed survey and photogrammetric systems for obtaining rectified images and orthophotos. The study was carried out on some vernacular dwelling units whose typology, size and layout were considered typical: Er Raheb, Oum Aamoud Seghir, Joub Maadi.