Cutting-edge, 3D digital images of historical Rosslyn Chapel have been produced as part of a project developed by Historic Scotland and the Digital Design Studio at the Glasgow School of Art, to survey and interpret heritage structures.
The chapel, a Category A-listed building dating back to 1446, gained worldwide fame from the publication of Dan Brown’s book The Da Vinci Code in 2004, followed by the film in 2006.
Terrestrial laser scanning, in combination with other digital technologies, is an effective method of documenting an object, building or landscape with great precision.
The information not only offers an accurate record of the chapel’s current condition, but also provides critical dimensional information in the ongoing restoration process, which would normally take a surveyor over a year to complete.
Fiona Hyslop, Minister for Cultural and External Affairs, said: “This leading-edge technology will help digitally preserve Scotland’s heritage for generations to come. The technology provides a lasting digital record of the country’s most important buildings. It also offers a new method for researching and conserving Scotland’s built environment.”
Historic Scotland and Digital Design Studio announced a partnership in July to document digitally the country’s five World Heritage Sites, and five international heritage sites - the first being Mount Rushmore - creating what will be known as the Scottish 10.
www.gsa.ac.uk.
