Constructing the Timeline of the Republican Museum 'Convenção de Itu' through Investigative Processes for Technological and Digital Production

ABSTRACT

The building of the Republican Museum “Convenção de Itu” (MRCI) comprises a two-story structure with origins dating back to the early 19th century. From a residential mansion to a Museum representing the establishment of the republican regime in Brazil, the building has undergone various architectural and administrative transformations. In 2021, a project was initiated for documentary, geometric, and cadastral surveying using digital tools, with the aim of producing Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) documentation and developing a Digital Twin for unveiling during the Museum’s Foundation Centenary in 2023. The investigative activity and comparison of documentation, information, and data related to MRCI gave rise to a digital timeline, with the objective of better comprehending architectural, urban, administrative, legislative, and heritage protection aspects of the architectural heritage, of construction techniques and materials, among others. To achieve an optimal understanding of the building’s chronology in a systematic manner, an investigative journey involving the analysis and management of diverse documents, information, and data was undertaken, incorporating methodologies and assimilating processes of documentary surveying concerning the historic building. Thus, a descriptive and updated timeline of the Republican Museum “Convenção de Itu” building was obtained, encompassing events and topics throughout the life cycle of the structure and considerations regarding the surveying, inventorying, and curation methodologies of documentation pertaining to a heritage asset, providing insights into the subject matter.

KEYWORDS:
Digital timeline; Republican Museum “Convenção de Itu”; HBIM; Heritage documentation