3d Scanning For Optimized Historic Building Restoration

Abstract

Heritage preservation represents a fertile ground for innovation, bridging engineering education, applied research, and territorial engagement. In this framework, the rural municipality of Mittainvilliers-Vérigny (Eure-et-Loir, France) became an experimental field for second-year engineering students from ESTP Orléans, within their research and innovation training module. The project aimed to engage future engineers with advanced methodologies and technological tools commonly used in both industry and research environments. Beyond technical learning, it provided an authentic opportunity to explore how cutting-edge digital technologies can contribute to the documentation, conservation, and valorization of local built heritage. The restoration of historic buildings, at the crossroads of civil engineering, heritage conservation, and emerging digital construction technologies, represents a major challenge for both architects and engineers. Within this framework, the students focused their research on Saint-Rémy Church, a modest yet emblematic building of the local landscape, built from the 11th century with additions over the centuries, notably during the Renaissance. The existing documentation was limited to a few historical surveys carried out between 1852 and 1854, preserved in the departmental archives. The scientific objectives of the project were twofold: first, to acquire new geometric and material data on the building; second, to explore the potential of cutting-edge digital tools in the context of built heritage conservation. To address these challenges, the students deployed a combination of advanced surveying techniques: 3D laser scanning, photogrammetry, GPS and total station georeferencing, as well as multispectral imaging campaigns, enriching the available documentation. Beyond data acquisition, the digital approach implemented throughout the project opened new perspectives for heritage conservation: accurate 3D modelling of existing structures, early detection of structural disorders, simulation of intervention scenarios, and precise estimation of material quantities required for restoration works. This project provided students with a concrete learning environment, confronting them with real, complex, and interdisciplinary situations. It also offered an opportunity to reflect on the evolving role of the engineer within territorial dynamics, as a technical expert, a cultural actor, and a partner in local development. This pedagogical experience demonstrates how even modest heritage assets can become powerful drivers of innovation, research, and education, while fostering meaningful connections between engineering schools and rural communities.