Remote Sensing Method (TLS) in Architectural Analysis and Constructive Pathology Diagnosis

Abstract Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques have been tested by both academic and commercial communities since the early 2000s to digitize architectural, archaeological, and cultural assets. However, most applications have adopted a descriptive approach, creating documentation and cataloguing of cultural heritage (CH). After more than two decades of pioneering research, a three-dimensional (3D) acquisition process has been developed. The use of digital restoration models has been difficult, and their goals have remained unclear for a long time. Current approaches are increasingly developing model-based comparison methodologies, either for detecting building pathology or for architectural and archaeological investigation. This study falls into the latter category. The technique and method presented in this work have the particularity that they are not based on comparison, but solely on the analysis of the surveyed model. The method was tested on the oldest minaret in Algeria and the 1,000-year-old Agadir Mosque minaret in the Province of Tlemcen, where the geometric differences between the vertical parts, which are equal by definition, were identified and analysed. In addition, potential lesions and deformations of the structures were studied. This means that the technique can be used on any other vertical structure of any type, and can be replicated.