Rhinoceros 5 + vray as a tool for the evaluation of conditions in BIC environments : The cases of the Atarazanas, the convent of San Agustín and the Plaza Nueva in Sevilla

Abstract

This contribution aims to deepen the formulas for the application of 3D modelling tools in their application to the protection of heritage in the Spanish legislative framework: Although they emerge as instruments for their eminently industrial application, new architecture or infographics, the Rhinoceros software, together with the Vray rendering engine, constitute a tandem that has proved to be very useful for determining the degrees of impact (heights, perspectives, buildability, occupation and other urban parameters) in real estate environments declared to be of "Cultural Interest" (from now on referred to as "BIC" - or Asset of Cultural Interest), according to the regional legislation of Andalusia. In addition to the didactic character of the results, which allows their dissemination as teaching material applied in the Degree in Fundamentals of Architecture of the University of Seville, the three case studies presented facilitate the reading of the environment affected by the specific regulations, as well as the technical determination of the visual pollution that the surrounding buildings cause in the building itself. The three case studies include buildings declared "BIC", which are in very different situations of conservation and use, all in the city of Seville, in the south of Spain: while the City Council, which presides over the most important square in the city, is the paradigmatic model of a dynamic and inhabited square, the Atarazanas (former shipyard factory) are in a good state of conservation, but without defined use. The last case, the extinct convent of San Agustin, in addition to not being used, is in a state of ascending deterioration, since a large part of its construction has disappeared thanks to real estate expansion and the absence of legislative protection of the heritage.