Research
The Center for Heritage Conservation uses the expertise of cross-disciplinary teams of faculty and students to explore innovative approaches to preservation issues, and to propose solutions to the technical, philosophical, and practical needs of government agencies, communities, and private owners.
These activities include formal research contracts, graduate dissertation and thesis research, professional studies, and classroom and studio projects.
The Center and its associated Fellows receive private and public grants and national funding to support services to historic and cultural resources.
A complete list of the projects from Center for Heritage Conservation is available along with links to specific sites for detailed project information. The project pages continue to be updated as we welcome sharing our information with professional, students, and the public.
2014 Generative and Comparative Volumetric Records for Erosion at the Alamo
In Febraury 2014, Dr. Samer Al-Ratrout, Vice Dean of the School of Architecture and Built Environment at German Jordanian University of Jordan was awarded a Fulbright Alumni Development Grant to pursue short-term professional development activity in the United States. Dr. Al-Ratrout grant was funded by the United States Department of State. Under the auspices of the Fulbright Program, Dr. Al-Ratrout performed with the supervision of CHC Director, Prof. Robert Warden, an ongoing collaborative study on the project “Heritage Survey and Educational Product Development at the Alamo”.
2013 Employing Structured Light for Three Dimensional Heritage Recording
In September 2013, Dr. Samer Al-Ratrout, a Visiting Scholar from Jordan, the Vice Dean of the School of Architecture and Built Environment at German Jordanian University of Jordan, and a TAMU 2005 Graduate of PhD in Architecture, performed a pilot investigation at CHC.
Dr. Al-Ratrout investigated the potentials of employing structured light projections to produce Optical Moire Interferometry Phenomena. This promising study will support developing low cost techniques to be utilized for three dimensional heritage recording. The projections of structured light and Optical Moire phenomena was tested to remotely offer topographic light lines loaded with depth and relief deformation data. As the traditional "profiler comp", projected light lines can be loaded with the surface relief information. Within controlled arrangements, the light patterns projected on an element surface can hold a three dimensional information of the element surface. By registering these loaded light patterns, the three dimensional data can be reloaded and extracted remotely without compromising the fragility of some heritage elements against sticking targets on its surfaces.
Based on this pilot research, an intended future extended research is to be developed jointly by CHC and Dr Al-Ratrout. The result of this research effort is expected to introduce more flexible and appropriate low cost method to be used to offer onsite indications of relief formation of heritage elements.
Projects
| The Alamo | San Antonio, Texas | 2010, 2012-ongoing |
| Maya Research Program | Belize, Central America | 2008-ongoing |
| Alcatraz Island | San Francisco, California | 2011-ongoing |
| Riverside Campus Master Plan | College Station, Texas | 2010-2013 |
| Crawford Smith Ranch | Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas | 2011-2012 |
| La Belle | College Station, Texas | 2011 |
| San Miguel de Allende | San Miguel de Allende, Mexico | 2011 |
| Temple Freda | Bryan, Texas | 2010 |
| The Hillel Foundation | College Station, Texas | 2010 |
| Kingsville High School | Kingsville, Texas | 2010 |
| Buescher Recreation Hall | Bastrop County, Texas | 2010 |
| Bastrop Cabin | Bastrop County, Texas | 2010 |
| St. Andrew's Episcopal Church | Bryan, Texas | 2010 |
| Raiford L. Stripling Collection | College Station, Texas | 2010 |
| San Ygnacio Project | San Ygnacio, Texas | 2009 |
| Sharrock-Niblo Farmstead | Dallas, Texas | 2007 |
| Pointe du Hoc | Normandy, France | 2007 |
| Preservation Plan | Hearne, Texas | 2006 |
| Will Rogers Memorial Complex | Fort Worth, Texas | 2005 |
| Montezuma Castle | Camp Verde, Arizona | 2004 |
| The Cistercian Abbey of Valmagne | South Central France | 2004 |
| Campus Remembered | College Station, Texas | 2003 |
| Mrs. Sam Houston House | Independence, Texas | 2003 |
| Fort Pulaski National Monument | Savannah, Georgia | 2003 |
| Valentine Hoch House | Hochheim, Texas | 2001 |
| Pueblitos of Dinetah | Rio Arriba County, New Mexico | 1999 |
| Marshall-Booker House | Independence, Texas | 1998 |
| Seward Plantation | Independence, Texas | 1997 |
| New Plymouth | Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas | 1997 |
| The Polasek House | Caldwell, Texas | 1996 |
| Union Trading Company | Fort Davis, Texas | 1996 |
| B.B. Goodrich House | Anderson, Texas | 1995 |
| Alpine (Tunnel) Station | Southern Pacific Line, Colorado | 1995 |
| Harris-Martin House | Anderson, Texas | 1995 |
| No. 62 Dallas Street | Jefferson, Texas | 1994 |
| Indian Creek Pueblitos | McKinley County, New Mexico | 1994 |
| Rowell-Deware Dependency | Jefferson, Texas | 1994 |
| Willow Street Sanitation Complex | Houston, Texas | 1993 |
| Section House | Boreas Pass, Colorado | 1993 |
| The Moore House | Richmond, Texas | 1992 |
| The Coulter Property | Bryan, Texas | 1991 |
| Giddings-Wilkin House | Brenham, Texas | 1990 |
| Von Roeder-Kleberg House | Cat Springs, Texas | 1990 |
| Grimes County Courthouse | Anderson, Texas | 1989 |
| Fort Davis National Historic Site | Fort Davis, Texas | 1988 |
| Gay-MacGregor Log House | Peach Creek, Texas | 1986 |
| Harrington-Upham House | Millican, Texas | 1986 |
| Hammond House | Calvert, Texas | 1985 |
| Cavitt House | Bryan, Texas | 1984 |
| Schmid Bros. Building | Brenham, Texas | 1983 |
| Temple Freda | Bryan, Texas | 1982 |
| 100 Railroad Avenue | Navasota, Texas | 1981 |
| Cavitt House and Log Cabin | Wheelock, Texas | 1981 |
| Hearne Library | Hearne, Texas | 1979 |
| Hearne Rail Road Depot | Hearne, Texas | 1979 |
| Gibson Gin Office and Weigh Station | Calvert, Texas | 1979 |
| 610 Main Street | Calvert, Texas | 1978 |
| Main Street | Calvert, Texas | 1977 |
| The Church of the Epiphany | Calvert, Texas | 1976 |