High-Tech Meets Heritage Conservation
Digital Building Survey as a Basis for the Restoration of the Herff Mausoleum
2025/03/31
The two-story Herff family mausoleum at the Old Cemetery is a unique structure in Darmstadt. This striking building from 1929 features a crypt on the ground floor and a domed gallery walkway as a memorial space on the upper floor. It is set to undergo a heritage-compliant restoration in the near future.
Prior to the renewal of the original roof covering, conservation and structural investigations were carried out in October 2024 on behalf of the cemetery administration. Under the guidance of the Lower Monument Protection Authority, the condition of this exceptional monument was comprehensively documented to create a solid planning basis for its restoration. In addition to the urgently needed roof renewal, which was damaged by a storm, further damage was recorded on the plaster façade, the dome above the crypt, and the exterior staircases, all of which are to be addressed in future restoration measures.
As part of a master's thesis in the “Building Heritage – Building in Existing Structures” program at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, student Timo Vössing created a digital, three-dimensional survey of the mausoleum. The work was supervised by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Friedmar Voormann (RheinMain University of Applied Sciences) and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Clemens Brünenberg from the Department of Digital Building Research and Archaeological Sciences at the Technical University of Darmstadt.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Brünenberg emphasizes the significance of the project: “Our goal is to make hidden places in Darmstadt's cityscape digitally visible and accessible. The close collaboration with RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and the city's Monument Protection Authority enables a scientific exchange at a high level.”
The precise building survey using 3D laser scanning technology holds both great scientific and heritage value, as it thoroughly documents the largely original state of the mausoleum. Based on this data, Timo Vössing created a Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) model, in which findings from the conservation pre-investigation, material analyses by the Institute for Stone Conservation, and structural and historical research are compiled. This method, which is standard in new construction planning, also offers great potential for the collaboration of heritage conservation, research, and planning in dealing with historic buildings.
More information: www.darmstadt.de/mausoleumvonherff