The Cathedral of Justo Gallego in Mejorada del Campo is a monument to individual effort. Built since 1961 using recycled materials and without blueprints, its structure is a technical challenge. Following the death of its creator, the association Mensajeros de la Paz seeks to legalize it. The solution for analyzing its viability and planning its completion lies in 3D technology.
Aerial and Terrestrial Photogrammetry for Structural Analysis 🏗️
The absence of documented foundations and the use of heterogeneous materials such as gasoline drums, recycled beams, and broken bricks make this structure a unique case for reverse engineering. Using a drone flight with a high-resolution camera and a terrestrial photogrammetry session, a dense point cloud can be generated. This textured mesh model allows engineers to calculate loads, detect deformations, and simulate the reinforcement of the domes without the need for intrusive scaffolding, creating an exact digital twin of the ruin.
Digital Preservation of a Non-Conventional Heritage 🏛️
Beyond legalization, this project demonstrates that 3D modeling is the definitive tool for saving popular architectural heritage. By digitizing the Cathedral of Rubble, not only is its future planned, but Justo Gallego's artisanal construction process is immortalized. The 3D archive will serve as a historical document, allowing future generations to study and virtually reconstruct every brick of this masterpiece of recycling.
Would Blender or RealityCapture be used to reconstruct this structure?