Non-invasive Investigation and Documentation in the Bieliński Palace in Otwock Wielki

Abstract

The paper presents the ongoing project conducted by an interdisciplinary team at the Bieliński Palace in Otwock Wielki, near Warsaw (Poland). The main aim of the project is to document the architecture and architectural elements with the use of digital methods such as photogrammetry and 3D scanning, as well as investigating the construction phases of the palace, through the analysis of the digital data collected. The Bieliński Palace is an example of élite architecture of the Baroque period in Poland. Thought the architect responsible for the original plans remains unknown, the plan, the proportions, as well as architectural details find good parallels in the finest buildings of the capital of that time, and show clear inspirations from the western examples of the architecture of the period. Since the archival data is very scarce, the only way to learn about the history and construction phases of the palace is through a detailed analysis of the building’s structure. To this aim we perform a series of analyses of the digital data, such as wall flatness analysis and laser beam refraction intensity. We believe that the careful analysis of the data collected for the purpose of documentation can reveal valuable information that will contribute to our understanding of the building’s history.