Refreshing your memory, in the previous blog “Talking about everything visible and invisible (I)” we briefly told you about the digital technologies and techniques used to inspect, document and analyze Cultural Heritage in the visible range (the one that our eyes...

The construction industry is undergoing a quiet revolution. While cranes and excavators continue to take centre stage on construction sites, a new type of worker is gaining ground: collaborative robots, or "cobots". These efficient helpers will transform the way we...

The construction sector has evolved over the years and, with it, processes and products have gradually adapted to the needs of the market at all times. At CARTIF we have been researching and working in the field of infrastructures and building around thirty years to...

The European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH), created in 2023 and aimed to create innovative tools for digitizing cultural heritage objects, is a trending topic in the UE applied research to ensure the sustainable and affordable conservation of our...

Decarbonization is the "trending topic" of terms related to sustainability, energy and the environment. It is the process of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere. Decarbonization means reducing climate change and dependence on...

Innovation and new technologies bring forth a variety of possibilities, obstacles and unknown questions that in order to be addressed, require the formation of interdisciplinary temas that allow for the reinforcement of each professional´s skills, enriching themselves...

A wood lamp emits ultraviolet (UV) light and is a diagnostic tool used in dermatology to determine whether a person has a fungal or bacterial pathology on the sking or scalp. If so, the area illuminated by the wood lamp will fluoresce, becoming apparent in different...

"Divide et impera", popular ancient Rome motto later attributted to the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. "Divide and dominate" or better known as "Divide and rule", was the strategic foundation on which the Roman Empire was built (27 bC - 476 ac). Almost nothing. In line...

Cultural heritage, in the broad sense, is the legacy received from our ancestors, which becomes the testimony of their worldview, their ways of life and their way of being, having to be passed down to future generations. Knowing the cultural heritage is to know the...

Each landscape makes specific, different, unique feelings. When contemplating a meadow dotted with trees, we do feel something totally different from what we feel looking at a desert area. This also happens when facing cultural landscapes1. A Romanesque church does...

It is a well-know fact how our environment has changed dramatically in the last years. This enviroment is in constant transformation, with uncertainities and aspects that are difficult to predict. Construction sector in particular, hasn´t been oblivious to such...

Cultural and Natural Heritage (CNH) are irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration, according to the UNESCO definition. Europe´s rural areas represent outstanding examples of cultural, either tangible or intangible, and antural heritage that need, not only to be...

Although sometimes we forget it, forests provides huge benefits to the planet in general and to the human being in particular. They help us to mitigate climate change effects acting as carbon sinks and eliminating huge quantities of carbon dioxide of the atmosphere....

We all know that roads are necessary but normally we only remember them when they found them in bad conditions. We take it for granted that must always be available and in perfect condition, but this requries a great effort in terms of personnel, time and material...

It is said that those who forget their own history are condemned to repeat it. Cultural Heritage is part of that history, talks about our beliefs and experiences, it carries us where we came from and grants our identity. Knowing it helps us to understand the problems...

The word "Digitization" is ubiquitous today. The term is extremely used but its meaning is worn out when taken to a specific terrain. Answering to how?, with what?, for what?, and even, why? for the particular case of Cultural Heritage it is not an easy taks, nor...

The BIM approach (Building Information Modelling) is all around Architecture, Engineering and Construction professionals, but when it comes down, very few companies are founding their daily work on this paradigm and applications are really far from being homogeneous....

In two previous posts [When the Historic Buildings Talk (I) and (II) apart from making clear the importance of the conservation of the built heritage as long as describing the environmental factors that influence such conservation, we have already faced the...

Ensuring the safety of workers inside confined spaces is a critical activity in the field of construction and maintenance because of the high risk involved in working in such environments. Perhaps it would be useful, first of all, to know what is meant by confined...

In two previous blogs of 'When the Historic Buildings Talk' (2) and (3), we have described how does affect and what is the importance of monitoring temperature and humidity as well as lighting (natural and artificial) in historic buildings. To complete this saga of...

In a previous post the social and economic importance of heritage conservation were already described. Also we promised that on successive posts we will go into more detail describing the three main aspects that need to be monitored to ensure such conservation....

As you know, drones are becoming more and more used nowadays. The main reason is the decrease in its price. Therefore, taking aerial images using drones is more competitive than using other devices, such as planes, helicopters or satellites. This also allows ad-hoc...

Computer-aided engineering tools (CAE) are more pervasive nowadays, and finite element analysis is having more impact than at any other time. In the past, CAE abilities have been used in specific fields with highly trained engineer teams and large computing...

Public initiatives like ‘Connected Industry 4.0’ are developing measures that allow the industrial fabric to benefit from the intensive use of ICT in all areas of its activity. These initiatives are linked to the term Industry 4.0, which refers to the challenge of...

Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) is the developing region with the highest urbanization rate in the world. Its urban population has grown from 41% in 1950 to 80% in 2010 while the  economic activity is focused on urban centers (60% - 70% of regional GDP)....

To a large extent, when driving on the road, our safety depends on the state of the pavement. Real-time information provided by embedded sensors can help us to take action before deterioration (risk) occurs. What can we do to power these autonomous sensors?...

With this post I would like to take up the theme of under road heating, in order to delve a bit more into the benefit that can have heating the most critical points of the road. As I already indicated, the current solution to avoid and eliminate icing on the roads is...

Let me remind you that Europe features the most diverse, rich and numerous cultural heritage around the world. 609 million tourists visited the "old continent" by 2015 (29 million in 2014) according to the World Tourism Organization, and, although it is somewhat...

What is the use of 3D digitalization of infraestructures? Inspecting coatings, detecting cracks, inventorying and sensorization of tunnels and other structures. In the following video, we explain you what we do in CARTIF: David Olmedo and José Llamas, researchers of...

With global positioning systems, a phenomenon similar to what happened with mobile phones has occurred: in a few years we have gone from non-existence to consider it essential. The truth is that, in fact, geolocation is one of those technologies that has led to the...

The Sustainable Public Procurement Initiative (SPPI) is nowadays the key policy instrument to promote sustainable development and move towards a green economy that fosters the development of products and services maximizing social and environmental benefits. EU public...

Everybody knows what a thermographic camera is. Movies as “Predator”, the formula 1 broadcast, etc. have helped people to know this technology. CARTIF has been using it, during last years, in construction and infrastructure inspection. My intention is not to tell you...

Despite the title, this blog is not about ballroom dances, but about something related to movement and how to guide your dance partner. Have you ever felt how a footbridge sways when you walk over it or how a stadium stand vibrates under your feet when you are jumping...

Without doubt, the search for solutions that reduce emissions of passenger transport is one of the points where more efforts are being made. The electrification of urban bus is one of the points where most are working, there are several strategies that we will be...

We all know the great efforts made by the authorities in reducing road accidents,  however, there are uncontrollable factors. This is the case of adverse weather conditions, including icing on the road surface. To address this problem, each community uses its own...

Construction and Demolition Waste (C&D Waste or CDW) includes all the waste from the construction of new buildings, demolition of old ones and small refurbishment works. The generation and management of CDW is a serious environmental problem. Neglect or...

Have you ever wondered how it is decided when a road or a tunnel should be repaired? The most common is that an operator notes damages down in his notebook while he goes walking, and then, these annotations are used to determine the state of the infrastructure....

3D printing is here to stay. When a new technology is so widespread that no longer catches the attention it is that its implementation is complete. More and more people have a plastic 3D printer at home and many of us know someone who has bought one or it has been...

Have you ever thought on the importance of the monuments close to you?. Do you happen to know they really are a source of employment and local development?. Here you are a few lines to explain it, and also to make you understand how the applied RTD is effectively...

It is usual, during our work as researchers at CARTIF, we have to model and solve (with the help of advanced software) complex mechanical systems. Their behaviour is affected by the interaction effects, with different levels of coupling, among several physical...

In recent years, being the instrumental techniques cheaper and cheaper and the computational algorithms more accesible (even open source) several researchers and consultancy companies are developing new 3D abilities. Laser scanning or photogrammetry techniques are...

How to reduce structural conservation task expenses by implementing monitoring systems? The structures are not everlasting. They are projected to play a role for a certain number of years. Thus, a wind turbine mast lifespan is about 20 years while in the case of a...