Publications
Cultural Heritage Architecture and Climate Adaptation: A Socio-Environmental Analysis of Sustainable Building Techniques
Historical architectural practices, particularly those of the Mudejar style in Aragon, offer enduring solutions for modern climate adaptation challenges. A study analyzing La Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza, Spain—a 11th-century Islamic structure—revealed sophisticated bioclimatic design principles that regulate interior temperatures with minimal energy input. These techniques include strategic courtyards, thermal mass management, passive ventilation systems, and water features, which effectively mitigate the harsh summer climate of the region. Similar findings were observed in historical structures across Europe as part of the ClimAid project. The research underscores the potential for integrating these time-tested methods into contemporary sustainable design while also addressing the vulnerability of heritage sites to current climate impacts.
La conservación del patrimonio a través de su reproducción: el caso de la torre de Utebo
Reproductions of heritage buildings, such as the Mudejar tower from Utebo (Zaragoza), can serve as a strategy for revaluing and conserving architectural heritage. This study reveals that while reproductions like those in Barcelona's Pueblo Español exhibit subtle to profound alterations, they maintain a connection with their originals, preserving elements of identity even when integrated into new contexts. The research compares the Utebo tower's original and its reproduction, analyzing changes in design, materials, or spatial adaptation. Findings suggest that such reproductions not only facilitate learning through comparison but also offer insights into architectural reinterpretation within expository settings.
Restaurando Patrimonio Mundial UNESCO: el caso de Santa María de Tobed (Zaragoza) durante los últimos 50 años.
A comprehensive analysis of the restoration interventions on Santa María de Tobed, a UNESCO World Heritage Site representing Mudejar architecture in Aragón, reveals critical insights into its 50-year conservation history. The study uncovers previously undocumented or unpublished data, clarifying the sequence and impact of restoration projects from the 1970s to 2001—prior to its UNESCO designation. It highlights recurring bibliographic errors and the need for precise documentation to understand the monument's current state. By integrating historical records with contemporary conservation practices, this research provides a corrected narrative of Tobed’s transformations, offering a model for preserving similar heritage sites.
Desarrollo de un repositorio gráfico para el inventario virtual del patrimonio
A normalized digital repository for Mudejar architectural heritage in Aragón has been developed to address challenges in managing and storing diverse graphical data, enabling collaborative documentation efforts. This system integrates all available visual documentation into a unified platform, facilitating conservation and public dissemination. The solution includes a web-based geographic information system (WebGIS) viewer and a cloud-point manager using WebGL, providing accessible tools for users to explore and exploit the heritage data. This approach streamlines inventory processes while supporting multi-user collaboration, setting a precedent for digital preservation of complex architectural patrimonies.
Traza y geometría en la bóveda de crucería medieval con nervios de ladrillo en Aragón
Aragón's medieval brick-vaulted architecture reveals sophisticated geometric strategies that enabled the expansion and development of ribbed vaults. Unlike the well-documented stone-based systems, these brick constructions relied on unique graphical and geometric approaches, particularly in their late-Gothic phase. Through a detailed analysis of four case studies from the Kingdom of Aragón, researchers uncovered the precise methods used by master builders to design and construct these intricate structures, shedding light on a lesser-studied yet equally advanced aspect of Mudejar architecture.
Alminares mudéjares de la marca superior. Nueva aproximación a su evolución histórica. El caso de la torre de San Pablo en Zaragoza
Aragonese Mudejar minaret towers, products of eight centuries of Islamic influence on the Iberian Peninsula, embody a unique fusion of architectural styles from coexisting cultures. This study reveals that these structures, particularly the tower of San Pablo in Zaragoza, underwent significant evolutionary changes over time, reflecting broader historical and cultural transitions. The research employs a novel approach to trace their development, offering new insights into the adaptability and resilience of Mudejar architecture during periods of political and social transformation.
An Islamicate History of the Alcazar of Seville: Mudejar Architecture and Andalusi Shared Culture (1252-1369 CE)
A shared Islamicate culture, independent of political or religious affiliations, coexisted among Castilian Christians, Muslims, and Jews in al-Andalus during the 13th and 14th centuries. This cultural synthesis explains the widespread use of Mudejar architecture, including in the Alcazar of Seville's Sala de la Justicia and later expansions by Pedro I, which mirrored designs from the Alhambra of Granada. The study reinterprets these constructions through a lens of cultural history, revealing that non-Muslims adopted Islamicate design elements—such as Arabic inscriptions and stylistic motifs—for symbolic or aesthetic purposes, rather than religious ones. This challenges traditional narratives of the Reconquista by highlighting a cosmopolitan visual language that transcended confessional boundaries.
Architectural Inventories. Evolution of Graphic Documentation of Heritage
Researchers have developed an integrated Information System for the Mudejar Architectural Heritage of Aragón, addressing the challenge of managing and storing large volumes of graphic documentation while ensuring interoperability. This system leverages the Arches platform—a free, open-source inventory tool—and a WebGIS to consolidate over 200 unique heritage assets with geo-referenced data and geometric information. The approach combines collaborative documentation methods with standardized data storage to enhance accessibility and analysis throughout the building's lifecycle. While the study focuses on cataloging this distinctive architectural style, its methodology offers scalable solutions for broader heritage inventory applications.
Repositorio gráfico digital de la Iglesia de Santa María de Tobed
A digital graphic repository of the Church of Santa María de Tobed, a prominent example of Mudejar architecture and church-fortress typology in Aragon, has been created using advanced photogrammetric and laser scanning techniques. This 3D point cloud model provides a detailed volumetric representation of the heritage site, enabling complex data visualization through web viewers like Potree, which leverage WebGL standards. The resulting product serves as a valuable resource for architectural inventories, offering large repositories of information that can be shared and accessed efficiently.
3D survey and virtual reconstruction of heritage. The case study of the City Council and Lonja of Alcañiz
Advanced 3D survey techniques and virtual reconstruction methods have significantly enhanced the documentation and analysis of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, particularly Mudejar architecture. This study demonstrates how such technologies can be applied to the City Council and Lonja of Alcañiz in Teruel, Spain, to reconstruct its geometric reality with precision. By integrating open-source software, standards, ontologies, and semantic hierarchies, researchers have created an interoperable 3D model that supports multiple applications—ranging from cataloging and protection to restoration, conservation, maintenance, and dissemination. The approach not only expands historical knowledge by delineating potential constructive phases but also provides critical tools for drafting comprehensive restoration projects, ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage with scientific rigor.
Analisis y composicion geometrica del frente norte de la capilla de San Miguel, la seo de Zaragoza
The facade of the Capilla de San Miguel in Zaragoza, part of the Mudejar architecture of Aragon, reveals distinct geometric compositions between its Gothic windows and the ceramic and brick decoration. Using laser scanning and low-altitude photogrammetry, researchers found that the windows disrupt the continuous geometric modules typical of Islamic-influenced designs, suggesting a blend of Christian and Muslim architectural traditions. The study also links this structure to the ancient Aljama Mosque of Zaragoza and compares it with nearby Islamic architecture, such as the Aljafería Palace and Sijena Monastery, highlighting its historical significance in the transition from the Abbasid Caliphate to Al-Andalus.
Changes in traditional building materials: the case of gypsum in Northern Spain
Traditional gypsum, once widely used for both exterior and structural applications in Northern Spain's Mudejar architecture, has seen a significant decline due to changes in construction practices. This study identifies key factors contributing to its reduced use, while also documenting traditional processing methods through bibliographic reviews, local visits, interviews, and experimental calcinations. The findings highlight the technical peculiarities of traditional gypsum, offering insights that could support sustainable conservation efforts and potentially revive traditional techniques. These results are relevant not only for Northern Spain but also for other European regions with similar architectural heritage.
Desarrollo de un Web-GIS para el patrimonio arquitectónico Mudéjar
A Web-GIS tool has been developed to document and analyze the Mudejar architectural heritage of Aragon, including 227 buildings, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This system integrates spatial data with historical, protective, geometric, and conservation details, enabling comprehensive inventories for heritage protection and urban planning. The tool supports spatial analysis, decision-making, and dissemination, offering a territorial-scale perspective that transcends isolated building assessments. It serves as an additional instrument for preparing inventories aimed at safeguarding this culturally significant architectural legacy.
From TLS Point Cloud Data to Geometrical Genesis Determination of Ribbed Masonry Vaults
Research reveals that the geometric rules governing ribbed vaults in Late Mediterranean Gothic architecture exhibit remarkable consistency across distant regions and periods. By analyzing two case studies—Iglesia Parroquial del Salvador la Seo in Zaragoza, Spain, and the Church of Santa Lucia in Cagliari, Italy—the study identifies invariant structural principles despite their placement at opposite ends of the 14th to 17th-century Gothic timeline. Employing terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to generate high-precision point cloud data, the team mapped the intrados profiles of ribs and arches, enabling detailed geometric reconstruction. The findings suggest that core design invariants persist even across vast temporal and geographical spans, offering new insights into the evolution of Mudejar architecture in Aragon.
Mudejar Teruel
The Mudejar architecture of Teruel, Spain, presents a unique visual narrative of a pluralist frontier community that challenges traditional assumptions about social hierarchy and medieval spiritual unity. This architectural ensemble, dating to the 13th century, features a hybrid style blending Romanesque, Gothic, and Islamic elements, most notably in its ceilings and the panoramic gallery of full-length figures depicting individuals from diverse social classes, cultural traditions, and sexual orientations. The study decodes these contradictory images to reveal a culture of collaboration and political pragmatism, offering a window into an era of economic prosperity and intellectual integration against the backdrop of significant shifts in European understanding. This interdisciplinary approach highlights Teruel's singularity within the Aragonese polity and its enduring legacy as a symbol of cultural hybridity.
3D Scanning Methodology: Bell Tower of Santa María de Daroca’s Church (Spain)
A groundbreaking 3D laser scanning methodology has revealed that the bell tower of Santa María de Daroca’s Church, a rare remnant of Islamic architecture in Spain, exhibits non-uniform inclination throughout its height. The study found that while the tower leans slightly due to its Mudejar origins, this tilt is subtly corrected in sections built during the Christian period. This discovery underscores the complexity and layered history of the structure, which combines elements from both Islamic and Christian architectural traditions. The research utilized advanced 3D scanning technology to overcome challenges posed by limited space and lighting, providing unprecedented precision in documenting the tower’s planimetry and structural nuances. Published in The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, this work offers a rigorous framework for studying similar heritage sites with multi-phase construction histories.
Análisis arquitectónico y constructivo de la techumbre en madera policromada de la iglesia de San Antonio Abad de Valencia como pervivencia de la arquitectura tardogótica mediterránea en la Valencia del siglo XV.
A rare survival of late medieval craftsmanship, the polychrome wooden roof of San Antonio Abad Church in Valencia has been revealed as a masterful example of Gothic Mudejar architecture from 15th-century Valencia. This study deciphers its construction techniques and material evolution, tracing its origins to 1409–1446 under Alfonso V the Magnanimous and surviving intact until 1987 despite neoclassical transformations in 1765–1768. Through detailed analysis of the roof's structure, pigments, and joinery—including the preservation of heraldic elements—the research reconstructs its historical behavior, sheds light on Mudejar adaptation to Mediterranean Gothic forms, and underscores its significance as an almost unknown heritage site within Valencia's medieval urban fabric.
Design of new gypsum-lime based mortars applied on the restoration of Mudejar heritage from Aragon (Spain)
New gypsum-lime based mortars, designed for compatibility with traditional Mudejar materials, show promise for the restoration of Aragon's heritage. These mortars, developed through systematic variation of binder proportions and aggregate types, meet key physicomechanical requirements, ensuring their suitability for conservation efforts. The study provides practical guidelines for selecting optimal mortar mixtures, addressing the deterioration of brick masonry structures—a common challenge in Mudejar monuments.
Characterization of mudejar mortars from St. Gil Abbot church (Zaragoza, Spain): Investigation of the manufacturing technology of ancient gypsum mortars
Research on Mudejar mortars from St. Gil Abbot church (Zaragoza, Spain) reveals that these ancient gypsum-based materials exhibit a unique homogeneity in composition, with both binder and aggregates predominantly made of gypsum and carbonate rock fragments. The study, employing multi-analytical techniques including petrographic analysis, chemistry, and mineralogy, demonstrates that the aggregates are by-products of a grinding process applied to pre-burnt raw materials. This manufacturing technique significantly enhanced the mortars' quality, offering insights into advanced ancient construction practices. Published in Materiales de Construcción, this work underscores the sophistication of Mudejar architecture's technological innovations.
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