FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE

RAYMOND LEMAIRE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR CONSERVATION

KASTEELPARK ARENBERG 1 – POSTBUS 02431
3001 LEUVEN, BELGIUM

Building Information Modeling and the Conservation of small scale

wooden composite Heritage Structures, learning from the case
study of the “Strutt House”

Promoters:
Barbara Van der Wee
Mario Santana Quintero
Titania Truesdale

Thesis to obtain the degree of Master of Science in Conservation of

Monuments and Sites

Presented by Pierre Jouan

Leuven, September 2016

© Copyright KU Leuven

Without written permission of the thesis supervisor and the author it is forbidden to reproduce or adapt
in any form or by any means any part of this publication. Requests for obtaining the right to reproduce
or utilize parts of this publication should be addressed to KU Leuven, RLICC, Kasteelpark Arenberg 1, B-
3001 Heverlee (Belgium), +32-16-32 17 48 or by email rlicc@asro.kuleuven.be.

A written permission of the thesis supervisor is also required to use the methods, products, schematics
and programs described in this work for industrial or commercial use, and for submitting this publication
in scientific contests.

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kopiëren, gebruiken of realiseren van deze uitgave of gedeelten ervan verboden. Voor aanvragen tot
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wend u tot de KU Leuven,
RLICC, Kasteelpark Arenberg 1, B-3001 Heverlee (België), 32-16-32 17 48 of via e-mail
rlicc@asro.kuleuven.be.

Voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van de promoter is eveneens vereist voor het aanwenden van
de in deze masterproef beschreven (originele) methoden, producten, schakelingen en programma’s
voor industrieel of commercieel nut en voor de inzending van deze publicatie ter deelname aan
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 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The support, help and advice of a
great number of people has been
highly appreciated all along, and
through the completion of the thesis.
This would have never been possible
without this valuable support and,
therefore, I would like to take the
opportunity to thank all the people
who contributed, in one way or
another, to the achievement of this
work.
First of all, I am very grateful for the
chance I had to collaborate with the
CIMS lab in Carleton University
(Ottawa, Canada). Foremost, I want
to thank Professor Mario Santana
Quintero for having organized the
internship, as well as for the excellent
networking I would benefit from.
Furthermore, I would like to express my
gratitude to Professor Stephen Fai and
Professor Mario Santana Quintero for
having provided me with all the
necessary equipment to achieve a
very complete survey of the case
study house. Additionally, I want to
give my special thanks to Davide
Mezzino, PhD student in cotutelle
between Carleton University and
Politecnico de Torino, for his constant
help and support. The courses of
Professor Christian Ouimet and the
field work increased my knowledge
about heritage documentation.
Secondly, I would like to express my
gratitude to the Fondation Strutt
Foundation for the workshop
organized and the discussions that
were very instructive. Firstly, I want to
thank Titania Truesdale, my co-
promoter, for having shared her
knowledge and for all the time spent
to help me understand the case study
and its context. Then, I would also like
to thank Brian Hierlihy for the
discussions and for having shared a lot
of information and data, especially
the ressources from PTAH consultants.
Thirdly, I would also like to thank
Professor Mariana Esponda and
Victoria Angel for their availability.
Additionally, I want to give my special
thanks to Golnaz Karimi whose help
was very important as I could not have
gone on site so regularly without her
and this has been crucial for the data
acquisition. Finally, I am grateful to
have collaborated with all the
volunteers during the workshops.
In addition, my gratefulness also goes
to my promoter, Professor Barbara Van
der Wee, whose advices, guidance
and time have been very precious
along the work. Together with my co-
promoters Professor Mario Santana
and Titania Truesdale, their discussions
and reviews have led me to constantly
refine my research question and the
work’s scope.
Finally, I would like to thank my family
and friends for their support in one way
or another that motivated me to finish
the thesis. More particularly, I have to
say a big thank you to my parents
because the chance I had to enroll
the master has been made possible
only thanks to their support.
i

Researchers and professionals, in the
field of Heritage Conservation, are
starting to focus a great deal of
attention to the significant
improvements in the field of heritage
documentation, as well as in BIM
software and its potential use in
analysis. The high quality point clouds
generated from the Terrestrial Laser
Scanning and photogrammetry,
together with the recent ability of BIM
and CAD software to deal with this
type of data resulted in a shift in the
methods used for the documentation
and digitization of heritage structures.
Previously, the major issue when
creating 3D models of heritage
buildings, was the lack of accuracy
due to the simplification that occured
in the modeling process.
Through the case study of the Strutt
House, this thesis examines the process
of BIM generation from a point cloud.
The case study is particularly relevant
for this type of investigations. Indeed
the constructive logic behind the
design is amplified and clarified
through an understanding of the
building in 3 dimensions. It is the
optimal approach to a good
understanding of this house built by
FOREWORD
the Canadian Architect James W.
Strutt for his family, in 1957. The
integrative aspect of the BIM model
can be very important when dealing
with the conservation of heritage
artifacts. Consequently, the model
should embody the values and
dimensions known of the original
artifact, as well as a wide range of
information covering the interim
period. That is the reason why an
extensive introduction to the case
study, followed by a value assessment
helps the reader to understand the
methodology used and the choices
that were made.
Overall, the aim is to define the
potential of such models along each
step of Heritage Conservation
projects. The thesis explores the
possibilities of the BIM and the benefits
for Heritage Conservation.
Furthermore, throughout the work, the
modeling process from the point cloud
to the BIM for composite structures will
be analyzed and criticized in order to
suggest further tracks of research. The
accurate modeling of building
elements from the point cloud has
particularly been investigated.
iii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................... i
FOREWORD ..........................................................................................................................iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................ v
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1
METHODOLOGY................................................................................................................... 5
Research .........................................................................................................................6
Oral sources ........................................................................................................... 7
Witten sources & graphic documents ............................................................... 9
General observation ..........................................................................................10
Surveying the Strutt House ..........................................................................................11
Tools and methods .............................................................................................13
Lessons learned ...................................................................................................22
INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE STUDY................................................................................. 23
Historical background .................................................................................................25
Modern movement in Canada ........................................................................ 26
Development in the National Capital Region................................................ 31
James W. Strutt ....................................................................................................34
Urban analysis ...............................................................................................................45
Macro scale: link with the city, comparison with other cases ..................... 46
Meso scale: link with Aylmer & Gatineau Park ............................................... 54
Micro scale: Landscape approach, site, nature, neighbors ........................ 65
Legal context ......................................................................................................70
Architectural analysis...................................................................................................74
Original design ....................................................................................................77
Adaptations over time .....................................................................................129
Liveability ...........................................................................................................142
Value assessment & Nara Grid.................................................................................143
Value assessment .............................................................................................148
Nara Grid ...........................................................................................................153

v
BIM GENERATION FROM POINT CLOUDS: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE STRUTT HOUSE
CASE STUDY ..................................................................................................................... 157
BIM: Definition & history .............................................................................................158
Definition of BIM ................................................................................................158
BIM and Heritage Conservation ..................................................................... 159
From point clouds to BIM: Methods and Workflows .............................................. 162
Defining the scope ...........................................................................................162
Research and Surveys ......................................................................................163
Point clouds importation..................................................................................164
Possible Workflows for BIM generation........................................................... 168
Methodology for the case study’s BIM ................................................................... 175
Introduction .......................................................................................................175
Methodology.....................................................................................................177
BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale heritage composite
structure .......................................................................................................................183
Analysis of the case study ...............................................................................184
Condition assessment ......................................................................................186
Conservation plan ............................................................................................194
Conservation Project........................................................................................196
Management & Monitoring ............................................................................199
CONCLUSIONS & FUTURE PROSPECTS ............................................................................. 201
General conclusions ..................................................................................................203
Further research .........................................................................................................206
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................. 209
APPENDICES...........................................................................................................................
Appendice A: As found condition, graphic documents ........................................ A
Appendice B: Original drawings of the architect .....................................................B
Appendice C: Modular wall ........................................................................................ C
Appendice D: Pictures & Schemes ............................................................................ A

vi

The last decades have witnessed
significant technological evolutions in
the field of documentation and
digitization of buildings. On the one
hand, the new recording methods
such as Photogrammetry, Terrestrial
Laser scanning, and Electronic
Distance Measurement have
completely reshaped the way surveys
of existing buildings and site and their
condition assessment are
approached. On the other hand, the
shift from hand drawings to 3D digital
models, passing by the Computer
Aided Design 2D drawings constituted
one of the major changes in the fields
of the Architecture, Engineering & MEP
(Mechanical Electrical & Plumbing)
when it comes to the representation of
buildings and sites or building
elements. These two areas of research,
that are still evolving nowadays, have
strong impacts in the field of Heritage
1
INTRODUCTION
Conservation and are hot topics in the
academic and professional world.
How can the conservation of our
heritage benefit from these new
techniques? What still has to be
improved in order to fulfill the
requirements of Heritage Conservation
projects? How reliable, accurate and
useful data can be extracted from the
high resolution point clouds obtained
from new documentation tools? How
can this data be turned into a BIM
(Building Information Model)? These
very current issues set the basis of the
research question and the Strutt House
is an excellent case study to
experiment such techniques. Indeed,
the design principles, the structural
concepts and the composite
character of the building make it
particularly relevant to generate an
element based 3D model.
1
Introduction
The global aim of the thesis is to assess
the benefit of the BIM for heritage
stakeholders during the different
phases of a conservation project;
Analysis; Conservation planning and
Conservation Project; management
and Monitoring). Furthermore, the goal
is to assess the potential of BIM to
accurately represent the as-found
condition of small scale composite
buildings (In this case wooden
structure), as well as point out the
existing limits of the software in order to
propose further research tracks. To do
so, the thesis consist of three main
parts. The first one simply displays the
methodology used to gather
information about the house and the
techniques used to achieve the
survey. Secondly, an extensive
introduction to the case study provides
the reader with an overall
understanding of the building as well
as the philosophical and technical
issues linked to its conservation. Finally,
the third chapter establishes a
theoretical framework about the
topics of point clouds and BIM model
before exploring BIM’s potential for
Heritage Conservation stakeholders
through the model of the case study.
Explanations about the methodology
used for the modeling process of this
particular study case will preceed
these investigations.
The first chapter’s goal, apart from
simply defining the methods and tools
used for the data acquisition and the
modeling process, is mostly to give the
reader a brief overview of the
difficulties faced and the lessons
learned from the survey, and research
issues. It is subdivided in two main parts
that are the research (Oral & written)
and the survey. Regarding the
research, the places where
investigations where conducted as
well as the resource people consulted
will be listed. The contribution of each
people or place will also be realized.
As regards to the survey, the
methodology and the tools used will
be described in depth before general
observations and lessons learned from
the case study will be presented.
Secondly, the introduction to the case
study consists of five different parts.
First, a historical analysis will aim at
providing the reader with a global
picture of the context in which the
house was designed and built. The
processes of the modern movement’s
development in Canada, and
particularly its development in the
National Capital Region will be
investigated. In addition, a brief
summary of the life, career and
philosophy of the architect will be
provided. Secondly, an urban analysis
will study the relations between the site
and its surrounding environment at
three different scales (Macro, Meso,
and Micro) in order to contextualize
better the project in its unique
environment. The third part will adress
the urban analysis and will aim at
clarifying the very complex legal
contexts of the Strutt House and the
site on which it was built. The fourth
part will focus on all the aspects and
dimensions of the architectural
conception. The key aspects of the
architect’s design such as the
materiality, structure and spaces will
be analysed and documented. The
fifth and last part is actually a kind of
chapter’s conclusion and aims at
summarizing the values embodied in
2
Introduction
the building and on the site through a
value assessment and a Nara grid.
The third chapter of the thesis will be
divided in four sections. The first will
study the state of the question of BIM
in the field of Heritage Conservation.
An attempt to define BIM will be
achieved before summarizing the
major findings of the recent research
as well as mentioning the future issues
that will need to be addressed. Then,
a second part will focus on the BIM
generation process from point clouds.
Therefore, four possible workflows will
be described and assessed in order to
determine their ability to achieve a
model adapted to the need of
Heritage Conservation professionals.
Thirdly, the methodology used for the
model of this particular study case will
be detailed. Finally, the real utility of
the BIM for heritage stakeholders will
be analyzed in the last chapter. The
possible contribution of the BIM along
all the phases of a conservation
project will be explored. Moreover, the
drawbacks of working with such
models and the limits of the software
will be highlighted in order to propose
possible developments of the software
and further research that would
improve the quality and efficiency of
the BIM so as to fulfill the requirements
of Heritage Conservation projects.
3
 2
METHODOLOGY

This chapter aims to describe the documentation methods used. Thanks

methods used to collect data during
this project. It concerns the survey and
the creation of a BIM model of the
Strutt House as well as investigations
about the place, the historical context
and so on.
First of all, the research process of
relevant information about the house
and the context in which it was built
will be explained. In this regard, I will
explain why I chose to interview some
of the stakeholders, what I expected
from them, and what the results were.
Moreover, the difficulties faced during
the research in various libraries and
archives will be depicted.
Regarding the survey of the building
and site, a first part will focus on the
to the collaboration with the
Fondation Strutt Foundation through
workshops, talks as well as my
internship at CIMS, I could experiment
with a wide variety of recording
techniques and, as a consequence
gather a lot of information. A second
part will aim at explaining the lessons
learned from this case study.
It is worth mentioning the fact that I
discovered the subject all along my
internship. Consequently, even though
the main guidelines of this work could
be set since its inception, the scope of
my research has gradually become
more defined. Therefore, the
methodology constantly evolved
along the way.

5

Research
Studying a building on such a large
amount of topics is quite challenging
in a completely new and unknown
environment. This is especially true for
a heritage site in the cities of
Ottawa/Gatineau because of the
complexity of its legal context, two
separate municipalities spanning two
provinces in addition to falling within
the overlapping jurisdiction of the
National Capital Commission, and
Gatineau Park Area.
Before trying to understand the
context in which the house was built,
research about the evolution of the
country and the creation of the city,
visits to several museums (Canadian
museum of history, Canadian war
museum, Canadian museum of
nature, National Gallery of
Canada…), walks and rides around
the city, exhibitions and conferences
about urban planning in Ottawa,
research in libraries & archives and
discussions with several Professors and
professionals gradually improved my
understanding.
Methodology - Research
Regarding the house itself, defining
the scope of the work was achieved
before starting the research in order to
define the information required.
However, even though the early table
of contents provided a red line, the
scope of research evolved after each
discussion with the different
stakeholders or resource persons. The
late shift in the focus of the thesis
resulted in a need for more research
essentially about the issues of BIM
modeling of heritage buildings from
point clouds.
This part of the work aims at providing
explanations about the path followed
to acquire all the data necessary to
achieve this thesis. First, the resource
people that have collaborated in one
way or another will be presented.
Furthermore, their contribution and
interest regarding the subject will be
covered. Secondly, the places
investigated in order to find archival
documents such as written sources
and graphic documents will be
mentioned.
6

Oral sources
PTAH & the Fondation Strutt
Foundation
The inception of the research was
based on the Heritage Structure
Report written by PTAH (PTAH
Consultants Inc., Architects) for the
National Capital Commission (NCC).
This extensive work was
comprehensive document to start with
and it embodied a lot of relevant
information for my thesis. Its extensive
bibliography and the list of people
who contributed to its completion
provided me with a wide range of
sources, both oral and written. It is
necessary to mention that several of
the PTAH people are also some of the
most active members in the Fondation
Strutt Foundation. The time spent on
site and the interesting discussions,
with Titania Truesdale and Brian
Hierlihy along with the workshops were
very instructive. Fortunately for me, a
lot of the traditional investigations had
already been carried out and the
house extensively documented.
I also had the opportunity to visit a few
projects of James W. Strutt around
Ottawa with Titania Truesdale and her
comments on the architect and the
visited buildings really helped me to
understand the personality and vision
of this architect.
University Professors
Interested in studying the context in
which the house was built and the
influences behind, I also decided to
meet several Professors and people
Methodology - Research
involved in Heritage Conservation in
the National Capital Region.
Firstly, Susan Ross, Professor of
Canadian Studies at Carleton
University, helped me to learn more
about the Nation’s capital region, and
about residential modern Architecture
in Ottawa.
a
Secondly, Janine Debanne, Professor
of Architecture at Carleton University,
shared with me her knowledge about
modern residential Architecture in
Canada and especially in the National
Capital Region, James W. Strutt’s
career, the Strutt House as well as
about Modern Movement’s heritage in
general.
Thirdly, I also discussed the topic of
Modern Movement Architecture and
its conservation in Canada with
Professor Mariana Esponda, also from
the school of Architecture at Carleton.
It has to be noted that the latter is also
a member of the Fondation Strutt
Foundation.
Finally, Ioanna Teodorescu, Professor of
Art History at Carleton University,
helped me to understand better the
important shift that occurred in the
design of residential buildings in the
post WWII era.
Heritage Conservation people
I had the opportunity to meet
James Ashby, member of Docomomo
Ontario, and discuss about
conservation of Modern Heritage in
the area of Ottawa/Gatineau. I also
tried to contact Docomomo Quebec
7

but I did not face as much enthusiasm
as from the Ontario side.
Through a walking tour around the
neighborhood of Briarcliffe, I had the
opportunity to speak with Daniele
Jones about this modern Architecture
district in the east of Ottawa. This visit
and case study allowed me to
understand that the recognition of
modern Architecture as heritage is
something very new in Ottawa (The
project to impose a Municipal-by-law
“Heritage Overlay” had started
somewhere around 2005) and
awareness about this issue still needs
to be increased.
Cultural landscape
Another very interesting discussion with
Lisa Prosper, from the Willowbank
Centre for Cultural Landscape, helped
me to better understand the
interrelations between the built
environment and nature, particularly
salient to the site of the house itself as
well as in the broader context of the
Gatineau Park. Moreover, this
discussion made me reflect on the
landscape sensitive design of James
W. Strutt and changed my perception
of the relationship between the
building and the site.
Tourism management and
promotion
Regarding the possible research for a
future function, I intended to interview
all the stakeholders to have a clear
picture of the situation with different
viewpoints. In this Regard, I have met
an employee of the “tourisme en
Outauoais” organization to discuss the
Methodology - Research
activities proposed around the Strutt
house’s site and other issues. However,
this source was not really helpful for
two main reasons. On the one hand,
they are primarily dealing with the
promotion of tourism, but not
necessarily with the development of
new activities, and, on the other hand,
the park is a property of the NCC and
they are very careful with the
development of tourism activities.
Therefore, I decided to contact them
(NCC) as well as the township of
Gatineau. However, I did not receive
much information and the most
instructive source on this matter was
the master plan of the Gatineau Park.
National Capital Commission
Contacting the National Capital
Commision (NCC) was essential for
two reasons. Firstly, the NCC had
bought the site in 2010 and the
Fondation Strutt Foundation
established a collaborative
relationship with the NCC and has
since acquired a “long-term lease
agreement” 1 to preserve it. In this
regard, it was really important to know
NCC’s intentions and goals in the short
term but, more importantly, in the
long-term. Secondly, since the park is
an NCC territory, there is a whole
branch of the organization devoted to
its management. The Strutt House was
originally bought to be demolished so
as to protect the bio diversity of this
environmentaly sensitive part of the
park. As a consequence, it was
important to understand their logic
and inquire about their intentions too.
1 Fondation Strutt, 2013.
http://www.struttfoundation.ca/ (accessed
April 30, 2016).
8

It was interesting to study the process
in which the house was first considered
as a threat by the NCC before being
considered as an asset in danger. This
shift is also illustrated by the transfer of
the property’s management from
Capital Planning to the Capital
Stewardship Portfolio of the NCC.
However, meeting people from the
NCC on site allowed me to
understand that, even though the
NCC is interested in what is going on
around the house, they completely
rely on the Fondation Strutt Foundation
for the planning and execution of this
site’s conservation works.
It is worth mentioning that this case is
quite unique since the NCC would
usually manage projects at arms
length through contracted
professional services and has not been
likewise involved in a conservation of a
specific study case. The Strutt House
situation is the result of an unusual
process for all parties.
Witten sources & graphic documents
Evaluation service and
archives of Gatineau’s city
administration
In the archives, I was expecting to find
maps of the evaluation of the land use
in Aylmer and more particularly the
area of the Strutt House. Unfortunately,
very few documents exist. Actually, I
could only find 2 documents directly
related to the Strutt House and other
Methodology - Research
The city of Gatineau
Several attempts to contact someone
in charge of urban planning were
made but were unsuccessful. In
addition, the department of Heritage
Management did not know much
about the house as their focus is on
earlier examples of local heritage, so it
was useless to set up a meeting.
Aylmer historic association
Then I have also met a few people of
the Heritage Association of Aylmer
(the Sector of the City of Gatineau in
which the house is located). This was
essential because I noticed the
degree of involvement of locals in the
safeguarding of the building. I was
also curious to know the level of
awareness about the existence of the
Strutt House among the local
population (sector of Aylmer, city of
Gatineau). Long discussions were not
necessary to understand that modern
Architecture heritage is still suffering
from a lack of focus and/or studies in
this area.
maps about the construction of new
neighborhoods in the 70’s.
Regarding the evaluation service, I
could find the information that is
available on their website but I was
not able to consult the building dossier
of the property. Eventually, I decided
not to lose too much time in
procedures to consult information that
is already mostly available in the PTAH
Heritage Structure Report.
9

Carleton University’s library
Doing my internship in Carleton
University was a real advantage for my
research. Indeed, I could easily spend
time in the library that was just beside
the Carleton Immersive Media Studio
(CIMS) and go back and forth
whenever I needed. I could find
interesting books about the evolution
of Ottawa -previously called Bytown-
and publications about modern
Architecture, its preservation, and
much more.
General observation
Recognition of modern
Architecture as heritage
Overall, the main difficulty was
basically the lack of awareness of the
Strutt House among local public
services, especially the city
administration of Gatineau. Moreover,
the topic of the conservation of
modern heritage only started to catch
the public’s attention around one
decade ago. Progress still has to be
undertaken in the recognition of
modern Architecture as part of the
peoples’ Heritage. As a result, lots of
research still has to be made on the
subject, and this is especially true for
James W. Strutt’s career. The
Fondation Strutt Foundation is one of
only a handful of institutions across the
country trying to address this gap in
Heritage knowledge.
A story of borders
Regarding the urban analysis, the
research on the macro-scale were
difficult because of the legal context
Methodology - Research
National archives of Canada
The national archives of Canada were
one of the first places visited. A large
collection of original drawings and
sketches produced by James Strutt
are conserved and available to public
there as well as additional materials
about Strutt. Additionally, maps, old
pictures and other relevant data
about the NCC could also be found.
previously mentioned. Indeed, it was
impossible to find detailed maps of the
residential development of both
Ottawa and Gatineau. Even in an
exhibition of Architecture students
about Ottawa as a city and as a
capital, the city was studied without
Gatineau. This reflects well the
particularly complex context of the
National Capital Region, stradding the
border of two provinces (Quebec,
Ontario), and two municipalities, each
with strong cultural identitiies.
The similar issue arose when I was
looking at all the potential
stakeholders. The Strutt House is
located in Aylmer sector, City of
Gatineau, as well as in Gatineau Park,
at the beginning of the “Gatineau
Mountains”. As a result, defining the
legal context of the jurisdictional
responsabilities over the house, had to
be addressed prior to any other
investigation. I was helped in this
matter by Victoria Angel, who is also
member of the Fondation Strutt
Foundation.
10

Surveying the Strutt House
The first step that was undertaken was
to read the Heritage Structure Report,
a condition assessment done in 2012
by “PTAH Consultants Inc., Architects”.
This very complete document allowed
me to assess what had already been
done in the past in terms of
documentation, including original
drawings of the architect. Besides, I
found out that a “building simulation
model” –similar to a BIM- of the house
had been achieved in 2012, in the
framework of the condition
assessment. However, unfortunately, I
did not have access to this 3D model.
This could have been really interesting
to compare both models since they
were made with different logics (The
model made by PTAH consultants was
based on the original drawings of the
architect, and early post construction
documentation, while the one made
for this thesis was made on the basis of
the point cloud). The Fondation Strutt
Foundation accepted to share their
really extensive data. That comprises a
comprehensive set of pictures and
survey information.
Secondly, a methodological
approach of the survey had to be set
in order to avoid wasting time as well
as collecting irrelevant records.
Before starting any planning of the
Strutt House’s survey, several sites visits
were necessary to develop an insight
Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House
into this realization of James W. Strutt. It
was indeed important to understand
how the building was actually
designed and what where the
concepts behind it to establish clear
goals for the documentation. The
geometry, structure, hyperbolic
paraboloid roofs, the modularity and
the spatial organization are the most
outstanding elements of this unique
place. As a matter of fact, the site
visits and in situ studies were critical to
understand the structural behavior of
the building. After the visits, research in
archives and libraries, meetings with
experts and resource people permited
me to define the values of the building
and, as a consequence, the major
goals of the survey.
For the survey itself, it was first
necessary to determine the graphic
documents that would have to be
produced as well as their scale, level
of detail and so on. Then, the tools
and techniques to be used to record
the data could be chosed. Finally,
before starting the survey, a very
accurate planning was required in
order to optimize the time spent on site
and avoid recording useless data.
Once the survey was achieved, the
data could be processed and the
proper outputs created in order to
allow the future creation of graphic
documents.
11
 Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House

Figure 1 - Scheme of the methodology followed for the survey of the Strutt House, made by author

12

Tools and methods
Tools and Methods
Thanks to the availability of the most
advanced techniques in the field of
Heritage documentation during my
internship, I had the opportunity to use
a Laser Scanner as well as aerial
photogrammetry with a drone and all
the software necessary to process the
data. Furthermore, I wanted to fully
document the house in its actual state
and all the built-in furniture. As a
consequence, hand measurements
were also required.
As said before, different technologies
were used to survey the house. The
following part intends to describe the
devices as well as the software that
were used to collect and process the
data. A brief overview of the lessons
learned during the documentation will
end this section. Beside the laser
scanner and the drone, it was also
necessary to bring the total station on
site so as to register control points. The
latter allowed the geo referencing of
all the scans either from the drone or
from the laser scanner.
Apart from the survey, during
workshops organized by the Fondation
Strutt Foundation, I was given the
chance to participate to the initial
structural leveling of the building, do a
smoke test and blower door test, use
the thermal imaging system with two
different thermal cameras and survey
the moisture content of building’s
elements with moisture meters.
However, to be relevant, the results of
these studies have to be compared
with others taken during different
Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House
climatic conditions. This comparison
would help determine the buildings
behavior regarding air and water
infiltration.
Laser scan
As most of the exterior of the house
had been scanned earlier in the study,
the decision was taken to complete it
by scanning the interior spaces
including the crawl spaces. These
scans would provide me with any
ortophoto I could want and, as a
consequence, the possibility to
produce any graphic document I
would need. Moreover, this data
would also allow me to produce a BIM
model out of it. However, it was almost
impossible to survey the furniture with
this technique and, as written above,
hand measurements were necessary.
Eventually, since the device was
different than the one used to scan
the outside in the summer, the whole
house has been scanned again in
order to generate outputs with similar
characteristics.
Device: Faro Laser Scanner Focus3D
X330
Figure 2 - Laser scanning the building, picture
taken by author
13

Using the Faro scanner is straight
forward. One has to create a project,
define the parameters (density,
resolution…) and start scanning.
Regarding the parameters, several
standard modes exist in the device
and one has to be selected
depending on the environment
(Inside, Outside) and the distance
between the scanner and the points
(less than 10 meters, 20 meters, and so
on…).
It is also possible to change the
parameters manually and create your
own profile. One can change two
main parameters: The resolution
(density of points scanned) and the
quality (accuracy of points and noise).
The former influences the duration of
the scan, its size as well as the number
of points scanned while the latter only
influences the scan duration.
For this survey, we decided to use the
default mode “outside less than 20 m”
for the outside scans and “inside less
than 10 m” for the inside.
- Outside, less than 20 m
Resolution (MPts) 28.9 (1/5)
Quality 4x
- Inside, less than 10m
Resolution 10.9 (1/8)
Quality 3x
I could use the scanner two days on
site and, as a consequence, I decided
Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House
to do more scans than planned so as
to survey the topography of the site.
As a matter of fact, the integration of
the house in the landscape is one of
the most important characteristics of
the project, so the capacity to do so
was well worth the extra effort. The
goal of the extra scans was to help me
create a section cutting through the
escarpment of the site.
The positions of the scans were
planned in advanced so as to
estimate the time required to reach
the goals established. In total, we
needed to do 50 scans with each
scan lasting around 10 minutes. The
time needed to move things as well as
to change the position of the scanner
was also taken into account. I
estimated that I needed to add
30 percent of the scanning time for
unplanned eventualities. In total, I
calculated that it would take me at
least 7 hours to capture all the scans.
In the process of determining the
positions of the scans, several
parameters have to be taken into
account. First of all, the data that
needs to be captured influences the
amount of scans that need to be
achieved. Moreover, in the end, scans
have to be merged together and, to
do so, common targets and spheres
have to be scanned in different scans
in order to be able to orientate one
with another.
14

Figure 3 - Scheme of survey planning for the ground floor, with scans positions (red circles), spheres
(green circles) & targets (green and white targets, big ones for the drone), scheme by author
Software: Scene 5.4.4.41689
After having finished the on-site
scanning, the collected set of scans
need to be registered to merge them
together. To do so, there are 3
different ways available in Scene
software: “Top view based”, “Target
based” and “Cloud to cloud”. In this
case, only the two last ones have
been used. However, the target based
method was mainly used since it is the
most accurate. To ensure a good
registration, one has to make sure to
have, at least, three targets/spheres in
common between the scans that
have to be connected.
The best solution, if possible, is to use
more than 3 because the software
Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House
can face problems when detecting
the targets and the spheres. The
targets also need to be big enough to
be properly detected by Scene.
Additionally, thanks to the pictures
taken by the Faro, the colors and
textures could be applied to the scan
points.
Once all the scans are registered
together, the control points of the total
station have to be imported so as to
geo-reference the scan points. I faced
some difficulties merging the inside
and the outside scans and, as a result,
decided to separate them into two
distinct files and merge them later on.
The last step in Scene consists of
creating and exporting the point
clouds to Recap.
15
 Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House

Total Station
Device: Leica viva TS11 attribute them to the same points in
the roof point cloud using Photoscan.
This way, both point clouds were
registered in the same geo reference
system.

Another issue faced during the data

processing was related to control
points. Indeed, there was apparently a
slight horizontal rotation between the
points taken from the inside and those
from outside. It normally simply requires
going back on site and registering the
Figure 4 - Leica viva TS11, picture by author
points correctly.
Having named the targets used for the
Unfortunately, due to bad climatic
laser scanner, the total station allowed
conditions, almost all the outside
us to give them coordinates to be
targets were removed from the
able to geo-reference different scans
facades. This issue was solved by
or point clouds in the same file.
doing new scans that were specifically
Indeed, we scanned the inside,
targeted to connect the interior and
outside and the roof separately and
the exterior ones. Afterwards, I
using the control points was the only
registered all the scans together and,
way to combine the three of them
in the final process, I geo referenced
accurately.
the whole based on the outside
It is important to say that although the control points only.
above process works in theory, one
may face some issues when
processing the data. First of all, in our
case, the point cloud from the aerial
photogrammetry had a lower
resolution. As a consequence, it was
impossible to distinguish precisely the
targets and we had to follow an
alternative path that is much more an
“approximate” methodology. As a
matter of fact, we had to define new
points of reference that could be
found both on the outside scans and
on the aerial photography.

Then we had to extract the

coordinates of these points from the Figure 5 - Surveying with the total station in the
Strutt House, picture by author
laser scanning point cloud and

16

Hand measurements
Because of the built-in furniture and
the partition of the spaces, hand
measurements were still required to
document details of furniture as well as
to complete some rooms that could
not have been captured by the
scanner. Later on, this could help to
complete the model created from the
point cloud.
Since the building was designed in
imperial units, the decision was made
Figure 6 - Conversion of centimetres in inches, 1" = 2.54 cm, http://www.inchtocm.co.uk/
Aerial photogrammetry
Because of the fact that the roof is
one of the most interesting structural
element of the building (First wooden
“hypars” in Canada 2), it was essential
to document it so as to analyze it
properly afterwards. Since it is really
tricky and risky to use the Laser scan
on this type of surfaces, aerial
photogrammetry was used to achieve
this task. A drone was available at
CIMS and we used it on site.
Device: Phantom 2 vison +
Figure 7 - Managing the drone on site, picture
taken by author
2 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 3.
Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House
to use the same system for the survey.
For people who are not familiar with
imperial unit system, it is worth knowing
that 1 inch is equal to 2.54 cm and 12
inches are equal to 1 foot or 30.48 cm.
Inches are represented with “”” while
feet are expressed with the symbol “‘”.
For instance, 2’3” (two feet and three
inches) is equal to 68.58 cm.
The need for documentation of the
roof was reinforced by the fact that an
additional hypar had been built on the
top of the central area of the original
one, in the early years following the
construction, for directing drainage. As
a result, the survey of the roof was
going to provide with more
information about this adaptation.
Figure 8 - Phantom 2 vision +, www.dji.com
17
 Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House

The technique chosen to record it is above. The drone is actually capturing

aerial photogrammetry. However, it pictures of the site from different
was really risky to use the drone in such angles.
an environment because of the
Later in the project, photogrammetry is
surrounding trees. The goal was to
processed from these pictures and the
provide a point cloud that could be
point cloud is created.
merged later with the other scans in
Autodesk Recap. This technique is particularly interesting
to survey topography, sites and so on.
Aerial photogrammetry basically works
However, the level of detail is not very
exactly like “normal” photogrammetry
high due to the quality of the pictures
except that pictures are taken from
used to process the photogrammetry.

Thermography
Device: FLIR PM695, FLIR T640 marking it with warmer temperature
for a few seconds. As a result, this and
One of the most important problems
many other factors influence the
identified by the PTAH office in their
results (direct sun light, etc.).
report 3 was the infiltration of air and
water in the building.

To determine the area where

interventions are required, thermal
pictures had to be taken. The pictures
produced are only interesting if
compared with others, made under
different climatic conditions (a
minimum of 20 °C of difference is
needed to obtain relevant results).

The comparison will display the spots Figure 9 - Taking thermal images in the Strutt
where attention should be given. House, picture by author
However, it does not say whether the
issue is water infiltration, or air leakage.
It is only providing information about
surfaces temperature. One has to be
careful when interpreting this
information because the thermal
cameras are really sensitive. For
instance, the simple fact of putting
your hand on a wall will result in

3 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage Figure 10 - Taking thermal images in the Strutt
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc. House, picture by author
Architects, Ottawa, 2012.

18
 Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House

Smoke test and blower door test

Device: DG-700 pressure and flow intervention, the impact of each repair
Gauge, Minneapolis Model 3 Two Fan vis-à-vis the global air tightness of the
Blower Door System room can be defined. Consequently,
one can establish what interventions
Having established the problematic would solve most of the problem.
areas, it is then required to determine
the cause of the problem so as to find
the appropriate solution. To do so, the
blower door test and the smoke test
are really helpful. They can help reveal
air leakage in the building (smoke test)
as well as the actual air tightness of
the building or each room (blower
door test).

Finally, by temporary stopping the

previously identified leaks (with tape
for instance) one after the other and Figure 11 - Blower door test in the Strutt House,
doing the blower door test after each picture by author

Moisture meter
the moisture content of building
materials. However, we did not have
the time to achieve the recording of
all points previously recorded properly.
This type of device senses and displays
the actual moisture content of the
material to which it is applied. It is also
interesting in terms of monitoring over
time. Indeed, after interventions, one
can compare the results, made at
different periods of the year (different
Figure 12 - Using moisture meters in the Strutt
climatic conditions), and, as a
House, picture by author
consequence, conclude if the
Still in the framework of the workshop, intervention was successful or not.
we used the moisture meter to record
Photography
Devices: Nikon S6600, Acer liquid quality of the pictures is not the best
Jade z but, on the other hand, technical
pictures were not specially required for
Because of space limitations, I could this project.
only bring my compact camera. The

19
 Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House

Method Brand/mod Key features Documents

el produced
1. Laser scanning Faro - Range Focus3D X330: 0.6 – 50 scans
Focus3D 330m including inside,
X330 - Measurement speed: up to facades, crawl
976,000pps spaces and most
- Ranging error: ± 2mm of the site
- Camera Res.: Up to 70 MP components
2. Total Station Leica Viva - Enhancement measurement Registering
TS11 accuracy to prism: 1.0 mm + control points to
1.5 ppm geo reference
the scans
3. Hand Measuring - Units : Imperial (feet and 15 details of
measurements tape inches) furniture and
service rooms
4. Aerial Phantom 2 - Resolution: 14MP Point cloud of the
photogrammetry vison + roof
5. Thermography FLIR T640 - Thermal sensitivity of 0.04°C 2 sets of images
with different
FLIR PM695 - Thermal sensitivity: 0.08 °C at climate
30 °C conditions
6. a. Blower door DG-700 - Accuracy: 1% of pressure Test done for the
test pressure reading or 0.15 Pascals main bedroom,
and flow - Display resolution: 0.1 Pascals data served to
Gauge - Pressure range : –1,250 to do a graph (/)
+1,250 Pascals
Minneapoli - Flow accuracy: +/- 3% with
s Model 3 DG-700
Two Fan - Max. flow: 5,350 CFM at 50 Pa
Blower - Min. flow:
Door
System
b. Smoke test Smoke - 1 min 8,000 cu.ft. dz Allowed to see
candle where the air is
passing by
7. Humidity & Moisture / Indicated the
temperature meter / moisture content
measurement diverse of building
models elements
8. Photography Nikon - Lens: NIKKOR lens with 12x 1347 Pictures
S6600 optical zoom; 4.5-54.0 mm;
f/3.3-6.3
- Image sensor: 1/2.3-in. type
CMOS; total pixels: Approx.
16.79 million
- ISO: 125-6400
- Panoramas
Acer liquid - 13 MP 201 Pictures
Jade z - HDR
- Panoramas

20
 Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House

Software Version Task

Scene 5.4.4.41689 Registration, colorization, removing the
noise, creating and exporting point cloud
to Recap.
Autodesk Recap 2016 Clipping and exporting point cloud to
Revit.

Autodesk Autocad 2016 Checking control points

Autodesk Revit 2016 Creation of BIM model and topography

Autodesk Navisworks 2016 Animation of the point cloud

Agisoft Photoscan 1.1.4.2021 Geo-referencing the point cloud of the

roof
Autodesk Civil 3D 2016 Generation of a topographic map from
the point cloud
3D Reshaper 2016 Mesh generation point cloud

Cloud compare 2.6.0. Mesh generation from point cloud

21

Lessons learned
During the survey, several issues were
faced but it was, in the end, really
instructive. A few lessons learned
through the survey of this case study
deserve to be highlighted.
As for any type of survey, good
planning is essential and preliminary
site visits are required to establish it.
Before starting the survey, one has to
define the objectives of the survey. It is
elementary –but essential- to know
what use will be made out of the
collected data sets. This first step will
help save time by avoiding capturing
useless information, or having to
repeat scans to acquire additional
data to complete planned
documentation. Moreover, it will
reduce the files’ size by focusing on
what is needed only. As it is the case
here, it is not always possible to know
in advance the use that will be made
of the collected data. In this case, and
with limited time, one needs to ensure
that the collection of data will still give
the surveyor the possibility to opt for
different possible uses (BIM, 2D
drawings, …).
After having defined the aims, one has
to decide which techniques would be
the most appropriate to accomplish
the task. It essentially depends on two
kinds of factors. On the one hand,
some factors are inherent to the site
and make the survey impossible with
certain methods. Lacks of electricity,
partitioned spaces, surrounding
buildings, and stability issues are all
examples of facts that can affect the
Methodology – Surveying the Strutt House
efficiency of some survey techniques.
On the other hand, issues that are
completely external to the site such as
availability, cost, and time constraints
can play an important role in defining
the most appropriate method.
Therefore, the planning has to be
done very accurately and with
foresight. One should know, before
going on site, all the scans that are
required as well as how to connect
them together. Indeed, one might
face the issue of having a really short
window to register one scan with
another and should know in advance
how to solve the problem.
Furthermore, after having defined the
amount of scans, one can define the
time required to complete the survey.
In this regard, drawing sketches with
the positions of the scans as well as the
positions of each necessary target or
sphere is essential.
One last thing to achieve before
starting the survey is to have a
checklist of all the material necessary
on site to avoid forgetting a battery or
memory card for instance.
Additionally, you need to make sure
that all the batteries are charged and
that you have enough space to store
the data once the survey is in process
or over.
Respecting these principles mitigate
mistakes or problems during the
registration of scans. Moreover, it will
make the latter much quicker and
easier.
22

INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE STUDY
First and foremost, a brief
photographic report has been
achieved in order to give an insight
into the case study and its outstanding
qualities to the reader who is not
familiar with the Strutt House
(Appendice D ). Moreover, Archival
plans (Appendice B) are also
available.
This chapter aims at providing the
reader with a good understanding of
the study case, the Strutt House, thanks
to the analysis and description of the
building in three different fields.
Indeed, the historical context of the
era in which the construction was
achieved, the location of the house
and its relations with the urban context
at several scales, and the Architecture
itself with all its features will be studied
and analyzed in depth. In the end, a
3
value assessment will attempt to
summarize and conclude the chapter.
First of all, the historical background
will consist of different parts. The first
will mainly focus on the emergence of
Modern Architecture in Canada.
Secondly, the impacts of the
appearance and development of this
“new style” in the particular National
Capital Region, in which the building is
set, will be analyzed. Finally, a last part
will have as objective to place
James W. Strutt in this context as well
as to give a general overview of the
architect’s life, philosophy and career.
The second part, the urban analysis,
will consist of several analyses at three
different scales. Firstly the location of
the house vis-à-vis the NCR and more
particularly the cities of Gatineau and
Ottawa will be analyzed. A second
scale will be investigated with the aim
23

of understanding the links between
the Strutt House, on the one hand, and
the Township of Aylmer as well as the
Gatineau Park in which it is located,
on the other hand. The last part will
focus on the landscape around the
house, studying the relationships
between the edifice on the one hand,
and, on the other hand, the natural
and built environment around it.
Additionally, this section will provide
explanations about the very particular
legal context of the Strutt House’s site
and the impacts on the building’s
conservation.
Then, in the third part, an architectural
description and analysis will endeavor
to give a clear overview of the
architect’s design and all its
Introduction to the case study
characteristic features. All the aspects
of the Architecture will be explained
and illustrated. Additionally, the
adaptations to the building over time
will be outlined in order to establish a
clear distinction between what is
original and what is not. It is also
important to understand these
adaptations and the process behind in
order to define, later on, their values.
Lastly, as mentioned previously, the
final part of this chapter will provide
the reader with a value assessment
that will be a kind of conclusion or
summary of the chapter. Mapping the
building phases, and assessing values
to the latter will be followed by a Nara
Grid of the artifact.
24
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background
Historical background
In order for the historical background
to be complete, one should analyze
the different processes that took
place, at different places and times,
and determine how they contributed
to the creation of the very particular
context in which the Strutt House was
built. Indeed, to understand the
concepts embodied in this
Architecture, many topics have to be
covered.
First of all, to understand the
emergence of Modern Architecture in
Canada, one needs to understand the
social and economical context of this
era, mainly generated by the two
successive world wars and all their
consequences. This has to be done at
all different scales. Indeed, strong
cultural differences at the
international, national, and regional
level have influenced the manner on
how this new Architecture was
integrated in Canadian society.
Secondly, the different evolutions of
cities themselves also played a key
role in the establishment of the
Modern Movement. A first part will
attempt to summarize these processes
so as to answer the “When”, “How”,
and “Why” about the appearance of
Modern Architecture in Canada and,
more particularly in the National
Capital Region (NCR). The latter will be
explained and illustrated in a second
part.
Thirdly, having established the
historical context, it is then imperative
to learn more about the architect
himself. Indeed, if the context and the
general trends of this time are clearly
present in the design of the Strutt
House, the conception is an individual
interpretation and understanding of a
certain type of Architecture, at a
given time and place. Moreover, since
the design was done by & for him,
understanding the background of the
architect, his needs and expectations
is crucial to understand his personal
reflection.
25
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background
Modern movement in Canada
Before exploring the development of
the Modern Movement in Canada’s
Architecture, it is elementary to define
what this movement is. Then, the
evolution and the processes of
change within this movement have to
be understood so as to understand
better the context in which it was
“imported” in the studied area as well
as the different forms that it took once
applied in this particular environment
and atmosphere.
The modern movement
“L’historien qui entreprend de retrace
l’évolution de l’Architecture moderne se
doit d’abord de délimiter son sujet. De
nombreuses époques ayant qualifié leur
propre Architecture de «moderne», le
terme en lui-même manqué de précision.
L’Architecture moderne qui nous occupe
ici est née à la fin du XIX° siècle et au
début du XX° siècle en réaction à
l’anarchie et l’éclectisme attribué à la
reprise des formes historiques du XIX°
siècle. … . Il s’agissait alors de redécouvrir
la vraie vocation de l’Architecture, de
mettre au jour des formes correspondant
aux besoins et aux aspirations des sociétés
industrielles modernes et de créer des
images propres à exprimer les idéaux d’un
«âge moderne» qui se voulait différent. … .
En d’autres termes, l’Architecture
moderne devait proposer un nouveau
répertoire de formes symboliques qui
réflecteraient les réalités de son temps
mieux que ne l’avait fait un salmigondis de
«styles historiques»”. 4
«Il (Le mouvement moderne), est le fruit
d’un certain nombre de circonstances
4 William J. R. Curtis, L’Architecture
moderne depuis 1900, Paris, Phaidon,
1982.
favorables et de courants d’idées ayant
chacun une généalogie propre.» 5
In these statements, William Curtis
explains that the “modern
Architecture” is a reaction against the
use of the “neo” styles during the
preceding centuries. This new
Architecture should represent its era
and be adapted to its needs and
challenges. The first-fruits of this
modern Architecture dates back to
the 19th century when the idea of
progress arose gradually after a
consequent loss of trust in the
aesthetic of the Renaissance.
In addition, the industrial revolution
played a major role in the
development of a new Architecture.
Indeed, firstly, the new techniques,
technologies, materials, ways of
production, etc., allowed the creation
of a new Architecture with new means
of representation and conception
much more adapted to the
requirements of its time.
Secondly, it had created the specific
social and economical context that
generated a need to adapt
Architecture in order to better answer
the new needs of the people. It has
considerably changed the life style of
the inhabitants in urban and rural
areas. Moreover, it has lead to the
construction of numerous buildings
and sites that had no past references
5 William J. R. Curtis, L’Architecture
moderne depuis 1900, Paris, Phaidon,
1982.
26
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background
or conventions (Stations, skyscrapers,
…).
The loss of personal creativity -implied
by industrialization- and the
disappearance of crafts resulted in
strong opposite artistic movements
claiming for a restart of crafts because
they believed that the mass
production and its lack of humanity
made the establishment of new
“culture” impossible.
At the beginning, if the main
objectives and aspirations (use of new
construction methods, new functional
requirements, improved human
condition,…) were quite similar, there
was no common architectural
expression to represent these ideas.
However, between 1910 and 1920, an
attempt was made to propose a
common vision. Several “masters” of
Architecture (Le Corbusier, Ludwig
Mies Van der Rohe, Walter Gropius,…)
contributed to the emergence of an
“International Style”. These important
architects believed in the universal
character of the style and were
convinced that this answer to the
challenges faced by the twentieth
century was the only truth Architecture
of the 20th century. Before and during
the Second World War, many
influential architects emigrated,
especially in the United States, and
continued to develop their vision of a
modern Architecture.
As a matter of fact, the Modern
Movement took many different
aspects along the following decades.
If the International Style continued to
be widely applied, many other
approaches of this modern
Architecture arose.
Modern movement in
Canada
It would be a considerable work to
describe the different movements
inside the Modern Movement and, for
the purpose of this work, the study will
focus on the development of the
Modern Movement in North America
and more particularly In Canada
during the post war era. Indeed, even
though the first examples of modern
Architecture in Canada have been
built during the 1930’s 6, the modern
movement really started to be
adopted after the Second World War.
However, it is important to mention the
first trends of the Modern Movement in
the United States which were linked to
the emergence of the “Arts and
Crafts” movement: the Prairie style
and the American Arts and Crafts. The
first one is particularly important to
underline here because, as explained
further, Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW), who
was one of the most influential
architect in the prairie style, also had a
strong impact on James W. Strutt’s
career.
As written before, the “International
Style” arrived in the Americas thanks to
the immigration to the US of masters
such as Mies Van der Rohe and Walter
Gropius, among other reasons.
6D. Sharp, C. Cooke, The modern Movement in
Architecture, Selections from the DOCOMOMO
Registers, 010 Publishers, Rotterdam, 2000, p.
202.
27
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background
Figure 13 - 1950-56, Crown hall, Illinois institute
of technology, Chicago, Mies Van der Rohe
https://tshkbarc1a.files.wordpress.com/2011/08
/mies-van-der-rohe3.jpg
Figure 14 - 1938, Gropius House, Lincoln
Massachusetts, Walter Gropius,
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm
ons/0/03/Walter_Gropius_photo_Gropius_house
_Lincoln_MA.jpg
Even though a first generation of
architects, many who travelled to
Europe, started to implement modern
Architecture in education and
practice in the early 20’s, the first
“modern” constructions were mainly
small scale residential buildings. It is
important to mention the very
conservative character of Canada in
this period. As a consequence, the
Modern Movement took much more
time to “make its way” through
Canada. A series of events/processes
combined to introduce these new
reflections in the universities first, and,
later on, to the whole of Canadian
society.
First of all, the modern movement in
the US spread significantly during the
30’s, due to the immigration of
numerous European leaders of the
modern movement before the Second
World War. Canadian architects who
went to study in the US, or who had
travelled to Europe, came back with
strong influences. Either they had been
confronted with the work of these
masters or, in other cases, they had
been directly in contact with the same
architects in universities (conferences,
exhibitions, courses, …). Some of these
architects became teachers in
Canadian universities and shared
these new influences, inspiring the next
generations. James W. Strutt is an
interesting illustration of this
phenomenon.
Secondly, In addition to the shift in
Architecture schools, the particular
context of the post-WWII era in
Canada provided an ideal context for
the development of modern
movement.
First, the need for experts during the
war resulted in the immigration of
highly skilled professionals from Europe.
Architects were coming with Modern
Movement (MoMo) ideas and had
strong influence both through
education and practice. Also, a new
type of client who embraced the
ideas of the MoMo arrived thanks to
the immigration of many types of
experts from Europe who were asking
for this kind of Architecture. As a
consequence, the arrival of both new
clients (already convinced by the
Modern Movement ideas) and new
architects highly contributed to the
28
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

emergence of this new “style” and Competition to search for small house
way of thinking in this huge country. designs.” 8

Secondly, several facts resulted in an

important increase of the urban
populations and, as a consequence,
in a very significant shortage of
housing. The lack of housing was
reinforced by an important migration
from the rural areas to cities and by Figure 15 - CHMC, constructions on the basis of
returning soldiers from World War 2 the small houses design catalogue,
http://halifaxbloggers.ca/builthalifax/wp-
who also needed housing. content/uploads/sites/16/2015/01/image1big.j
pg
Thirdly, a last important element,
directly linked to the last mentioned,
that facilitated the expansion of the
Modern Movement in Canada was
the creation of the CMHC (Canadian
Mortage Housing Corporation). This
department was created in 1946 in
order to address the lack of housing.

«… post-war housing in Canada derives

from the Wartime Housing Limited
program which – as its name implies –
provided Canadians with homes during
the World War II; however, many houses
built in peacetime came from the
concentrated effort of Central Mortgage
and Housing Corporation (CMHC), called
the Small House Design Scheme. This was
a program initiated immediately after
World War II to gather house designs from
licensed architects across the country in a
series of books which CMHC made
available to the general public at their
regional branches.» 7
“In order to make quality plans available
to low and middle-income families, within
an attainable price range, the CMHC
launched the Canadian Small House
Figure 16 - CHMC small house design
catalogue illustration, http://2.bp.blogspot.com
This program was actually a
competition in which any architect
could submit plans of houses that had
to be affordable but that was not the
only criteria. As a matter of fact, the
goal was to offer as much living space
as possible to Canadians with the
limited amount of money they had.
Some blue prints were selected and
published in a catalogue. The
architects received 1000 Canadian
dollars for each published design and
another 3 for each blue print sold. On

7 Ioana Teodorescu, Building Small Houses in

Postwar Canada : Architects, Homeowners 8 City of Ottawa, Briarcliffe, Heritage
and Bureaucratic Ideals, 1947-1974, McGill Conservation District Study and Plan, City of
University, Montréal, August 2012, p. 2. Ottawa, Ottawa, December 2012, p. 27.

29
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background
the other side, the citizens could
purchase these blue prints for 10
Canadian dollars which made it very
affordable. The cityscape of
Canadian cities has been deeply
modified with these constructions and
a lot of them are still visible nowadays.
As we can see on the picture
underneath, James W. Strutt has
designed a house for this competition.
Figure 17 - Design 270, Gilleland & Strutt, Front
and left facades
Figure 18 - Design 270, Gilleland & Strutt, floor
plan
The interesting element on these
documents is the very functional
design of the architect. The clear
distinction of the living spaces and the
night spaces, the integration of built-in
furniture in the design, the sequences
among the different spaces and the
very rational use of the space are
concepts that also find in the Strutt
House regardless of the geometry
used.
The interesting part is that this program
offered a real playground for
architects. That was the perfect
occasion to apply the modern
movement lessons. As a result, an
important shift occurred during the
50’s and 60’s from the design of basic
and traditional buildings to
experimentation and innovation in
design, construction, materials and so
on.
To conclude, key aspects are
important to keep in mind. If the
modern movement was not directly
embraced by Canadians, the social
and economic context provoked by
the two successive world wars,
essentially WW2, created the ideal
conditions for the emergence of a
new Architecture. Different specific
processes are particularly noticeable.
First of all, the immigration of MoMo
masters in the US gradually influenced
the Canadian schools of
Architectures. Secondly, the need for
experts during the war together with
the important shortage of housings,
due to several migration processes,
created both the demand for a
modern Architecture and the means
to design it. Finally, the housing
programs launched by the
government in order to address the
shortage of accommodation in the
post war era, allowed the architects to
experiment this new Architecture.
The representation of this Architecture
took many different forms in Canada
since the influences were numerous
and varied. Indeed, some architects
were strongly influenced by the
International Style, others were
attracted by the prairie style, and so
on.
30
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

Development in the National Capital Region

The situation was similar in Ottawa, as environment than in a crowded city
in the balance of the country, with a centre while still being at reasonable
clear inability to accommodate both driving distances from city centers.
the migrants and new immigrants. In
addition to the factors that led to the These particular circumstances
shortage of housings in other cities, the provided architects of the era with an
significant growth of the ideal context to experiment with
“administrative city” Ottawa made this modern Architecture through these
issue even bigger than elsewhere in numerous new constructions. A very
Canada. As a matter of fact, the large wide architectural production took
amount of new workers searching for place with varied building types.
a place to settle and the existing Indeed, if a lot of residential
urban core –being incapable of Architecture was produced,
hosting these new arrivals within its institutional buildings, churches,
boundaries-, resulted in the suburban schools as well as many others were
areas gradually being developed and also constructed. These examples
built. illustrate the new architectural
production of that time in the city
«Car-oriented suburban development was Ottawa.
the most significant change in North
American development and urban
planning after the Second World War. ... .
In the American Suburb, John Teaford
explains that America has had a long
tradition of suburbs in the sense that
people have long taken advantage of the
space and freedom of mobility afforded
by North American society and
geography to create outlying
communities and satellites of larger
centres» 9

As written above, a second trend that

resulted in the creation of housings at
the outskirts of the city was the
affordability of single family housing for
returning soldiers as well as the
significant increase in cars ownership.
It was then more interesting for these
new comers to build outside the city
and enjoy a more spacious living

9 City of Ottawa, Briarcliffe, Heritage Figure 19 - robink.ca, Paul Schoeler's Public

Conservation District Study and Plan, City of Service Alliance of Canada Building, 1968.
Ottawa, Ottawa, December 2012, p. 11.

31
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

The combination of both ideas led to

the production of very qualitative
Architecture in a remarkable setting.
The guidelines established at the
beginning allowed to control the
expansion of buildings in this natural
framework and allowed its
preservation.

Figure 20 - cac.mcgill.ca, John Blanc, Old city

hall of Ottawa, 1958

Regarding the development of

suburban residential Architecture, and
the experimentation of modern
architects, the development of
Briarcliffe’s neighborhood is very
interesting. The latter is located in
Gloucester and more particularly in
Figure 21 - Duncan house, Alex Heaton,
Rothwell heights, at the east of Briarcliffe, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Ottawa.

“The houses of Briarcliffe and Rothwell

Heights arguably constitute the most
significant contribution to residential
modernism in Ottawa.” 10

This area contains a wide variety of

modern residential buildings due to
the very interesting manner in which
investors decided to develop the site.
In 1959, 4 people purchased the land
Figure 22 - Marshall House, Matthew
and started to establish the guidelines Stankiewicz, Briarcliffe, picture taken by author
of the future land-development. The
most important guideline was the
intention to control the design of the
houses. Indeed, “the partners shared a
vision for a neighbourhood based upon
Modernist ideals of design, and harmony
with nature.” 11

10 Debanné, Janine. “The modernist house in

Ottawa and the vulnerability of perfect
dimension.”
11 Debanné, Janine. “The modernist house in
Figure 23 – Marshall House, Matthew
Ottawa and the vulnerability of perfect
Stankiewicz, Briarcliffe, picture taken by author
dimension.”

32
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

«... Several prominent architects of the day Architecture’s development of this

designed houses on Kindle Court and stage in Ottawa’s region, the example
Briarcliffe Drive, including, James W. Strutt, of Briarcliffe shows perfectly the
Paul Schoeler, Brian Barkham and
context in which James W. Strutt
Matthew Stankiewicz. The houses built by
designed his family house. Though, it is
Jack Dirks on Briarcliffe Drive were based
important to precise that the
on architect’s plans available from the
CMHC Small House Deisgn Program. Some construction of this modern
of these plans met the requirements of the neighbourhood started in the early
covenant (4 Briarcliffe) and others were 60’s while the architect built his home
modified as necessary and signed by in 1956.
Walter Schreier. ... . Many of these
architects were part of the influx of skilled
and educated immigrants who came to
Canada in the wake of the Second World
War.» 12

The house designed by James W. Strutt

in this neighbourhood is interesting vis-
à-vis the design of the Strutt House.
Apart from the common use of
wooden hypars in the roof, the
harmonious cohabitation of the
buildings and the surrounding nature is
also an aspect present in both
projects.

Figure 24 - Kemper house, James W. Strutt,

picture taken by author

This very interesting architectural

production is nowadays designated as
a heritage district. More than giving a
clear illustration of Modern

12 City of Ottawa, Briarcliffe, Heritage

Conservation District Study and Plan, City of
Ottawa, Ottawa, December 2012.

33
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background
James W. Strutt
Understanding the personality and the
influence that Strutt has had,
essentially in the NCR, is a very
important step to undertake before
trying to understand the design of his
own house. This chapter aims at
describing the most noticeable facts
of the architect’s life. Analyzing his
education, his professional and
academic career as well as his
experience as a pilot will provide us
with a clear overview.
James William Strutt was born on the
8th of January 1924, in Ontario and
died the 8th of November of the year
2008 in Ottawa. Together with his wife
Audrey Elizabeth Strutt, who was a
writer/philosopher 13 they had
4 children (Lesley, David, Katherine
and Jocelyn).
Regarding his education, Strutt was
first graduated from Ottawa technical
high school in 1942 before serving
Canada during WWII as a pilot of the
Royal Canadian Air Force. The years
spent in the aviation field were going
to strongly influence the designs of the
man who received, in 1950, his
bachelor in Architecture with honors in
design at the University of Toronto.
Indeed, in the architectural analysis,
we will observe that the structure of
the Strutt House “has the parsimonious
quality of an aircraft frame” 14. All
along his career, he has been involved
13 Lesley Strutt website.
http://www.lesleystrutt.ca (accessed on May
16, 2016)
14 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 5.
in many institutions of Canada and
more specifically in Quebec and
Ontario, at different levels, for the
development of Architecture in his
region (RAIC, OAA, RCAA, NCC, City
of Ottawa, …). However, the
recognition of his talent was reaching
places way beyond regional borders,
as illustrated by his Rhombi system
selected for emergency housing in
1995, in Japan as well as many other
projects in Central and South America,
Europe, and North Africa.
So as to structure the description of
Jim Strutt’s career, a part will, on the
one hand, focus on his practice as
architect and, on the other hand, a
second one will illustrate his
commitment to the education of the
next generations of architects. The
transmission of both knowledge and
know-how was something very
important for the architect.
First of all, Strutt has worked in three
firms during his long and productive
career. From 1951 to 1960, time during
which he built his own house, he was
working in the “Gilleland and Strutt”
architectural office. Then, he spent the
next 6 years of his professional career
in the firm “Strutt & Adamson” before
creating his own office where he had
worked until 2007. During these 56
years of work, his extensive production
consists of a very wide range of
buildings of different types (airports,
churches, administrative buildings,
domestic Architecture,…). If he was
particularly interested in exploring
different topics in his Architecture
(Weight-efficiency, wooden hypars,
34
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background
relation between the built and
surrounding nature, non-orthogonal
geometries, use of wider angles than
90°, the form and function 15,...), he has
never limited his Architecture to a
single vocabulary, style, or expression.
He was rather, always considering
other possibilities and exploring
different materials, spatial
configuration, …
«From round-plan homes, to rhombi-
shaped yacht clubs to hexagonal
recreational facilities, his enthusiasm was a
powerful force to be reckoned with.» 16
But James W. Strutt was much more
than a devoted architect. Indeed, all
along his practical projects, he has
also been involved in the education of
the future architects. As an author of
papers, as a Professor or even as the
director of the Carleton University’s
School of Architecture, Strutt invested
a lot of time sharing knowledge with
students and the Strutt House is a good
example of that. Indeed, the car port
located in the first plateau of the site is
actually a project of Strutt and his
students. Moreover, he often gave
casual lectures to visiting students
seated on the wooden structure built
around the swimming pool.
Among other things, Strutt was known
for his very low cost but high quality
houses. An article of the “Toronto Star
review”, in 1962, report that:
“Architect James W. Strutt’s own four
bedroom cost less than 15 000 $, and it’s
only one of about 100 houses he’s built in
15 Titania Truesdale, Design Biography of James
W. Strutt.
16 Architect Jim Strutt dies at 84, The Ottawa
citizen, Ottawa, November 10, 2008.
the Hull-Ottawa area,… . How does he do
it… ? He’s unorthodox, and so are its
inexpensive houses. Strutt’s experiments
with structure, aiming at the most
economical use of labor and new
materials. He has, more than once, used
roofs that are hyperbolic paraboloids or
multiples of them. Many people seeing the
houses without understanding the
rationale from which they spring would
dismiss their designer as only “radical”.” 17
The use of hypars was indeed
absolutely not an arbitrary design or
fantasy, but rather a way to optimize
the use of materials and reduce the
cost of construction. The economy of
material obtained thanks to the
exceptional weight efficiency ratios
was one of his major aims.
Moreover, his research in non
orthogonal geometries was driven by
several intentions. In the one hand, he
intended to offer spatial qualities that
can be found in the natural
environment, such as caves for
example. Even though he had also
worked with orthogonal compositions,
he wanted to provide users with
stimulating and inspiring spaces. Wide
and narrow angles, inclined roof,
hypars and other features of his
Architecture give indeed an organic
dimension to his houses. In the other
hand, his research in geometry was
serving functional purposes. For
instance, in the Strutt House, one can
observe that the Canadian architect
took advantage of every single corner
and optimized the utilization of the
space. If the house spaces seem very
small when looking at their square
meters, the architectural qualities and
17 Canadians Worth Knowing, Star Weekly,
Toronto Star, Toronto, 1962.
35
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

the functionality of the place give the

visitor the impression of a very spacious
building. The use of non orthogonal
geometries was a way of rationalizing
his ideas and spatial concepts. As a
result, the architect’s process to design
houses was not to “fit” a program into
an arbitrary geometry determined in
advance but rather a way to express
and represent his ideas into a
concrete project that embodies his
spatial and functional vision of
Architecture. Figure 26 - Baldock’s house drawings, James
W. Strutt, National Archives of Canada, Based
As we can see on the architects on R5736-31-2-E
drawings underneath, James W. Strutt,
in the elaboration of projects, first tried
to define a concept emerging from
the intrinsic qualities and values of the
sites on one side, and the
requirements of a program on the
other. Afterwards, he gradually
applied the most appropriate
geometries that would be “naturally
structural” 18 and as such, allow the
most economical and rational use of
materials.

Figure 27 – Baldock’s house drawings, James

W. Strutt, National Archives of Canada, Based
on R5736-31-2-E

Figure 25 – Baldock’s house drawings, James
W. Strutt, National Archives of Canada, Based
on R5736-31-2-E
Influences
If James W. Strutt might have received
lots of influences due to the great
amount of people he has been
collaborating with, two of them
particularly played a key role in the
architect’s design and career.

18 B. Hierlihy, T. Truesdale, The Strutt House, Firstly, during his studies, J.S. was
School of Canadian studies, Carleton
fascinated by the amazing work of
University, Ottawa, March 2013, p. 6.

36
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

Frank Lloyd Wright and the for the Geodesic dome (he designed
architectural qualities of the Prairie the Montréal Biosphere for the 1967
Style. They especially shared interests universal exposition), was also
in designing buildings in harmony with exploring in depth weight-efficiency
their surrounding landscape, the use of ratios for his structures. He particularly
non orthogonal geometries and so on. interested Strutt who attended some
A good example of the importance of of his talks and ended up talking with
Wright’s work on the Architecture of Fuller. This fact is specifically important
James W. Strutt is the Palmer house, to be mentioned in this case, since
built in 1950 in the Michigan. Strutt had asked ‘Bucky’ for
Materiality, geometry explorations, review/advice on the design of his
functionalism and many other own house.
elements of the American architect
“His dedication to innovative geometries
can be found in a great deal of Strutt’s
sprang from his admiration for
projects.
Buckminster Fuller’s concern for weight-
“He soon fell in love with the work of efficiency ratios and his philosophy of
Frank Lloyd Wright. As a student, he “anticipatory design”.” 20
copied the architect's entire portfolio of
drawings and was even able to convince
him to give lectures and workshops to his
class. As the storey goes, Mr. Wright was
an arrogant old sod, as well as a brilliant
designer and devoted mentor. "That
young man is going places," he said of his
talented young admirer.” 19

Figure 28 - Palmer house, 1950, Michigan, Frank

Lloyd Wright, http://www.fodors.com/ Figure 29 - 1967, Montréal, Geodesic dome of
Buckminster Fuller, picture taken by author
Secondly, the work of
Buckminster Fuller also caught his Design
attention. The American architect &
inventor who was particularly famous As written above the architectural
production of James W. Strutt is wide

19 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage

Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc. 20Titania Truesdale, Design Biography of James
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 18. W. Strutt.

37
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

and diverse both in the building types

created as well as in the different
themes explored along all the
projects. Lots of his buildings received
prizes and some of them are
designated (3) as heritage and one of
his realizations has the “confirmed”
status. The most noticeable topics
explored by Strutt are; hyperbolic
paraboloid (Wooden and concrete
ones), weight efficiency ratios, non
orthogonal geometries, light and Figure 31 - Picture of the Dawson house,
http://www.royallepage.ca/
structure, form and function,
harmonious integration of Architecture This house located in the Senneville
in the landscape,… The examples Quebec, a suburd of Montreal, is an
illustrated underneath aim at providing early construction of James W. Strutt
the reader with an idea of the rich, but is already very accomplished.
varied and highly valuable legacy of Clear identical features of his
James William Strutt. Architecture are already observable in
the building such as geometry
Due to the residential character of the
explorations, integration in the natural
building studied here, the focus of the
context, materiality and so on. The
examples will mainly be in this
client, Bill Dawson, became a close
category. Though, several examples of
friend of James W. Strutt during all his
other building types will be displayed,
life. In addition to having collaborated
such as churches for instance.
on several projects (Mr. Dawson was a
Residential Architecture contractor), the latter also helped him
directly in the construction of the Strutt
- Dawson house 1953 House in 1957.

- Gibson house 1955

This house, located in Ottawa, gives

the impression of Being an observatory
or rather a control tower. The very
«enclosed» living spaces located at
the ground floor are contrasting with
the fully open first floor containing the
night spaces.

Figure 30 - Picture of the Dawson house,

http://www.royallepage.ca/

38
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

concept is quite similar. The design

also shows that Strutt experienced
working with orthogonal geometries.
The views, spatial planning and
architectural composition are some
very interesting aspects of this building.

Figure 32 - Picture of the exterior, taken by

author

Figure 35 - Picture of the Hall house, taken by

author

Figure 36 - Picture of the Hall house, taken by

author
Figure 33 - Picture of the exterior, taken by
author
- Weiner house 1958

The Weiner house is one of the only

houses designed by James W. Strutt
that has been built with very noble
materials such as the white marble
envelope for instance. Here again, the
composition is mostly orthogonal and
Figure 34 - Picture of the inside of the Gibson contrasts with the constructions of
house, 2.bp.blogspot.com
Strutt in the Gatineau hills. Of course,
- Hall house 1956 the context is very different and much
more urban than the latter.
Presenting many similarities with the
Dawson house, in terms of materiality
essentially, this realization of the
architect is also interesting for its
spatial organization. The organization
of an open space for the living areas
around a central core is very modern
and even if geometrically differently Figure 37 - Picture of the Weiner house, taken
expressed than in the Strutt House, the by author

39
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background
Figure 38 - Picture of the Weiner house, taken
by author
- Baldock house 1959
This very special design of Strutt is
actually a neighbor to the architect’s
family house. The materials are mainly
wood and insulated precast concrete
blocks, and the house is composed of
three main hexagonal entities bridged
by a fourth central one that contains
the stair case. The concrete blocks,
especially designed for this project
can also be found, here and there, on
the site of the Strutt House either used
for masonry walls near the carport or
simply as steps only laid on the ground.
Figure 39 - Floor plan of the Baldock house,
National Archives of Canada, Based on R5736-
31-2-E
Figure 40 - Exterior of the Baldock house,
picture taken by author
- Geldart house 1961
This house is particularly interesting
when studying the Strutt House.
Indeed, built 4 years later than the
latter, the Geldart house, also built in
the Gatineau hills, shares a lot of
architectural characteristics with the
house of the Architect. The use of a
central core in concrete blocks
masonry, the plywood built-in furniture,
the use of wooden hypars and red
cedar as the main material, the spatial
organization with the living spaces in
the front and the night spaces in the
back, only separated by the central
core, the two terraces, and the
symmetric composition presents lots of
similarities with the Strutt House, in spite
of being primarily circular in form.
Figure 41 - Picture of the Geldart house,
sites.googlegroups.com
40
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

Figure 42 - Picture of the Geldart house, Figure 45 - Picture of the Geldart house,
sites.googlegroups.com sites.googlegroups.com

- Fischer house 1966

Figure 43 - Plan of the Geldart house,

sites.googlegroups.com
Figure 46 - Image of the Fischer house, taken
by author

This very unusual design of

James W. Strutt is actually the only one
that has a confirmed heritage status.
This is mainly due to the rare example
of an ‘International Style’
interpretation by Strutt, its integration
into the very steep revine at the back
of the site, and its very valuable
interiors.

Figure 44 - Picture of the Geldart house,

sites.googlegroups.com

41
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

- Borman house 1968 This work shows the maturity of the

architect in his practice as well as his
ability to work with talented craftsman.

Figure 48 - National Archives of Canada, Based

on R5736-31-2-E; Floor plan of the Borman
house

Figure 47 - Picture of the Borman house, taken

by author

This incredible construction is actually

one of the most achieved in terms of
construction details, integration in the
landscape and materiality. Organised
Figure 49 – Section in the Borman house,
around a tree (that has been taken National Archives of Canada, Based on R5736-
down recently), the house is literally 31-2-E
turning around it but, above all,
looking at it. Indeed, the building is
designed in such a way that the tree
could be seen from almost every room
thanks to the large vertical openings in
the roof of the main corridor. From the
impressive entrance and its huge
cantilevered roof, the succession of
spaces is done in a smooth and
pleasant manner. The communion
between Architecture and nature is
total with the views on both the tree Figure 50 - Picture of the Borman house, taken
and the surrounding nature as well as by author
with the terraces that are running
along the building.

42
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

Churches - Bells corner united church 1962

The architects work on churches in

Ottawa, is particularly interesting
because of the impressive variety of
atmospheres created in the different
places of worship thanks to his very
sensitive approach of light and
structural composition. Moreover,
each site was for him the occasion to
experiment new ideas and this
resulted in a very rich production.

- Saint-Mark’s evangelical Figure 53 - Exterior of the church, picture taken

Anglican church 1954 by author

Figure 51 - Picture of Saint Mark church, taken Figure 54 - Interior of the church, picture taken
by author by author

- Trinity united church 1963

Figure 52 - Picture of Saint Mark church, taken Figure 55 - Exterior of the church, picture taken
by author by author

43
 Introduction to the case study – Historical Background

Recreational buildings
- Westboro beach pavilion 1966

Figure 56 - sketch of the church,

2.bp.blogspot.com

Government buildings Figure 59 - Picture of the exterior, taken by

author
- Halifax air terminal 1956
Finally, a statement from the architect
published in 1959, in a local paper,
gives another insight about his vision of
Architecture.

«My style is based on a study of

Figure 57 - Halifax airport, picture of the
exterior, halifaxbloggers.ca
techniques, materials and methods of
construction which exist today. It
embodies getting down to basics - basic
ideas of construction and design. I aim for
the most economical use of the materials
available and achieve this by creating my
home around forms which themselves are
naturally structural.» 21

- Uplands/Ottawa International
Airport 1958

Figure 58 - Picture of Uplands Ottawa airport, 21Paul M. Dunn, "Strutt's Touch is Transforming
Fondation Strutt Foundation. Gatineau Hills,” The Ottawa Citizen, May 15,
1959.

44
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
Urban analysis
After the completion of his studies of
Architecture in Toronto,
James W. Strutt went back to Ottawa
where he started to work as an
architect. Together with his wife, they
started to seek out a site to build the
family house. This step was done in
1951 when they purchased a land
along Mountain road, in the township
of Aylmer. Since 2002 and the
reunification of several municipalities
on the Quebec side of the Ottawa
river, Aylmer is now a sector of the city
of Gatineau. The architect was
searching for a site in a natural setting
with outstanding qualities so as to
design his house in harmony with it.
In 1951, the landscape was very
different and much more untouched
than it is nowadays in the area of the
Strutt House. This neighborhood was
previously mainly used for
agriculture/forestry and remained
mostly unbuilt until the major urban
developments in the suburban areas
of the Canadian capital.
In order to understand the stakes of
the project both for the house and its
urban and natural context, four
different analysis have to be
achieved. First, it is important to take
into account the broader context of
the National Capital Region and the
relations with the house. Secondly, the
interrelations between the building
and the Gatineau Park as well as the
township of Aylmer will be analyzed.
The third part will focus on the
surrounding environment of the site
and the integration of what is often
considered as the architect’s master
piece into it. Finally, to clarify the
particular geographic setting of the
Strutt House and the consequences on
a legal point of view, explanation
about the evolution of the status of the
house will be provided as well as the
process during which the construction
became heritage.
45
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
Macro scale: link with the city, comparison with
other cases
In this part, the evolution of Ottawa-
Hull and environs will firstly be
explained. In a second part, several
analysis about the relations between
the site and the main features of both
cities (Ottawa & Gatineau) will be
developed.
History of the development
process of the National
Capital
Before the war of 1812 between the
United States and Canada, the region
of Ottawa and Gatineau remained
mostly unbuilt. The land was mainly
exploited for agriculture and timber
trade. Since the inception of the first
activities and settlements, the Ottawa
River has always played a key role,
being a major transportation route
and a really “important corridor of the
central Canada” 22.
The first people to be established in this
region were the Algonquins (the
“Kichesippirini” which mean “the
people of the great river”) chased
later on by the Iroquois. In the 17th
and 18th century, the Ottawa valley
was discovered by a collection of
explorers, missionaries, fur traders,
travelers and so on. The first noticeable
settlement is the one of Philemon
Wright around the year 1800, at
Chaudière falls, located on the
Ottawa River, between Ottawa and
22 Canada National Capital Commission, A
capital in the Making, Toronto, Micromedia,
1998.
Gatineau. At this time, the population
was not in excess of 1000 inhabitants.
The economy was going to be
transformed during the 19th century
and the economic activities of
Philemon Wright community such as
transportation and commerce
illustrate well this shift.
Figure 60 - 1823, Painting of Philemon Wright's
Settlement in Chaudière Falls,
The first urban developments in
Ottawa date back from the beginning
of the 19th century and are due to
strategic reasons. Because of the
economic and military weaknesses of
the Saint Lawrence River, the decision
was made to construct a Canal to
allow for controlled access to Central
Canada via the Rideau River. The
Rideau Canal System was designated
a “World Heritage Site” in 2007. The
erection of this transportation system
was supposed to offer protection
against the American invaders as well
as to improve and protect the Central
Canadian economy. The construction
of an alternative transportation route
between, Montreal and Kingston was
of major importance to improve the
46
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
economy but, most importantly, to be
prepared in case of an American
invasion. This route would indeed allow
military transportation and
communication as well as economic
activities not to be interrupted in case
of conflict.
Figure 61 - Illustration of the strategic location
of the Rideau Canal, http://boating.ncf.ca/
As a matter of fact, Colonel John By,
of the Royal Engineers, was assigned
to the development of the canal. A
significant amount of men, materials
and means of construction were
required and a construction camp
was built. This first major settlement in
the Ottawa valley was called “By-
town” in 1827 after Colonel By. This
early “urban” development attracted
contractors, merchants, fortune
hunters and informal economies
gradually settled in this unorganized
and messy place. The two recently
created cities, By-town and Wright-
town, continued to be developed in
the following decades essentially
thanks to a flourishing timber trade.
Both cities were going to be renamed
in the late 19th century as Ottawa
(1855) and Hull (1875) (respectively By-
town and Wright-town originally).
Figure 62 - Painting of Bytown in 1834,
http://cdn.images.guides.data.mobilytrip.com/
Figure 63 - Supervision of the Canal's
construction by Colonel By,
bytownyouthcouncil.files.wordpress.com
It is important to understand that both
cities evolved as two independent
entities being established on both
sides of the river and being part of
2 different regions of Canada.
Whereas By-town is settled in Ontario,
Wright-town is part of Quebec.
Moreover, both sites are located in
2 different eco-zones (Boreal shield for
Hull and Mixed wood plains for
Ottawa). The fact that the settlements
are divided in these two provinces is
not anecdotic and, until nowadays,
one can still find traces of the
affirmation of both cultural identities’
differences in the National Capital
Region. Quebec has had a long
history of independence since the
victory of the British fleat against the
French in 1759, in Quebec City. The first
constitutional act that established the
47
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

division of both provinces was perfectionné et réussi, intégrant des idées

achieved in 1791. The French visionnaires devenues ainsi des réalités.” 23
Catholics on the one hand and the
British loyalists and Protestants, on the
other hand, were very different on
many points.

In 1857, Queen Victoria decided to

establish Canada’s Capital in Ottawa
for several reasons. The natural beauty
of the site, the important military
security, the strategic location, the
presence of both linguistic (French Figure 64 - Painting of Ottawa in 1859,
and English) and cultural communities, http://spacing.ca/
and the availability of public
properties are the most important
ones. However, this choice was not
understood by all, especially because
of the lack of urban qualities,
equipment, public transportation and
hygiene. For instance, at this time, the
city did not even have a proper
sewerage system. Strong
improvements were needed and
Ottawa promised to be a challenging
construction site. The development of
the Capital from its inception until
nowadays is spectacular and
fascinating. The process in which the
city was turned into a Capital is very Figure 65 - View of Ottawa in 1876, Ottawa, an
illustrated story
interesting and gives a particular sense
to this place. Having defined the The first major interventions, at the
Capital, the construction of parliament urban scale, for the embellishment of
buildings for which the Neogothic style Ottawa were driven by Sir Wilfried
was finally chosen was required. The Laurier, head of the “Commission
construction of these edifices started d’embelissement d’Ottawa”, at the
in 1865. very end of the 19th century. The focus
of the first city improvements were
“L’effort d’embellissement entrepris par la
commission en 1899 a évolué au cours des essentially on the cleaning of the
cent dernières années : il s’est transformé riversides, the creation of walks and
en un exercice d’urbanisme hautement

23 Canada National Capital Commission, A

capital in the Making, Toronto, Micromedia,
1998, p. 4.

48
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
panoramic views and the construction
of main boulevards.
Figure 66 - 1949, Jacques Greber explains his
model with new planning for Ottawa,
http://villacavrois.blogspot.be/
Figure 67 - Before 1950, conception of the
proposition's model by Greber and
collaborators,
http://wpmedia.ottawacitizen.com/
Several studies and reports will
precede another very important stage
in the planning process of Ottawa. On
the Prime Minister’s request, the French
architect Jacques Greber came to
Ottawa to participate to the city
planning. After having made
important recommendations before
the Second World War, he worked
together with Canadians architects
and planners to establish a Master
Plan that will be called, later on, the
Greber plan. The post WWII economic
prosperity allowed the government to
invest a lot of money in the
development of its capital.
“Les planificateurs se voient confier la
tâche de transformer la région en une
capitale qui soit le reflet et le symbole du
pays. Selon eux, l’édification de la
capitale doit être une entreprise collective
suscitant la fierté de chaque Canadien et
Canadienne et permettant la
concrétisation matérielle des aspirations et
des désirs nationaux.“ 24
Figure 68 - Proposition for the centre of Hull,
Greber plan, 1950, https://qshare.queensu.ca
From the recommendations made by
the experts, five important ones can
be pointed out: the displacement of
the railroad network, the extension of
the walks around the city,
decentralization of government
buildings, the extension of the
Gatineau Park, and the creation of a
Green Belt around the city so as to
control the urban sprawl. The latter
was quite fast due to the significant
demographic growth in the post WWII
era.
24 Canada National Capital Commission, A
capital in the Making, Toronto, Micromedia,
1998, p. 23.
49
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
Figure 69 - Greenbelt around Ottawa, 2014,
sustainableheritagecasestudies.files.wordpress.
com
If the city of Hull was integrated in the
region of the National Capital since
the beginning, this former industrial
city, did not take profit of the situation
until the end of the 20th century. Since
a lot of inhabitants of Hull were
actually administration workers who
crossed the borders every day to
reach their office, the decision was
made to create an administrative
center on the Quebec side of the river
so as to create a synergy between
both entities. Other projects such as
the museum of history, for instance,
highly contributed to the development
of Hull as an integral part of Canada’s
capital.
Figure 70 – Canadian museum of History in Hull,
photos.tripomatic.com
While traces of its industrial past can
still be observed nowadays, Hull is
nowadays an important administrative
and economic center surrounded by
suburban residential areas (Townships
of Aylmer, Chelsea, Gatineau,…) and
by the Gatineau Park which is an
important recreational place for the
capital’s inhabitants.
Figure 71 - Google 3D view, illustration of major
development projects in Hull in the end of the
20th century
Besides institutions, embassies and
administrations, the education sector
also played a key role in the
development of the City. Indeed,
Carleton University and Ottawa
University are powerful actors of the
economy and the spatial evolution
processes of the capital. Their location,
one within the city center (Ottawa U)
and the other (CU) at the outskirts,
generate important pedestrian and
car flows.
Figure 72 - Ottawa's universities, Carleton &
Ottawa U, Google 3D view
The strut house, far and close
enough…
The location of the house had not
been chosen randomly. Indeed, the
50
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
natural qualities of the site, the
proximity of the Gatineau Park and the
facility to access the city center in less
than thirty minutes make this special
place highly valuable. As a matter of
fact, the family could enjoy a
peaceful life free of many pollution
types while staying closely connected
to the capital in which they could find
all the required facilities. The contrast
between these two “worlds” is still
quite impressive and makes this place
even more valuable. However, it is
important to notice that this type of
setting also has drawbacks. Actually, it
generates a car-dependence since
public transportation is less frequent
and less served in the suburbs. This
results in an added cost and an
increase in the ecological foot print.
As we can see on the image
underneath, the journey to the
capital’s city center is about
15 kilometers long and takes around
25 minutes.
Figure 73 - Distance and time between the
Strutt House and Ottawa's city centre, Google
map 2016
Being part of the province of Quebec
and the city of Gatineau, one needs
to understand that this house is first of
all part of the whole NCR. Despite the
complex legal situation that the
administrative division results in, both
sides of the river are interconnected
and need each other to work
properly.
In conclusion, it is important, when
reflecting about the conservation of
this artifact, to consider the broader
scale of the National Capital Region
and understand these interconnected
processes. The choice of the future
function will have to be chosen
carefully taking into account the
different parameters above-
mentioned in order to make it viable
and sustainable.
In the «Schéma d’aménagement et
de développement» from 2015, the
city administration of Gatineau insists
on the importance of considering
Gatineau in the biggest context of the
National Capital Region, especially on
an economic point of view.
«Il faut aussi constamment situer le
territoire de la Ville de Gatineau dans son
contexte géopolitique pour être en
mesure de mieux comprendre sa
dynamique régionale, et ce, dans toutes
les sphères d'activités. La Ville de
Gatineau est une zone urbaine dont la
structure économique est intrinsèquement
liée à son appartenance à la capitale
nationale fédérale. En effet, la fonction
publique fédérale est le principal
employeur et plus de 90 % des emplois
sont dans le secteur des services.» 25
The map underneath shows the urban
perimeter considered in the SADD and
the Strutt’s property is out of it.
However some interesting elements of
the same document disserve to be
pointed out. Indeed, the main
25 Schéma d’aménagement et de
développement révisé, Ville de Gatineau,
Gatineau, April 2015, p. 4.
51
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

intention for the development of

Gatineau is to establish a structure
made of centers of attraction of
different importance. There would be
the city centre, in the area of Hull
which would be the central point of
course. The latter would be supported
by two mixed use zone which are
ideally located and connected to Figure 74 - Boundaries of the urban perimeter
develop economic activities. The (red) of Gatineau, Usages conditionnels, Ville
urban villages would then be de Gatineau
connected to this system and
developed as fully equipped living
spaces. Around these communities, at
the outskirts of the urban perimeter of
Gatineau, smaller neighborhoods
would be preserved from
development and depend on the
closest urban villages for facilities. The
Strutt House is located in one of the
rural areas, outside of the urban Figure 75 - Urban villages, the Strutt House is
perimeter. located in 217, considered as a "millieu de vie
champêtre", http://www.gatineau.ca/

Figure 76 - SADD, spatial organization, illustration of the polycentric planning for Gatineau, City of
Gatineau

52
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Main features of the capital (industries, administrations, institutions,…)

Figure 77 - Land use in the area of Aylmer-Hull, City of Gatineau

On the map of the land use of Aylmer,
we can observe that the sector of
Aylmer is mostly residential, even
though the centre of the town is
devoted to commercial activities.
Additionally, industrial areas also take
place in the north of Aylmer, between
the city centre and the Gatineau hills.
Finally, with the Gatineau Park, the
Boucher forest and the golf club,
recreative areas are the last
representative function in Aylmer.
Another interesting feature of the map
is the city centre of Hull. We clearly see
that, apart from a small exception,
most of the industrial areas have
moved towards the north of the city to
let the place to commercial and
administrative functions.
Finally, this map also allows us to see
that Aylmer is surrounded by
agricultural lands at the western part.

53
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
Meso scale: link with Aylmer & Gatineau Park
Due to its particular location in the
Gatineau Hills and the township of
Aylmer, the history and evolution of
these areas will be successively
studied. Then, the results of different
analyses about the access to facilities,
heritage present around the site,
walks, views, and connections with
points of interest will be displayed.
Gatineau Park
As written above, the Strutt House is
located in the Gatineau Park and
more specifically in the Gatineau hills
which is part of the “heart of the park”
sector. The park has witnessed a long
history of interrelations between
cultural activities on the one hand,
and the amazing nature of the site on
the other hand.
First of all, the resources (fishing,
hunting, picking,…) of the park served
the different populations who came
after one another. It is only in the end
of the 16th century that other types of
exploitations started to emerge. Firstly,
the significant demand for beaver fur
led to the development of beaver
hunting and fur trade between the
Algonquins and the Europeans. Then,
Philemon Wright and his community
initiated the use of the park’s timber as
the most important part of their
economy. This business grew
significantly in the beginning of the 19th
century and lead to the construction
of mills, shops and even small villages
(Chelsea,…). The wood industry and
the fires considerably affected the
forest of the Gatineau hills but it was
nothing compared with the footprint
left by the beginning of the twentieth
century. The deforestation was indeed
accelerated in order to satisfy the
needs of wood during WWI and the
great depression of the 1930’s.
Figure 78 - Timber trade in the Gatineau Hills,
picture of 1920, http://publications.gc.ca/
The Gatineau Park also started to
attract people who started to settle, in
the early 19th century, within the
territory of the park. So, before being
used as the place for recreational
activities that we know today, it served
as a living place.
«À partir du début du siècle, des voix se
font entendre auprès des gouvernements
pour préserver la nature sauvage des
collines de la Gatineau. Dès 1903,
Frederick Todd, l'architecte paysagiste qui
a dessiné les plans du parc des Champs-
de-Bataille à Québec, suggère la création
d'un parc naturel au nord de Hull. … . En
1937, la Commission du district fédéral, qui
deviendra la Commission de la capitale
nationale en 1958, commence à acheter
des terrains pour la constitution du parc
de la Gatineau. En deux ans, le
gouvernement du Canada achète plus
de 16 000 acres de terrain. … . Retardé
par la guerre, Gréber dépose son rapport
en 1949. … . Il préconise notamment
54
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

l'agrandissement du parc de la Gatineau.

En quelques décennies, la superficie du
parc passera de 16 000 à 88 000 acres, soit
sa dimension actuelle.» 26

The restoration of Pink Lake, the re-

introduction of beavers on the site and
the conservation of the Mackenzie-
King estate are some of the reasons
that explain the park’s success. The
Mackenzie-King estate was Figure 80 - Gardens in the Mackenzie King
established in the first half of the 20th estate, c1.staticflickr.com
century by the former prime minister of
the same name. This place was his
former summer residence and was
given to the Canadian government
after his death. Initially, he wanted the
site to become the official residence
of the Canada prime minister. The site
was completely restored in the 80’s,
right before the preservation and
restoration project of Pink Lake,
located very close to the Strutt House. Figure 81 - Ruins in the Mackenzie King estate,
http://associationdesjardinsduquebec.com/

«Le lac Pink est un lac méromictique, ce

Figure 79 - Picture of the Pink Lake, taken by
author
The latter is very exceptional for
diverse scientific reasons and still
attracts nowadays numerous tourists
and visitors.
qui signifie en partie mélangé. Les sept
derniers mètres d'eau au fond du lac sont
privés d'oxygène. Il n'y a aucune
décomposition à ce niveau et tout ce qui
se dépose au fond s'y accumule en
couches imperturbées, un peu comme les
anneaux de croissance d'un arbre. En
analysant ces dépôts, on peut
littéralement lire l'histoire de la région. Le
lac Pink abrite aussi une bactérie
photosynthétique, une des premières
formes de vie à être apparue sur la terre,
et un poisson d'eau salée qui s'est
acclimaté à la vie en eau douce.» 27
There are still many evidences of
man’s activity on the site even though

26 27 «History of the park». National Capital

Denis Messier, Le parc de la Gatineau : La
mémoire d’une forêt, Continuité, n° 69, 1996, p. Commission.
25. http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-
visit/gatineau-park/history-of-park

55

most of the buildings are
abandoned.
«De l'occupation amérindienne jusqu'à
l'aménagement des installations
récréotouristiques, en passant far la traite
des fourrures, le commerce du bois,
exploration minière et le développement
urbain, le parc de la Gatineau est un
témoin important des grandes étapes du
développement de la région
l’Outaouais des deux côtés de la rive.» 28
There is an entire section of the NCC
that is devoted to the management of
the Gatineau Park. Several master
plans have already been done, the
last one in 2005. For conservation
matters, the NCC continued to
purchase the private properties in
order to tear down the constructions
that affected the ecosystems. That is
exactly what happened with the Strutt
House and without the remarkable
devotion of experts, the house would
have disappeared. Fortunately, the
architect’s master piece was
designated as a “recognized”
structure and debates about its
conservation could start. As shown in
the statement underneath, one of the
concern, in the master plan of the
Gatineau Park is the loss of “diversity
and rare species”.
“In terms of environment, risks include
habitat loss, disruption of
processes, colonization by
species, ecological isolation, loss of
diversity and loss of rare species.” 29
28 «History of the park». National Capital
Commission.
http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-
visit/gatineau-park/history-of-park
29 National Capital Commission, Gatineau Park
Master Plan Summary, National Capital
Commission, Ottawa, 2005, p. 10.
Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
being As a consequence, the objectives and
the means to reach them are defined
further in the same document:
«• Producing an ecosystem conservation
plan;
• Preserving ecological links;
• Restoring significant ecosystems;
• Limiting the human presence in
significant ecosystems;
de • Gradually relocating recreational
activities that are not compatible with
conservation objectives.» 30
The fourth one clearly illustrates the
context in which the NCC bought the
house with the intention to demolish it.
Furthermore, as shown in the map
underneath, the property is located in
a zone where «integral conservation» is
advised.
Additionally, here are some
specifications about the ecosystems
located in the area in which the house
was built.
«the Gatineau Hills, which have a
temperate climate and are home to
hardwood forests, dominated by maple,
beech and oak stands, along with white
pine trees;» 31
«the Gatineau Hills, which include
hardwood forests dominated by sugar
maple, beech and oak stands, along with
varying percentages of eastern white
pine;» 32
natural
invasive
30 National Capital Commission, Gatineau Park
Master Plan Summary, National Capital
Commission, Ottawa, 2005, p. 14.
31 National Capital Commission, Gatineau Park
Master Plan Summary, National Capital
Commission, Ottawa, 2005, p. 7.
32 National Capital Commission, Gatineau
Park, Ecosystem Conservation Plan, National
Capital Commission, Gatineau, 2010, p. 2.
56
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
Figure 82 - Master plan for the Gatineau Park, Plan directeur du Parc de la Gatineau, 2005
The house is indeed located in an
area with endangered species and
inappropriate human activities in this
part of the park could threaten them.
Consequently, since the importance
of conserving the house has been
acknowledged, the project will have
to measure its consequences to the
natural setting and its species.
Moreover, one could rather reflect
about a way to turn it around. Instead
of being a threat to its surrounding
environment, how can the future
project enhance and serve the
conservation of this part of the park?
To conclude, some facts have to be
kept in mind. The very wide fauna and
flora has been gradually threatened
from the beginning of the 19th century
onwards. Increasing human activities
and settlements endangered the
preservation of all the species as well
as led to some important
deforestation. If it is of high importance
to preserve the nature of the park, it is
also important to preserve traces of
the cultural landscape. The
interactions between man and nature
are part of the history and do not have
to be absolutely erased. These traces
are evidences of the evolution of the
cohabitation between man and
nature. Some have to be preserved
and transmit to the next generation.
Regarding the Strutt House, a good
balance will have to be found in order
to preserve the values of the
Architecture without affecting the
intrinsic values of the site.
57
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Township of Aylmer
In addition of being located in the
Gatineau Park, the site is also part of
the township of Aylmer. This sector of
the city of Gatineau is mostly
residential and commercial. Most of
the inhabitants are working in the city
center where all the administrations
and institutions are located. The link
between Aylmer and the site is not Figure 83 - Picture of the Hotel British,
http://lebritish.ca/
evident and is mostly administrative.
Indeed, the distance between the
house and the city centre is almost
similar than the one to reach Hull
which is on the way to Ottawa.

History
The township of Aylmer had been
created in the beginning of the 19th
century, right after the establishment
of Philemon Wright and his community
took place in the Chaudière Falls.
Actually, it is one of his nephew,
Charles Symmes, who is at the
inception of this area’s development.
The main reason for its growth was the
role played in the timber trade and
the businessmen who were rapidly
attracted to invest in the place. From
1820’s onwards, means
transportation of people to Ottawa-
Hull took place in Aylmer. Some
buildings of the early development of
the area are still visible on Front Street
such as the hotel British and the hostel
Symmes. These edifices were
untouched by the great fire of 1921
that destroyed a significant part of
Aylmer.
Figure 84 - Auberge Symmes, aujourd'hui
musée de l'Association du patrimoine
d'Aylmer, http://www.patrimoine-
culturel.gouv.qc.ca/
Until the end of the Second World War,
the city did not grow that much in
comparison to Hull. However, in the
post WWII era, the major suburban
development reached Aylmer and
gave birth to lots of projects. One can
of observe these entire neighborhoods
that have been built in this period,
between Aylmer and Hull.
Furthermore, from 2002
(Amalgamation of the several
municipalities around Hull to form the
city of Gatineau) onwards, Aylmer
started to attract investors for housing
and commerce. As a matter of fact,
since Hull’s lands are almost
completely built, the availability of
sites around Aylmer and its interesting
location regarding the capital are
important assets. Moreover, the costs

58
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

of new infrastructure, roads and so on
were covered by the city of Gatineau.
The aspects of Aylmer that motivate
people to live there are clearly the
large spaces and the calm that are
ideal for families. The following graphs
express this important development of
Aylmer in the past fifteen years in terms
of new constructions

Figure 85 - Amount of housing constructions launched in 2015, Infoterritoire de Gatineau

This map shows that Aylmer most developed. In the last year, more
(highlighted in dark brown) is clearly than 580 new constructions of housing
the area that is currently being the were launched.

Figure 86 - Occupation rate of housings, Infoterritoire of Gatineau

This other interesting graph illustrates significant amount of new

the problem of unoccupied buildings. constructions that have been built in
The percentage of unused housings is this sector. This phenomenon is both
one of the highest in the Aylmer affecting the landscape, which is
sector. This fact contrasts with the being uselessly filled and the built

59
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
environment since some abandoned
buildings can no longer be
maintained. Another surprising survey
reveals that the average rent in
Figure 87- Population variation between 2001
and 2011, Infoterritoire of Gatineau
This third map confirms the ongoing
process of Aylmer with a significant
increase in its population (70 to 2650 %
of growth). One can observe that this
is particularly true for the areas
located between Aylmer and Hull.
That can be explained by the
research of proximity with the Capital
centres by the new inhabitants.
Another study shows that the average
size of household is higher than in the
other sectors of Gatineau, especially in
the areas between Aylmer and Hull.
This clearly shows that it is mostly the
families who are coming to live,
searching for a place close to their job
as well as offering an ideal framework
for the growth of their children.
These considerable developments
have lots of drawbacks. In fact, in
addition to the dubious qualities of
these new constructions' design, the
supply has clearly overcome the
demand. Consequently, a lot of
Aylmer is higher (more than 810
Canadian dollars) than almost
anywhere else in the city of Gatineau.
places are left empty and different
mechanism to attract renters (such as
first month free) are leading to a
constantly moving population as well
as to a lack of maintenance and
abandon of a few buildings.
The location of Aylmer makes it very
interesting and valuable. Between the
Ottawa River and the Gatineau Park,
and beside the city of Hull and its
economic and administrative centre,
this place that still has a lot of empty
lands is very attractive for investors.
Traces of the fast urbanization of the
second part of the 20th centuries are
easily visible on the map. Between the
Highway 148 and the mountain road
where the park starts, numerous
suburban developments have taken
place, especially in the 60’s and 70’s.
The area around the Strutt House has
also been developed from the 50’s
onwards but the impact on the
landscape was less important since it’s
mainly small scale projects that
successively took place on the site.
60
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Figure 88 - Urban development of Aylmer from 1958 to 1976, Geo Ottawa

Figure 89 - Urban development of Aylmer from 2002 to 2014, Geo Ottawa

61
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

These maps show how fast and
significant has the urban sprawl been
in Aylmer during the past 60 years. If,
between the 50’s and 70’s, a
significant growth already took place,
the last 15 years have also witnessed
an important evolution. Actually, 2002
is the year in which several cities
around Hull gathered to form the city
of Gatineau that exists nowadays.
the Strutt House. When analyzing the
map underneath, one can imagine
better the aspect of the Gatineau hills
before 1950. Indeed, most of the
constructions took place after this
date.

The first map also allows us to

understand how the land between
Hull and Aylmer remained unbuilt and
used for agricultural purposes until the
end of the Second World War. Figure 90 - Legend of buildings' period of
construction, made by author
In a bigger scale, one can observe the
developments of constructions around

Figure 91 - Construction phases, map made by author

Connections needed to go in all the other sector of

Gatineau is inferior to 20 minutes. It is
The location of the house is quite ideal
also possible to join the city centre by
regarding the proximity of other cities.
bus, with the line 48. The bus stop is
Indeed, while the centre of Ottawa is
located at the intersection of Vanier
reachable within 25 minutes, the time

62
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Street and Mountain road. However, Walks, views, points of interest

there is only one bus at 7:22 am to go
From the house, it is possible to access
to Hull/Ottawa and only one to come
directly to walks and bike trails of the
back at 17:25 pm at the bus stop.
park through the former ‘upper
Consequently, it is almost impossible to
access’ road. In addition to all the
live there without a car.
recreational activities available in the
Gatineau Park, a particular point of
interest, located very close to the Strutt
House, is clearly an asset. Pink Lake is
indeed one of the major attractions in
the whole park and is very easily
accessible on foot or by car from the
site. As one can observe on the
second picture underneath, the trail
35 is directly accessible from Pink Lake.
This trail is connected to all the
network of trails in the park and the
visitors can access the Mackenzie-King
estate through the trail15.

Figure 92 - distances between the house and

the cities around

Figure 94 - Accessibility to the pink lake by car

Figure 93 - Bus 48 from Aylmer to Ottawa in solid line, on foot in dashed line, map of
passing by mountain road, www.sto.ca tripadvisor 2016

Access to facilities

The closest facilities (supermarket,

pharmacies, doctors, libraries,
cinema,…) are the ones of Aylmer. As
a matter of fact, this reinforces the
car-dependence already observed in
the previous analysis. A restaurant
located next to the bus stop is the only
exception and is easily reachable on Figure 95 - Connection between the trail 35(in
foot. red) and the pink lake, Carte de tourisme en
Outaouais 2016

63
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Apart from the Park, the studies on the (Historic centres, parks, walks,
access to facilities have shown that riversides, and so on) located in these
direct access to the city centres of places are reachable by car or bus in
Chelsea, Aylmer and Hull exist. a very short time.
Consequently, the points of interest

Figure 96 - Trails and walks network leading to places of interest in the area

As we can observe on the picture
above, an important network of walks
and bike trails exist in Ottawa –
Gatineau. The Strutt House is
particularly well located regarding
these paths and people could reach
an important number of places in the
region through them. From the top left
to the top right, we can see that the
Mackenzie-King estate, the Boucher
forest, the beach of Aylmer, the Royal
Ottawa Golf Club, the Bate island, Pink
Lake and the St-Stephen church in
Chelsea are just a few examples of the
places of interest easily reachable
from the Strutt House.

64
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Micro scale: Landscape approach, site, nature,

neighbors
When the Strutt family purchased the
land in 1951, they first divided it in four
lots. They selected the parcel on which
they were going to build their house
and sold the three others. The
Baldock’s house, located at the
northern side of the Strutt’s property, is
also, as many others in the
neighborhood, the work of James W.
Strutt.

Figure 97 - Strutt's property and neighbours,

made by author

Topography
One of the most striking elements of
the landscape is the topography. It is
characterized by a significant slope
and punctual “terraces”. The Strutt’s
property embodies four main
plateaus. The first one has been used
to build the car port, project realized
by James W. Strutt together with his
students. Then, a second level
coincides with the start of a long
wooden staircase that has actually
been added in 2007-2008. Thirdly, at
the top of the first staircase, the
foundations of the first design made
for the family house have served as a
base for a swimming pool and to
support a wooden bench that
surrounds it. The fourth and last level is
where the architect decided to settle
the building. From the main access
along the mountain road, until the
level of the construction’s upper part,
one has to cross 25 meters of positive
ascent.

Figure 98 - Profile of Strutt's property, made by author

65
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Accessibility and Parking possible to park cars on the second

terrace.
The site is accessible by the mountain
Previously, an upper road gave access
road in the lowest part of the property.
from the hill top but this road has been
The access is shared with the
recently closed by the NCC so as to
neighbors, originally the Stranks family,
preserve nature. It is not clear yet if this
now a local developer. This primary
access will remain completely closed
access, made of gravel, leads to the
or will allow occasional access for
first and second plateau with
delivery but more importantly for
respectively the carport and the
people with disabilities.
starting point of the staircase. It is also

Figure 99 - Site plan and profile, Made by author on a plan extracted from the Heritage Structure Report

66
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Strutt’s influence in the

Gatineau hills
Besides his own house and the
Baldock house, James W. Strutt has
designed lots of buildings in the
Gatineau Hills. It is very interesting to
visit all these places so as to
understand the wealth and the variety
of the architect’s production. As such,
further than the simple conservation of
the Strutt House, that was the first to be
built in this area, it is the preservation
Figure 100 - View from the house, looking south,
of the highly valuable work of the by author
architect in the Gatineau hills that a
project should aim at. As a matter of
fact, it could be relevant to somehow
integrate the other realizations of the
architect in the neighborhood, in the
reflection about the function that will
be assigned to the Strutt House.

Views from and towards the

site
The different views offered all along
Figure 101 - Southern elevation, picture taken
the visit of the site and the house by author
transmit a particular sense of the
place to the visitor and occupants.
Moreover, experiencing the change of
seasons in the Strutt House is a unique
experience that is worth living. The
living room looks, as an observatory,
on the surrounding nature. In the
winter, one can also perceive
Ottawa’s cityscape once the leaves
are down. The sequences of views
from the entrance on the site onwards
until the entrance in every room of the
house enhance both the Architecture
and the nature but mostly the
amazing relationship between them.

Figure 102 - View from the roof towards south,

picture taken by author

67
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Figure 103 - Upper access road, picture taken

by author
Figure 106 - View from staircase towards
wooden deck, picture taken by Kristen Balogh

Figure 104 - view from upper access road,

picture taken by author
Figure 107 - Upper road access, picture taken
by Kristen Balogh

Figure 105 - Views towards and from the site, Figure 108 - Strutt's Garden, east of the house,
taken by author picture taken by Kristen Balogh

68
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Natural features of the site

Figure 109 - Presence of a lot of rocks in the hills, picture taken by author

Figure 110 - From left to right, Eastern white pine, sugar mapplee, Beech, Oak, Google images

As explained in the “Plan directeur du maple, beech and oak stands, along
parc de la Gatineau”, these rocky hills with varying percentages of eastern
are mainly «dominated by sugar white pine;» 33

33National Capital Commission, Gatineau Park,

Ecosystem Conservation Plan, National Capital
Commission, Gatineau, 2010, p. 2.

69
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

Legal context
A clear analysis of the legal context is
necessary to provide the reader with a
basic understanding of the project’s
stakes vis-à-vis the Canadian capital.
structured like private or independent
companies.»34
«Canadian Crown Corporations are
enterprises owned by the Crown, or
Queen, in right of Canada (the federal
state) or in right of a province (a provincial
state). » 35

Figure 111 - Case strudy is located In Canada,

made by author

The Strutt House is located in the Figure 112 - Provinces of Quebec & Ontario,
South-East of Canada, and more made by author
specifically next to the border with the
province Ontario, in Québec.
Furthermore, the building is located in
the National Capital Region (NCR)
which is spread across both entities.
Moreover, the edifice is placed in the
territory of Gatineau city and more
precisely in the sector of Aylmer.
Another point that makes the situation
of the house particular is that it is
based in the Gatineau Hills which are
parts of the Gatineau Park’s “sector of
the heart”. This is an important point
since the Gatineau Park is owned (at Figure 113 - National Capital Region in both
98 %) and managed by the NCC provinces, made by author
(National Capital Commission) which is
a “federal crown corporation”. 34 «Crown Corporation». Canadian
Encyclopedia. July 2, 2006.
«Crown corporations are wholly owned www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article
/crown-corporation/ (accessed on May 15,
federal or provincial organizations
2016)
35 Who owned Canada.

https://saintandrewstwinflame.com (accessed
on April 15, 2016)

70
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis
Figure 114 - City of Gatineau in the NCR, made
by author
Figure 115 - Sector of Aylmer in the city of
Gatineau, made by author
Figure 116 - House located in the Gatineau
Park, made by author
As a consequence, the house falls
under several federal jurisdictions.
Depending on the Canadian Crown
Corporation, the policies to follow are
not always the same. In this case, the
NCC is working in collaboration with
the FHBRO (Federal Heritage Building
Review Office), an Office of another
Federal Department: Parks Canada.
«The primary objective of the Federal
Heritage Buildings Review Office (FHBRO) is
to assist federal government departments
in the protection of their heritage
buildings, in accordance with the Treasury
Board Policy on Management of Real
Property -(TBPMRP)-. The policy applies to
all federal government departments
which administer real property, but not to
Crown Corporations.» 36
In the TBPMRP, there is a section
devoted to heritage buildings that
dates back to 1998. This text is only
providing federal entities with very
general guidelines that can sometimes
be interpreted in many different ways.
For instance, one can observe the
following statement:
«Departments must manage buildings they
administer so as to conserve their heritage
character throughout their life cycles.» 37
Moreover, the field of Heritage
Conservation has evolved significantly
since then and the guidelines are
clearly not in line with the new
standards. In the sentence
underneath, it is said that the federal
“Departments must arrange for the Parks
Canada Agency to evaluate all buildings
36 http://www.pc.gc.ca/progs/beefp-
fhbro/index.aspx
37 http://www.tbs-
sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/dcgpubs/realproperty
/hbp01-eng.asp
71
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

40 years of age or older as to their demolish it. Since the construction of

heritage designation before acquiring, the edifice and until 2010, the family
altering, dismantling, demolishing, or always had ownership. After the death
selling them. Departments may also
of her father, in 2008, Lesley Strutt
arrange for buildings less than 40 years old
came to live in the house. However,
to be evaluated.» 38 The recognition of a
the Gatineau Park department of the
heritage status is made thanks to the
NCC wanted to expropriate her in
definition of values based on specific
order to take the house down. The
criteria and the age of the building is
intention to destroy the building is
clearly not part of them as written in
actually part of the broader
this ICOMOS publication about
conservation policies for the Gatineau
modern heritage :
Park. The NCC is indeed trying to
«These criteria must apply to all kinds of control the activities on the whole site
cultural heritage, including the and is willing to acquire the remaining
Palaeolithic archaeological sites, the private properties so as to ensure the
monuments of Antiquity, the medieval conservation of this park.
historic towns, as well as to monuments,
groups of buildings or sites representing our If, first of all, accepting to leave the
recent heritage.» 39 family house to destruction was
inconceivable, Mrs. Strutt could not
To conclude, these guidelines are
resist a long time. Indeed, after the
often too general and sometimes no
announcement of upper access
longer adapted to provide a proper
road’s closing, she could not reach
legal framework to federal
the house by car any longer. Apart
departments. It is important to precise
from the discomfort generated, no
that it only concerns federal properties
more major conservation work was
since private lands and buildings’
possible and the construction of
management are ruled by provincial
another access would have had a
policies.
consequent impact on the landscape
and it would have also been very
Evolution of the building’s
costly. Consequently, L. Strutt finally
status accepted to leave the property with
the clear intention to fight for its
If the Strutt House is a federal land
conservation.
nowadays, it is only due to the fact
that the NCC bought it in 2010 so as to Titania Truesdale, who had a deep
knowledge about James W. Strutt’s
38«Treasury
career and work, and Lesley Strutt
Board Heritage Buildings Policy».
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. April 15, started the first step to apply for the
1998. designation of the house as heritage. If
http://www.tbs-
sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/dcgpubs/realproperty/hbp
the house was designated in 2011, it
01-eng.asp (accessed on May 15, 2016) had only received the second highest
39 Jukka Jokilehto. «Modern Built Heritage as
possible status and, consequently, was
World Heritage». Moscow. 2006.
http://www.icomos.org/risk/2007/pdf/Soviet_He
not protected from demolition.
ritage_10_I-4_Jokilehto.pdf (accessed on May
15, 2016)

72
 Introduction to the case study – Urban Analysis

“The Strutt House was designated a Moreover, the short-term goal is to

'Recognized' structure by the federal make the building ready for the 150th
government on 2 September 2011.37 anniversary of Canada and use it as
'Recognized' means a federal building to
the Pavilion of modern Architecture in
which the Minister of Environment has
Ottawa. Associations have been
assigned the second highest heritage
contacted and details of this project
designation.” 40
still have to be planned. Thanks to
Finally, despite the lack of obligation volunteering experts, Professors,
to conserve the building, the decision professional, students and other
was made not to destroy it. On the volunteers, the conservation of the
contrary, the house has been leased house is on-going, a conservation plan
to the recently created “Fondation is being done and the goal is of course
Strutt Foundation” (2013) for four years to be ready for 2017. The successful
so as to facilitate its conservation. application for a grant from the Getty
Conservation Institute was a very
“The Fondation Strutt Foundation was
encouraging recognition but, above
established to celebrate the life work of
all, allowed the Fondation Strutt
James W. Strutt by preserving Canadian
Foundation to finance the first steps of
Modernist Architecture. The founding
members include his colleagues, admirers the work.
and family. The Fondation Strutt
Foundation is a not for profit organization
dedicated to education, awareness, and
preservation of this precious part of our
national heritage.

Through its Scholarship, Research,

Mentorship and Public Interaction
programs, the Fondation Strutt Foundation
supports projects and individuals that
make meaningful contributions to critical
modernist architectural discourse. The
Fondation Strutt Foundation supports
research, education, preservation and
conservation efforts of the Architect’s
work, and of other Modern Architectural
heritage within central Canada. We raise
funds, and benefit from both public and
private sector donations for our activities,
and create partnerships with organizations
and individuals who share our goals in
support of these initiatives.” 41

40 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage

Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 73. http://www.struttFoundation.ca/ (accessed
41 Fondation Strutt, 2013. April 30, 2016).

73
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Architectural analysis
The planning process of the house
lasted for around 6 years (1951-1957).
The first years served to define the
accesses and the necessary water
supply to the property. As a matter of
fact, as indicated in the “Heritage
Structure Report” 42, the actual upper
access road that has been now
closed by the NCC is actually a former
cattle path “serving a pasture north of
his property that belonged to Mr.
Figure 118 - Upper road access, picture taken
Moffat” 43, the previous owner of
by author
Strutt’s property. Furthermore, the
system originally used to bring the
water on site is an “artesian well that
existed on his (Mr. Moffat’s) land to our
north” 44.

Figure 119 - Location of the well and pump,

picture by Kristen Balogh

Figure 117 - Access from mountain road,

picture taken by author

42 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage

Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012.
43 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage

Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.

Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 15.
44 Heritage Structure Report from The quote is

from an undated deposition (Strutt c2005]

Figure 120 - Position of the pump above the
prepared by Jim Strutt that deals with
issuesrelated to site access. well, picture taken by author

74
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
The first construction of the architect
on the site is actually a very small
cottage, not so far from the actual
house, which purpose was to
accommodate the family during
periods of merciful weather until the
achievement of the Family house. The
foundations of the so called “Shack”,
or Strutt’s Folly 1’, are still visible
nowadays. The building, no bigger
than a single room, was designed with
a hexagonal shape and built in wood.
It remained on the site and used as a
storage space during winter time and
as a play house in the summer before
being dismantled in the late 1960’s.
Figure 121 - Traces of the Fondation Strutt
Foundations of the "Shack", picture taken by
author
Figure 122 - Strutt's Folly 1, Heritage Structure
Report
Between, 1951 and 1957,
James W. Strutt’s reflected on the
design of his house in order to find the
quickest, most economical, rational,
and qualitative way to achieve it in
harmony with its outstanding setting.
At first, the architect imagined a
“Buckminster Fuller-inspired steel
geodesic structure” 45 supported by
three main footings. He had actually
started to build this first project. The
concrete footings that are supporting
the wooden structure/bench that can
be observed on the right once
climbing the stairs to the house, are
actually the only parts of the project
that was achieved.
Figure 123 - Fondation Strutt Foundations of the
first design, picture taken by author
Actually, particularly after a trip in the
US, Strutt finally changed his mind and
shifted to the design we know today.
As discussed with Titania Truesdale and
explained in the quote underneath,
Strutt was impressed by the work of
Eduardo Catalano. The link with the
latter can simply be understood by
having a look at the pictures
underneath.
45 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 15.
75
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

material and finally decided to work

with wood. In his opinion, the latter
was much more adapted and
respectful vis-à-vis the natural setting
of the building.

Finally, the second version of the

Figure 124 - Picture of the interior of Catalano's
house, c1.staticflickr.com
«On a field trip to attend a lecture
being given by Pier Luigi Nervi at North
Carolina State University, Strutt took a
side trip to visit the Eduardo Catalano's
House in Raleigh, NC and was very
impressed by Catalano's modern
statement.» 46
house also changed location. If the
first proposition was indeed going to
overhang the hill and impose itself to
the landscape, the final design, in
contrast to this, was set much more
backwards and express a much more
humble character vis-à-vis the
surrounding environment. More than
being the element of attraction in the
landscape, the house became mostly
an observatory of its natural setting.
In this part of the work, the original
design will first be explained and
illustrated. Then, a second part will
focus on the as-found condition of the
building and the adaptations that
took place over time. In the end, a
value assessment of the existing
condition will be achieved as a kind of
conclusion of the chapter.

Figure 125 - Eduardo Catalano's house in

Raleigh, http://greg.org/archive/

Furthermore, he decided to simplify

the plan due to the limited family’s
financial resources and the problems
of accessibility in the hills. Moreover,
he changed his mind about the

46 James W. Strutt Biography. Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Strutt
(accessed April 30, 2016).

76
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Original design
This chapter will provide an analysis of
the original design at different levels.
First, the general concept and
planning will be explained as well as
the geometry used to express his
ideas. The house is also characterized
by a very little amount of materials
used. A second part will aim at
providing the reader with an in-depth
description of the materials and their
characteristics, as well as giving
illustrations of all the different uses that
had been made of each of them.
Thirdly, explanations about the general
structural concept of the house as well
as the more detailed elements’
assemblages will be provided. Then, a
part will focus on the built-in furniture
and other building elements designed
and built by the architect. Finally, the
last point will aim at giving a clear
pictures of the systems integrated in
the original design by the architect.
The original plans found in the National
archives of Canada can be found in
the appendices.
77
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
General concept
The living spaces and the night spaces
are divided in two parts that can be
particularly distinguished thanks to
their difference in height. The two
platforms are indeed erected at
different heights and are actually
following the natural topography of
the site. Built on a relatively low angle
slope, this offset allowed the architect
to achieve a smooth transition
between the lower and higher level of
the construction. Under these two
“platforms”, crawl spaces are used as
storage spaces for gardening,
maintenance of the pool and the
house as well as other outdoor
activities.
Figure 126 - Night (light green), living (darker
green) and technical (dark green) spaces,
National Archives of Canada, Based on R5736-
31-2-E
Figure 127 - Night (light green), living (darker
green) and technical (dark green) spaces,
National Archives of Canada, Based on R5736-
31-2-E
The spatial organization of the living
spaces is characterized by an
important openness. However the
division of the functions is still clear
thanks to the use of low-height built-in
furniture.
As regards to the separation between
the kitchen and the living “room”, it is
marked by a partial partition wall that
still allows communication with the
dining room. The latter and the kitchen
could be sealed with curtains in case
of hosting guests in order to prevent
views on these more “intimate spaces”
Moreover, a folding door allowed to
close the access to the kitchen from
the living room. However, according
to Lesley Strutt, the curtain was original
and the folding door was only installed
several years after the construction of
the house. There was also a period of
time between both means of room
separation when no enclosure was
used.
Figure 128 – Enclosure of dining room and
kitchen with curtains, picture from Heritage
Structure Report
78
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 130 - Western (left) & Eastern (right) deck

and porch, national archives of Canada

When entering the house, the

entrance hall gives access to the living
room on the right or, on the left, to the
night spaces, kitchen and bathroom.
The open space of the house is
Figure 129 - Folding door in the kitchen, picture
strengthened by openness of the
taken from HSR via FSF
exterior walls and the important height
The only spaces that are completely obtained thanks to the wooden
closed are the Laundry room, the hypars. The combination of these
storage spaces and the central core elements gives the visitor the
containing the heating systems. impression that the space is going way
beyond its physical limits. Once
On both sides of the building, two
entering the house, the user continues
triangular wooden decks preceded by
the landscape exploration initiated
staircases are the accesses to the
downhill. The numerous and varied
house. These platforms are actually
views offered in all different parts of
leading, on both sides, to an open
the house are constantly changing
porch. The western porch, being in the
with the cycle of the seasons.
continuity of the path coming from
downhill and leading to an entrance
hall, brought the visitor to the front
door while, the eastern one, was more
considered as a back door to provide
access to the exterior spaces from the
dining room. In addition of providing a
space protected from the rain and
snow while waiting for entrance, the
pleasant size of the porches makes it
also possible to use them as terraces
as it is shown on the original drawing. If
the western porch could be used as Figure 131 - View from entrance hall towards
an extension of the reading space in living room, HSR via FSF
case of ideal weather conditions, the
eastern one could clearly be used as
an external gathering space.

79
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

coats, shoes and other things on the

other side.

Figure 132 - View from dining room towards

living room, HSR via FSF

The functions are organized around

Figure 134 - View from the entrance hall
the central core containing the looking south, HSR via FSF
required technical equipment and the
chimney of the fire place set against it.
The circulation is very fluid in the house
since it is actually possible to turn
around the central core without being
interrupted. Actually, there is almost no
hallway in this building where the
space is optimized, since the
circulation path is, most of the time,
also the extension of another
functional space. The only space that
could be considered as a hallway, in Figure 135 - View from entrance hall looking
the lower platform, is the staircase and north, storage and closets, picture taken by
the landing area in front of it. author

Figure 133 - Circulations in the house around

the central core, National Archives of Canada,
Based on R5736-31-2-E
Figure 136 - View from entrance hall looking
north, storage and closets, picture taken from
The entrance hall contained a reading Heritage Structure Report
space with bookcases on one side
and two enclosed storage spaces for

80
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
On the way to the staircase and the
Kitchen, another space is provided
with bookcases, built-in with seat,
cupboard and drawers. The built-in
furniture is called a “telephone desk” 47
in the Heritage structure Report. The
living room was organized around the
fire place designed by the architect.
Figure 137 - View from central core towards
telephone desk, picture taken from Heritage
Structure Report
Figure 138 - View from entrance hall towards
the "telephone desk", HSR
A built-in sofa-cupboard divided the
receiving spaces from the living room.
This furniture contained storage spaces
accessible from both sides. The feeling
of space division is increased in front of
the telephone desk since the height of
this built-in is higher in this part.
47 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 188.
Figure 139 - Old picture of the built-in sofa,
picture taken from HSR via FSF
Figure 140 - Built in sofa & cupboard, picture
taken by author
On the other side of the central core,
another built-in cabinet was
separating the kitchen from the living
room. Originally, this subdivision of
spaces was reinforced by a partition
wall that was interrupted at the end of
the cupboard. Successively, a curtain
and then, a folding door, permitted to
isolate the kitchen from the other
spaces. It is important to mention that,
originally, the sofa that can be
observed on the pictures underneath
was not present. This is shown by the
third picture where a 3 seats movable
sofa was simply put against the built-in
cupboard.
81
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 141 - View from dining room towards
living room, picture of Fondation Strutt
Foundation
Figure 142 - Built-in cupboard, picture from
Fondation Strutt Foundation
Figure 143 - Movable sofa originally present
against the built-in cupboard, Fondation Strutt
Foundation
On the picture above, one can also
notice the presence of the fireplace.
This element occupies actually a
central position in the living room and
was designed by the architect.
Originally it was an open fire place as
it is the case on the picture.
Regarding the dining room, a built-in
bench with little storage space behind
was built in order to be used as seats
for the dining table. Moreover, a
buffet was also integrated in the
design at the corner intersecting with
the Laundry room, dining room and
eastern deck. These two built-ins
furniture were actually breaking the
low angles and allowed a more
rational use of the space.
Figure 144 - Built-in bench in dining room,
picture taken by author
Figure 145 - Built in cupboard in the dining
room, picture taken by author
82
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

The water pipes supplying the shower,

the sink and the toilet pass through this
space (Figure 153).

Figure 146 - Picture of the dining room when the

house was still used, Fondation Strutt
Foundation

The laundry room is empty apart from

a sink connected to the water supply Figure 149 - Kitchen's furniture, picture of the
Fondation Strutt Foundation
system.

Figure 147 - View on the Laundry room from

dining room, picture taken by PTAH

Figure 148 - Laundry room and sink, picture

taken by author

The kitchen furniture consists entirely of

built-ins made by the architect. The
sink and counter blender are the ones
put in place during the original
construction period. Drawers,
cupboards and shelves provide
storage space in this very small but
very functional kitchen. A little
additional storage space is located
underneath the bathroom and
accessible by a little double door from
the kitchen. This space is only as high
as the space between the lower and
intermediate horizontal 2 by 6” beam.
Figure 150 - Kitchen furniture, picture of the
Heritage Structure Report
Between the staircase and the
kitchen, the central core is accessible
by a double door. The space contains
the technical equipment such as the
heating system, the hot water tank as
well as the electrical panels and so on.
The natural light in this “room” is
provided thanks to the skylight above
it.

83

Figure 151 - View of the central core from
kitchen, picture taken by author
Figure 152 - Access to the central core from
staircase, picture by author
In front of this technical space,
accessible from the kitchen and
located above the bathroom, there is
a mid height storage space. The
surfaces are left unfinished and the
pipes and wires are visible.
Figure 153 - Access to the storage space from
kitchen, picture by author
Figure 154 - Storage space under
bathroom, picture by author
Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
The upper part of the house contains
three bedrooms, a bathroom, a
storage space and the corridor that
serves them. If the corridor is very
enclosed, natural light is still very
present thanks to the glazed upper
parts of the partition walls. After the
stairs, the first door on the left is
leading to the guest bedroom. The
latter also contains a closet that is
making use of the left over space.
Here again, the integration of built-in
furniture allows a parsimonious use of
the space. Indeed, a corner desk
integrated in the western corner of the
room permit to efficiently use this
acute angle. The bed is placed
perpendicularly to the south-west wall,
right beside the desk.
Figure 155 - Guest bedroom, picture taken from
the HSR via FSF
the
84
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 156 - Panorama looking West, Heritage
Structure Report
Figure 157 - Panorama looking East, Heritage
Structure Report
Figure 158 - Guest bedroom, picture taken by
author
Figure 159 - Ancient closet of the guest
bedroom, now a bathroom, picture by author
Figure 160 - Ancient closet of the guest
bedroom, now a bathroom, picture by author
Next to this door, another one is giving
access to a triangular storage space
made of shelves.
Figure 161 - Storage shelves, picture of the
Fondation Strutt Foundation
The two following doors are leading to
the children’s bedrooms that are
planned in a symmetric way. If the
bed and the closet are designed in
the same manner than the guest
bedroom, the partition wall between
the two children bedrooms is creating
an additional acute angle. This spatial
concern together with the fact that
residents need much more storage
spaces than visitors, led Strutt to design
a cupboard with shelves in both
rooms. On the picture underneath,
one can observe that the partition
wall between both entities is no longer
in place.
85
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 162 - Panorama of the children

bedrooms, Heritage Structure Report

Figure 163 - Panorama of the children

bedrooms, Heritage Structure Report Figure 165 - Master Bedroom, pictures looking
west, pictures of the Fondation Strutt Foundation
The fifth door is actually giving access Finally, the last door is the one of the
to the Master bedroom which design bathroom that contains a built-in
was quite different from the one cupboard with shelves and a toilet
originally planned by the architect. against it, a sink integrated in another
Indeed, if in both cases the closets are built-in cupboard and finally a shower.
designed against the south-east wall, The bathroom is very small and
the position of the bed and the functional.
drawers differs from the plans. Strutt
finally decided to design a built-in
cupboard, against the wall shared
with one of the children’s bedroom, so
as to integrate the queen-size bed.
Built-in furniture, made of drawers, in
the continuity of the closets, offered
more storage space as well as a
dresser to incorporate his wife’s
antique heirloom mirror.
Figure 166 - Picture of the bathroom, Heritage
Structure Report

Figure 167 - Pictures of the bathroom, Heritage

Figure 164 - Master Bedroom, pictures looking Structure Report
east, pictures of the Fondation Strutt Foundation
The very functional character of the
building as well as the open plan of

86
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
the lower platform are representative
of the new way of life preached in the
Geometry & modularity
“The overall shape of the house results
from the intersection of eight rhombic
volumes, each based on a grid generated
from the same geometry.” 48
“The whole house is raised above the
granite hillside and racking of the structure
was an obvious a hazard to anticipate: it
was kept to a minimum by the choice of
the plan form based on triangles, which
gave a stable structure without the
necessity of cross-ties.” 49
Figure 168 - construction axis and highlighting
of the 8 "rhombic volumes", National Archives
of Canada, Based on R5736-31-2-E
If the general construction is quite
complex and elaborated, it is also very
straightforward and simple. Indeed, as
written in an article about the
conservation of the Strutt House, “Only
one dimension is actually necessary on
this drawing, and that is the distance
between the triangular footings. All the
rest can be inferred from the
48 B. Hierlihy, T. Truesdale, The Strutt House,
School of Canadian studies, Carleton
University, Ottawa, March 2013.
49 B. Hierlihy, T. Truesdale, The Strutt House,
School of Canadian studies, Carleton
University, Ottawa, March 2013, p. 6.
modern movement.
modularity and geometry.” 50 Indeed,
apart from the shape of the fire
place’s concrete slab, the entire
house is composed on the basis of a
grid of axis rhombi shaped with 120°
and 60° angles. Furthermore, the
modularity of the curtain and partition
walls is remarkable and constant in all
the construction. As it will be shown in
the analysis of the structure, the
perimeter walls are actually
conceived with the same proportions,
building elements, dimensions and so
on.
The only changes are those made to
adapt the openings to the function
behind the wall. With the creation of a
simple cross shaped wood section of a
2 by 6” red cedar piece, Strutt defined
a very reduced amount of elements to
compose his wall. The windows are
indeed placed at the external side of
this cross sectioned pieces while the
insulation is smartly placed in the
central part and protected by the two
asbestos cement panels placed on
both sides. For each element placed
against or between the square or
triangle shaped modules defined by
the 2 by 6” horizontal and vertical
elements, a nailed wood framing is
fixing it to the carcass. Furthermore,
doors and windows are also simply
incorporated in these modules.
50 Brian Hierlihy, Conserving a Modern Icon –
The Strutt House, Profiles 2014, Ontario
Association of Architects, Toronto, 2014.
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 169 - Western facade, original drawing

of the architect, National Archives of Canada,
Based on R5736-31-2-E
Figure 172 - Illustration of the modularity,
picture by Kristen Balogh

Figure 170 - Southern facade, original drawing

of the architect, National Archives of Canada,
Based on R5736-31-2-E

Having defined these vertical and

horizontal “lines”, Strutt could then
compose its façades as the functions
behind required it in a very rational
way. Actually, he built a carcass that
he could fill with glass, insulation and
panels, windows, doors or simply
nothing, like in the porches. For
instance, for the doors, he would just
interrupt the middle horizontal 2 by 6”
Figure 173 - Integration of doors in the carcass,
in between two vertical divisions and picture of the Fondation Strutt Foundation
screw the door in this gap.

Figure 171 - Illustration of the modularity,

picture by Kristen Balogh

88
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 174 - Integration of doors in the carcass, Figure 176 - Windows, walls, openings and
door is not original, picture of the Fondation other building elements integrated in the
Strutt Foundation modularity, picture by author

Figure 175 - Windows, walls, openings and Figure 177 - Windows, walls, openings and
other building elements integrated in the other building elements integrated in the
modularity, picture by author modularity, picture by author

89
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Rather than a white washed
Architecture, James W. Strutt
Architecture is honest, revealing its
own nature, and the underlying
principles of its design and
construction. The materials used, their
role and the way they are combined is
visible but even more, shown and
expressed.
Another interesting point is that he
managed to compose the façade in
a completely symmetric way, which
reinforces the actual symmetry of the
building shape.
In short, the geometry is the expression
of the results of Strutt’s reflexions about
Materials
For the construction of his house,
James W. Strutt opted for a very
reduced amount of materials. In order
to give a clear picture of the reasons
why the architect chose these
particular materials, illustrations and
explanations about how these
materials have actually been used in
the construction will be provided,
before studying their main
characteristics (physical, chemical,…).
From the original construction
materials, we can mainly distinguish
concrete, glass, different types of
wood (Red cedar, SPF, plywood,
fiberboard), extruded polystyrene,
asbestos, linoleum and metal.
Concrete
One can find this material in two
different parts of the house. First,
poured concrete has been used to
build the footings network that is
supporting the building. There are two
different types of footing:
building and living on such a site,
about his conception of living in
general, about structural and
economical concerns. It is actually
what he found as the most
economical way to settle, in harmony
with this outstanding environment, with
a rational structure, quickly
constructible, offering qualitative
spaces, atmospheres, sequences, and
a “modern” way of living for his family.
This building is a remarkable and very
complete synthesis of all these
reflections for an architect who was
only at the beginning of his career.
- The small single and double
footings that are supporting the
wooden posts and as a
consequence, the carcass of
the building.
- The central core foundation
that is supporting the concrete
masonry. This foundation is
much bigger than the others.
Figure 178 - Concrete footing, type 1, exterior
and interior, picture taken by author
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 179 - Concrete footing, type 1, exterior
and interior, Heritage Structure Report
Figure 180 - Central core foundation in poured
concrete, picture by PTAH
Secondly, as written above, the
masonry of the central core, where
the technical equipment is located, is
made of concrete blocks. The internal
faces are not covered but the faces in
contact with the living spaces were
painted in white at a later date as well
as the exterior surface.
Figure 181 - Concrete masonry in the central
core, picture taken by author
Figure 182 - Concrete masonry in the central
core, picture taken by author
Figure 183 - Concrete masonry in the central
core, picture of the outside, picture taken by
author
As it can be observed on the pictures
above, the junctions between the
different walls are made without
cutting the blocks. This is probably in
line with the research of affordability
and rapidity of the construction.
Finally, the central core concrete slab
was left without floor covering. In order
to adapt the material to this particular
use, James W. Strutt decided not to
paint the concrete in the “visible
parts” of the house. Consequently, the
concrete of the service core was left
without any extra layer.
91
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

nowadays. Glass can be found in the

external wall’s openings and windows
as well as above internal partition
walls.

Figure 185 - illustration of the "craft" double

glazing, picture taken by author

Figure 184 - Painted and not painted concrete

slab in the service core, picture by author

Glazing
For the windows and the curtain walls,
the architect used a double layer of
glass fixed with wooden frames. The
first layer is placed against the external
part of the 2 by 6” wooden elements
and is fixed thanks to a wooden stop
that also makes the division between Figure 186 - illustration of the "craft" double
glazing, schemes by author
the first and the second layer. A
second wooden stop is fixing the
second layer to the structural frame.
One could describe this as a “craft”
double glazing. Even though
“invented” in the 1930’s by C. D.
Haven (this technique had been used
by the ancient Romans!), it is only in
the 1950’s that double glazing started
to be affordable and its efficiency also
significantly increased. James W. Strutt
probably preferred this technique for
Figure 187 - Illustration of the windows and
both its lightness and affordability. mosquito netting, picture by author
Additionally, the efficiency of double
glazing was also not the one we have

92
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 188 - Illustration of the windows and
mosquito netting, scheme by author
Figure 189 - Opening of a window, Picture by
PTAH
As shown on the pictures and scheme,
the windows consist of two important
layers. The first one, opening towards
the exterior is the glazing. The second
one is another wood frame that
surrounds a mosquito netting and
opens towards the inside. In between
both, an additional wooden frame has
been set in order to avoid excessive air
leakages.
Wood
Red Cedar
The structural elements (post and
beams) of the house’s carcass are in
red cedar. Additional elements of the
facades such as the louvers, closure
strips or nominal stops around the post
and beams are also red cedar
elements. The sections used in the
projects are different depending on
their function. When playing a
structural role, the section used was a
“2 by 6 inches”, itself cut on the
corners to obtain a cross shaped
section. The nominal stops around the
openings were made of a 1 inch wide
and 2 inches long piece of red cedar
while the exterior fin had a rectangular
shape of 1 by 6 inches. Another piece,
located right under the lower beams,
had a section of 1 by 4 inches. Finally,
the same material was used to frame
the windows’ screens and the
windows’ sashes.
Figure 190 - 2 by 6" section of Red Cedar,
picture taken by author
Figure 191 - Posts and beams of the walls are
made of the 2 by 6 red cedar section, picture
by author
As written before, wood was chosen
as the main construction material for
its natural aspect that was much more
appropriate to the natural
environment surrounding the house.
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Among other reasons, the architect
was probably interested in the fact
that no maintenance work was
needed since “the cedar is just
allowed to weather” 51.
The choice of the particular red cedar
species is probably explained with the
following properties:
«Dimensional Stability
Western Red Cedar has twice the stability
of most commonly available softwoods.
The stability is a result of its low density and
shrinkage factors. It lies flat, stays straight,
and holds fastenings tightly.
Workability
Western Red Cedar produces long,
lightweight lengths of timber with a fine,
straight grain and uniform texture that
make it easy to cut, saw and nail with
common tools. These features also
contribute to its ability to be planed to a
smooth surface or machined to any
pattern. The lack of pitch and resin allows
Western Red Cedar to hold glue bonds
from a wide range of adhesives and
provide a firm base for many types of
paints and stains.
Natural Preservative
Western Red Cedar is one of the world's
most durable woods. Natural resistance to
moisture, decay and insect damage has
long made Western Red Cedar the
premier choice for either interior or exterior
home use. Cedar fibbers in the heartwood
contain natural preservatives that are
toxic to decay-causing fungi. The two
principal extractives that are responsible
for the decay resistance are Thujaplicans
and water-soluble phenolics. The tree's
ability to produce these extractives
51 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 128.
increases with age, making the outer
regions of heartwood the most durable.
Technical Specifications
This wood is one of the lightest in weight of
all the commercially important coniferous
species - a softwood of moderate strength
but with excellent weather-resistant
properties. The heartwood, which contains
large amounts of extractives, is highly
resistant to decay.
Western Red Cedar dries readily with little
shrinkage and exhibits exceptional
dimensional stability in service. It has
excellent working qualities and machines
to a smooth, satiny finish. Completely non-
resinous, it has good gluing properties, has
low to moderate nail and screw holding
ability, and takes paints and stains well.» 52
In conclusion, the Western red cedar is
cheap, available in Canada, very
easily workable and very durable
material. These reasons explain why
this material was very interesting for
James W. Strutt.
SPF
This wood, which is actually «a
combination of Canadian Spruces,
Pines and Firs»,53 has mainly been used
in the hypars as well as in its support
and finishing, for the beams of the
floor structure. According to the
position and role of the elements, the
sections are varying: 2 by 2 inches for
the insulation curb, 2 by 4 inches
tongue and grove for the hypars’
52 «Wood Species: Western Red Cedar».
Canada Wood.
http://www.canadawood.cn/english/products
/westernred.php (accessed on May 15, 2016)
53 «Wood Species: Spruce-Pine-Fir». Canada
Wood.
canadawood.org/products/spf/ (accessed on
May 15, 2016)
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
planks, 1 by 6 inches for the finishing of
the hypar, 2 by 4 inches for the hypars’
support above the 2 by 6 inches red
cedar beam, and several others
sections for the floor structure beams
(2 by 4, 2 by 10 and 2 by 12 inches).
Figure 192 - SPF in the wooden hypars, picture
by author
Figure 193 - SPD also used in the floor structure,
picture by PTAH
The following material’s properties give
a clear idea of the advantages of
working with SPF and the general uses
of it. In addition of being local,
available and very cheap, this
material present very good structural
properties and is very easy to work
with. Moreover, its durability might
have been an important factor for the
architect.
«Technical Specifications
SPF lumber is seasoned uniformly in dry
kilns to a moisture content of 19% or less.
Kiln drying inhibits natural staining of the
wood, improves its strength and stiffness,
enhances its appearance and increases
its resistance to decay and attack by
insects.
SPF has a high strength-to-weight ratio and
is well known for its outstanding working
properties. It takes and holds nails
exceptionally well and is easily worked
with hand and power tools. It has good
gluing, painting and staining properties.
Uses
Kiln dried SPF lumber is used as a structural
framing material in all types of residential,
commercial, industrial and agricultural
building applications. 54
Plywood
"Plywood provides additional insulation,
strength and integrity to a structure. It is
used to create the skin or sub-surface for
wood framed wall/flooring/roofing
assemblies.” 55
This material made of several layers of
wood veneer’s sheets glued together.
If it arrived in North America and was
industrialized in the second part of the
19th century, it had really started to be
widely used in construction in the
1930’s. In the Strut house, one can
encounter this wood type in many
elements. One layer of the subfloor is
actually a 0.75 inch thick sheet of
plywood, most of the furniture
(casework, shelves, drawers, ...) as well
as the closet doors and internal door
facings are also constituted of this
material with different thickness (3/8”,
3/4”, ... ).
54 «Wood Species: Spruce-Pine-Fir». Canada
Wood.
http://www.canadawood.cn/english/products
/species.php (accessed on May 15, 2016)
55 «Wood Species: Plywood». Canada Wood.
http://www.canadawood.cn/english/products
/plywood.php (accessed on May 15, 2016)
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 194 - Plywood in the furniture, drawer of
the master bedroom, picture by author
Figure 195 - Plywood in the furniture, drawer of
the master bedroom, picture by author
Fibreboard
To create fibreboard, wood fibres are
bonded in order to manufacture
panels thanks to a high temperature
and pressure. This material is used in
the crawl spaces of the house, in order
to shelter these spaces from
undesirable weather conditions (rains,
snow, wind,...). The fibreboard panels
were placed at the internal side of the
red cedar pieces that are enclosing
the spaces. However, layers have
been added along the years and only
some of the panels are original. This
material is very sensitive to humid
environments and has a poor moisture
resistance.
Figure 196 - Fibreboard panels in the crawl
spaces, picture by PTAH
Extruded polystyrene
If the 2 inches thick insulation layer can
seem little when looking at the
standards we have nowadays, it is
quite exceptional to have such
insulation in the end of the 50’s.
Indeed, insulation really started to
interest people in the 70’s after the
successive oil shocks of 1973 and 79.
This material is used in the walls, the
roof and the floor, always with the
same thickness. The fact that the
architect decided to put insulation is
probably due to the fact that he was
searching for a construction method
that would not affect too much his
weight-efficiency ratio. The lightness
and the insulation character of this
material made it ideal for Strutt’s
house. The thermal conductivity of the
XPS, 0.03 W/ (m.K), is very high and
provides the house with a correct
thermal insulation. However with a
thickness of 2 inches, the latter is not
satisfying the current standards.
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 197 - Insulation panels visible in guest

bedroom's cupboard, picture taken by author

Asbestos
Asbestos cement panels are present
throughout the house. Indeed, they
were positioned on both sides of the 2
by 6” red cedar structural pieces in Figure 200 - Asbestos cement panels left
untouched outside, picture by author
order to shelter the house from the
outside as well as to form the partitions
between the different rooms. The
white painting that can be seen on
the picture underneath is dating from
the beginning of the 21st century.
Originally, the panels were not
covered by any layer.

Cement asbestos panels were widely

used in this era for their very attractive
physical properties that are “Sound
absorption, average tensile strength,
its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and
chemical damage, and affordability ».
56

Figure 201 - Wall composition with asbestos

panels and polystyrene insulation, made by
Figure 198 -Asbestos cement panels left author
untouched inside, picture by author

Figure 199 - Asbestos cement panels painted

inside, picture by author

56 « Asbesto ». Wikipedia. May 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos

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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 202 - Wall composition with asbestos
panels and polystyrene insulation, made by
author
Figure 203 - section in a wall, original drawing,
National Archives of Canada, Based on R5736-
31-2-E
Figure 204 - Red linoleum used as floor covering all over the house is original, picture by author
Figure 205 - floor composition, axonometry
made by author
Linoleum
The longevity and the very easy
maintenance of this material probably
encouraged the architect to use this
floor covering in almost all the house.
Only the central core (concrete slab)
had a different floor covering.
Linoleum was widely used until the
1960’s and its “replacement” by vinyl.
Its very long durability, its insulating
properties with sound and heat, its
resistance to water infiltration and its
ease of maintenance are the most
important factors that make it a very
interesting material for residential
flooring. This composite material is
made of several natural elements and
is, as such, environment friendly. The
bathroom flooring and linoleum with
stone flooring imitation are not original.
Figure 206 - floor composition, original section
of the architect from the National Archives of
Canada, Based on R5736-31-2-E
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Metal
James W. Strutt also used a bit of
metal throughout his construction;
flashing for the perimeter of the roof, in
the construction of the hypars, for the
lintel located in the concrete masonry
and for many different types of
attachments in the house (nails,...).

Figure 208 - , flashing detail, picture taken by

author

Figure 209 - fixation for the brise-soleils, pictures

taken by author

Figure 207 - Metallic lintel in the central core,

flashing detail, picture taken by author

99
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Structure
The structure of the building is one of
the most important aspects of the
design. In fact, the conception of the
building’s structure is very elaborated
but quite simple and direct at the
same time. In order to understand
better the structural concept of the
house, it is important to analyze all the
structural elements, one by one, to see
the role they play in the general
system. Actually, the basic idea of the
structure is based on 5 main building
elements which description and role
can be found underneath. We can
distinguish the footings, the central
core, the floor structure, the external
walls and, last but not least, the
wooden hyperbolic paraboloid.
Figure 210 - Structural building elements of the
Strutt House, Scheme by author
The foundation network
The poured concrete foundation
network is made of 2 different footing
types.
Firstly, the central footing is supporting
the central core masonry. The shape
of this very imposing element is
actually due to the design of the core
and the fire place above it. Indeed,
the shape of the footing is simply
following the lines of both elements
and, as a consequence, is the
addition of a rhombi (central core)
and a triangle (fire place). This
foundation is important because, as
explained later on, the central core
and footings are the only elements of
the house that are actually fixed to the
ground.
The second type of footing is a much
smaller one that is simply supporting
the loads transferred by the 2 by 6"
posts. Among the 34 footings of this
type, 24 are located on the perimeter,
8 are supporting internal bearing posts
and 2 were finally built to support the
eastern and western decks.
Additionally, if most of them (30) are
triangular in shape, the 4 footings
located at the acute angles of the
perimeter are designed in trapeze. The
reason for this is that they are
supporting 2 posts and the two
triangles have been merged due to
their proximity (both triangles would
actually be in contact at one of their
corners). If the footings are supporting
the bearings posts and the loads
transferred by them, they are not
attached to the building.
Consequently, the structure can move
to accommodate a small amount of
rackling and/or material
shrinkage/swelling without threatening
its integrity.
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 211 - Plan of the foundation network, no
scale, made by author
The central core
As written above, this masonry
element is of high importance
regarding the operation of the whole
structure. The building carcass is
actually “attached” to it through the
floor structure and this is the only point
of the building that is physically fixed
to the ground. The masonry is also the
only point where the hypars are
continuously attached to the rest of
the building.
The floor structure
The major role of the floor structure is
to make the whole structure rigid by
bonding the central core to the
external walls. This structure actually
“consists of a series of perimeter
beams supporting joists” 57. The
structure was then made completely
rigid thanks to additional joists placed
perpendicularly to the others. As it will
be explained in the part on the
exterior walls, the corners, extremities
of the beam are cantilevered and this
57 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012.
is due to the research of weight
efficiency, as explained in the heritage
structure investigation of PTAH
architects:
“The drive for efficiency is evident in the
provision of column support for the beams
at their quarter points. That is, the distance
between supports is twice the distance
from the support to the adjacent end of
the beam.” 58
The 8 different floor framings are
designed in a symmetric way and,
attached to the central core, they
make this structure so strong that it is
almost impossible for it to move. The
only move that can occur is the one
that is due to the shrinkage/ swelling
cycles due to variations of the relative
humidity in materials.
Figure 212 - Plan section, looking up, of the
floor structure, no scale, made by author
The exterior walls
The exterior curtain walls have a very
simple hybrid composition. For the
structural analysis, we are only going
to focus on the red cedar 2 by 6”
elements that are used both as a post
and as a beam. Apart from their
58 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 93.
101
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

obvious sheltering function, the

structural role of these walls is to
support the hypars all along their
edges. The loads are transferred to the
footings via the posts.

The following document, from the

heritage structure report, explains
perfectly the design of a typical
Figure 213 - Analysis of the curtain wall, full
“modular wall”. This typical wall is page available in appendixes, Heritage
made of 3 horizontal beam (the base, Structure Report
the central division and the lower
The following interpretation of the
support for hypars), 2 vertical structural
elevation explains the different
support that consists of a double 2 by
intersections and assemblages
6” posts (bonded to each other),
between posts and beams. These
3 vertical divisions with single 2 by 6”,
intersections are very important
and finally an inclined 2 by 6” on
regarding the load transfer to the
which the hypars’ edge will lie
double posts. As explained before, the
indirectly (two 2 by 4" pieces of SPF
corners are cantilevered but the loads
wood make the connection between
are very low.
both elements).

Figure 214 - intersections of posts and beams, scheme by author on elevation by PTAH

102
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 215 - intersection 4-6, picture by author

The picture underneath shows that the

doubled vertical posts are interrupting
the lowest 2 by 6” beam. They transfer
the loads to the posts located
underneath that are set on the
Figure 217 - Intersection 4-7, picture by author
concrete footings.
As noticed previously, a very striking
element is the fact that the building’s
corners are cantilevered in order to
make the structure lighter and, as
such, more efficient. However, this led
to some perilous construction details
such as the junction of glazing or
asbestos-cement panels in the corner.

Figure 216 - Intersection 5-7, picture by author Figure 218 - Perilous construction details at the
corners, picture taken by author

103
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 219 - Perilous construction details at the
corners, picture taken by author
Figure 220 - Perilous construction details at the
corners, picture taken by author
By the way, an interesting finding of
the report made by PTAH consultants is
that the structural design did not
respect some building standards
established in the early 1950’s.
“Notwithstanding these developments, the
design of the building was well outside the
scope of the construction regulation of the
day. For example, one period housing
standard states (in part):
1 House frames shall be anchored to
foundations. ... sill shall be anchored to
foundation walls with 5/8" bolts at not
more than 8'-0" centres....
2 Top plates shall be not less than doubled
2" thick material, the same width as the
studs, lapped at all corners...
3 Studding in exterior walls shall be not less
than 2" x 4" spaced not more than 16"
o.c....
4 All corners in exterior walls and
intersections of bearing partitions with
exterior walls shall be formed with at least
three studs. Where nonload bearing
partitions intersect exterior walls, such
intersections shall be formed with at least
three studs...
6 Sheathing and Bracing ... All exterior
walls shall be braced by one of the
following methods ... Diagonal Bracing ...
Diagonal Wood Sheathing ... Plywood
Sheathing ... Gypsum Board Sheathing ...
Fibreboard Sheathing.” 59
The wooden hypars
The hyperbolic paraboloid roofs are
probably the most outstanding and
revolutionary elements of Strutt’s
design. Indeed, “the wood hypar roof
was the first in Canada and the first of
its particular construction anywhere” 60.
Designing such sophisticated roofs was
not motivated by the desire to
produce fancy shapes but was rather
the result of research about weight-
strength efficiency ratio and the final
goal was to reduce the cost of the
construction. In fact, “In all cases, the
59 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 93.
60 Brian Hierlihy, Conserving a Modern Icon –
The Strutt House, Profiles 2014, Ontario
Association of Architects, Toronto, 2014, p. 21.
104
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
cost, including rigid insulation and
roofing was below $1.00 per square
feet- a self imposed limit to compete
with normal joist construction” 61.
Later on, Strutt developed different
possibilities for building hypars and
designed lots of houses with this
system. He also showed that this roof
type could “be used to span a variety
of floor plans” 62.
The house was built with 8 wooden
hypars, covering all the internal spaces
and the two porches. Similarly to the
floor, the roof is composed of two
main entities, one protecting the
spaces above the first platform and
the other sheltering the night spaces.
The lower part is composed by four
small hyperbolic paraboloid, two
forming the central plate and two that
are attached and symmetrically
spread on each side of the central
plate that bound to the central core.
On the upper part, a first hypar is
attached on the two other edges of
the central concrete blocks masonry.
Three last hypars are then completing
the upper rhombi shaped plan.
61 HP Roofs, Progressive Architecture, August
1961, p. 2.
62 HP Roofs, Progressive Architecture, August
1961, p. 1.
While the hypars nailed to the
headers, that are fixed with bolts, to
the central core at the perimeter, are
sharing edges and forces with the
contiguous hypars, resting on the
perimeter walls, the loads are
transferred by the hypars to the
receiving posts.
Figure 221 - Fixations of the wooden hypars
headers seen bolted through the concrete
inside the central core, picture by author
Figure 222 - Support of the hypars on the
perimeter wall (left) and link with other hypar,
picture by author
Nobody could explain better the way
these hypars are designed than the
architect. As we can see in the
explanations underneath, James W.
Strutt explains that the hypars of his
house are made of 2 x 4” tongue and
grove boards. Each hypar is placed
perpendicularly to one pair of the
hypar’s edges with steel spikes driven
through two boards and offset
centred on the preceeding row of the
boards. After having done surveys on
site with a metal detector, we could
105
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

also confirm that metal fixings create

continuous lines of steel in the 2 x 4”
board layer. The latter is important
since it makes it very hard for each
board to dissociate from each other.

Figure 223 - Schemes explaining the more

common construction of hypars, Heritage
Structure Report

Another important element is the fact

that the hypars are supported by the
two doubled 2 by 6” columns placed
along the hypar’s external edge and
not in the lower points. To make it
possible, Strutt placed 2 supporting
elements (2 by 4” in SPF) above the
inclined 2 by 6” of the exterior wall to
strengthen the edge and mitigate
splaying. Additionally, he also added
an insulation curb on the top of the
same hypar’s edge. The combination
of all these element results in the fact
that the hypar can be considered as a
solid ‘plate surface’ element since
hazards of boards' dissociation is
almost impossible.
Figure 224 - Detailed section, drawing of the
architect, National Archives of Canada, Based
on R5736-31-2-E
Figure 225 – Wooden hypar, scheme
by author
The operation of these hypars is also
well explained in this part of the
heritage structure report:
“As noted in the Canadian Architect
quotation, Strutt replaced a wood
crosslamina with steel spikes and his hypars
are supported at their edges and not at
the low points. Both changes are
important. The two-ply cross lamination
technique prevents the planks of either
lamina to separate. The Strutt solution
relies on the 'tooth' of the 6-inch to
perform the same function. Hypars
supported at the low points can create
strong lateral (splaying) forces at the
bearing point. Edge support consists to the

106
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

two double-2x6 columns in the modular should be bolted onto each side of the
panels.” 63 double layer of planks as shown in Fig. 3-
27D.” 64
The explanation of the architect
himself about the construction of In conclusion, the structural concept
normal hypars can be found of the house is very simple. Hypars are
underneath, the same premise he lying on the top of the external walls
applied to his design, using thicker and fixed to a central core. The whole
boards in one direction and the spikes complex is made rigid and immovable
as the opposing lamination. thanks to the floor structure that
connects the building carcass to the
“Structurally a hypar can be conceived as
central core. This carcass is only sitting
being a curved plane that contains an
on concrete footings that transfer the
infinite number of points, each of which an
loads to the ground allowing the
iota of load; and the four stress lines that
extend from each point directly to the (hardly) minimal ‘flexible’ move of the
plane's four edges are pathways by which building.
the load begins its journey toward the
ground. Thus one quarter of each point
load travels along these lines to the
hypar's four edges, and each pair of
opposing lines are continuous. Thus these
lines become rows of boards [assuming
construction is cross laminated boards] ...
the two families of lines create a double-
layered lamina. ...

If a hypar is constructed of wood, it is

usually built of standard pieces of 1 in. Figure 226 - Strutt's hypars being built, nailing
nom. lumber, as such pieces can easily be the insulation, Fondation Strutt Foundation's
bowed or twisted slightly to create the picture
hypar's curved surface. Two layers of
sheathing .., each one running roughly
perpendicular to a pair of the hypar's
edges. ... should be nailed together with
two box nails through each pair of
intersecting boards as shown in Fig. 3-27A;
then the protruding nails clinched on the
lamina's underside. ... As the saddle
shaped membrane is slightly narrower
through its centre than its edges, each row
of planks must be cut somewhat as shown
in Fig. 3-27C so their adjacent edges will fit
snugly together. This narrowness is best
Figure 227 - Perspective of the BIM model,
determined onsite (sic). At the
made by author
membrane's edges, two edge members

63 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage 64 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc. Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 86. Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 85.

107
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Building’s structure

Figure 228 - Schemes of the building's structure, made by author

108
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Systems
The system used to heat the house, at
the beginning, was an open fire pit
and passive solar gain. Later an “oil-
fired forced air system” 65 was installed.
The oil tank supplied a burner with fuel
in order to heat the fluid (in this case,
air). The air was then forced through
the ductwork, located beneath the
floor in the crawl spaces, to the floor
openings located all around the
building. The report 66 explains that
there is evidence of minimal insulation
of the ductwork after its installation.
One of the major issues of this system is
that there is no zoning control.
Consequently, when heating is
needed in the living spaces during the
day, air was forced in all parts of the
house leading to an important energy
waste. The burner was located in the
central core and the oil tank was
buried
children’s’ bedrooms, where there was
only one in each (however, both
spaces opened up to each other). The
system was fed in fluid by two return air
grille located on two edges of the
central core. A thermostat controlled
the general operation of the system
and the latter could not provide air
cooling. A woodstove was installed
into the firepit in the mid-eighties,
updated to a high efficiency wood
burner at the same time as an electric
furnace was installed in the early
2000s.

Figure 230 - Openings for forced air based

heating, supply, picture taken by author

Figure 229 - Heating scheme, no scale, made

by author

The ductwork network serves 8 small

openings in the living space as well as
2 in each bedroom (except for the Figure 231 - Openings for forced air based
heating, return, picture taken by author

65 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage

Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 146.
66 Idem

109
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 232 - Ductwork, heating system,
returning point of air, picture taken by author
Figure 233 - Ductwork, heating system (not
original) and starting point of air, picture taken
by author
Figure 234 - ductwork in the crawl spaces,
picture by author
Figure 235 - Ancient oil fuel/chimney, closed
nowadays, Heritage Structure Report
Figure 236 - Ancient oil fuel/chimney, closed
nowadays, Heritage Structure Report
The water supply was reliable thanks to
a well and a pump, located at the
north west of the building. The water
was then brought to the central core
from where a hot water tank could
distribute hot water to the kitchen and
bathrooms. Pipes are simply passing
through a hole in the concrete slab of
the central core foundation.
Figure 237 - Water pipes in the central core,
Heritage Structure Report
Figure 238 - By pass, Heritage Structure Report
110
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 240 - Outlets integrated in building

elements, pictures taken by author

Figure 241 - Switches integrated in building

elements, Heritage Structure Report
Figure 239 - Water scheme (P= pump, BP= by
pass, HW= hot water, PT= pressure tank), made It is hard to determine for sure what is
by author original, what is not, what has been
Electricity was simply brought from the replaced and so on. In the HSR, PTAH
street to the house, passing by the consultants made the following
Baldock’s property. Cables were scheme of the outlets, lights and
switches observed in the as-found
attached to the successive masts and
provided the building with electricity. condition.
An interesting element to be noticed is
the integration of the electric plug in
the 2 by 6 wooden posts. Moreover,
the wiring was running all along the
house but was not visible. Indeed, the
placement in almost all parts of the
building, of an upper datum
valance/fascia for curtains also allows
the running of all the wiring in a
discrete way. The need for artificial
lightning was not very important due
to the open character and
surrounding fenestration of the house. Figure 242 - electrical scheme of the as-found
condition, PTAH based on R5736-31-2-E,
National Archives of Canada

111
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Built-in and movable furniture, staircase, fireplace hood, doors,…

The built-ins form an integral part of
James W. Strutt’s design. Apart from its
evident functional character, the
furniture plays here additional roles. As
a matter of fact, it is used by the
architect to optimize the use of the
space by “breaking” the low angled
corners but it is also, in some cases, the
only element separating two functions.
The design of the furniture is based on
the rhombi shaped grid described
before It was mostly done in plywood
Built in-furniture
and the construction method is
consistant in all the furniture of the
house. The description of the 19 built-
ins present in the original design will be
followed by the description of the
staircase and the fireplace hood both
designed by the architect. Finally, the
movable furniture, the doors and other
elements designed during the
construction period will also be
depicted.

Figure 243 - Location of the built-in furniture, staircase (S) and fire hood (C), made by author

112
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
1. Book shelves, entrance hall
Figure 244 - book shelves in the entrance hall,
Fondation Strutt Foundation
This picture is evidence of the built-in
book shelves.
2. Closets and storage spaces in
entrance hall
Figure 245 - Storage spaces and closets in
entrance hall, picture by author
Figure 246 - Storage spaces and closets in
entrance hall, picture by author
Figure 247 - Storage spaces and closets in
entrance hall, picture by author
Figure 248 - Storage spaces and closets in
entrance hall, picture by author
Figure 249 - Storage spaces and closets in
entrance hall, picture by author
This “built in” consist of two parts in
which closets, shelves and storage
spaces can be found. The asbestos
cement panels’ surfaces are mostly
left unfinished. The structure of the
“furniture” is attached to the interior
stop of the perimeter wall’s asbestos
cement panels. The eastern part has
shelves and hanging while the western
part has only shelves. The built-in’s
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
height is equal to the upper horizontal
2 by 6” beam and, as a result, let the
light from the openings of the northern
wall come in the entrance hall. Since
the folding doors are the same as the
ones existing now in the Master
Bedroom, and it is clear that the latter
have been replaced, it is probable
that they are not original. Evidence of
this change will be provided in the
part devoted to the Master Bedroom’s
built-ins.
3. Telephone desk, reading space
Figure 250 - Southern part of the telephone
desk, picture by author
Figure 251 - Southern part of the telephone
desk, picture by author
Figure 252 - Southern part of the telephone
desk, picture by author
The southern part of this built-in is
made of 6 rectangular drawers. While
the three upper ones, of smaller
height, are offering a single and
unified space, the three lower ones
are taller and consist of several vertical
divisions. Indeed, cuts in the front and
back in plywood planks offer the
possibility to dispose, or not, vertical
partitions.
Figure 253 - vertical divisions in lower drawers,
picture by author
It is also important to notice that the
handle used for these drawers has
been used all over the house for
closet, drawers and even some doors’
opening. Another constant in the built-
ins is the use of standard size plywood
boards. Indeed, 3/8 inch thick planks
are used to build the drawers. While
the back and front side are made of a
double layer, the sides are made of a
single plywood 3/8 inch sheet.
Figure 254 - typical drawer with 3/8" plywood
sheet, single and double layer, picture taken
by author
Figure 255 - typical drawer handle, picture
taken by author
The central part of the telephone desk
is made of a drawer and a seat that is
set above an additional storage
space.
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

4. Sofa-cupboard in the living

room

On the eastern side, this built-in offers a

large sofa with drawer, cupboards, a
desk as well as an open book case.
On the other side, one can find long
shelves, a desk as well as a small
opening towards the storage spaces
accessible from the living room.

Figure 256 - Central part of telephone desk,

picture taken by author

Figure 260 - Sofa-cupboard in the living room,

picture by author

Figure 257 - Central part of telephone desk,

picture taken by author

The last part of the desk consists of two

equal undivided drawers, set below
an open book case, topped by a
desk. At the northern part, a wooden
mid height «wall» is marking the
separation with the stair case.

Figure 261 - Sofa-cupboard in the living room,

picture by author

Figure 262 - sofa's structure, picture taken by

Figure 258 - Northern part of the telephone author
desk, picture by author
Figure 263 - sofa's storage, picture taken by
Figure 259- Northern part of the telephone author
desk, picture by author

115
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 264 - Western side of the sofa-cupboard,
picture of Heritage Structure Report
Figure 265 – Access to built-in’s storage from
telephone desk’s side, picture by author
5. Cabinet in the living-Kitchen
Figure 266 - Cabinet without integrated sofa,
picture of the Fondation Strutt Foundation
This furniture is no longer in the building
but many old pictures bring evidence
of its presence in the house until the
beginning of the 21st century. If most
of the pictures are also showing a
large seat attached to this cupboard,
the latter was added not long after
initial construction. In the same
location, the upper surface served as
a prep area for Mrs Strutt, and below
one can observe the presence of
drawers and a small cupboard, on the
opposite side a screen covered the
small TV alcove at the lowar corner
next to the core.
Figure 267 – Cabinet with integrated sofa,
picture of the Fondation Strutt Foundation
Figure 268 - Cabinet with integrated sofa,
picture of the Fondation Strutt Foundation
6. Bench in the dining room
The bench in the dining room was
designed in order to make the space
more functional. However, it is maybe
the least functional furniture of the
house. Indeed, contrary to the others,
all the space below and behind the
seats is lost, apart from a small storage
116
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

space triangular shaped behind the The upper cupboard contains 2

bench. shelves and the double door is made
of wood and glass. The buffet has 3
shelves (the lowest one is bigger than
the two others.

Figure 269 - Dining room seats, picture taken by

author

Figure 270 - Storage space in the built-in

bench, picture taken by author Figure 273 – Cupboard’s shelves, picture taken
by author

Figure 274 – Buffet’s shelves, picture taken by

author

8. Kitchen built-in furniture

This built-in is the largest in the house.

Apart from storage, it contains a sink,
an oven, a counter sunk food/drink
Figure 271 - Lost space under bench, picture
blender, a cook top and a refrigerator.
taken by author Nowadays, only the food blender and
the sink are still original.
7. Buffet and cupboard in the
dining room

Figure 272 - Buffet and cupboard in the dining Figure 275 - Kitchen furniture, picture by author
room, picture taken by author

117
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 278 -Original sink in the kitchen, picture

taken by author

Figure 279 – Blender beside the cook top,

picture by author

Figure 276 - Kitchen furniture, picture from

Heritage Structure Report via FSF

The eastern part contains the sink, the

blender, the oven as well as
cupboards. The cupboards in the
upper part offer 3 shelves along all the Figure 280 - Storage spaces in the upper part,
furniture. Indeed 3 double doors give picture by author
access to three similar storage spaces.
Figure 281 - Storage spaces under the sink,
In the lower part, there is the oven and picture by author
2 double doors granting access to the
space under the sink with storage and
pipes. A small intermediate platform
was built in the continuity of the
integrated lightning.

Figure 282 –Intermediate platform on the right

of the sink, picture by author

Figure 277 – Recent oven, picture taken by

author

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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 286 - Storage spaces bellow the

drawers, picture taken by author

Figure 283 - Integrated lightning above the sink,

picture taken by author

The northern part of the built-in

contains the cook top (that has been
replaced now,), 2 cupboards,
3 drawers in the lower part and
2 storage spaces in the upper part. As
in the southern side, the storage
spaces are accessible through a Figure 287 – Storage shelves in the upper part of
double door. Additionally, shelves with the built-in furniture of the kitchen, picture
vertical divisions are present above taken by author

the fridge location. A last part is

placed on the other side of the fridge
and contains 4 shelves (the lowest one
being taller than the others).

Figure 288 – last unit of the built-in beside the

emplacement of the fridge, picture by author

Figure 289 – Shelves in the cupboard, picture

by author

Figure 284 - 2 drawers, the last one missing,

below the more recent cook top, picture by
author

Figure 285 - Storage spaces bellow the Figure 290 - additional shelves above the
drawers, picture taken by author emplacement of the fridge, picture by author

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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

The last part of the kitchen’s furniture

was actually part of the same
complex than the cabinet of the living
room that is missing nowadays. In this
entity, one can find 2 storage spaces,
with 2 shelves and enclosed each by a
double door, and 2 drawers. One of
the latter has vertical divisions, such as
the drawers of the telephone desk.

Figure 293 - Desk and bookshelves in guest

bedroom, picture of the Fondation Strutt
Foundation

Figure 291 - Southern built-in in the Kitchen,

10. Storage shelves in the corridor
picture by author

Figure 292 - Southern built-in in the Kitchen,

picture by author

9. Built in desk and book cases in

the guest bedroom
This picture shows that the existing
built-in closet is not original. It was
probably changed when the room
was turned into a children room.
Figure 294 - Storage shelves accessible from
the corridor, picture by author
The second left hand door in the
corridor is giving access to these
triangular shaped shelves.

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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

11. Closet in children bedroom

This closet, similar to built in 14, is trying

to take advantage of the angle and
make the room more functional.

Figure 296 - shelves in the children's bedroom,

picture by author

13. similar than 12

14. closet in children’s bedroom 2

Figure 295 - closet, built-in 11, picture taken by

author

12. Shelves in the children’s

bedroom

This cupboard was designed to make

efficient use of the low angle created
by the partition wall between both
bedrooms. 7 shelves are available in
this cupboard, on both side of the
partition wall (that is missing now).

Figure 297 - closet in the children's bedroom 2,

picture by author

Description is similar than number 11.

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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
15. Bedsides and shelves
This built-in furniture, as it can be
observed in the archival picture
underneath, was serving as support for
the bed. It offered a bedside on each
side of the bed and additional shelves
at the extremities.
Figure 298 - Archival picture of the Master
bedroom, looking west, picture of the
Fondation Strutt Foundation
Figure 299 - Picture of the built-in furniture in the
master bedroom, by author
Figure 300 - Shelves and bedside table in the
master bedroom, pictures from Fondation Strutt
Foundation (top left) and author
16. Closet in the Master Bedroom
If the low angle is, again, used
efficiently with sheves, the rest of the
furniture is used as a closet. The latter
was originally accessible by the
3 doors that have been later on
replaced by the folding doors that
can be seen on the pictures below.
These folding doors can be found in
different parts of the building
nowadays and may have been
placed at the same stage.
Figure 301 - Closet and shelves in the master
bedroom, picture by author
Figure 302 - Closet and shelves in the master
bedroom, picture by author
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 307 – Southern central part of the

dresser, picture taken by author
Figure 303 - original doors on the closet,
Heritage Structure Report via FSF Figure 308 - Southern part of the dresser, picture
taken by author
17. Dresser
18. Bathroom sink cabinet
The dresser is built in the same way as
In the bathroom, James W. Strutt
the telephone desk. 4 horizontal rows
integrated the sink in a cupboard with
of drawers provide the user with
storage bellow. Additionally, a little
storage space and the platform
platform was created on the left hand
above can be used as a dresser. The
side of the sink and mirrors were
drawers are made of plywood and
integrated on the wall in front.
the handle is exactly the same as in
the drawers of the telephone desk.

Figure 304 - dresser in the master bedroom,

picture taken by author

Figure 309 - Bathroom cabinet, picture by

Figure 305 - Northern part of the dresser, picture author
taken by author

Figure 306 - Northern central part of the dresser,

picture taken by author

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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 312 - Cupboard in the bathroom above

Figure 310 - Bathroom cabinet, picture from the toilet, picture by author
Heritage Structure Report
Figure 313 - Cupboard in the bathroom, picture
19. Bathroom cupboard by Kristen Balogh

The cupboard consists of 6 shelves for Fireplace hood

storage and is accessible by the “That fireplace symbolizes Jim at his most
wooden double door. gallant”, said Mrs Strutt. “I said I wanted a
huge one, like a cave, and when he
couldn’t do that, he made it come out
into the room instead.” 67

The fireplace is the central element of

the living room and the hood is, with
the floor framing, the most outstanding
element. Original drawings of the
architect could be found in the
national archives of Canada. The
design is based on the 120° and 60°
grid established for the building.

Figure 314 - - Fireplace hood original plans,

National archives of Canada

Figure 311 - Cupboard in the bathroom, picture

by author

67 Architect designs for his family, The Ottawa

citizen, Ottawa, December 1965, p. 1.

124
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

weatherstripping set into the edge of

the door.” 68

The internal doors are made of two

sheets of plywood with air in between
both.
Figure 315 - Fireplace hood original plans,
National archives of Canada

Staircase
The Internal staircase binding both
platforms is made of 5 steps, each of
them supported by two wooden posts.
These posts are fixed in between two
larger pieces of wood. There is no
handrail for this staircase. Figure 317 - Pictures of the western entrance
door, pictures taken by author

Figure 318 - Pictures of the original eastern

entrance, taken by author

Figure 316 - Strutt House's staircase, picture by Figure 319 - Details of all original doors' fixings,
author pictures by author

Doors
The original entry doors are still in
place with the original handles. The
two entrance “doors are fitted with
conventional builder's hardware that
has aged well, but which is showing its
age. Both doors have integral
68 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 114.

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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

cedar and plywood were indeed an

integral part of the living schema.

Figure 323 - Picture of a small table, Fondation

Strutt Foundation

Figure 320 - Internal doors and doors' handle

pictures by author

Figure 321 - Handles variants, pictures by Figure 324 - Arrangement of seats and tables
author together, original plans from the National
Archives of Canada

Figure 322 - Central core's doors, wooden

handle, pictures by author

Movable furniture
Beside the beds in the bedrooms, the
most noticeable movable furniture in Figure 325 - Picture of a seat, Fondation Strutt
the house was, with no doubt, the Foundation
table and seats designed by the
architect. These elements made of

126
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 328 – Table elevation, original plans from

the national archives of Canada
Figure 326 – Table plan, original plans from the
national archives of Canada Figure 329 – Seat elevation, original plans from
the national archives of Canada
Figure 327 - Seat plan, original plans from the
national archives of Canada

Figure 330 - single bed in the guest bed room, picture of the Fondation Strutt Foundation

Brise soleil moment, stored in the guest room,

many of them are in poor condition
and are being conserved in order to
be able to be restored where possible
and/or replicated.

Figure 331 - Brise-soleils all around the building,

picture taken by Titania Truesdale

Last but not least, some of the most

striking elements of the original
building, when approaching it, were
the wooden reddish brise-soleils that
were installed all around the house, on
the triangular shaped upper part of Figure 332 - Brise-soleils all around the building,
the curtain walls. They are, at the picture taken by Titania Truesdale

127
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

For each perimeter wall, the brise-

soleils were composed of two main
parts. The first one was covering the
area between the upper corner and
the first double post. The second one
was protecting the area between
both double post and the last small
triangle was not protected. The brise-
soleils are made of two longitudinal Figure 333 - Brise-soleils stored in the Guest
support (1 horizontal and 1 inclined) bedroom, picture taken by author

and a series of vertical elements. They

were simply dropped on metallic
fixings located in the inclined beam of
the triangle. This “not fixed” character
allows the users to adapt the building
depending on the seasons and the
need for solar gain or solar protection.
Figure 334 - metallic fixation for brise-soleils,
picture by author

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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Adaptations over time

In order to define the values of the
existing condition of the building, it is
necessary to determine the period of
construction of all the constituting
elements of the house and the site.
This will allow us to generate a map, of
the actual condition, where all these
stages will be specified. The final goal
is, naturally, to determine the value of
these adaptations so as to help the
decision making process for the
conservation project. The adaptations
will be separated in two scales (the
site and the building) before being
structured by categories. This structure
aims at simplifying the explanation by
gathering the different adaptations of
a single element in the same part of
the work.
The plans of the as-found condition,
made on the basis of the 2015 point
cloud, can be found in the
appendices.
The site
The site has witnessed successive
transformations in order to fit the users’
requirements. The different
adaptations will be explained
separately with the different steps in
which it has evolved.
Access from the mountain road,
disects both the Strutt and Stranks
lower property via a gravel driveway
and was installed soon after the
construction of the house (the date of
construction could not be
determined). The extension that raises
up to the second plateau to access
the wooden staircase was added
between 2007 and 2008. This was
done to provide the last owner with a
landing area for cars, closer to the
staircase and, consequently, higher up
the hill.

Figure 335 - Original access from Mountain road, picture by author

129
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 336 - Extension of access road in 2007-

08, pictures by author

Figure 337 - Extension of access road in 2007-

08, pictures by author
Figure 339 - Picture of the carport, by author
The carport covered with aluminium
sheets that is present on the west of
the gravel driveway is actually a
student design build project from the
early 1990s inspired by an earlier (1969-
1980, exact date could not be
confirmed) project of James W. Strutt.
This construction concept was
“Originally a tensile fabric cover
(silicone fly roof)” 69. Nowadays, it
consists of a metal structure, covered Figure 340 - Metallic structure of the carport,
picture by Kristen Balogh
with aluminium sheets and a concrete
masonry ‘sheld’ closed with a wooden
door providing 2 parking spots and a
storage space. The masonry blocks
are the same than the one used in the
neighbouring Baldock house.

Figure 341 - Concrete masonry units behind

carport, picture by author

Figure 342 - Concrete masonry units behind

carport, picture by author

The wooden staircase present on the

Figure 338 - Picture of the carport, by author
69 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 21.
site is also not original. It actually dates
back to the time when Lesley Strutt
came back in the house. It was built in
the same period as the gravel
driveway extension and consists of 4
flights of stairs and 3 landings. An
additional staircase built in the same
period is binding the third and fourth
plateau. Previously, as explained in the

130

extract of the HSR, a first path was
made to access the house from
downhill. The latter was made of stone
steps and was well integrated in the
landscape in the beginning of the
1950’s. It created an interesting route
for the visitor with a sequence of
numerous and varied views of the
surrounding nature and finally, once
arriving on the third plateau, of the
house. This landscape sensitive
approach of the architect was very
important for the perception of the
house by visitors.
Figure 343 - Original stone staircase, picture by
Kathy Meredith
Figure 344 - Wooden staircase from 2008,
picture by author
Figure 345 - Landing of the third flight of stairs,
picture by Kristen Balogh
Figure 346 - Fourth flight of stairs leading to the
house, picture by Kristen Balogh
In the late 90’s, a system was set
bridge the lower and upper parts
the hill to assist in the transfer
heavier objects with less effort.
Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
consists of a basket, fixed to a wheel
attached to a cable.
Figure 347 - Basket to lift things uphill, pictures
by Kristen Balogh
Figure 348 - Mechanism to lift things uphill,
pictures by Kristen Balogh
On the third plateau, the presence of
a wooden structure that currently
serves primarly as a bench is easily
noticeable. This deck was built in the
70’s on the top of the concrete footing
built for the first design planned by the
architect. However, what is hardly
imaginable when visiting the site today
is the presence of a swimming pool in
front of the wooden deck. It is due to
the fact that the NCC, for safety
reasons, decided to fill it in with gravel
in 2011. If the swimming pool was
inaugurated in 1966-67, it had already
served as a pond for the 5 preceding
years.
to
of
of Figure 349 - Pool and deck on the third plateau,
picture by Titania Truesdale and Fondation
It Strutt Foundation
131
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 350 - Pool and deck on the third plateau,
picture by Titania Truesdale and Fondation
Strutt Foundation
Figure 351 - Wooden deck on the first design's
foundation, picture by Kristen Balogh
Figure 352 - Wooden deck on the first design's
foundation, pool filled up, picture by Kristen
Balogh
Another striking element is the
concrete blocks that are laid on the
ground. They are actually the same as
the one used in the construction of the
Baldock house (House of the western
neighbors built by Strutt) and serve as
steps. They first appeared on site in the
early 60’s.
Figure 353 - Concrete blocks steps between
third plateau and house, picture taken by
Kristen Balogh
Figure 354 - Concrete blocks steps between
third plateau and house, picture taken by
author
The different vegetal species present
around the house are mostly
indigenous and were put on site by
Audrey Strutt before the house’s
construction even though minor
changes may have occurred. There
are however several plants that are
not native, and ,in the absence of a
regular gardener, have become
‘aggressive invasive species’. The
Fondation Strutt Foundation has been
working to control them.
Finally, the last important constituting
element of the site is the upper road
access. The latter is fundamental to
the use and maintenance of the
house since it is the only way through
which vehicles can reach the house. It
is then primordial for security (fire
services), functional (deliveries) and
conservation purposes (maintenance
work) that such an access exists.
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

surveys, studies and conservation

Figure 355 - Upper road access, closed in 2011,
picture by author
The upper road access was closed by
the NCC approximately in the same
period during which they purchased
the property (2011).
works have been carried out.
Furthermore, the Fondation Strutt
Foundation has kept the educational
dimension of the site by organizing
workshops for students with the
conservation of the house as the main
topic. The workforce provided by the
students is very useful for the Fondation
Strutt Foundation but the knowledge
and knowhow of highly skilled
professionals who are taking care of
the house’s conservation clearly
benefit the students.

The house
Use and function
From its construction onwards, until its
expropriation by the NCC in 2011, the
house had always been the residence
of the family Strutt. However, as
Figure 356 - Reception in the house, picture of
explained in the extract of the HSR, the
the Fondation Strutt Foundation
place was also used for entertaining
and recreational purposes through the
events that would include important
personalities of that time. Additionally,
the house also bears an educational
dimension on the one hand, by its
experimental character, as well as, on
the other hand, because the architect
brought many students to the site to
have discussions, lectures and, as
previously mentioned, the carport
project was achieved in collaboration
with students. Figure 357 - Family house, picture of the
Fondation Strutt Foundation
Following the expropriation, the house
was left unused until 2013 and the
4 year lease agreement was
established with the Fondation Strutt
Foundation. Since that moment,

133
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 358 - Workshops in the house, picture by
Kristen Balogh
Figure 359 - Workshops in the house, picture by
author
Architecture
Some major adaptations have been
done in the almost 60 years of its
existence. This part of the work will
distinguish the changes made to the
exterior of the building and other ones.
At the time of the construction, one of
the adaptations during the build was
the construction of an additional
hypar over the central hypar covering
the living room. The reason for this
addition was that the lower point of
the hypar on the central core was too
low to allow the water to drain out.
The change is clearly observable in
the section of the point cloud.
Figure 360 - illustration of the hypar set above
the existing one quickly after the construction,
scheme by author
Figure 361 - illustration of the hypar set above
the existing one quickly after the construction,
scheme by author
Speaking about the roof, it is important
to mention that the actual roofing is
not the original since there was a
complete roof “renewal” in 2005. The
resurfacing seems to have covered
the original flashing built by the
architect. During this work, the
insulation layer of the roof was
doubled which had as consequence
that the triangular windows on both
sides of the central core had to be
rebuilt.This adaptation is probably the
one that affected the most the
building condition. Indeed, the water
leakages resulting from the very bad
roofing details led to deterioration of
several building elements (hypar,
linoleum,…).
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 367 - Water leakages resulting in

damaged wood, picture by author

Figure 368 - Water leakages resulting in

damaged linoleum, picture by author
Figure 362 - Flashing detail still present in 2004,
picture by Titania Truesdale

Figure 363 - Improper roofing detail, picture by

author

Figure 364 - Improper roofing details, picture by

author

Figure 369 - (original?) flashing under the

roofing, picture by author

Figure 365 - Improper roofing details, picture by

author

Figure 366 - Improper roofing details, picture by

author

Figure 370 - - Roofing replacing and covering

original flashing detail, picture by author

135
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 371 - Metal profile to redirect the water

towards the lowest point, picture by author

Another adaption that is noticeable

Figure 373 - Eastern porch built, picture by
from the exterior is the conversion of Titania Truesdale
the eastern porch into an office.
Consequently, the structure was filled
in with insulation and asbestos cement
panels, glass, a window and a door.
The floor covering was also adapted
to its new use and the same material
than the inside floor covering
(linoleum) had been applied. As it is
observable on the picture of the
eastern porch’s interior, the walls have
a different composition than the other
original ones. Indeed, the internal side Figure 374 - Eastern porch built, pictures by
of the wall is covered by wood panels Kristen Balogh

(as a replacement material when
window and wall repairs were
undertaken by Lesley Strutt).
The western and eastern decks have
also been modified from their original
shape. The actual configuration
makes the access to the crawl spaces
harder. The original decks were smaller
triangles solely to give access to the
porches. Their form minimized the
amount of rain water splash back on
the building envelope and made it
easier to access the crawl spaces.

Figure 372 - Eastern porch still open, picture of

the Fondation Strutt Foundation

136
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Figure 375 - Original decks, National archives
of Canada
Figure 376 - New decks, scheme made by
author
A last significant change, made to the
exterior of the building, is the painting
of the red cedar’s external surfaces. It
is quite surprising since the material did
not need any protection vis-à-vis the
weather conditions.
Figure 377 - Brown painting on the external
faces of the wood, picture by author
Figure 378 - Brown painting on the external
faces of the wood, picture by author
In the inside, the major change is the
loss of furniture since the expropriation
by the NCC. Several of the movable
furniture has been kept by the family,
as well as all the works of art that
formed part of the house for dozens of
years. The primary functional
adaptation of the house concerns the
guest room’s bathroom. The little room
previously used as a closet for the
guests was turned into a bathroom in
the 1970’s. That is probably due to the
fact that the family was growing and
one bathroom was no longer sufficient
for the two adults and four children.
That is also maybe the reason why the
corner desk had been replaced by a
closet in the same bedroom. Instead
of a guest room, the bedroom was use
by children of the family (Jocelyn and
Katherine first occupied the room in
bunk beds before David settled in the
late 1960’s) but the size of the room
also made it the children’s play room
or, later on, the TV room.
Figure 379 - Ancient closet turned into a
bathroom in the Guest bedroom, picture by
author
Figure 380 - Ancient closet turned into a
bathroom in the Guest bedroom, picture by
author
137
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

the symmetrically planned children

bedrooms has been removed.

Figure 383 - missing partition wall in children's

bedrooms, picture from PTAH

Another significant intervention is the

painting of the internal asbestos
cement panels by Katherine Strutt -for
her Mother- in the 1990’s. Another
layer has been added in 2004.

Figure 381 - Original desk, picture from the

Fondation Strutt Foundation

Figure 384 - Asbestos cement panels

untouched (grey) and painted (white), picture
by author

Additionally, window replacements

Figure 382 - Existing closet, picture taken by were made in 2005 and 2008. In 2005,
author (right)
it was the case for the two triangular
Aditionally pertaining to the windows located on both sides of the
bedrooms, the partition wall between central core between the lower and
upper hypar networks. The reason why

138
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
they had to be rebuilt is the re-roofing
that increased the depth of the
insulation layer from 2” to 4”. In
addition to the replacement,
additional beams and structural or
non structural wooden elements have
been added. In 2008, it was the turn of
the “little windows at the front porch
area” 70. Here and there in the building,
one can observe the original double
glazing has been replaced by sealed
units which have actually caused
more deteriation of the sills and jambs.
Figure 385 - triangular opening on the eastern
side of the central core modified, picture by
author
Figure 386 - triangular opening on the western
side of the central core modified, picture by
author
70 PTAH Consultants Inc., Strutt House, Heritage
Structure Report, PTAH Consultants Inc.
Architects, Ottawa, 2012, p. 23.
Another addition is the fascia that is
running all along most of the internal
walls of the house. This element which
is hiding the wires, cables and curtain
rails was original to the core area and
living area but was not at all locations,
as one can observe on the following
pictures.
Figure 387 - Red cedar fascia added, picture
taken by Kristen Balogh
Figure 388 - No fascia in the original
construction, picture of the Fondation Strutt
Foundation
Finally, the linoleum floor covering had
been partially replaced around 2008
when Lesley Strutt moved in the house.
The areas of the entrance hall and the
office have indeed inherited of grey
stone pattern linoleum that is out of
context.
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 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

the 70’s. Consequently, it is hard to

know if the built in furniture of the two
symmetrically designed children
bedrooms is original or if it has also
been gradually modified according to
the different moves of children in the
rooms.

Figure 389 - Linoleum change, picture by

author

Figure 391 - Before the removal of the built-in

cabinet in the living room, picture of Fondation
Strutt Foundation

Figure 392 - After the removal of the built-in

cabinet in the living room, picture taken by
author

Systems
Regarding the systems, some major
Figure 390 - Linoleum change, scheme by
changes need to be highlighted.
author
Among them, the installation of a
Furniture wood burning stove in the end of the
1980’s was supposed to support the
The kitchen counter prep area, large
air-forced heating system. The later
seat and storage that projected into
has also been replaced, in 2004-05,
the living area was removed by Lesley
since oil deliveries were no longer
in 2007 as well as the upper rail and
possible on site. Instead, an electrical
the fascia between the kitchen and
system was placed so as to heat the
living area. It is necessary to precise
air. The whole electric installation was
that the counter/seating is not original
modified and new panels and
to the building’s initial construction. In
capacity increase for the building. The
the entrance hall, the book cases built
new mast was installed in a way that
in the corner are missing
affects the aesthetic qualities of the
As written above, some of the building. The 80’s burnings stove has
movable furniture has been held by also been replaced in 2007 by the one
the family after the expropriation in that is present nowadays and a new
2011. Plans of the furniture chimney liner was installed to connect
manufactured by the architect are the new stove to the existing chimney.
available and their reconstruction
would not be a problem. We also saw
that the closet in the guest bedroom is
not original and was actually built in

140
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis

Figure 393 - original fire pit, picture of the

Fondation Strutt Foundation

Figure 396 - New grille in the office, picture by

Kristen Balogh

Figure 394 - first fire stove, picture of the

Fondation Strutt Foundation

Figure 395 - Fire stove placed in 2007, picture

by author
Figure 397 - disturbing elements on the facade,
after adaptation of the electric system, picture
When the eastern porch was filled in
by author
order to accommodate the office, the
heating system’s ductwork had been Apart from that, the original artisian
extended in order to provide the well was replaced by the current
office with heating. Actually, placement in1962 and the pump had
2 opening for forced air were created been replaced in the late 1970’s.
in the office.

141
 Introduction to the case study – Architectural Analysis
Liveability
Another aspect of the house that
disserves to be addressed is the
liveability of such a building in such a
context. The advantage with Modern
Heritage is that it is quite easy to speak
with former owners/users which makes
it easy to understand how life was
being lived in the building as well as
the advantages and drawbacks of
the design.
First of all, the fact that the house is
located uphill only became an issue
for users when the upper access road
was closed. It forced the users to carry
all their things up the long wooden
staircase.
Then, the house is based on a very
open concept, which means that it
brings a lot of spatial qualities but, in
some cases, it also results in a lack of
privacy and intimacy, especially for
the bedrooms. Indeed, the simple fact
that the junctions between the
partition walls and the hypars is not
always perfectly closed (the hypar is
curved while the top beam of the
partition wall is only an inclined straight
element) leads to some openings
between the rooms. The latter can
also cause inconveniences (odours,…)
since these imprecise junctions are
also present in bathrooms.
Figure 398 - problematic junction for acoustic
insulation, picture taken by author
Figure 399 - Problematic junction for acoustic
insulation and odours between corridor and
bathroom, picture taken by author
Moreover, the simple composition of
the walls creates acoustic discomfort.
Indeed, the 2 asbestos panels and the
air in between do not provide a good
resistance for both shock and aerial
sounds. Lesley Strutt admitted that it
was not always an easy thing to study
in her room.
The discomfort mainly linked to
acoustic issues is compounded by the
thermal condition of the night spaces,
located in the northern part of the
building. Indeed, since the heating
system is working with a simple
thermostat, and the important solar
gains from the very open southern
facade, in winter times, would result in
an interruption of the heating.
However, the bedrooms gain some
upward convection during the early
evening but do not benefit from these
gains late into the night and, as a
result, they were often very cold.
Apart from the negative aspects
mentioned above, the building offers
outstanding qualities for living. The very
diverse set of views, the very functional
spaces and furniture, the open
spaces, the contact with the
surrounding nature and so on are
indeed offering an incredible setting
to raise a family.
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 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

Value assessment & Nara Grid

In order to assess the values of the documents. Finally, the Nara Grid will
building and the site, it is important to provide a summary of the values
map the different period of embodied in the building. This value
construction on the different graphic assessment is essential in order to set
documents at both scales (site and the basis of the conservation project. It
building). Then, the next step is to allows defining the values and, as a
determine the value of each building result, the one that need to be
construction period or single conserved, enhanced and so on.
intervention. This has to be made both
in text and expressed in graphic

143
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

Building phases
In order to make clear the different additional colours will highlight the
important building phases, the missing elements (dark red) and the
decision was made to display the intervention which date is unknown
construction steps in 4 different (light brown).
phases. First, the original construction
elements will be highlighted in light
green. Then, the intervention made in
the 60’s and 70’s will be shown in
darker green. A third colour, light blue,
will depict the works done in the 80’s
and 90’s. The dark blue shows the
adaptations dating from the
beginning of the 21 century. Two
st

Figure 400 - Site plan, intervention periods, made by author

144
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

Figure 401 - Floor plan, intervention periods, made by author

Figure 402 - Section AA, intervention periods, made by author

145
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

Figure 403 - Elevation East, intervention periods, made by author

Figure 404 - Elevation South, intervention periods, made by author

146
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

Figure 405 - Elevation West, intervention periods, made by author

Figure 406 - Elevation North, intervention periods, made by author

147
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid
Value assessment
Regarding the Value assessment, a
value scale of three different values
has been established. First, highlighted
in green, the elements that are
enhancing the values embodied in
the building will be displayed.
Secondly, some interventions,
considered as having a neutral impact
on the construction’s values are
coloured in orange. Finally, the
disturbing elements that are clearly
threatening the values of the
architect’s design are shown in red. In
short, the elements with high values will
have, in the future conservation plan,
to be conserved and enhanced, while
the decision to conserve or not the
elements with a neutral value can
depends on the project. Regarding
the items, interventions that are
disturbing (low value) should definitely
be removed in order to reveal and
preserve the overall values and
qualities embodied in the building and
site, and defined by the NARA grid in
the following point.
At the level of the site, the
interventions of the 21st century
significantly threatened the qualities of
the original integration of the house in
the landscape. If the gravel road is not
a major problem, the staircase is
clearly changing the perception of
the site and the visitors’ approach of
the building. The carport has a neutral
value since it is a reconstruction, by
Strutt’s children, of the original one.
Finally, the swimming pool and the
wooden deck offer a qualitative
space with an interesting relation to
the house
Regarding the building, a high value
has been assigned to all the original
elements of the house. The change of
linoleum, the construction of new
decks on the western and eastern
side, the missing elements (partition
wall, kitchen cabinet, brise-soleils) and
the 2005 reroofing are clearly affecting
the overall perception and operation
of the building. Other interventions
such as the change in the fire pit, the
added fascia to hide the wires and
cables, the adaptation of kitchen’s
utilities, change of the closet to a
bathroom and shift from a desk to a
closet in the guest bedroom have a
more neutral impact on the
construction’s values. However, the
furniture of the bathroom located in
the guest bedroom is clearly out of
context.
The enclosure of the eastern porch has
been given a neutral value because
of its consistence with the original
design. However, it is also disturbing
the general understanding essentially
because it is breaking an important
aspect of the design: the symmetry.
The unclear modification of both
triangular windows on both sides of
the central core is hiding the
construction logic that is visible in all
other parts of the house.
Finally, the value of the fibreboard
panels added on the original layers
has also been considered as neutral.
On a technical point of view,
however, the material is clearly not
adapted to outdoor environment and
should be replaced.
148
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

Figure 407 - Site plan, value assessment, made by author

149
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

Figure 408 - Floor plan, value assessment, made by author

Figure 409 - Section AA, value assessment, made by author

150
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

Figure 410 - Elevation East, value assessment, made by author

Figure 411 - Elevation South, value assessment, made by author

151
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

Figure 412 - Elevation West, value assessment, made by author

Figure 413 - Elevation North, value assessment, made by author

152
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid
Nara Grid
The Nara Grid is a tool that has been
created to determine the heritage
values of a good, taking into account
the intangible aspect. The goal was to
turn the Nara document on
authenticity into a practical tool to
assist conservators. The final aim of this
value definition is the preservation of
the authenticity of the studied
heritage. Since authenticity is a very
subjective and complex subject, this
tool is offering a more “objective”
approach. The grid propose to define
the values of the heritage object
based on the study of 6 aspects (form
and design, Materials and substance,
Use and function, Tradition, techniques
and workmanship, location and
setting, Spirit and feeling) in 4 different
dimensions (Artistic, Historic, Social,
Scientific). Once the values are set,
the established grid will help the
stakeholders to understand the impact
of conservation strategies towards
each value embodied in the good.
153
 Aspects Dimensions Artistic Historic Social Scientific

The building represents the
architect’s interpretation
of the Modern
Movement’s ideas.
Designed and built for and
by him, it provides a very
representative example of
the very integrative aspect
Form and design of his approach to
residential Architecture.
The modularity and
geometrical composition
are two of the most
outstanding aspects of the
building’s structure.
The Strutt House is one of / The architect’s career is
the most outstanding important in the study of
examples of Modern the Modern Movement’s
residential Architecture in development in Canada
the National Capital regarding the influence
Region. More generally, he had in the National
the work of the architect Capital Region.
in the Gatineau Hills is a In this regard, the Strutt
highly valuable example House, one of his master
of the integration of pieces, is of high
residential Modern importance.
Architecture in natural
settings.

The materials and their The original building The use of new materials The good state of
assemblages form an materials are still present. participated to the conservation of the
integral part of the design. The use of these development of new building provides us with
Materials and They are shown and experimental materials is industries and allowed a very good
expressed in order to make characteristic of the the improvements of understanding of the
substance
the building’s structure Modern Movement. these materials along the original building’s
understandable. Their time. condition and design.
good state of
conservation reveals the
qualities of the original
design.
Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

154
 Aspects Dimensions Artistic
The very low cost of the
house was also due to
the very functional
character of the house.
Indeed, the geometry,
spatial configuration,
Use and function and the integration of
built-in furniture allowed
the architect to use a
minimum amount of
space.
The workability of the
building relies very much
Tradition, techniques on the ability of the
and workmanship craftsmen to achieve the
architect’s innovative
construction details.
The design is directly
inspired by the setting
and the interrelations
Location and setting between the site and the
Architecture are very
harmonious.
155
Historic Social Scientific
Since its construction, the The parties organized by The house is
building served as a the Strutt’s family reflect representative of the
family house. It has not the social value of this growing interest in
been used since the place. For the architect, including technology in
expropriation of the the Stutt property was the design.
house, in 2011, by the also a place to share
NCC. knowledge and know
how. This is also the case
nowadays with the
workshops organized with
students and skilled
professionals.
The wooden hypars were Pride of Craftsmen and The design and
the first of this type to be architect to contribute to constructive principles of
built. such a construction. The the hypars were very
building was planned in innovative at the time of
such a way that it was its construction.
possible to erect it with a
very reduced amount of
men in a very short time.
The construction of the The proximity of natural Endangered species are
Strutt House is and built assets in the present in the Gatineau
representative of a stage Gatineau park gives the hills.
in history of a more opportunity to raise
global process: the long awareness about the
tradition of cultural existence of the site.
landscaping of the
Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid
Gatineau park,
 Aspects Dimensions Artistic Historic Social Scientific

The integration of the The site expresses the / /

house in the Gatineau growing architect s’
hills with a very consideration for the
landscape sensitive construction s’ setting in
approach gives the visitor the Modern Movement.
a very particular sense of
Spirit and feeling the place. For instance,
the visitor’s feeling once
arriving on the third
plateau with the view on
the house is quite
spectacular.
Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid

156
 Introduction to the case study – Value assessment & Nara Grid
BIM GENERATION FROM POINT
CLOUDS: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE
STRUTT HOUSE CASE STUDY
This chapter aims at providing the
reader with an overview of the state of
the research about the BIM for
Heritage Conservation. It will be
divided in five main parts. First, a brief
definition of the BIM and the evolution
of the research from its inception, until
nowadays will be displayed with a
particular focus on the application of
this technology for Heritage
Conservation. Secondly, the possible
4
methods to generate a BIM model
from point clouds will be developed.
Afterwards, the third part will present
and develop the method used for this
case study, the results obtained and
the lessons learned. Eventually, the
utility of the BIM from point clouds
along the conservation project of
heritage composite structures will be
assessed on the basis of this particular
case study.
157
 BIM generation from point clouds – BIM : Definition & history
BIM: Definition & history
Definition of BIM
“A coordinated, consistent and always up-
to-date workflow improved in order to
reach higher quality, reliability and cost
reduction all over the design process.” 71
“Reliable information model from its
construction to its life-cycle… BIM is “a
digital representation of physical and
functional characteristics of a facility and
a shared knowledge resource for
information about a facility forming a
reliable basis for decisions during its life-
cycle; defined as existing from earliest
conception to demolition” (Saeed,
2013).” 72
“BIM is an integrative tool for the design,
representation, production, and long-term
management of the built environment. BIM
software combines multi-dimensional
visualization with comprehensive,
parametric databases to facilitate
collaborative design and facility
management among project partners
(Russell; Elger 2008).” 73
“Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an
intelligent 3D model-based process that
equips Architecture, engineering, and
construction professionals with the insight
and tools to more efficiently plan, design,
71 A. M. Manferdin, S. Garagnani, Parametric
Accuracy: Building Information Modeling
Process Applied to the Cultural Heritage
Preservation, University of Bologna, 2013.
72 A. Delinasiou, E. Stylianidis, S. Logothetis,
Building Information Modelling for Cultural
Heritage: A review, 25th International CIPA
Symposium, Taipei, August 31, 2015.
73 K. Graham, S. Fai, T. Duckworth, N. Wood, R.
Attar, Building Information Modelling and
Heritage Documentation, Carleton Immersive
Media Studio, Carleton University, Ottawa,
2011.
construct, and manage buildings and
infrastructure.” 74
“BIM has not to be considered as a set of
software to produce drafts and models
but, on the contrary, as a pipelined
process among designers, managers,
engineers, architects and contractors
(Eastman, Teicholz, Sacks and Liston,
2011). In fact BIM Fondation Strutt
Foundations (and advantages) reside in
the completeness, detail and “self-
consciousness” of the building’s model,
authored by tools offering the features
needed to generate smart objects aware
of their role and not comprehensive of
their geometric appearance only.” 75
The preceding definitions of BIM
provide us the characteristic elements
of the BIM. The first key word to be
mentioned is integrative. Indeed, the
BIM models are made in a way that
they can be used, or at least
visualized, by all the stakeholders. It is
an important shared database among
the architects, engineers and so on.
Moreover, the collaborative design
term is reinforcing the interactive
character of the BIM. Indeed,
architectural, engineering, MEP and
other disciplines are integrated in the
BIM design process. Consequently,
they can all interact in a common
platform and efficiently share
information.
Secondly, the reference to the
temporality is also important. Indeed,
74 AUtodesk website
75 R. Mingucci, S. Cinti Luciani, S. Garagnani,
Collaborative design for existing Architecture
the Building information Modeling as a frontier
for coordinated process, University of Bologna,
2012, p. 1.
158
 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
the BIM is more than a simple model
representing the construction’s stage
of the building. Rather than that, it is a
tool that allows the management of
the building along all its phases.
Moreover, it always generates up-to-
date documents.
Thirdly, a BIM is made of parametric
smart objects that contain both
geometric data and other relevant
information. In this regard, it contains
much more than the simple CAD 3D
and is even considered as a 5D tool.
“These are the three (3D) primary spatial
dimensions (width, height and depth), the
fourth dimension (4D) is time and the fifth
(5D) is cost.” 76
The quote above lead us to another
important notion, the cost reduction
that is, of course, one of the final aim
of the BIM. This is made possible by the
very reliable information contained in
the model, the efficiency of the
management, and the sharing of data
since it avoid a lots of mistakes,
misunderstanding and so on.
Finally, apart from being a smart
model, it also serves the basic function
of virtual representation and
visualization. It provides the users with
a very good presentation tool for their
projects.
Overall, the BIM is a multi-scale,
interdisciplinary and integrative tool for
the design and long term
management of buildings, that is
constituted of smart objects that
76 A. Delinasiou, E. Stylianidis, S. Logothetis,
Building Information Modelling for Cultural
Heritage: A review, 25th International CIPA
Symposium, Taipei, August 31, 2015.
contain both geometric data and
relevant information. Apart from that,
the BIM can also provide an accurate
virtual 3D representation of buildings
and is a very interesting tool for
visualization. In the end, BIM aims at a
most efficient and reliable manner to
deal with building management and
design and should, in the long and
short term, result in projects’ cost
reduction.
BIM and Heritage
Conservation
If the traces of the term can be traced
back to the late 70’s, it is only in the
end of the 80’s that BIM truly
appeared with the creation of
ARCHICAD by the firm GRAPHISOFT.77
If significant improvements occurred in
the field since its creation, the
application of the technology to
existing structures lacked of attention
from researchers until the years 2007-
2008. Indeed, a research focusing on
the elaboration of a process that
could lead to “automated BIM
generation” (2008) 78 and another
(2007) 79 that aimed at capturing “both
the past and present condition” 80 of
77 A. Delinasiou, E. Stylianidis, S. Logothetis,
Building Information Modelling for Cultural
Heritage: A review, 25th International CIPA
Symposium, Taipei, August 31, 2015.
78 Arayici, Yusuf: Towards Building Information
Modelling for Existing Structures, Structural
Survey,
26.3 (2008) 210-222.
79 Penttilä, H., Rajala, M., Freese, S.: Building
Information Modelling of Modern Historic
Buildings, Predicting the Future, 25th eCAADe
Conference Proceedings 2007, 607-613.
80 K. Graham, S. Fai, T. Duckworth, N. Wood, R.
Attar, Building Information Modelling and
Heritage Documentation, Carleton Immersive
159
 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
heritage structures marked the
beginning of a growing interest in the
field. Until this period, BIM was ignored
in very important reference works of
heritage surveyors/ conservators. 81
In the following years, several papers
related the evolution of the research in
the attempt to establish effective
methodologies and tools for the
creation of BIM models for existing
buildings and, more particularly,
Heritage ones. If initially imagined for
new constructions, research started to
believe in the potential of BIM to make
the management of Heritage
Conservation’s project more efficient.
“Recognition of BIM as a technology that
addresses the growing demand for a
multi-disciplinary knowledge base,
essential to the management of life-cycle
processes such as operation, renewal and
development of the growing inventory of
heritage sites.” 82
“In fact it represents a complete tool
aimed to assist those professionals who use
computer models, made of evolved
objects, as a common workbench to
perform restorations, maintenance
interventions, renovations or simply
information archiving on Cultural Heritage.
In these contexts, BIM technologies can
be integrated with facilities management
to improve space allocation with
optimized occupancy use, reducing
operating costs, as well as aiding
technical maintenance and providing
quick and easy access to the existing
building’s parts and inventory, projecting
Media Studio, Carleton University, Ottawa,
2011.
81 Idem, p. 2.
82 Idem, p. 1.
future operating costs in regular
maintenance.” 83
First, a bunch of researchers proposed
a new way of approaching BIM and
Heritage buildings with what they
called Historic BIM (HBIM) 84 85. This new
approach consists of the mapping, on
point clouds, of parametric elements,
designed on the basis of historical
records and documents and stored in
libraries. The main problem of this
technique is the “limited capacities to
change elements in order to represent
possible existing different state” 86.
Secondly, results of research made in
the Carleton Immersive Media Studio
about the BIM in heritage context
were published in a paper of 2011.
Through two case studies, the paper
examines BIM’s potential to integrate
intangible values to the model, as well
as a multi-scale and multi-temporal
approach of the BIM in order to be
able to represent the whole life cycles
of the building (Past, modifications, as-
found condition) with the integration
of both “qualitative (historic
83 R. Mingucci, S. Cinti Luciani, S. Garagnani,
Collaborative design for existing Architecture :
the Building information Modeling as a frontier
for coordinated process, University of Bologna,
2012, p. 2.
84 Murphy, M., McGovern E., et al., 2009.
"Historic building information modelling (HBIM).
"Structural Survey Vol. 27 (Iss: 4,): 311 – 327.
85 Murphy M., McGovern E. & Pavia, S. 2011.
'Historic Building Information Modeling - Adding
Intelligence to Laser and Image Based Surveys',
4th ISPRS International Workshop, 3D ARCH
2011: "3D Virtual Reconstruction and
Visualization of Complex Architectures" Trento,
Italy, 2-4 March 2011.
86 A. M. Manferdin, S. Garagnani, Parametric
Accuracy: Building Information Modeling
Process Applied to the Cultural Heritage
Preservation, University of Bologna, 2013.
160
 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows

pictures,…) and quantitative data most of the research is that the

(metric data and related automatic features detection of BIM
information)” 87. The produced software is still not adapted to the
document could then serve as a basis creation of BIM for heritage structures.
for future interventions and integrative
“This review showed that many
management of the site and building.
developments occurred the last year in
Finally, another striking research is the the area of BIM while the potential for
many more exist. There is a still lot of space
one ran in 2013 in the University of
for more and more developments. In the
Bologna about the accuracy of the
area of open source platforms it seems
design of smart objects regarding the
that many more could be done to
point cloud. What is essential to moderate the high prices in the existing
remember is the creation of an commercial platforms.” 88
application that transforms the points
of the point clouds in snapping nodes
that can be used for the generation of
masses in REVIT that can be turned,
afterwards in smart objects. This
proposition tackled one of the most
important issues that is the accurate
representation of virtual elements from
a point cloud. This step is indeed
crucial to provide a correct and
precise as-found condition prior to all
analysis.

The 25th international CIPA symposium,

in 2015, in Taiwan, resulted in the
publication of a review on the state of
the question. The different research’
results evoked above have been
displayed among other themes.

A summary of the available software

and tools for BIM management,
creation and visualization was also
made. Overall, even though lots of
progress has been made, there are
many improvement possibilities and
needs for progress. For instance, one
of the common conclusions among

87 K. Graham, S. Fai, T. Duckworth, N. Wood, R.

Attar, Building Information Modelling and 88 A. Delinasiou, E. Stylianidis, S. Logothetis,

Heritage Documentation, Carleton Immersive Building Information Modelling for Cultural

Media Studio, Carleton University, Ottawa, Heritage: A review, 25th International CIPA
2011. Symposium, Taipei, August 31, 2015.

161
 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
From point clouds to BIM: Methods and
Workflows
So as to generate a BIM from a point
cloud, many workflows are possible. In
this work, 3 of them will be examined
and their efficiency regarding the
documentation of heritage structures
will be assessed.
A first part will aim at defining the
different factors that have to be taken
into account when defining the
project’s scope and aims.
Then, it is necessary to mention the
different sources that have to be
combined in order to generate a very
complete model. Basically, the goal is
to exploit BIM’s potential regarding
Heritage Conservation projects at his
best.
Thirdly, the different outputs that can
be generated from the point clouds
and used as a basis for BIM model’s
creation will be explored.
Finally the different methods that can
be used to generate BIM models from
point clouds will be depicted.
Defining the scope
In order to define clear goals for the
survey and, later on, the BIM, the goals
of the projects need to be clearly
established at the inception of the
work. As written in the methodology, it
will save significant time in capturing
data as well as in modelling (Definition
of the level of detail required, scale of
the documents, precision needed,…)
and, in this regard, is of high
importance regarding the project cost
reduction. To do so, different
parameters have to be taken into
account when dealing with Heritage
buildings.
First, there is a multi-scale (Building,
site, city,…) approach that requires
different type of sources and
document production. Depending on
the level of detail, the scale and the
final project goals, the most adapted
technique can be chosen (2D or 3D
CAD, BIM, other types of models such
as City GML for instance). At this point,
the objects that need to be
documented need to be established
in order to precisely know what to
survey. Furthermore, the level of detail
and the scale of the drawings also
have to be established before in order
to determine the level of detail
necessary in the the documentation
process. It is often necessary to
combine several techniques in order
to achieve all the goals.
Secondly, contrary to new buildings,
information about the past of the
edifice needs to be incorporated in
the document. Indeed, it is necessary
that the model has the capacity of
representing and giving information
about the original condition of the
building, the modifications and
adaptations that took place through
its life-cycle and finally, the as-found
condition. The created model will
serve as the basis for further
interventions and management of the
building.
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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
Thirdly, since BIM is an integrative
platform, the model has to be made in
order to be used by the different
disciplines present in the building such
as Architecture, engineering, MEP, ... A
clear methodology achieved before
the model’s creation, should specify
the results to be obtained, the tools
that are going to be used to achieve
that as well as the workflow that will be
applied. From the beginning onwards,
the users should know which software
to use for design, visualization, and so
on. The interoperability of the model
has also to be reflected if the model
could be used in other software and
applications (For instance, from BIM to
City GML, to 3D GIS, and so on).
To conclude, the goals of the projects
and the methodology have to be
defined prior to the surveys and
research. The need for quantitative
and qualitative 89 data in order to
achieve these goals in all the aspects
mentioned above (multi-scale, multi-
temporal and multi-disciplinary).
Reflections about the integration of
the intangible aspects of the surveyed
heritage building or site, should also
take place. 90
Research and Surveys
In order to build a BIM model, two
main different categories of sources
are required. First, archival documents
provide the surveyor with information
about the past of the building, from its
89 K. Graham, S. Fai, T. Duckworth, N. Wood, R.
Attar, Building Information Modelling and
Heritage Documentation, Carleton Immersive
Media Studio, Carleton University, Ottawa,
2011.
90 Idem.
original construction, or even
preceding design, to the modifications
and adaptations made until the
present condition. Secondly,
information obtained from the survey is
giving accurate metric data about
the actual shape of the building.
In the archival documents, one can
find ancient maps, drawings,
paintings, blueprints, pictures, videos,
texts, sketches, postcards and so on. If
reliable metric data can hardly be
extracted from these documents to
create a model representative of the
actual condition, it provides the
surveyors with a bunch of information
that will help to complete the BIM.
The documents used as the basis for
the BIM are the outputs of the survey.
Indeed, hand measurements, EDM
surveys, ortophotos and point clouds
provide very accurate and reliable
metric data. Additionally, site
observations, interviews, pictures and
reports can also be very precious
information.
The combination of both sources,
allows the generation of a model that
is closer to the reality. It is impossible to
do the model without both of them
since the survey can only study the
visible and accessible parts while the
archival sources can complete the
missing elements. Having gathered all
the necessary documents, the model
can be achieved integrating the multi-
scale, multi-temporal and multi-
disciplinary necessary information for
its further management.
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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
Point clouds
importation
“BIM approach, originally developed for
new projects, can be successfully applied
to existing contexts using TLS surveys to
collect point clouds and turn them later
into smart digital models, taking
advantage of new technologies and
methods.” 91
The focus of this chapter is the
creation of a BIM on the basis of high
resolution point clouds. Consequently,
it is important to understand the
process applied to these point clouds
to generate different kind of outputs
before importing it to BIM software.
Point cloud management and
outputs
The data obtained from the laser
scanner or the photogrammetry is a
data set of point clouds and pictures.
Once merged together, these data
are combined in a single point cloud
textured and colorized in software
(depends on the brand of the TLS
instrument used) exportable at
different possible format (.pts, .ptx,
.e57, …). The different scans have
been orientated and merged
together in the software (in this case,
for instance, SCENE software was
necessary since we used a FARO
scanner). TLS and photogrammetric
surveys can be brought together in a
unique coordinate system captured
91 R. Mingucci, S. Cinti Luciani, S. Garagnani,
Collaborative design for existing Architecture:
the Building information Modeling as a frontier
for coordinated process, University of Bologna,
2012, p. 1.
by a total station (Electronic Distance
Measurement).
Before exploiting the potential of the
point clouds, the surveyor should aim
at a “reduction of this data to
meaningful and workable
information” 92. As explained in the
chapter dedicated to the
methodology, this step can be
achieved with Autodesk Recap, for
instance. Deleting useless points,
cropping the view to the elements
required for the elaboration of graphic
documents and create layers are
essential steps to ideally prepare
further work in Computer-Aided-
Design software. Indeed, the latter
can face difficulties with the
management of huge point cloud
files. It will result in important lags that
will significantly slow down the drawing
process.
Once these steps are completed, one
need to decide what type of output is
more suitable for the types of drawing
or model required for the project. In
this regard, four main possible types of
data can be obtained from the point
clouds. First, the point cloud can be
exported directly into CAD software
and used as a basis for modelling or
drawing. Secondly, the point cloud
can be turned into a mesh and,
consequently, a 3D object. Thirdly,
ortophotos can also be obtained
thanks to the use of specialized
software (for example: Geomagic
Studio, 3D reshaper,…). Finally, the
point cloud can be used for surfaces
92 D. Watt, P. Swallow, R. Dallas, S. Jackson,
Measurement and Recording of Historic
Building, Donhead Publishing Ltd, Dorset, 2004,
p. 136.
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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows

generation that will be turned, later distinguish architectural details. The

on, in walls, floors or other building level of detail mainly depends on the
elements. scale established for the required
drawings.
Point clouds
The process of importing a point cloud
in CAD software is pretty
straightforward. The user simply needs
to import it and specify the coordinate
system to be used. Regarding the
latter, it is possible to either use the
one of the point cloud or to simply
import the point cloud at the central
Figure 415 - Defining the levels and positioning
point of the new project created.
the point cloud in REVIT, screenshot by author
Once imported, the point cloud can
be moved and orientated in order to
be correctly placed. Afterwards,
additional manipulations can be done
such as correctly placing the levels (for
3D modelling, example Autodesk
Revit), layers can be turned off and
the point cloud can be cropped if
necessary.
Figure 416 - creation of plans, sections, and
elevations to start modelling, screenshot by
author

Figure 414 - Point cloud imported in REVIT,
screenshot by author
Another way to reduce the weight of
the data is to subsample the point
cloud. This can be done in different
software (For example Cloud
Compare). It reduces the amount of
points present in the point cloud.
Naturally, this can only be done until a
certain limit. The surveyor need to
ensure that the distance between
points is short enough to be able to
Mesh – 3D object
From the point cloud, it is also possible
to create a textured mesh. The
software has been significantly
developed in the last years and
proposes a very wide range of
possibilities and an important ease of
use. These objects are very interesting
documents since they provide a
complete 3D reconstruction of the
object. Even though they can be
imported in CAD software through
specific plug-ins, their utility or rather
their added value, in comparison with
the direct use of point clouds, for BIM is
quite limited. Indeed, the point clouds
already provide the information

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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows

required and do not need additional

manipulation.

Attempts have been made to use this

technique with the point cloud of the
Strutt House. First, a small part of the
building has been selected in order to
import a manageable file in the
software. The program used to
experiment is 3Dreshaper since a trial
version is available online. The creation
of the mesh is very quick and only
need two or three steps. After the Figure 418 - colorized mesh, screenshot from
importation, the mesh can be 3D reshaper by author
generated with a low resolution in
The results of this experiment are that
order to get a kind of preview. Then
the software faces a lot of difficulties
the mesh can be successively refined
with glass surfaces and the mesh of
in order to obtain the desired results.
the elements around the glass are
Finally, colours and textures can be
often affected. Interesting features of
applied to the object either directly
the program allow the user, to fill the
from the point cloud, or from pictures.
gaps in the mesh, extract topographic
features or many other tools. Another
issue of the mesh is that, since the
mesh consists of numerous triangles,
the edges are not considered as
straight lines and the meshing can
lead to confusion in some parts.
Therefore, it seems that, to obtain a
well detailed and smart mesh, much
care has to be taken in the survey to
avoid any disturbing point and a lot of
cleaning has to be done before
importing the point clouds.
Figure 417 - point cloud in 3D reshaper,
screenshot taken by author

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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
Figure 419 - Bizarre surface structure generated
from glass faces, screenshot by author in
3Dreshaper software
Figure 420 - elements around glass surfaces are
misunderstood by the software and edges are
not sharp, screenshot taken by author in
3Dreshaper software
Meshes generated from point clouds,
as used in the experiment above, do
not seem to have much to offer for
heritage buildings’ BIM creation.
However, the mesh can be an
interesting tool to create accurate 3D
objects for structural analysis and
condition assessment. Indeed, the
detection of surfaces and the
possibility to virtually recreate 3D
elements give many development
opportunities.
Finally, the meshes created can be
integrated as independent objects in
the BIM model. This could be the case
for works of art for instance
(Sculptures).
Ortophotos
As written previously, ortophotos can
also be exported from point clouds.
They can serve as basis for 2D
drawings (elevations, plans, sections,
maps,…) but can also be useful for 3D
modelling. Indeed, architectural
elements can be designed thanks to a
few ortophotos (top and bottom view,
Side and front view, Section,…). If the
working file is made lighter, the
process is longer since each
ortophotos needs to be processed,
which take some time, and then
correctly placed in the project.
Figure 421 - Ortophoto taken from SCENE
software, http://www.laserscanningforum.com/
Surface based model
Another option is to use software (For
instance Edge Wise) to generate
surfaces from a point cloud. The
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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
process is relatively fast. Then, building
elements can be successively created
from these surfaces or from semi-
manual detection (1. Floors and levels,
2. Walls, 3. Windows and doors,
4. Pipes, 5. Beams, columns,… ). It is
necessary to mention that the surfaces
are linear and, consequently, the
building elements generated are
linear as well. As such, this technique is
not adapted to the need of surveyors
and conservators to establish an
accurate present condition
assessment of the building. However,
this technique can be very interesting
when such accuracy is not required.
Indeed, it leads to an important cost &
time reduction.
Figure 422 - Surface detection from point cloud
in Edge wise (edges in yellow), screenshot by
author from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BERkcbA
EqM
Figure 423 - windows detection
Clearedge3D, pictures
http://www.pobonline.com
Figure 424 - importation of the building
elements in REVIT through edgewise plug-in,
screenshot by author from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BERkcbA
EqM
Possible Workflows for
BIM generation
BIM modelling
In this work, four possible workflows
(From manual, semi-automatic to
automatic) for BIM elaboration were
considered. It is necessary to mention
that all of them are working directly on
the basis of point clouds. First, the
methodology used to build the
complete BIM of the Strutt House was
fully manual, using the point cloud
only to snap linear parametric objects.
Then, a second technique aims at a
more accurate representation of the
actual condition of the building by
using the Green Spider Plug in for
REVIT. The third one is the one
explained before, using the point
cloud to generate surfaces and turn
them in building elements. Finally, the
last method explores the possibility to
model the elements from meshes in
other softwares before importing them
in Revit.
in
from
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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
1. Fully manual design
The manual method implies the
importation of the point cloud directly
in REVIT and the design of building
elements on the basis of the same
cloud. Two possible approaches can
be distinguished.
First, a bit in line with the HBIM
methodology, parametric smart
objects can be inserted and snapped
on the point cloud. This allows an easy
and fast BIM creation and ensures
smart connections between elements.
However, the virtual 3D representation
(geometric data) is not very accurate
regarding the as-found condition.
Indeed, the objects created are linear
and even if they can approximately
be placed in the correct position
(horizontal location and rotation on
the plan, front and side views), they
cannot represent the actual change
of state of the elements or possible
deterioration. This type of BIM is, on the
one hand, interesting for heritage
stakeholders because it embodies the
construction and composition logic.
On the other hand, the lack of
accuracy makes it very hard to apply
some analysis linked to the actual
condition of the building elements
(especially structural).
Another possibility is to create
elements in place, with the different
tools available. If this technique is
much more accurate than the first one
(building elements change of state
are represented as in the existing
condition), the process is very long
and laborious. Moreover, there are still
some limitations in the design of
families in REVIT (not possible to use the
features of conceptual masses in
object families). A general observation
is that it is also sometimes hard to
interpret the huge set of points for the
design of elements. Even when
clipped, cleaned and disseminated,
the point cloud can still be hard to
interpret when designing elements.
2. Semi-automated design
The second technique actually
addresses the problem of accurate 3D
representation to the high quality and
precision point clouds. Thanks to the
application Green Spider, elaborated
in 2013 93, accurate building elements
can be easily generated with the
conceptual mass tool in REVIT. By
generating different sections in the
element, a conceptual mass
representing the element with all its
singular characteristics can be
created. The user has to define which
points have to be used by the
software in order to generate these
masses. Each different section is saved
as a XYZ file, imported in revit and
translated in 3D points thanks to the
GSP plug in. They are successively
imported and then the points that
have to be used for the generation of
the conceptual mass are selected by
the user.
93 A. Delinasiou, E. Stylianidis, S. Logothetis,
Building Information Modelling for Cultural
Heritage: A review, 25th International CIPA
Symposium, Taipei, August 31, 2015.
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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows

wooden structure like the Strutt House

for instance)?

Figure 425 - Figure 2. GreenSpider plug-in for

Autodesk Revit 2012, developed by S.
Garagnani from A. M. Manferdin, S. Garagnani,
Parametric Accuracy: Building Information
Modelling Process Applied to the Cultural
Heritage Preservation, University of Bologna,
2013.

If this technique is a very interesting

answer to the issue of accuracy in BIM
modelling for heritage structure, it also
generates questions. For instance, the
Figure 426 - GSP workflow, from A. M.
conceptual mass is modelling the part Manferdin, S. Garagnani, Parametric Accuracy:
of the element that is visible only. If it Building Information Modelling Process Applied
to the Cultural Heritage Preservation, University
works for isolated elements which data of Bologna, 2013.
can be captured from all its sides,
what about elements that are partially 3. Automated design of
hidden? Should they be modelled in building elements
two phases (one, visible, with the
The third method consists of the
conceptual mass and another, not
generation of building elements from
visible, based on archival documents
a surface based model. The latter is
and sites observations)? Or should the
created by an external application
conceptual mass interpret the archival
(For instance Edge wise), and inserted
documents and site observations and
in the BIM software trough a plug-in. If
integrate the hidden part in a
this technique is very efficient and fast,
simplified way? Another question
it also has the drawback to simplify the
would be to inquire if this technique is
model to linear elements that are not
adapted to a building composed by
keeping all the singularities of the
many single elements? Indeed, if
elements present in the point cloud.
many sections have to be generated
Among all the possible technique, this
for the modelling of a single column,
one is probably the less accurate.
how many would have to be done in
order to document a building that
consists of the assembly of numerous
single structural elements (such as a

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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows

Figure 427 - Illustration of surface base model in

Edgewise software, screenshot by author from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BERkcbA
EqM

Figure 431 - Model imported in REVIT,

screenshot by author from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BERkcbA
EqM

4. Importation of solids
generated from meshes

Figure 428 - Wall and floors generated from the

surfaces, screenshot by author from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BERkcbA
EqM

Figure 429 - Wall and floors generated from the

surfaces, screenshot by author from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BERkcbA
EqM
Figure 432 - Creation of solid 3D elements from
mesh in Solid works 2016, Thesis of Georgios
Hadjidemetriou 94

Finally, the fourth technique to

generate a BIM model is the one that

Figure 430 - Detection of windows, screenshot 94 Georgios Hadjidemetriou, Exploitation of 3D

by author from laser scanning data to generate FEM structural
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BERkcbA models of historical timber roof structures, KU
EqM Leuven, Leuven, 2016.

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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
uses other software to create solid
elements from meshes. In this
framework, the recent research of
George Hadjidemetriou 95 has to be
mentionned. His thesis aimed at
establishing a workflow for the
generation of 3D solid model of timber
frames from point clouds in order to
achieve structural analysis on very
accurate geometric models. The first
part of the research, that focuses on
the modelling of solid elements from
point clouds is particularly interesting
regarding the purpose of this work.
A clear and efficient methodology to
generate meshes from the point
clouds and turn them afterwards into
solid elements while specifying the
connections between elements and
simplifying the surfaces suggest an
alternative to the direct modelling in
BIM software. The latter has, indeed,
shown its limits in some cases. Could
this method be integrated in the
process of BIM modelling? Could it be
applied to the BIM of the Strutt House?
First, if the solid elements created are
still in the correct location (general
coordinate system of the survey) and if
they can be categorized, once in
Revit, in any family type, this modelling
technique could really help to
generate high accuracy BIM models
with less time-consumption. However,
since it is already hard to modify the
category of elements created in Revit,
it might be very tricky to achieve such
an importation.
95 Georgios Hadjidemetriou, Exploitation of 3D
laser scanning data to generate FEM structural
models of historical timber roof structures,
KU Leuven, Leuven, 2016.
Secondly, if the problem of the
interoperability of the created solid
elements and the BIM software would
be solved, the methodology would still
be hardly applicable in the case of
the Strutt House. Indeed, as it is the
case for the Green Spider plug in for
Revit, the workflow is more adapted to
isolated elements with high visibility.
Indeed, modelling the structural
elements, in this case, would require a
lot of interpretation and, as such,
much more time consumption.
However, it seems already to be a
more appropriate answer than the
Green Spider plug in in terms of model
accuracy and efficiency.
It is not surprising to conclude that
increasing the accuracy of the model
leads to a significant increase in time
consumption. Even though lots of
progress has been made, the solutions
found are not adapted to all situations
and still require a lot of time when it
comes to the detailed modelling of
large and complex structures. The
conclusion of this chapter is probably
mostly the questions in which it results.
Is accurate BIM modelling possible
and relevant for all heritage buildings?
Taking in consideration the time
required for its elaboration, is it still
cost-effective compared to a
“simplified” model (simplified means
the use of linear parametric objects
that do not have the ability to provide
a very accurate 3D representation of
the building elements’ current
condition)?
Many improvements have been done,
software and plug-ins propose new
ways of accurate 3D representation of
building elements (For instance Green
172
 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
Spider), but are the consequent efforts
to achieve a model using these tools
really worth it? If detection of standard
building elements is now possible,
would it be possible to imagine a tool
that could detect predefined
elements from a library in a point
cloud and adapt the elements to the
actual state displayed in the point
clouds (By taking in consideration the
deformation, rotation and
displacement of the visible parts of the
elements).
Modelling the topography
In the case of the Strutt House, the site
is of major importance. Even though a
site survey was achieved in september
2005, according to the Heritage
Structure Report, the latter did not
include the study of the topography.
Since the topography is one of the key
feature of the site, the decision was
made to extend the survey to the site,
and not only the building. The first
intention was to generate a cross
section so as to give metric
information about the slope
(difference of altitude,…). However,
since the survey was done with
Terrestrial Laser Scanning, the
outcomes allowed to think a bit further
and to generate a topographic map
of the site’s parts included in the
survey. Progress in managing point
clouds and extracting data from them
have been made in the software.
Hence, it was possible to generate a
topographic map from Autocad Civil
3D and turn it into a concrete 3D site in
the BIM model. The process that has
been used is described below.
First of all, it was necessary to “clean
the point cloud and erase most of the
data that had nothing to do with the
topography. The trees, the building
and other elements have been
deleted. This step allows Autocad Civil
3D to manage easily the point cloud
thanks to its lightness, but makes the
automatic surface generation easier.
Figure 433 - "Cleaned » point cloud inserted in
Autocad Civil 3D, Screenshot by author
Once the Cloud has been succesfully
imported, the surface can be
generated with the tool «Create
surface from point cloud». Several
parameters have to be adapted such
as the distance between the points to
take into account for instance. But
there is also the possibility to filter the
points with the so-called «Kriging
interpolation». This tool permit to the
software to avoid disturbing or non
relevant points such as points of
buildings, cars or trees and create a
smooth surface.
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 BIM generation from point clouds – From point clouds to BIM : Methods and workflows
Figure 434 - Kriging interpolation, screenshot by
author from Autocad Civil 3D
Finally, the form of the outcome has to
be specified. In this case, what was
desired was a map with the level
curves and the contours. The levels
curves were generated every 1 ft.
(Option picked is Contours 2’ and 10’
with modified elevation parameters).
The result obtained is a 3D
topographic map with the contours
and the level curves of the site.
Figure 435 - Topography of the site, screenshot
by author in Autocad Civil 3D
The next step is to import this file into
Revit in order to generate a mass for
the 3D model. The topographic
surface creation tool allows to create
a site from such documents. Moreover,
it is also possible to define roads,
building’s foot print and other site
features as well as there materiality.
Figure 436 - Creation of topographic surface
from imported file, screenshot by author in Revit
Figure 437 - Strutt House's site with roads and
building's footprint, screenshot by author in
Revit
If this technique seems quite promising,
it has to be said that the accuracy is
not always ensured, especially with
complex sites like the one used in this
case. Indeed, the filtering is still not
perfect and the software still takes into
account non relevant points and
ignores some that should be
considered. If the generated map
provides a good basis and a clear
overview of the topographhy, the
document does not have a very high
accuracy in all parts, especially
around the house. This is probably due
to the fact that the soil under the
house was not taken into account
when generating the surface.
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 BIM generation from point clouds –Methodology for the case study’s BIM

Methodology for the case study’s BIM

panels set to protect the building also
Introduction contributed to this lack of information.

Regarding the BIM generated for the

purpose of this work, the chosen
methodology and the lessons learned
from the study case should be
highlighted. For several reasons, the
decision was made to build the model
with the manual method. It implies the
direct importation of the cleaned
point cloud and the in-place design of
building elements.

First, the automated detection of

elements as explained before with
software like Clearedge3D, was not
considered appropriate to fulfil the
requirements of a conservation
Figure 438 - data captured from the TLS survey,
project, especially in terms of screenshot by author
accuracy of 3D virtual reconstruction
of elements. Moreover, no trial version
of such software could be found in
order to make attempts.

Secondly, the method using Green

Spider plug-in in REVIT, even though
very useful, accurate and pertinent to
the modelling of Heritage structures,
was not considered as adapted to the
case study. Indeed, the modularity of
the house, the superposition of
wooden elements and frames and the
systematic framing around building
elements generate a lot of invisible
elements’ faces to the point cloud.
Since it was not possible to capture this
data, the sections created to
represent the elements would have Figure 439 - Actual complexity of the structure,
been meaningless (sometimes only screenshot taken by author
one face of building elements were
reachable with the laser scanner). The

175
 BIM generation from point clouds –Methodology for the case study’s BIM
Figure 440 - Protecting wooden panels hiding
information, picture taken by author
Additionally, the desire to reveal the
constructive logic of this Architecture
by designing each element with the
proper connection to the others, led
to opt for the manual modelling
technique.
It implied, first, in addition to the TLS
survey, an important understanding of
the composition of the building and
structure as well as a good
documentation of all the elements
used throughout the construction
(Materials, dimensions, types of
connection, and so on) on the basis of
site observations and archival
documents such as original drawings.
Afterwards, a project library had to be
created with all the documented
elements. It should be followed by the
in place design of such elements
based on the point cloud.
A few mistakes and choices, done at
the inception of the modelling
process, had considerable
consequences on the 3D
representation of building elements in
the final model. First of all, the design
of the vertical 2 by 6” wooden posts
and beams only take in consideration
the horizontal possible rotation of
elements. Consequently, these
elements are completely horizontal
(beams) and vertical (posts). If it
makes sense in the way that this allows
easier and smarter elements’
connections, it is also highly affecting
the accuracy of the actual building
condition’s representation.
Moreover, the lack of care in creating
elements in the very correct category
leads to difficulties in managing
efficiently the model. As a result, it
would clearly affect the use that could
be made out of the model by the
stakeholders since the hierarchy and
the parametric character of the smart
objects is crucial for an optimal use of
the BIM.
These issues mostly shows that, in order
to be able to take advantage of a BIM
model, important skills and software
knowledge and knowhow is required.
A very precise step-by-step workflow
should be defined, after discussions
among stakeholders, depending on
the method (manual, semi-automatic
or automatic) that is considered as the
most appropriate for the study case
and the goals of the project.
The methodology used to generate
the BIM from the point cloud will be
developed underneath.
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 BIM generation from point clouds –Methodology for the case study’s BIM

Methodology
The different steps that lead to the
elaboration of the model will be
displayed in this part. From the
management of the point clouds and
its imporation in the BIM software, to
the detailed modelling of the Strutt
House, each major phase of the
modelling workflow will be explained.

Figure 441 - illustration of point cloud's layers

Manage the point cloud in management in Revit, screenshot by author
Autodesk Recap
The first step undertaken was to make
the file manageable in Revit. Indeed,
each scan had been exported in an
individual file from Scene software
which means that the recap file
contained more than 50 different
scans. In order to be able to turn off
and on some parts of the point cloud Figure 442 - illustration of point cloud's layers
whenever it is necessary, it was easier management in Revit, screenshot by author

to merge them in different layers. In

this regard, 6 different “clusters” have
been created depending on the
location of the scans (Basement scans,
Façades scans, Interior scans, the
point cloud of the roof and finally two
different layers for the topography).
Preparing the file for Revit is necessary
because of the fact that the point
clouds are often large data intensive
files that slow down the software. So,
to work fluidly, one should be
prepared to activate only the parts of
the point cloud that are really
necessary to design a specific
element. Once the point cloud is no
longer required to work, it is
recommended to turn off all the
unnecessary layers.
Insert the point cloud in
Autodesk Revit
Secondly, once ready, all the layers of
the point cloud can be imported into
Revit after having created a new
project. Before starting the model, the
location of the point cloud in the
project has to be specified. It is
possible to use the original coordinates
of the survey but it is also possible to
import the scans in the centre of the
project. Afterwards, the main views
need to be created, oriented, clipping
boundaries and the parameters set. It
is always ideal to work with the
coordinate system of the survey in
order to be able to use the BIM with
other data of the project later on.

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 BIM generation from point clouds –Methodology for the case study’s BIM

Drawing the axis on the main

plan section
In order to start building the walls (in
this case, curtain walls), the
construction axis must be drawn on
the basis of the point cloud.
Figure 444 - Construction axis defined in Revit,
For the Strutt House, I started to draw screenshot by author
the main axis of each façade.
Secondly, I placed perpendicular axis
to the first ones where the posts were
located. This allowed me to properly
place the construction elements with
fixed landmarks.

One of the most striking issues of the

BIM is that, at this step of the work, I did
not define vertical references for the
inclination of the posts and beams.
The final results, as you will see further
on, are “affected” by this oversight. Figure 445 - Construction axis defined in Revit,
However, due to the very large screenshot by author
number of carpentry frames around
these elements, as well as due to the Designing elements
state of work when I had realized the
To build the 3D model of the Strutt
error, modifying the BIM would have
House, I have decided to go from the
almost meant to restarting from
less detailed structural elements to the
scratch.
more detailed architectural features.

Firstly, I have designed the curtain

walls respecting the actual
assemblages of the architect before
filling the structures with insulation,
asbestos-cement panels, carpentry
frames, glass and windows.

Figure 443 - Defining the axis with the point

cloud in Revit, screenshot by author

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 BIM generation from point clouds –Methodology for the case study’s BIM
Figure 446 - Designing carcass in Revit,
screenshot by author
Secondly, I had modelled the two
different levels of the floor with all the
existing layers and structure. On site
observations, pictures, old pictures
and original drawings are very
important to understand the junctions
between construction elements. It is
even more complicated in the case of
a BIM from a point cloud because of
the fact that adaptations also have to
be represented. As a matter of fact,
plans and technical drawings of later
interventions are not often available.
Figure 447 - Floor plan, different floor
composition, screen shot by author
Once the floor was completed, the
next stage was to produce the
structure underneath the floor and the
woodwork that is sheltering the
crawlspaces. Additionally, I had to
model each foundation footings as
well as the central core. Creating the
two platforms, the doors to the crawl
spaces and the staircase leading to
the upper platform were the final
elements of the building bottom.
Figure 448 - Plan view looking above, floor
structure, screenshot by author
The next important element that had
to be constructed was the central
core masonry together with the
chimney and the fire place. As a
result, I was then able to “finish” the
building envelope by creating the
hypars. This step was very difficult
because the design of hypars requires
accurate junctions of elements
underneath especially when hypars
are in “contact with others. This step
forced me to improve the details of
the wooden beams supporting the
roof. The main issue is the fact that
these elements are inclined in all
directions which makes the modeling
quite tricky. Regarding this stage, I
have to acknowledge that I was not
able to achieve properly two junctions
of beams. Indeed, the beam
concerned, to be bound properly,
would need to be twisted.
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 BIM generation from point clouds –Methodology for the case study’s BIM
Figure 449 - Perspective on the BIM, screenshot
by author
Once the building envelope was
achieved, my intention was to
document as much as possible the
built-in furniture based on the point
cloud and hand measurements. This
step was important since the furniture
is an integral part of the design,
articulating the division of spaces,
playing an important role in the
functional character of the building
and more.
Working with BIM model in the context
of Heritage Conservation is very
different than working with new
construction. Indeed, in this case, it is
almost impossible to model with
existing elements (already created in
the software) but almost every single
piece has to be created. The biggest
issues faced during the elaboration of
the model were time consumption,
definition of the level of detail to
achieve as well as how close to reality
the model should be. Also, working
with point cloud is not always simple
and it often requires returning for, or
accessing additional information,
since a pass with the laser scanner
can only capture the visible parts of a
building. Finally, the categorization of
the building elements is of major
importance.
Different factors led me to spend too
much time on this task. Indeed, lack of
knowledge and practice with the
software, no experience with BIM from
point cloud and BIM with heritage
building particularly, as well as a
constantly evolving focus for the thesis
heavily affected the time spent on the
production of this “object”. As a
matter of fact, with good training and
experience, the work would have
been much faster and probably more
accurate.
Secondly, an important question was
to know at what point to stop. In order
to answer this question, it is obviously
necessary to define the goals of the
BIM and the survey, as explained in the
scheme of the methodlogy (Figure 1,
p. 12) first. However, in this case, the
point was to explore the potential of a
BIM model along the different steps of
a conservation project. In this regard, it
was very hard to define clear
guidelines at the inception of the work.
Here again, this issue highly influenced
the time taken to erect the model.
A third important point, even though
quite close to the second one, is to
know how close to the point cloud
should be the model. Here again, it
mainly depends on the goals of the
BIM. If the model is intended to serve
for technical analysis, for instance,
then the accuracy should be more
important but if the aim is to express
the construction methods and
assemblages of materials, is it really
interesting? The main problem is that
increasing the accuracy of the model
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 BIM generation from point clouds –Methodology for the case study’s BIM
will consequently affect the time
needed to achieve the BIM. As
explained above, the manual method
was finally chosen to build the model.
Consequently, high accuracy of the
model regarding the present condition
and, as a consequence, the point
cloud, could not be obtained.
On the one hand, the accuracy
should have been more important in
this case since the intention was also
to explore the possibilities of the BIM in
the technical analysis of a selected, it is very difficult (impossible
conservation project. However, the
lack of visibility of the different
wooden elements due to the
superposition of the successive
components of the hybrid structural
system (Structural posts and beams,
insert panels, window frames, …) and
the very important amount of
elements to be created as
components for the use in the BIM
resulted in a very high time
requirement for the creation of such
an accurate model.
On the other hand, different
techniques could also be combined in
order to make the work more efficient.
A BIM model could be completed by
specific 2D drawings based on
ortophotos of the point cloud. This
would save a consequent time in the
modeling process and 2D drawings for
details have to be drawn most of the
time.
Lastly, it is very crucial to properly
classify the construction elements in
applicable categories before their
creation. Indeed, once a type is
in most cases) to modify it. As a matter
of fact, each category possesses its
own characteristics that are not
compatible with others. Since the
interest of this type of model is to build
a model with the proper information,
neglecting this step will completely
ruin all the efforts made to obtain a
completely exploitable BIM.
Underneath, one can find a scheme
summarizing the methodology used for
the modeling process of the Strutt
hosuse.
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 BIM generation from point clouds –Methodology for the case study’s BIM

Figure 450 - Scheme of the methodology used for the creation of the Strutt House's BIM, scheme made
by author

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 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of
small scale heritage composite structure
« The true benefit for small projects is the
ability to communicate to stakeholders
and granting agencies who often do not
have access to the actual building, to get
a clearer understanding of the building,
and with a mixture of video, photgraphic
and 3-D imagery to engage all parties in a
near visceral experience of the building
and site, that is almost as good as it is
possible to, without being there. » 96
It can be argued that the significant
potential of BIM to communicate
about different aspect of buildings
and make it comprehensive to most of
the stakeholders, thanks to the wide
range of existing visualization tools, is
the characteristic of BIM models that is
the most beneficial to Heritage
Conservation Projects. However, BIM’s
potential to assist conservation
projects’ stakeholder goes way
beyond the 3D visualization of
buildings and objects.
96 Titania Truesdale, August 5th, 2016.
heritage composite structure
In this last section, the utility of the BIM
in each step of the conservation
project of the Strutt House will be
investigated. Since the project is
already being done by the Fondation
Strutt Foundation, the goal will not be
to achieve a conservation project. The
focus will rather be on the study of
BIM’s added value along a
conservation project for the different
stakeholders. To do so, each step will
be partially achieved with the study
case of the Strutt House. From the
different analysis, the condition
assessment, conservation plan to the
management plan and monitoring,
the possibilities offered by BIM will be
studied. It has to be mentioned that
since the urban, historical and
architectural analysis have already
been done in the first chapter, this
chapter will only review the use that
can be made of the BIM in these
steps.
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 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
Analysis of the case study
Urban analysis
The use of the BIM for urban analysis is
quite restricted and other methods are
much more adapted. The GIS is,
indeed, the reference tool for analysis
at the urban scale and importation of
3D models can be achieved from
others, more adapted, software. For
instance, City gml is “an object-based
data model that defines the geometry,
topology and appearance of objects in
urban environments. The definitions for
these objects are provided in five different
Levels-of-Detail (LoD)… According to
Gröger, G., and Plümer, L. (2012) the GML
language is one of the most
comprehensive and versite tools in
geographical data modelling” 97.
However, as written above, this type of
model only contains geometric
information contrary to the BIM.
Consequently, it is interesting to
investigate about the possible
contribution of BIM for urban analysis. If
the direct importation of BIM models in
GIS software result in a 3D model that
has lost its hierarchy and data,
research about importation of the
information contained in the BIM
could give many development
opportunities for urban analysis in GIS.
The issue is the lack of interoperability 98
between GIS and BIM software and
97 Verónica H. Barros, Towards a 3D GIS Based
Monitoring Tool for Preventive Conservation
Management of the World Heritage City of
Cuenca, KU Leuven, 2014, p. 122.
98 Sisi Zlatanova, Umit Isikdag, Towards Defining
a Framework for Automatic Generation of
Buildings in CityGML Using Building Information
Models, University of Delft, 2009.
heritage composite structure
the loss of information that the sharing
of files results in. Research has been
carried out in order to adress this
problem and create a platform that
can ensure the transfer of data from
BIM to GIS. The goal was to bridge «the
gap of heterogeneity between
Geographic Information System and
Building Information Models» 99 by
creating a tool, a software that would
combine data coming from both GIS
and BIM thanks to the creation of a 3D
model that would contain both
geometric and semantic data. Further
developped, the latter could be a
very valuable tool for «facility managers
to support the life cycle of an urban
environment from the design to the
recycling of the buildings in a
collaborative context» 100.
In the field of Heritage Conservation,
the research mentionned above are
of high interest for the conservation
and management of heritage sites
and structures. It can also be very
valuable for city administrations and
researchers who could store a lot of
information in a single «urban model»
that would finally be a 3D library
containing multi-temporal and multi
dimensionnal geographic, geometric
& semiantic information.
99 C. Mignard, C. Nicolle, Merging BIM and GIS
using ontologies application to urban facility
management in ACTIVe3D, from Computers in
Industry, Elsevier, France, July 2014, p. 1276.
100 Idem, p. 1288.
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 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
However, the projects aiming at the
preservation and management of
smaller structures, such as single
buildings for example, cannot really
benefit from it.
Regarding the conservation project of
the Strutt House, the BIM was not really
usefull for the urban analysis. However,
it is worth mentionning the fact that,
when looking at the bigger picture,
such approach should be considered.
Indeed, if rather than looking at the
Historical analysis
The use that could be made out of
BIM in order to investigate or
communicate the findings from the
historical analysis is not extensive.
Actually, the BIM could only be used
to illustrate historical facts through its
design. Narratives, media (videos,
pictures,…) can be added to the
model in order to generate interactive
Architectural analysis
As we have seen in the first chapter,
the role that can be played by BIM
during the architectural analysis is
evident. Indeed, the multi-temporal
character of the BIM allows to
represent the different building phases
and define the origin of most building’s
elements. Furthermore, the
interdisciplinary approach leads to a
very extensive documentation of the
existing condition as well as of the past
ones thanks to the use and possible
importation of archival documents
(maps, plans, pictures, sketches…).
The BIM also permit to confront original
drawings to the existing situation in
heritage composite structure
conservation of the Strutt House only
the stakeholders would aim at the
broader conservation of the
architect’s most valuable interventions
in the National Capital Region, the
creation of an Urban Information
Model would be an incredibly reliable
and precious source of information for
all the people involved. It could
provide an excellent basis for
comparison among different study
cases.
tools that could communicate about
the evolution processes that underlied
the design of the building and the
adaptations made along its life-
cycle.Furthermore, it can also serve,
with the multi-temporal approach of
the BIM, to reveal and provide data
about the different building phases.
order to detect some possible
modifications of the design made
during or before the construction
process.
Additionally, the design of the BIM
implies the creation of objects and the
attribution of information such as, for
instance, the material, the
connections with other elements and
so on. It requires an excellent
understanding of the construction and
can provide the users with very
comprehensive and communicative
documents to share this knowledge.
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 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
heritage composite structure

Condition assessment
Regarding the condition assessment of The selected part for the analysis is the
the Strutt House, a small part of the North-East perimeter wall.
house has been selected in order to
give the reader a general idea about
the potential of BIM to assist
stakeholders in the condition
assessment process. A first part will
focus on the mapping and description
of materials and preceed a brief
analysis of the pathologies. The
second part will only focus on the
utility of BIM in mapping the damages
and containing information related to
the latter, and so on. Additionally,
Figure 451 - selected parts for the partial
investigations about BIM’s potential
analysis, scheme by author
regarding structural analysis as well as
others (energy,…) will be achieved.

Materials

Description
The description of materials used in the the selected part will not be
house has already been displayed in extensively described. They are listed
the first chapter (p. 113). and referenced on a perspective of
Consequently, the materials present in the studied portion underneath
Legend

1. Concrete 5. Extruded 9. Plywood &

2. Red cedar polystyrene Linoleum
3. SPF 6. Asbestos panels
4. Fiberboard 7. Glass
8. Roofing

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 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
heritage composite structure

Figure 452 - Materials illustrations, scheme by author

Mapping
In order to provide the reader with a
good understanding, the materials will
be mapped using the following
documents: interior and exterior
section-elevations as well as 4 plans
(Roof plan, ceiling plan, floor plan and
floor structure plan).

Figure 454 - Sections used to map the

materials, scheme by author

Figure 453 - Plan sections used to map the

materials, scheme by author

187
 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
heritage composite structure

Figure 455 - Elevation North-East, materials,

drawing by author Figure 458 - Roof plan, materials, drawing by
author

Figure 456 - Section-Elevation of the North East

perimeter wall, materials, drawing by author Figure 459 - Floor structure plan, view looking
upwards, materials, drawing made by author

Figure 460 – Ceiling plan, view looking

Figure 457 - Floor plan, materials, drawing by upwards, materials, drawing made by author
author

188
 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
heritage composite structure

Observations
Mapping the materials is a very easy
thing when using a BIM model. There is
no need to overlay a drawing with
hatchings. Indeed, since the model is
made of smart parametric objects, the
user can define the appearance of
each face of the element by
changing the parameters. If required,
it is also possible to add textures in
order to make the materials more Figure 461 - SPF covered by "plastic" material,
realistic. In this case, the intention was picture by author
more to express each material and
The second one in the floor structure
mark the difference among all of
plan. The material defined as “other” is
them.
actually an additional thermal
In the drawings, two materials have insulation layer
been assigned the category other.
First of all, in the Elevation, the green
area is actually the SPF pieces
supporting the hypars that are partially
covered by a plastic-like material.

Figure 462 - additional insulation layer between

the beams of the floor structure, picture taken
by author

Pathologies
Methodology for identification
In order to map the pathologies and
damages of the building elements, a
specific methodology had to be
established. Dealing with composite
structures buildings or with masonry
edifices requires a different approach.
In this case, the decision was made to
achieve this step with a method that is
based on the building elements, just
like the design of the architect and the
BIM model. The goal is, in the end, to
use the intelligence of the BIM to
create a smart referencing of
damages and, later on,
recommendations about possible
treatments, level of importance, and
so on. To do so, It is necessary to have
a clear classification and nomination
of each building element.
In this case, we have a perimeter wall,
a floor structure, a roof and a partition
wall. The name of the elements have
been established using their
characteristic (from the most general
to the most singular). Some categories
have to be adapted to the
singularities of each project.

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 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
A building element could be
described on the basis of the following
criteria. The first part should aim at
defining the building elements in
which the item is located:
- Level : Level -1 (01), Groundfloor
(00), Level 1 (10), Level 2 (20), …
- Building’s element: Fondation Strutt
Foundation (Fo), Wall (W), Floor (Fl),
Roof (R)…
- Element’s number: 1,2,3,…
numbered in clockwise direction
The second part should define the
exact element that is concerned. This
part can vary from one project to
another depending on the
composition of the building.
- Type of element: depends on the
category of the building’s element
defined before. For a wall, for
instance: Structural Post (SP),
Structural Beam (SB), Window
framing (WF) internal or external
(i,e), Panels framing (PF) internal or
external (i,e), …
- Element’s numerotation: A clear
numerotation can be obtained by
defining the part of the wall in
which it is located before
specifying the exact elements
number. This is very easy with this
study case thanks to the
modularity of the building. The wall
can be divided vertically in 6 parts
(A,B,C,D,E,F) and horizontally in 3
parts (1,2,3). Elements, such as the
posts and beams do not need
extra information and their exact
ID can be obtained by saying in
between which areas it is located
(BC for a post and 23 for a beam
for instance). Other elements such
as window frames and panel
frames require additional
heritage composite structure
information in order to know which
element of the frame is concerned
(1, 2, 3, 4).
Example:
The lower wooden element of an
external window frame could be
named as:
00.W.2-WFe.C2.3
The description explains that the item
is the lower part of an external window
frame, located between the second
and third structural beam and
between the second and third
Structural Post in the Wall number 2 of
the ground floor.
This way, one could easily find a
precise building element only thanks
to its description and this could avoid
lots of confusion among stakeholders.
It is important to define this
numerotation before doing the BIM
model in order to specify the name of
each object. Further on, these
elements can be found in the model
and pathologies, recommendations or
other type of information can be
added to the object.
Remark: When dealing with bigger
structures, an additional level can
distinguish several units of the building.
Underneath, the table with all item
categories, depending on the type of
building element in which it is located,
is displayed. Additional categories can
be added for a more in-depth analysis
such as furniture and partition wall for
example. The further explanations only
take in consideration the building’s
part studied in this chapter.
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 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
heritage composite structure

Building Item description

elements
(Fo) Fondation (CF) Concrete footings, (CF) Core Fondation Strutt Foundation.
Strutt
Foundation
(W) Wall (SP) Structural post, (SB) Structural Beam, (WF) Window Framing,
(PF i,e) internal or external Panel Framing, (OF i,e) internal or
external Opening framing, (G i,e) internal or external Glass, (AP
i,e) internal or external Asbestos Panel ,(FP) Fiberboard panel, (CB)
Cedar boards, (CDS i,e) internal or external Cedar Structure
finition, (FS) Fly Screening, (FSF) Fly Screening Framing, (I) Insulation,
(SL) SPF Ledger,
(Fl) Floor (LoB) Longitudinal Beams, (SB) Stiffening perpendicular Beams,
(PB) Perimeter’s Beam,, (CIS) Cedar Insulation Support, (I)
Insulation, (P) Plywood sheet, (L) Linoleum, (PCF) Perimeter’s
Cedar Finition,
(R) Roof (RPT), Roof Perimeter Tie, (HR) Hypar Roof, (I) Insulation, (R)
Roofing, (IC) Insulation Curb, (SF) SPF Fascia, (M) Metallic piece for
evacuation of water, (WESF) Water Evacuation wooden Sub-
Face.

Additionaly, an example of the Mapping, Diagnosis,

methodology used for the Recommendations
numerotation of items depending on
In this case, creating graphic
the different building elements in
documents with the mapping of
which they are located is displayed. A
pathologies could be achieved in 2D,
key element that has to be
with the combination of Ortophotos
mentioned, is that the numerotation is
and drawings from the BIM. No
always done clockwise.
appropriate tool, in REVIT, to achieve
such tasks could be found. The only
thing that can be done, is to enter the
information about the pathologies in
the parameters of the object
affected.

The example underneath shows the 2D

mapping and the insertion of Data in
the BIM.

Figure 463 - Numerotation of items, example

with a wall, scheme made by author

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 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
Figure 464 - Damages mapping on 2D
drawings, panel highlighted, made by author
Figure 465 - Identification data in REVIT,
screenshot by author
The identification data described
above are directly related to the
element. It is of course possible to
include data that are share by all the
elements of this type such as cost,
manufacturer, model, website, picture
and so on. The data of the singular
elements are an ID, a comment and
an image. The amount of information
that can be contained about the
element is quite reduced.
Moreover, it has to be said that the
relative accuracy of the model
(explained in the preceding chapter)
lead to a kind of approximate
mapping of damages. This is clearly an
issue for condition assesment of
heritage.
Structural Analysis
Another very important part, when
dealing with the condition assessment
of heritage buildings, is the analysis of
the structural behaviour of the
building. This step is supposed to help
heritage composite structure
identifying possible causes for
structural damages. It is interesting to
compare the actual beahviour of the
structure (based on an accurate
survey and documentation) to the
expected behaviour based on the
original drawings and so on.
Regarding the tasks mentionned
above, the use of BIM can really be
helpful. Indeed, a structural analysis
tool has been implemented in REVIT.
Based on an analytical model (with
nodes, defined loads, structural
elements and their charateristics,..),
structural analysis, with moments for
instance, can be generated. But is this
tool adapted for existing structures?
In the case of the Strutt House, such an
analysis could be very useful to guide
decisions about the different structural
problems observed all around the
house. By telling us how the structure,
in its actual form, is behaving, it can
give us ideas about the risk of these
identified issues.
To achieve such an analysis, a very
high level of precision is required so as
to have reliable and exploitable
results. As written before, the accuracy
of the model made for the Strutt House
is not sufficient and consequently, not
adapted to achieve the structural
analysis. However, this tool can still be
used to study the expected structural
behaviour of the original design, it is
quite a long process that does not
have a lot of added value when
compared to traditionnal structural
analysis.
It has to be mentionned that the
different disciplines involved in a
192
 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
project, work on different BIM models,
based on the architectural model in
most cases. It means that creating a
structural model requires additional
manipulations in order to generate a
good analytic model. Links can be
created among the different models
and alert are generated when
changes have been done by other
professionals (Example: Engineer
changing the grids, dimensions of
columns and so on).
Even though the software can provide
a lot of solutions for new design project
based on standardised elements, the
efficiency of the structural model
regarding heritage building is not
evident yet. The facts that the
structural elements are not
inventorised in the software libraries
and have deformations makes it
challenging to achieve an accurate
structural model in a reasonable
amount of time. The user needs,
indeed, to design new structural
elements, define all its characteristics
(Physical, geometrical, and so on) and
apply its deformation in order to
create a relevant model.
All in all, structural analysis in BIM
models do not seems to meet the
requirements of the heritage field at
the moment. Other techniques seem
to be more straighforward and
efficient. This technique is much more
adapted to new building design
where coordination between the
different disciplines is very important in
the design and construction process.
In the case of Heritage building, the
documentation of the structure is
required to analyse the behaviour of
heritage composite structure
the building’s structure in order to
determine possible interventions.
Other type of available analysis
tools
Other analysis tools are available in
REVIT (Energy, energy loss in ductwork
and so on) but same limits than for the
structural analysis can be observed.
Working with non conventional
elements and geometries lead to a
need for important additional
manipulations (geometry and
manually adding all the characteristic
of elements and materials,…). It also
leads to some difficulties for the
software to identify entities such as
volumes and areas for instance.
A great use could be made out of
these analysis in conservation projects
if improvements and adaptations are
made in BIM software. However, at the
moment, BIM is far from being
competitive with other techniques
capables of achieving these tasks in a
much faster and efficient way.
Observations
To conclude with this part, if it can be
argued that BIM has a lot of
advantages for heritage stakeholders
when dealing with the condition
assessment, it is also clear that the
potential of the BIM in this field is far
from being fully exploited.
First, the issue of BIM model’s accuracy
has already been mentioned in the
previous chapter. It is clear that, to
achieve complete and accurate
analysis, it is necessary to have a very
precise base document. Software
improvements have to be made in
193
 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
order to meet the requirements of
Heritage Conservation projects.
Secondly, we have also seen that no
specific tool exists to achieve
condition assessment directly from the
BIM. If 3 dimensional analysis tools
have already been developed for
heritage conservators (MDDS for
instance), considerable time could be
saved by integrating such tools
directly in the BIM software. Either
directly in the program, or via a plug-
in, it could be interesting to include
tools to map pathologies, attach them
to building elements. The pathologies
could be describded thanks to the use
of pathologies databases as it is the
case in the software mentioned
above (MDDS). Diagnosis and advices
could then be automatically
Conservation plan
This chapter aims at determining the
possible contribution of BIM models
along the achievement of
conservation plans. To do so, the
potential of BIM regarding three major
parts of an usual conservation plan will
be analysed.
First, possible uses that can be made
of the BIM for the value assessment will
be investigated. It will be done on the
basis of the value assessment
achieved in the end of the third
Value assessment
The Value assessment has been done
in the end of the first chapter. The
Nara Grid done in the latter provided
the reader with an overview of the
building and site’s values. The
heritage composite structure
generated.Additionally, it should be
possible to add level of importance,
schedule of intervention, cost
estimation and so on.
When looking at the intelligence and
possibilities of the BIM software, it
seems quite easy to implement such
improvements.
Finally, investigations about the
analysis tools available in BIM software
lead to the conclusion that the latter
are not adapted to the need of
conservation projects. The main issues
are the time consumption and the
difficulty to achieve very accurate
models required to achieve relevant
analysis.
chapter. Then, BIM’s potential to assist
economic analysis of Heritage artifacts
and their conservation projects will be
displayed. Eventually, the third part
aims at revealing the possibilities
offered by BIM to make the
elaboration process of Conservation
projects more efficient for the different
stakeholders. More particularly, a
specific attention will be given at BIM’s
potential to improve interventions
planning by determining orders of
disassembling.
possibilities to use BIM for this step are
quite reduced. The only way BIM
could graphically express the values of
a building would be to define, in the
parameters of each object, its value
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 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
heritage composite structure

on a predefined scale. In this case, the documents from the BIM.

values were defined on the basis of 2D
Economic analysis
BIM can be a very valuable tool when BIM models and always take the time
dealing with Economic analysis of a to fill in the information for each
Heritage artifact. As a matter of fact, element. If the last step mentionned
this technique is particularly interesting seem to be time consuming, it will save
when estimating the cost of lots of efforts in the “post-creation”
conservation works. An estimation of management of the BIM.
the required repairs to the house was
achieved in the Heritage Structure
Report. The conclusion was that the
conservation works would cost around
310 000 CAD (217 000 €). But how can
BIM help generating cost estimations?

The intelligence of BIM software lies in

the fact that the 3D model is
composed by smart elements having
their own properties and
characteristics. As shown in the
screenshot underneath, a very wide
range of information can be added to
an element. Then, tables can just be
generated by using the REVIT tool
schedule & quantities. The user simply
has to specify what properties have to
appear in the table. For a cost
estimation, one just has to include the
Figure 466 - Insertion of properties in the table,
cost factor, specify the elements that screenshot by author in Revit
need to be taken into account,
So as to make an attempt with the
specify the price and the software will
Strutt House’s BIM, a table was
calculate the different costs.
generated in order to estimate the
cost of the replacement of the grey
It is then possible to create a table in
stone pattern linoleum placed on the
order to estimate the repair’s cost of first platform. To do so, a table
specific elements including their including the area to be replaced, the
identification, physical characteristics material, the phase of construction,
(Volume, Area, Length,...) and the cost the ID of the elements and the price
estimation and even a picture if has been created.
needed. To obtain complete and First, to select the appropriate
relevant tables, it is then necessary to elements, the family type and the
be very methodologic when creating phase of construction have to be

195
 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
heritage composite structure

mentionned. Then the user has to updated. It can be exported as a .txt

specify what fields have to be present file that can further on be managed in
in the table and modify the Excel and saved as PDF. Underneath,
parameters for the layout, as an example, the table of the cost
appearance and so on. The table is estimation for the replacement of the
then created and automatically Linoleum is displayed.

Cost estimation for linoleum replacement

ID Image Type Building phase Area Cost / m² Cost

00.FL-L.RE DSCN4499.JPG linoleum 1957 58 m² 60.00€ 3494.09 €

10.FL-L.RE X linoleum 1957 65 m² 60.00€ 3913.73 €
Subtotal 7407,82 €

00.FL - L.GR.2 DSCN4499.JPG linoleum 2 2000-2010 10 m² 60.00€ 594.03 €

00.FL-L.GR.1 DSCN4499.JPG linoleum 2 2000-2010 11 m² 60.00€ 643.66 €
Subtotal 1237,69 €
Total 8645,51 €

If it was, for practical reasons, only
applied to a small portion of the
model, this example has shown the
very valuable potential of BIM to
generate up-to-date quantities and
cost estimations in a very short amount
of time. This feature is probably the
most interesting for architects since
they can save a considerable amount
of time. Here again, the work will
require a lot of time at the beginning
but, later on, when the file is finished
and all the parameters set, any up-to-
date document can be generated.

Conservation Project
Since BIM was originally mostly particularly interesting when dealing
developed for the design of new with conservation projects.
buildings, a lot of advandtages of
First of all, the possibility to create as
working with BIM for new projects can
much building phases as possible
be mentioned in this part. The
considerably improve the
possibility to collaborate, on the same
management of graphic documents.
software with the other disciplines, the
It allows indeed to hide, display or
creation of 3D model with always up-
highlight a specific phase. This is
to-date documents, the ease of
particularly relevant in the field of
creating renders from these models
Heritage Conservation since it
are all examples of this fact. Though,
generates a 3D chronology with a very
some features of BIM software are

196
 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
heritage composite structure

defined model tree. As such, if the and interact with the other
existing situation can be represented, stakeholders.
it is also possible to create 3D
In the case of the Strutt House, an
representation of past state of
important issue had to be addressed in
conservation and achieve new
terms of interventions’ planning. The
proposals. Regarding each phase, it is
remarkable modularity of the structure
also possible to create different sub-
also implies questions about the
projects in order to create several
replacement of individual pieces. For
proposals (Either possible new projects,
instance, In what order a perimeter
or possible past states of
wall has to be dismanteled in order to
conservation). Categorizing properly
substitute a particular piece Are
each element in the proper
temporary support, scaffolding,…,
construction step and organizing
required in some cases? To do so the
efficiently the file will also permit to
assemblies have to be investigated in
optimize the management and
depth and interdependence between
monitoring of the goods. As they
pieces have to be established. BIM,
contain both metric information and
together with visualization software
other types of data, BIM models are
can help providing detailed
very valuable tools for heritage
explanations about the actual proper
conservators since they act as a 3D
way to deal with the conservation of
library gathering all the necessary
such structure. The 3D character of the
information for the conservation of the
file forces us to determine precisely the
building.
nature of each junction between
Secondly, taking into account all the pieces. Consequently, a methodology
stakeholders involved in such projects, for replacement can be generated
a good communication adapted to since the impact of the removal of any
all the stakeholders is required. In this element on the overall wall structure
regard, BIM models can serve as the can be established.
basis of many types of communication
Afterwards, It is important to keep in
support depending on the
mind that the perimeter walls are
stakeholder. On the one hand,
supporting the hypars the loads
accurate always up-to-date
coming from the hypar’s edge have
2d drawings can be generated and
to be constantly supported. Taking
serve as the basis for discussions
into account the assemblies, the load
amongst professionals of the
transfers between elements and the
construction sector. On the other
need for intervention on each element
hand, BIM can also be used to create
of the carcas as well as of the floor, an
fancy animation videos, renders, 3D
order of dismantling was established.
sections and allow the people who do
Obviously, when replacing the
not necessarily have the technical
structural double 2 by 6” posts,
knowledge to deal with plans to still be
temporary vertical supports have to
able to better understand the projects
be placed.

197
 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
heritage composite structure

As explained in the architectural

analysis the carcass is made of red
cedar posts and beams. The modules
created are filled in with windows,
insulation, glass, doors and so on. So as
to determine the order of dismantling,
the elements that do not play any
structural role, can be disassembled.

Figure 469 - Perimeter wall structure, screenshot

from Revit taken by author

Figure 467 - Dismantling of the non-structural

elements, screenshot from Revit 2016 by author
The scheme underneath shows that,
apart from the two double two by six
bearing posts, each single piece can
be disassembled. Even the lower
beam can be removed in order to
replace the plywood sheet that is
supporting the linoleum.
Figure 470 - Dismantling of the perimeter wall,
structural posts still in place, scheme by author
To conclude, in addition to the benefit
of the BIM for any type of project, the
field of Heritage Conservation can
also find particular advantages out of
the BIM. The multi-temporal,
Interdisciplinnary and interoperable
character of the BIM make it
particularly attractive for professionals
in the field. Moreover, the smart
character of model’s elements, in
addition of providing the stakeholders
with a better understanding of the
structure, also bears the potential to
assist interventions planning and
define clear methodologies and
guidelines.

Figure 468 - Expected order of dismantling,

Scheme made by author

198
 BIM generation from point clouds –BIM’s potential to assist the conservation of small scale
Management & Monitoring
Beyond the conservation project
planning and design, BIM’s potential
also lies in its ability to assist users and
professionals to manage, maintain
and monitor the building. Whenever
an intervention is required, the BIM can
provide all the stakeholders with any
type of information required.
Moreover, it should always be
updated in a new construction phase,
in order to keep the model up-to-date
for the further users. Such a model
heritage composite structure
would serve both as an archival
source for conservators as well as as a
basis for future projects’ design with a
considerable amount of time saved in
the end. It will indeed save time of
research, documentation and
drawings’ generation. In this regard, in
addition of being a very efficient tool
to assist the stakeholders along the
research and design processes, it is
also a very clever investment for the
future.
199

CONCLUSIONS & FUTURE PROSPECTS
The development of 3D representation
and visualization tools, in the field of
Architecture, led to an important shift
in terms of project’s design and
management processes. Among the
different types of 3D model, Building
Information Modeling (BIM) is
particularly interesting for its holistic
approach. Rather than considering
the only geometric aspect of
buildings, BIM’s interest lies in its
integrative character. The exchange
of information among the different
disciplines involved in the design, and
the possibility to include all the data
related to the parametric smart 3D
elements are just some of the features
that make BIM an undeniable asset for
construction professionals.
Originally thought for the design of
new buildings, this modeling technique
gradually caught the attention of
5
researchers in the field of architectural
Heritage Conservation. The need for
accurate 3D representation of the
buildings’ present condition has been
and is still one of the major concern in
the field. In this regards, the significant
improvements in Terrestrial Laser
Scanning (TLS) technique allows
professionals and researches to
imagine new paths for accurate
model generation. Indeed, the high
accuracy of point clouds obtained
from TLS or photogrammetry surveys
inspired engineers to develop new
tools for the detection of surfaces, 3D
elements, and so on. The main
purposes are obviously to reduce the
time required for data interpretation
preceding the modeling as well as to
increase the accuracy of the 3D
objects created regarding its actual
condition and position.
201
 Conclusions

Through the Strutt House case study, to determine knowledge gaps in order
the thesis explored BIM’s potential to to suggest further research tracks.
assist heritage conservators along the
This final chapter will be divided in two
different steps of Conservation
main parts. First, the general
projects. The goal was, on the one
conclusions of the work will be
hand, to highlight the advantages of
working with BIM as well as, on the presented. Then, several further tracks
of research will be suggested in a
other hand, bring to light the limits that
second part.
still prevent BIM to meet all the
requirements of Heritage Conservation
projects. The broader goal is of course

202
 Conclusions – General conclusions

General conclusions
First of all, the philosophical and practice) still suffer from a lack of
technical issues linked to the research and publications. Finally, the
conservation of the Strutt House have awareness among the population and
raised important questions and local association about the need to
observations. conserve this particular heritage is low.
These three identified problems are
First, the Conservation of Cultural and generating a context that is not
Natural Heritage can lead to
suitable for the conservation of
conflictual situation. The reason for the
Modern Movement’s legacy in the
expropriation of the house was the
National Capital Region. It can also be
intention to demolish the it. The issue of argued that the recognition and
the Conservation of Cultural
interest of this type of heritage mainly
Landscape appeared in the
arose ten years ago and,
operational guidelines of the World
consequently, still needs some time to
Heritage Convention in 1992 when be integrated in the society.
“the World Heritage Committee
recognised ‘cultural landscapes’ as a Finally, the conservation project of the
category of site within the Strutt House has to adress a lot of issues
Convention's Operational such as accessibility, conservation of
Guidelines"101. In this context, the the surrounding nature, adaptation of
bottom up iniative initiated by the the building’s systems, and more.
Fondation Strutt Foundation is really Preserving the integrity and
inspiring for the people struggling for authenticity of the building and the
the safeguard of Heritage structures site will then be a considerable
under threat. challenge. Furthermore, the need for
short-term planning (The Strutt House
Secondly, the lack of awareness
will be used as the Pavillion of Modern
regarding the need for the
Architecture for the 150th anniversary
conservation of Modern Movement’s
of Canda, in 2017) will be an
Heritage highlights three major issue.
additional interesting aspect to deal
The first one is the obsolete aspect of
with.
the legislation, in some cases. The
latter is not always adapted to Secondly, lessons can be learned from
nowadays standards in the field of the exploratory work on BIM
Heritage Conservation and this generation from point cloud through
problem can result in important loss of the modeling of the Strutt House.
Heritage artifacts. Then, the architects
of the Modern Movement and their The thesis presented four different
productions (both in theory and possible workflows for BIM generation
and analysed their ability to create a
101
model adapted to the needs of
«World Heritage Cultural Landscape: 1992-
2002». UNESCO website. Heritage Conservation’s stakeholders.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/6/ (accessed
on July 25, 2016)

203

The first method, that consists of the
manual modeling of building
elements, has been used in this case.
The achievement of the 3D model has
revealed limits in the abilities of this
methodology to generate an
accurate model that can be used for
all the required analysis. Actually, the
inability to represent the deformation
and present state of conservation of
the building elements result in the
impossibility to carry out the structural
analysis and the condition assessment
on the basis of this BIM. This method
can be considered as a kind of Historic
BIM (HBIM).
It has to be acknowledged that the
manual method used for the creation
of 3D construction elements failed to
produce an accurate 3D
representation of their actual
condition. The significant amount of
elements to be modeled, the complex
junctions between some elements
implied by the design, and the
difficulty of the method to represent
the elements’ deformation and
change of state are the main causes
of this failure. Because of the scale
(1/50) and level of detail required, the
lack of accuracy in which this issue
resulted in does not have much
consequences on the graphic
documents produced. However, when
it comes to structural analysis,
condition assessment or when lower
scales’ documents are required, the
model‘s accuracy is clearly
insufficient. So, depending on the
goals of the project, this technique
can be a good compromise regarding
time consumption and model
accuracy.
Conclusions – General conclusions
Even though he automated detection
of building elements from point clouds
is quite an efficient technique that
allows saving considerable amount of
time in the modeling process, it is still
not adapted to the field of Heritage
Conservation. Indeed, the elements
generated with this feature are straight
and do not represent the
deformations and change of state of
the items. Furthermore, the software’s
libraries of elements that can be
detected do not include ancient
buildings’ components.
The third workflow studied is the semi-
automated modeling through the
Green Spider (GSP) plug in for Revit.
This technique is an efficient technique
to accurately model objects and
represent their present state. However,
it has also been observed that some
issues still remain. First, this type of
modeling can be applied to walls,
roofs and floors. The software does not
permit to create other elements with
this feature and attribute them the
appropriate category. Then, as it is the
case for the Strutt House, this method is
not applicable to all types of buildings.
It is especially interesting for isolated
elements from which lots of points can
be captured by TLS or
photogrammetric surveys.
Consequently, buildings like the Strutt
House, where construction
components are overlapped by
others, are not suitable for this
modeling process. Additionaly, it is
worth mentioning the fact that
working with GSP requires a lot of data
management and interpretation.
The last possible methodology
presented in this work is the one
204

proposed by Georgios Hadjidemetriou
in his thesis 102. If it seems to be the most
appropriate, efficient and accurate
manner to model heritage buildings’
elements, some issues still need to be
addressed, such as the interoperability
with BIM software for instance. In
addition to define a path for the
importation of the geometry created
(3D objects), the most important step
to be achieved in order not to loose all
the interest of BIM, is to turn these
elements into smart parametric
objects that are classified in
categories and contain data related
to the item.
Finally, through the investigations, the
benefits and drawbacks of working
with BIM in the context of a
Conservation project have been
presented. On the one hand,
advantages have been observed
especially in terms of data
management and visualization,
collaborative analysis and design, cost
estimation and so on. On the other
hand, some features are still not
adapted or not present at all in BIM
software and could significantly
improve the use that can be made
out of the model along a conservation
project. This is particularly true for the
condition assessment of buildings.
Three major benefits of working with
BIM for Heritage buildings can be
distinguished.
Firstly, a clear advantage of the BIM is
the better understanding in which it
results. The need for modeling each
102
Georgios Hadjidemetriou, Exploitation of 3D
laser scanning data to generate FEM structural
models of historical timber roof structures, KU
Leuven, Leuven, 2016.
Conclusions – General conclusions
single element, define the exact
connections with other building
components, and integrate all types
of related data requires an in depth
comprehension of the original design.
If the time required to produce the
graphic documents is more important,
the model created has much more
potential to assist the design,
monitoring and long term
management of Conservation
projects.
Then, in addition to contain the
geometric information related to the
building, a BIM is also a kind of 3D
database. The possibility to store many
different types of records about
construction elements or even simply
related to the history of the building is
of high importance for professionals in
the field of Heritage Conservation.
Also, the multi-temporal approach of
BIM is another interesting aspect for
such projects. Each element is given a
certain date or period of construction
and the model’s management is
made a lot easier. As a result, it is
possible to generate several models
(either for new project or to propose
different possible previous state of the
study case) and hide or reveal any
step that is required.
Besides, some disadvantages or
possible evolutions can be pointed out
in order to suggest further software
developments and improvements.
An aspect of BIM that has been
investigated is the interdisciplinnar
character of BIM. If it is a very
important asset, adaptations to the
software would have to be made in
order to adress the needs of
205
 Conclusions – General conclusions

Conservation professionals. For the same platform would save

instance, we have seen that the
analysis tools present in the software
(Structural analysis, Energy and so on)
are hardly applicable to BIM models of
Heritage buildings.
Secondly, there is absolutely no tool to
map the pathologies or add
information about the damages within
BIM software. It would be interesting to
investigate the possibility to achieve
such tasks in BIM. Being able to
generate the condition assessment in
considerable time by keepin the
database central and unique.
Furthermore, a condition assessment
performed in 3D would lead to a
better and clearer understanding of
the issues and possible causes of
damages. The use of the cost
estimation feature could also be even
more interesting with such an
evolution. As a consequence,
estimating the repairs’ cost would be
much more straightforward.

Further research
To conclude, several tracks of further research can be suggested in order to bridge
the gaps that still exist in the documentation of architects of the Modern
Modevement in Canada, their design, and their research on the one hand, and in
BIM software for Heritage Conservation projects on the other hand:

1. further research and documentation about James Strutt’s career and

projects in the National Capital Region of Canada;
2. development of 3 dimensional condition assessment tools within BIM
software;
3. investigate the importation of 3D objects in BIM as smart parametric
elements;
4. develop the automated detection of building elements from point clouds for
ancient constructions by creating libraries and adapting the software;
5. research about the possibility to detect building elements together with its
deformations directly from point clouds;
6. …

206
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