Integration of digital and traditional methods for documenting timber heritage: Museu da Bacia do Paraná

Abstract

Abstract This article evaluates the technical and operational feasibility of a hybrid protocol combining traditional manual survey and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based digital photogrammetry as a progressive transition strategy from conventional to digital documentation for historic timber buildings in resource-constrained regional contexts. The protocol was applied to the headquarters building of the Museu da Bacia do Paraná (MBP), Maringá, Brazil, through three phases: manual survey, UAV photogrammetry (DJI Mini 4 Pro / Agisoft Metashape), and comparative data integration within an HBIM environment. Results indicate that the hybrid approach corrected geometric inconsistencies undetected by manual methods, particularly in the roof structure, while reducing field data collection time from approximately two months to 22 minutes. The study suggests that hybrid workflows are viable even with operators in the learning phase and limited equipment, supporting the gradual adoption of digital documentation in regional heritage practice.