Documentation

In 1999, The National Park Service and the Architectural Conservation Laboratory and Research Center (ACL) of the University of Pennsylvania began a new term of collaboration as part of the Save America’s Treasures grant program. The Conservation of Architectural Surfaces Program for Archaeological Resources (CASPAR) was designed to complete the finishes conditions survey and assessment of those spaces.

	Students recording conditions during summer field school at Mesa Verde National Park, 2001.

During the summer of 2001, the ACL recorded the conditions of the last 6 spaces and field-checked the spaces previously surveyed in order to record any change in the condition of the material as well as the impact of previous treatments.

One of the objectives of CASPAR was the development of a comprehensive conditions recording and documentation program including:

• The development of an efficient reproducible method of recordation using 35 mm rectified photography to create base images for graphic field annotation of detailed conditions.
• The creation of a systematic and expandable lexicon of conditions terminology for architectural finishes, especially earthen materials, complete with written description, photographic and schematic illustration, and colored graphic symbols for mapping.
• The assembly of existing graphic and database software to manipulate the graphics and textual digital information in order to record conditions now and in the future, and to assist in conditions diagnosis and interpretation, including the identification of the causes, patterns, and trends of deterioration.

The process of creating photomontage backgrounds was initiated during the summer of 2000 field season and perfected during the following year. Selected negatives were scanned onto a CD-ROM producing high-resolution images. The photographs were manipulated by students at the ACL using Adobe Photoshop® software to create base images for the conditions graphic overlays.

	Screen image of photomontage being created using Adobe Photoshop®.
	Completed rectified photomontage of the exterior walls of Rooms 41 & 42 at Cliff Palace.

Photomontages have been created for 18 architectural spaces including kivas, rooms and open areas. Individual photographs were pieced together to form panoramic images or “roll-outs” of the walls of the kivas and room elevations.

In preparation for the documentation of existing conditions, a "Standards and Guidelines for Condition Survey and Conservation Treatments of Architectural Surface Finishes" manual was prepared. This was accomplished in part through revising previous project glossaries (created by NPS and ACL) for material conditions and architectural terminology.

Complicated structure types are identified and defined by their position, context, orientation, exposure, structure plan, elevation, and function, as well as materials, type of features, coursing, bonding, and original and stabilization mortar types. There is also a comprehensive section for surface finishes that includes sections for types, schemes, texture, and application methods. The manual was created and developed in order to complete a sector-by-sector survey form for each room, open area, and kiva at Cliff Palace.

A Microsoft Access® database has also been constructed at ACL for storage, retrieval, and querying of conditions survey data gathered in the field. Data entry has been completed for each surveyed space. The data will allow researchers to test the relationships between conditions and the variables of original design, materials, and construction, among others.

In preparation for field work, a new "Conditions Glossary" was developed for graphic condition recording and conservation treatments. This glossary includes definitions of the various conditions of surface finishes to be recorded, the hatch patterns and colors for graphical recording, detailed drawings that explain and clarify each condition, and photograph images that illustrate the various conditions.

	Example of field survey with graphic representation of conditions surveyed.

Graphic recording systems were developed using color and symbols to define discreet condition types and subtypes within each category. In this way, a graphically compatible and legible classification system was created allowing a fast visual reading both within and across condition categories. The idea was to create a system of graphic recording suitable for field documentation and digital input using AutoCAD®.

The field-recorded information was collected using transparent mylar overlays with a sector photograph underneath. The overlay allowed the recorder to graphically identify loss and repair campaigns on the front side of the page and other related conditions on the back.