Any building can be perceived as the summation of specific actions
surrounding the gathering and construction of a precise volume and
variety of materials. By working backwards and quantifying its
individual aspects, a structure can be estimated in terms of labour
costs spent in construction. This methodology, traditionally called
architectural energetics, is becoming more common in historical and
archaeological analyses and can provide new avenues through which to
interpret past societies via structures. Three-dimensional (3D)
technologies are continually being applied to historical research in new
and exciting ways. One such application comes in 3D reconstructions of
past buildings. In this project, a residential structure at Kasmenai,
Archaic period southeast Sicily, was reconstructed based on
archaeological evidence and historical comparanda. From the volume
calculations provided by Blender, volumetric analyses can be completed
to aid in estimating labour costs for constructing the building. This
project compares the traditional, mathematical format of architectural
energetics to that aided by 3D design. The advantages of the latter
demonstrate clearly the benefit of incorporating digital technologies
into historical research.
