Connecting Embedded History of the Urban Infrastructure to the Contemporary City: A Case Study of Gwanghwamun Woldae Restoration

Abstract. The captured 3D digital record of the excavation site represents a momentary state of the city, but also conveys rich evidence and stories as an urban environment created by the interaction of actors, artifacts, and institutions surrounding the place. These digital records combine multiple temporal layers of complex urban scenes and require interpretation by multiple stakeholders for comprehensive decision-making. This study revealed that in the context of Seoul, the Cultural Heritage Administration and the City of Seoul have made significant use of digital records in cultural heritage restoration from the perspective of preservation and utilization. The two organizations collaborated on the Gwanghwamun Woldae excavation survey recently. The site has been dealing with the multi-layered time and space of complex urban sites for over 40 years while carrying out urban planning and cultural heritage preservation. Through a case study of the Gwanghwamun Woldae excavation site, we articulate the nature of governance in digital documentation to extend its application. The goal is to highlight the urban cross-section and historical layers of urban infrastructure captured digitally - LiDAR and photogrammetric scanning - at the Gwanghwamun Woldae excavation site. This involves describing the chronological layers of tram lines, streets and buildings from different eras and linking them to the current urban context of Seoul through analog historical records such as maps and plan diagrams. Ultimately, we discuss the value of digital restoration of technologies, events and landscapes as a record of the process valuing modern urban heritage.