This paper presents a digital documentation methodology designed for the conservation and adaptive reuse of built heritage, tested within an international educational framework. The approach integrates photogrammetry, mobile laser scanning (MLS), drone-based imaging, and immersive technologies to generate interactive and metrically reliable digital outputs. Implemented through a collaboration between the University of Pavia and the Polytechnic of Krakow, the methodology was applied to the Hebdowski Palace in Krakow, an abandoned heritage site of architectural significance.
The study combines theoretical instruction with practical, on-site data acquisition and post-processing, enabling students to collect, interpret, and visualize spatial and material information using open-source tools. The workflow supports rapid generation of point clouds, 3D models, and immersive environments, suitable for both technical analysis and public engagement.
Key results include the creation of a multi-layered digital narrative structured around thematic scenarios, enabling detailed documentation of architectural elements, pathologies, and conservation needs. A 360-degree virtual tour consolidates this output into an accessible digital platform, facilitating both education and heritage valorisation.
Beyond its pedagogical role, the research demonstrates how fast, low-cost digital tools can contribute to broader heritage conservation strategies aligned with European frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda and the New European Bauhaus. This methodology promotes an interdisciplinary, open-access model of heritage documentation that bridges academic learning with real-world application, offering a replicable model for similar contexts across Europe.
Category: In Press
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Digital methodologies for architectural heritage preservation: integrating photogrammetry, mobile laser scanning, and immersive technologies
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Taxonomy of construction
The study presents a synthesis of the research conducted on building construction in Italy during the early years of the twenty-first century. The primary focus is on the analysis of the structural description. This analysis has been incorporated into a systematically organised collection of fundamental terms with defining attributes: character, decoration, compliance, and rehabilitation. The lexical structure can be traced back to the building environment from which it originates. Furthermore, this framework intrinsically engages with processes of reconstruction and the exposition of diverse construction techniques. Through this approach, it has been possible to recognise morphological and typological traits embedded in distribution characteristics. In this context, the knowledge of building restoration and recovery is assessed through architectural drawing and surveying methodologies. These elements directly contribute to research and analytical processes. The taxonomy of construction defines an overarching system that organises practical criteria for recovery and reconstruction, linking them to the various phases and experiential knowledge of building and structural techniques. In doing so, this system ascribes meaning and value to contemporary conservation practices. In particular, it recognises the historical importance of heritage that is vulnerable to speculation or destruction.
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Wooden framed structures and standardized elements of the 20th century: reading between the archaeological analysis of architecture and written sources
Timber-framed structures exhibit a serial character, which over time has led to proper standardization and organization at an industrial level, encompassing both the production process and assembly. Historically, such buildings were not typical in Liguria. However, after the Universal Expositions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, their popularity surged significantly alongside the growth of tourism. Indeed, between the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, numerous villas and country houses were constructed using timber-frame technology. As this technique became increasingly standardized, it was applied not only to the supporting structure but also to the infill. At this stage, Eternit panels were introduced, and various construction types were detailed in manuals produced by the Eternit company. These manuals also provided information on the most appropriate panels for each application. Research on these artifacts forms part of a broader university research program aimed at enhancing our understanding and techniques for the conservation of contemporary architecture.
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Identifying Building Risk: The Potential Consequences of the Vulnerability of Building Envelopes’ Technical Elements
The building envelope serves as the interface with the external environment. Its technical elements (e.g., cornices, balconies, and finishings) are highly vulnerable to damage from external hazards due to their technological characteristics and state of preservation. Such phenomena can lead to potential detachments and falls of these elements onto surrounding areas, posing significant risks to exposed agents and transforming them from “factors at risk” to “risk factors” for urban systems. This paper seeks to formalise the concept of Building Risk, which is defined as the probability that a hazardous event, stemming from the vulnerability of the technical elements of the building envelope, can have detrimental effects on urban systems. A scientific literature survey was conducted to analyse how existing studies have addressed these issues. The results indicate strong interest in the impacts of external hazards on buildings and urban systems, revealing significant gaps in modelling the cascading effects arising from the building envelope vulnerability. Assessing this vulnerability and its impacts is crucial to ensure urban system safety and to fully understand the multi-risk dimensions to which these systems are exposed. The proposed topics aim to inform the implementation of risk reduction measures and the design of low-vulnerability technological solutions tailored to contexts’ specific hazards. Future implications include the renewal of risk management strategies to enhance urban system safety.
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The historical memory of Fazenda Santa Maria do Monjolinho in São Carlos
Fazenda Santa Maria do Monjolinho, located in São Carlos, São Paulo, is a testimony to Brazil’s rich agricultural history and, particularly, to its pivotal role in the coffee industry during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The article illustrates the digital documentation activities and the direct and indirect research on the Fazenda Santa Maria, one of the few remaining historic fazendas in the São Carlos region, exploring the significance of this historic building through the survey, models, and drawings developed to identify and classify its architectural features, as well as its current state of conservation. The defined documentation strategy to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the building includes technologies such as 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry, which allow precise recording and analysis of the historic property. By capturing high-resolution data, these methods facilitate detailed documentation of architectural features and conditions, implementing the knowledge of this typology of architectural heritage while providing a robust basis for conservation efforts and information for dissemination activities.
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Digital Techniques to Engineer and Build a Large Sculpture in Heritage Public Space
Planning and realising a large sculpture in a heritage public space requires succeeding in diverse, sometimes contrasting, multidisciplinary objectives. This paper reports on a research project developed to support the communication, engineering and construction of a permanent sculptural masterpiece within the public historic centre of Rome. While the entire process of creating the art piece is explained, the main emphasis is on the experimental application of various technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Laser Scanning, Virtual Reality (VR), Parametric Modelling and Numerical Simulations. These technologies were utilised due to the size of the sculpture and the peculiarities of the context. The primary focus of this study is to develop and implement a workflow that can enhance collaboration and efficiency among stakeholders like artists, clients, engineers, urbanists, archaeologists, art foundry fabricators, and public authorities. The project adopted an action research methodology because of its strategic ability to connect experimentation and practice in order to address a realistic cross-disciplinary problem in its actual context.