Digital Facsimiles of Architectural Heritage: New Forms of Fruition, Management and Enhancement. The Exemplary Case of the Ducal Palace at Urbino

Abstract

The digitalization of cultural heritage is a necessary multidimensional process to protect historical and cultural heritage, enabling in-depth knowledge and to manage it as completely as possible. The case study here presented shows the first challenging task of a multidisciplinary research project: the general aim is to improve an exemplary architectural object starting from its complete digitalization and to propose multisensory fruition solutions. This article analyzes the early stage that is the architectural survey, modeling and parameterization. The integration of different techniques is mandatory to obtain a final outcome representing a reliable basis for conservation and valorization of the Cultural Heritage. The digitalization workflow includes different sensors and scales, such as terrestrial and portable laser scanners, 360 and HD images. The achieved goal is a digital model, scientifically validated, with high accuracy that contains 3D data and that is configured as a starting point for the reconstruction of the artifact historical phases and for VR/AR applications. The research shows a solid and interdisciplinary approach applied to the case study: the activities and addressed challenges reveal a response to multifaceted problems.