Giorgio VERDIANI
(Dipartimento di Architettura, Florence University, Italy)
Keywords: 3D reconstruction; reverse design; digital reconstruction; grids
Abstract:
A lost architecture asks to the digital reconstructor to understand all the elements and to make logic and cultured matching with existing building and drawings, putting together all the possible, convenient and comparable samples. Any 3D modelling tools allow to reconstruct and give strength to ideas and hypothesis, but they must be clearly aimed to a sort of reverse design process, a workflow oriented to find back the choices of ancient architects and constructors. Practical and technical choices were at the basis of the building development while consolidated procedures were adopted to solve construction situations. The knowledge of the ancient courtyard and the design logic in its contest become an important contribution in planning a digital reconstruction. The use of the measurement units of the time can be a first useful step in defining and reading the architectonic apparatus, while the construction of correct layout grid can give a better reading of the existing and can be extended to define a structure for the missing parts. In this presentation the process of reconstruction using “reverse design” interpretation will be developed with quick samples taken from five case studies: the “Campanile di Giotto”in the original Giotto’s project and of two of the “lost” ancient tower bells of “Santa Croce” in Florence; the rests of the Cadi bridge at the feet of the Alhambra hill in Granada; the St. Maria and St. Stefano church and the St. Donato cathedral in Arezzo, now simply poor remains of walls. For each sample the scheme of the workflows and the structure of the developing process will be described together with the most important references used for the digital reconstruction.