Massimiliano Lo Turco

• Professor
• Professor (Associate) at Polytechnic University of Turin

Le architetture tradizionali di Bali furono progettate seguendo antiche regole che fondano le loro radici su tradizioni filosofiche e su credenze religiose. Secondo antiche credenze che risalgono al sedicesimo secolo, l’attività del progettista doveva rispettare sette principi: la gerarchia dello spazio, l’orientamento e il bilanciamento cosmico, l...

The present study represents an in-depth investigation of the capabilities offered by the visual reconstruction process and its potential applications in the immersive environment. The research focuses on a project of extraordinary documentary relevance related to the architectural heritage of Turin, which bears the signature of a young Antonelli....

The proposed contribution explains the FI.T.NE.SS. (Facility Technology for NEw SpaceS) operational protocol, which integrates the capabilities of BIM platforms with new AI tools. These tools are applied to the design of new gym spaces. This protocol was developed in the research project F.I.T.-T.H.I.N.G.S. 2: Finding Information Technologies To He...

Measuring is considered one of the most typical exercises that the Drawing teachers are called upon to perform. However, when the concept of measurement relates to the phenomenological world, other skills that contribute both the recording and the interpretation of data come into play. This is the case proposed in this essay, where material and imm...

This contribution describes an interesting experience of reconstructive digital modeling related to a project of significant documentary relevance attributed to a young Alessandro Antonelli (1798- 1888). During his training period in Rome, the architect proposed an intervention project for Piazza Castello in Turin. The proposal's outcome is contain...

La ricerca sui temi del paesaggio e in particolare della sua visualizzazione non può prescindere da un tentativo di definizione del termine paesaggio e della sua componente estetica. Lo studio in atto propone di circoscrivere la riflessione al paesaggio urbano e di farlo inserendosi in quella tradizione di studi che si concentra sulla sua dimension...

Almost 15 years ago the first course dedicated to the Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology was included in the Master of Science (MSc) in Architecture at the Politecnico di Torino. At the same time, the job’s world in Italy has changed, thanks also to the publication of legislation that now makes the adoption of BIM mandatory for public...

This contribution explores the application of the BIM methodology in the context of built heritage (HBIM). Specifically, it investigates how this methodology has evolved in terms of modeling techniques, viewed through the lens of Drawing as a critical aspect of its implementation. By considering these perspectives together, the paper aims to identi...

The article delves into the results of the renovation of the Torino Esposizioni complex, a masterpiece by Pier Luigi Nervi and a pivotal part of Turin’s architectural legacy. This building has once again become a focal point in contemporary discussions, given its central role in the Technical Economic Feasibility Plan (PFTE) proposed by the Isolarc...

L’obiettivo del presente capitolo consiste in un’esplorazione critica circa le più recenti possibilità offerte da approcci H-BIM (historical/heritage - building information modeling) per la documentazione e l’intervento su edifici di interesse storico e applicati ai vari campi del sapere, nel tentativo di combinare efficacemente la precisione geome...

The paper critically addresses the issue of the automatic generation of distributional layouts that respect topological/spatial coherence and are obtained exceptionally quickly. This activity is of absolute interest within several scientific communities that collaborate fruitfully with each other: from IT experts, to scholars in the areas of Archit...

The study discusses the outcomes of the Atelier Design and Modeling course in the third-year Bachelor of Studies in Architecture at the Polytechnic of Turin. The course, a collaboration between Drawing and Architectural and Urban Composition disciplines, focuses on designing for an area in the Cenisia district in Turin. Emphasizing the connection b...

The essay describes the outcomes of the restoration of the Torino Esposizioni complex, an exemplary work of mid-century engineering by Pier Luigi Nervi. The complex is well known to the community for its various uses over the years and for the complete state of neglect it has been in since the post-Olympic period. In line with the call’s suggestion...

This essay describes the most recent and novel results of the fruitful collaboration between Politecnico di Torino and Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie, in Turin. The reconstructive digital modelling of some of the Museum’s halls constitutes a virtual environment that is useful in remotely and interactively showing some previous exhibitions...

An approach to digitally model the decorative elements window's of architectural heritage-the College of Nobles, Turin-in HBIM, by applying De Luca's method. The strategy is to transform them into mathematical ratios and parameters in order to create flexible and adaptable models that can generate variations.

Il contributo afronta criticamente le modalità con cui le complessità del progetto di architettura possono essere più efficacemente afrontate impiegando metodologie BIM per il coordinamento di diverse professionalità, soprattutto per delicati interventi sui Beni Culturali. Il progetto della nuova biblioteca civica presso Torino Esposizioni, firmato...

According to the 2017 International Council of Museums (ICOM) guidelines, data on museum collections must be stored in a secure environment, supported by backup systems that allow access by all legitimate users, complete and unique identification, and description (associations, provenance, condition, treatment and current location) of each object a...

In recent years we have been experiencing an ever-increasing number of Building Modeling Modeling (BIM) and Visual Programming Language (VPL) approaches in the architectural design field. These experiments have inspired new research strictly focused on exploring values, criticalities, and the advantages of applying these combined methodologies in t...

The contribution presents the development of an H-BIM model of the Egyptian Museum of Turin, as part of the renovation for the bicentennial of its foundation. The collaborative activity involved the creation of a parametric 3D model that will form the basis on which the new interventions will be set up, in a spatial information environment that wil...

This paper dwells on the many meanings the digital artefacts can have, their value and their replicability. It presents some critical and methodological thoughts on the use of digital tools in the museums. Using consolidated taxonomies and redefining the digital tools to be innovatively applied to Cultural Assets, the essay describes some research e...

Gli Stati membri dell’UNESCO definiscono il patrimonio culturale immateriale (ICH) come l’insieme di pratiche, rappresentazioni, espressioni, nonché conoscenze e abilità che le comunità, i gruppi e, in alcuni casi, gli individui riconoscono come parte integrante del loro patrimonio culturale. Il Museo della Passione di Sordevolo protegge, conserva...

The term “cultural heritage” has been enriched with multiple contents in the last decades, partly thanks to the protection instruments developed by UNESCO. Despite the past, the cultural heritage is not limited to monuments and collections of objects. The term nowadays includes tangible and intangible cultural heritage (ICH). ICH includes tradition...

The paper presents DECAI - DEcay Classification using Artificial Intelligence, a novel study using machine learning algorithms to identify materials, degradations or surface gaps of an architectural artefact in a semi-automatic way. A customised software has been developed to allow the operator to choose which categories of materials to classify, a...

The essay aims to discuss the use of Building Information Modeling procedures for the management and enhancement of museum heritage, with regard to the digitization project of the temporary exhibition Invisible Archaeology set up in the exhibition spaces of the Museo Egizio, in Turin.

The information model set up in the design phases can be used in site monitoring. The contribution defnes a possible application frontier that employs automatic data processing methodologies and amplifes the possibilities of the construction and management model.

The essay critically evaluates the application fields of BIM and VPL processes used in the management and valorisation of museum heritage, pursuing parametric and algorithmic approaches, suc- cessfully employed in the digitisation project of the temporary exhi- bition Invisible Archaeology set up in the exhibition spaces of the Museo Egizio of Turi...

The essay aims to analyse past and present methods of reality simulation critically. It proposes a non-exhaustive classification of 2D and 3D digital artefacts mainly concerning the cultural heritage field and the museum domain, ranging from reconstructing virtual environments to the most recent computer graphics trends. Moreover, the use of digita...

Recent emergencies have triggered a series of proposals, revisions, and regulatory updates. In Italy, as part of the Italian Decreto Rilancio, a proposal to introduce a compulsory building file seems to have been accepted. If this proposal is followed up, we could soon see the collection of a series of data and information on the building stock of...

Nel processo di gestione del cantiere di restauro architettonico si assiste all’adozione di proce...ssi condotti in gran parte modo tradizionale sempre più spesso a fianco di attività fortemente influenzate dall’uso delle nuove tecnologie. In particolare, i nuovi strumenti per il rilevamento restituiscono sempre più informazioni, ad altissima risol...

The paper presents different experiences developed at the Department of Architecture and Design of Politecnico di Torino in collaboration with Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie in Turin, Italy. These research offered interesting suggestions for working on the crucial relationship between content (collection) and container (museum) through sha...

Gli strumenti per il disegno dell’architettura si sono rapidamente evoluti negli ultimi anni, integrando il disegno manuale con l’uso dell’elaboratore: attraverso strumenti sempre più evoluti le più recenti piattaforme digitali, se sapientemente utilizzate, consentono un profondo e trasversale controllo del processo progettuale e costruttivo, favor...

Algorithmic Information Modelling (AIM) is an acronym that can be used to discuss and reason on the relationship between algorithms used in Visual Programming Language (VPL) platforms and the Information Modelling processes. In the Architecture, Engineering and Construction fields (AEC) the data management related to those processes are more usuall...

L’analisi di un caso di studio esemplare costituisce il pretesto per esaminare criticamente le procedure di validazione di progetti BIM-oriented di notevole complessità, attraverso la descrizione di strategie operative che consentono di controllare e preservare la qualità degli attributi grafo-alfanumerici riutilizzabili anche durante il ciclo di v...

The artworks collected in the museums are characterized by formal and invisible values. These latter ones are generated over time and derived mainly from the historical, artistic, social and media history that characterized the exhibited artworks; informal properties are as important as the formal values of the work. The weighted relationship betwe...

The paper presents the final outcome of a project carried out through the collaboration between Politecnico di Torino and Museo Egizio of Turin. The main aim of the project has been to make available a small series of artefacts that are part of the museum collection through their virtual reproduction. The research investigates procedures that are...

One of the main themes of this work is to incorporate the geometric aspects that characterize a certain type of architecture within a broader rule system, which, in the whole, generate the forms. Therefore, the solution would be to draw the reconstruction of a parametric model, through the application to a selected case study: Palazzo del Lavoro of...

The paper describes part of the conceptual structure produced within the still ongoing project B.A.C.K. TO T.H.E. F.U.T.U.RE. (BIM Acquisition as Cultural Key TO Transfer Heritage of ancient Egypt For many Uses To many Users REplayed). The aim of the project was to use a semantic web infrastructure to describe archival research and tracking informa...

The relationship between cultural heritage, digital technologies and visual models involves an increasingly wide area of research, oriented towards the renewal of archives and museums for the preservation and promotion of culture. The most recent research activities are the result of the progressive strengthening of digital technologies and the nee...

The research project, still in progress, developed a proposal procedure to visualize a 3D models of an hidden collection of Museo Egizio in Turin. The prototype procedure exposed is focused on the visualization of 3D objects shapes and additional information by networking the enriched 3D model. This preliminary output is part of a broader purpose t...

The Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the Architectural Heritage field is constantly proving to be a fertile ground for the experimentation of innovative systems for the enhancement and management of cultural heritage. Regarding to the management of the entire process, the building field is increasing in efficiency from the construction to the...

The relationship between cultural heritage, digital technologies and visual models involves an increasingly wide area of research, oriented towards the renewal of archives and museums for the preservation and promotion of culture. Recent research activities are the result of the progressive strengthening of digital technologies and the needs of a n...

The aim of this paper is to compare the increased value of the new digital tools in supporting multidisciplinary knowledge; this similarly regards the design process conceived by the “masters” of the past, trying to describe what recent graphic representation is and how it was ostensibly handled in the past: particular attention will be devoted to...

In recent years, there has been an increasing attention towards the use of the BIM (Building Information Modeling) approach in the cultural heritage domain. The stringent regulatory requirements in terms of BIM adoption in the field of public works in the short term will also have an impact on the historical heritage that characterises most Europea...

Nowadays 3D digital imaging constitute an effective solution for preserving the expression of human creativity across the centuries, as well as is a great tool to guarantee global dissemination of knowledge and wide access to these invaluable resources of the past. Nevertheless, in several cases, a massive digitization of cultural heritage items—f...

This chapter presents current issues relating to the use of a building information modelling (BIM) approach in the field of cultural heritage, which is better known as historic-BIM (H-BIM). Technological innovation in the field of automatic metric data acquisition (e.g., 3D laser scanning, digital photogrammetry techniques) requires data processing...

The paper is intended to deepen a specific theme, which affects almost uninterrupted continuity the architectural culture, related to the relationship between three-dimensional nature of architecture and its representation; the topic is developed through critical reflections on the relationship between the concept of spatial designed conformations...

The paper shows a multidisciplinary research (Geomatics, Drawing and Restoration) developed for the realization of a H (Heritage) -BIM model, designed to explore the potential of this methodology for the study, restoration and monitoring of Palazzo Sarmatoris in Salmour (Cuneo, Piedmont), that is an architectural complex of the 17th century.

This contribution arises from the interest (on the themes of semiotics and communication of architecture, even in its deep meanings) derived from studies and comparisons with Renato De Fusco, Maria Luisa Scalvini, Pio Luigi Brusasco, Pier Tosoni, Alberto Borghini. A question has been confirmed: what can be the meanings of architecture, especially i...

Mental imagery is a familiar aspect of most individuals’ mental lives, considered as an experience which occurs in the absence of actual stirrings for relevant perceptions. The primary importance of mental imagery has been demonstrated in several domains: learning and memory, reasoning and problem solving, inventive or creative thought and rehab. T...

Nowadays, 3D digital imaging proposes effective solutions for preserving the expression of human creativity across the centuries, as well as is a great tool to guarantee global dissemination of knowledge and wide access to these invaluable resources of the past. Nevertheless, in several cases, a massive digitalisation of cultural heritage items (fr...

Structure from Motion, Image Based Modelling, Mobile devices, 3D Imaging, Representation Techniques

The recent trend toward non-standard and free form architecture has generated a lot of debate among the Scientific Community. The reasons can be found in the renewed interest in organic shapes, in addition to recent and powerful capabilities of parametric platforms. In this regard, the Visual Programming Language (VPL) interface gives a high level...

The paper shows the results of an educational activity related to the workshop titled “Digital Invasion. From the point cloud to H-BIM”, held at the Politecnico di Torino and addressed to Architecture Master Degree students. An interdisciplinary teaching team has been involved: we hve tested the implementation of BIM methodologies to historical bui...

This paper describes a procedure for quality assessment in architectural design based on Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies and investigates how the evaluations can affect the decision-making process. Based on techniques already defined in the literature, a method of evaluating the BIM processes and BIM model based on the definition...

The paper shows the intermediate results of a research activity aimed at populating a library of reusable Historical Building Object Models (H-BOMs) by testing a full digital workflow that takes advantages from using Structure from Motion (SfM) models and is centered on the geometrical/stylistic/materic analysis of the architectural element (portal...

The recent trends in architectural data management imply the scientific and professional collaborations of several disciplines involved in the design, restoration and maintenance. It seems an achieved concept that, in the next future, all the information connected to new interventions or conservation activities on historical buildings will be manag...

The strategies implemented by public and private contracting authorities require a more and more demanding level of management obtained through an ordered and related catalogs of all elements of the design process. Innovative data storage systems and advanced digital tools require specific production practices that are able to integrate the activit...

The paper proposes a method able to describe, classify and organize information assets concerned with Architectural Heritage, through the use of integrated survey procedures, mainly based on Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS). The point clouds are then imported into the Building Information Modeling (BIM) software to start with the modeling phase. Wit...

Il terzo volume della Collana dedicata a INNOVance presenta l’interpretazione del concetto di BIM elaborata durante il progetto. Nella prima parte vengono illustrate le esperienze del capitolo italiano IAI, nate in seno al Dipartimento BEST del Politecnico di Milano – poi confluito nel Dipartimento ABC – e che sono state premessa del progetto INNOV...

Il volume, quinto della Collana dedicata al progetto INNOVance, si focalizza sull’utilizzo della piattaforma e delle schede informative che la compongono da parte delle imprese di costruzione valutando dunque le effettive potenzialità di dinamicità sia in termini di assorbimento delle diverse esigenze informative sia in termini di integrazione di p...

The paper here presented shows the outcomes of a research/didactic activity carried out within a workshop titled "Digital Invasions. From point cloud to Heritage Building Information Modeling" held at Politecnico di Torino (29th September–5th October 2016). The term digital invasions refers to an Italian bottom up project born in the 2013 with the...

In recent years, we have witnessed a huge diffusion of building information modeling (BIM) approaches in the field of architectural design, although very little research has been undertaken to explore the value, criticalities, and advantages attributable to the application of these methodologies in the cultural heritage domain. Furthermore, the las...

The huge diffusion of Building Information Modeling approaches in the field of architectural design has characterized the research of the last decades; however very little research has been undertaken to explore the advantages and criticalities of BIM methodologies in Cultural Heritage domain. Moreover, the last developments in digital photogrammet...

This work fits into an international research field about 3D modeling to evaluate the Building Information Model performance for infographic representation of Cultural Heritage. Modeling an historic building involves the creation of parametric objects library starting by data survey. The primary purpose of the research is the translation of these i...

As the title suggests, the aim of this study is a story-telling. But unlike what often happens, it is meant to combine words with the entire information system set up to make such storytelling richer. We refer to the troubled past (and perhaps even more uncertain!) of V Pavilion of Torino Esposizioni, designed by Riccardo Morandi at the end of the...

Nowadays the role of new digital technologies is in constant evolution if compared with the more established practices. They are based on a systemic and relational approach that suggests (or better imposes!) to evaluate the limits and virtues, exploring new collaborative and communicative languages; at the same time, the dissemination of new tool n...

The study aims to answer the growing need for virtuously organize informational apparatuses related to Cultural Heritage. We propose a methodology that integrates multidisciplinary processes of interaction with information aimed at survey, documentation, management, knowledge and enhancement of historic artifacts. It is needed to review and update...

L'arte sequenziale è la forma artistica e letteraria che naturalmente deriva dal linguaggio dei segni, basandosi sulla correlazione tra disegni e parole, trovando espressione creativa nel fumetto: pur essendo un'antica forma d'arte è stata solo recentemente riconosciuta come disciplina meritevole di analisi approfondite. Il contributo ne analizza l...

In ambito architettonico/urbano, la progettazione del colore applicato a murature e orizzontamenti prevede un’attenta analisi dell’identità dei manufatti, relazionabile a un complesso vissuto che ha ragioni nella cultura e nell’individuo, dunque riferibile a una dimensione sensoriale profonda, poiché svolge al contempo un ruolo di mediazione tra pa...

The aim of the research intends to provide innovative solutions to the more and more hard challenge of organizing in a virtuous manner the information concerning the architecture patrimony: the realization of complex parametric models could guarantee a formal, architectural and relational coherence, inside a shared virtual system. The HBIM (Histori...

Il contributo intende approfondire un tema specifico, che interessa con continuità pressoché ininterrotta la cultura architettonica, inerente al rapporto tra natura tridimensionale dell’Architettura e sua rappresentazione; l’argomento viene sviluppato attraverso riflessioni critiche sulla relazione che lega la concezione delle conformazioni spazial...

The work aims to define the state of art of the Public law and regulative scenario abroad, where the BIM methodology is strongly required for building projects financed with public funds. It is shown a comparison between the main international standards that work with LOD (Level of Development, meant as the degree of reliability of the information...

The aim of the research is to better integrate survey instruments, methods and graphic representation tools. They have been compared studying two similar courtyards in the City of Turin: the courtyard of the University Of Turin belonging to the first baroque enlargement of the City (XVII century), and the courtyard of the Seminario Arcivescovile, s...

This paper is intended to explore the potential of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodologies to be applied to the various stages of the construction process, particularly as far as international guidelines and best practices supporting virtuous operating flows are concerned: the IT component, mostly graphic during the design phase, is...

Very often, the photograph is an essential component and it is integrated into the most common survey technologies, from the territorial scale up to the urban dimension. In such changing environment, photography is analyzed in its versatile properties, even in the immediate use for the three-dimensional reconstruction of existing buildings. This is...

L’articolazione del settore delle costruzioni, per sua natura multiforme e intricato, insieme al forte momento di incertezza economica, ha fatto emergere specifiche richieste per quanto attiene alle funzioni di supporto delle attività da compiere in cantiere, necessarie per rendere più efficienti alcune pratiche operative riferibili a un’attenta pr...

Il volume intende esplorare le molteplicità delle accezioni che il termine Rappresentazione riveste, alla luce di un rinnovato ruolo del Disegno assunto nelle nuove pratiche operative. Le recenti metodologie BIM, di cui si dibatte vivacemente soprattutto in ambito internazionale, si distinguono attraverso peculiarità plurime e sono tese a un miglio...

There is, in Architecture, an intellectual responsibility that involves each author-designer about the relationship between time of conception and practical realization; the cycle of construction activities is a crucial stage in this production process. The most advanced procedures of Building Information Modeling (BIM) are an added value not only...

There is, in Architecture, an intellectual responsibility that involves each author-designer about the relationship between time of conception and practical realization; the cycle of construction activities is a crucial stage in this production process. The most advanced procedures of Building Information Modeling (BIM) are an added value not only...

The paper aims to reflect on the most advanced procedures that the methodology of Building Information Modeling (BIM) carries out in delicate cases of intervention on the existing ,through the analysis of multiple specificities of an integrated e “renewed” survey. This is able to govern the data complexity that characterizes the representation of t...

This paper deals with the INNOVANCE BIMM – Building Information Modeling and Management-concept, that has been envisioned within the frame of the national research project INNOVANCE. The INNOVANCE team has at first defined a procedure to define standard BIM objects, useful to deliver proprietary and interoperable BIM libraries – linked to the INNOV...

The aim of the paper is to present some comments about innovation in languages and project procedures, with a particular regard to Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies and the consequent renewal of the representation techniques, explored in the building and construction areas, as methodological and operational equipment that the digital...

This work aims to reflect on the background and the roots of parametric thinking in architecture. Although it plays a key role in the digital domain, this kind of sensitivity is not new at all. It's worth nothing, in that sense, how often work far from the digital experience can be related to those issues. At this regard, it is crucial to understan...

Negli ultimi anni la pratica professionale in ambito architettonico-edilizio richiede competenze sempre più specifiche e, spesso, tempistiche estremamente ridotte, in una continua ricerca di strategie procedurali fondate su piattaforme integrate e condivise, adatte a gestire la relazione rilievo-progetto. Un caso studio sul tema proposto si riferis...

In last years digital graphics processing has been regarded an established practice and a necessary transition in the usual design activities. On the one hand the common opinion considers that the informatics tools have brought benefits to the field of building design, on the other one, it is not obvious to affirm that the traditional CAD is not co...

Il termine costruire (lessicalmente) equivale a riordinare le singole parti dell’operazione secondo il nesso logico e grammaticale; ed altresì disporle e collegarle secondo le regole e l’uso della lingua. Analogamente gli odierni strumenti BIM possiedono nelle loro corde sia una riconoscibile capacità di sviluppare progetti seguendo le regole del b...

The paper explores the potential of methods and languages designed to facilitate the communication of appropriate information content for the different levels of detail required in the creation of an architectural design, levels with different purposes, but nevertheless coordinated. Within this thesis, the many different facets of drawing and the l...

In the last years "digital revolution" has pervaded the world of representation and transmission of ideas offering new methods, technologies, tools and strategies for digital representation. Dynamic and hyper-medial representations have burst on the scene of the architectural representation methods - traditionally static -, thanks to the most recen...

The possibilities offered by Information Technologies allow designers to explore objects using virtual reality; doing that, humans and computers can interact in a simulated space. The parametric design in the building scale, also lets that these interactions are not restricted to formal analysis, but invest a lot of knowledge of the art of construc...

In un momento in cui la pratica professionale richiede sempre più specifiche competenze e tempistiche estremamente serrate, si palesa la tendenza a orientare le tecnologie software verso un loro utilizzo più consapevole, nella continua ricerca di strategie procedurali per l’utilizzo di piattaforme condivise. Il presente contributo intende tracciare...

Purpose: Purpose of the paper is to present a few comments about the renewal of the representation techniques, explored in the building and construction areas, as methodological and operational equipments that the digital design tends to upgrade. Method: The foreword above the topic of this work summarizes the picture of the needs expressed by the...

The parametric computer graphic systems adoption, meant as dialogue and interaction tool among the various operators of the building construction, is based (since the first phases of the preliminary project) on the management of a unique database related to the various actors of the design process. This leads to an able to interact with the various...