Riccardo Foschi

University of Bologna | UNIBO · Department of Architecture DA

This paper presents preliminary findings from the ongoing Erasmus+ European project CoVHer, which focuses on the hypothetical virtual reconstructions of lost or unbuilt architecture. This contribution provides a critical assessment of the terminology specific to this field. A significant challenge lies in the absence of standardised terminology for...

A shared commitment to standardising the process of hypothetically reconstructing lost buildings from the past has characterised academic research in recent years and can manifest at various stages of the reconstructive process and with different perspectives. This research specifically aims to establish a user-independent and traceable procedure t...

Digital hypothetical 3D reconstructions are often presented through precomputed visualizations, nevertheless, new Extended Reality (XR) technologies allow the users to experience the same architectonic spaces in a much more effective and immersive way. Different technologies provide different levels of immersion and quality, and if not properly use...

3D computer-based visualization refers to all those methodologies adopted to produce, represent, describe, transmit, and present graphically/visually digital 3D models in a way that is perceivable by the human eye. Visualization is one of the core aspects of 3D reconstruction because it is the most effective medium to synthesize complex data in a v...

This chapter introduces key concepts of 3D modeling in the humanities. A 3D model can represent a great variety of objects. The objects of 3D modeling of historical architecture are lost or extant buildings, their modifications, and designs that were never executed. These buildings are as much part of the cultural heritage as their plans. The chapt...

As this chapter shows, digital 3D reconstructions of historic architecture serve many purposes in research and related areas. This comprises answering research questions by creating a 3D model, preserving cultural heritage, communicating knowledge in education, and providing a structure for knowledge organization. The process of creating a 3D recon...

This chapter is proposed to provide an overview of the different types of legal rights and legislation relating to 3D reconstruction. Since reconstructions originate from various sources and comprise intellectual work by multiple persons, they affect different levels of legal and property rights, although the specific legal situation greatly depend...

The chapter introduces the concepts of the raw model and informative model; it clarifies the concept of semantic segmentation and defines the digital representation methods and 3D modeling techniques; finally, it lists the different configuration spaces of a 3D model in different software packages.

Currently, digital reconstructions are mainly a process in one single context by interdisciplinary workgroups using expert technologies. 3D reconstructions in the humanities are primarily created within long-term interdisciplinary projects. This chapter provides an overview of the team processes and workflows to create 3D reconstructions. Interdisc...

This chapter provides an overview of the scholarly communities in which the digital 3D reconstruction is used as a method. (Visual) digital humanities—besides digital heritage and humanities disciplines such as digital art history or digital archaeology—marks the disciplinary space in which 3D reconstruction in the humanities is discussed and metho...

Currently, a large variety of infrastructures are targeting 3D models. Recently, several overview reports on extant platforms and repositories [1–5] and 3D visualization frameworks and formats [6] were compiled. Infrastructures differ from services by including tools or services and facilities for operation. Particularly for 3D models, there is a m...

The documentation of the working steps, the decisions made in a reconstruction, the applied method, and the results form one of the cornerstones of scientific practice. Over the centuries, scientific publication established itself with fixed basic principles, such as verifiability of methods, objectivity, disclosure of sources, comprehensibility of...

For the hypothetical reconstruction of architectural heritage, there are still no scientific standards of reference concerning their sharing and documentation. Recent international initiatives established the basis to address this problem; however, still, much work needs to be done in order to systematise good practices for the process of reconstru...

This paper proposes a methodology to rationalize the process of reconstruction of no more existing or designed but never built architectures. The methodology focuses on the following aspects of the hypothetical digital 3D reconstructions: sources (e.g., gathering, use, documentation), representation method (e.g., geometry, scale, segmentation, 3D m...

Two case studies of hypothetical reconstruction are presented according to the principles of the Critical Digital Model [Apollonio et al. 2019]. One of the case studies is an architecture that was designed but never realized, and the other is the reconstruction of a historical art exhibition hosted into an architecture still existing today. This st...

Nei recenti processi di trasformazione dei media e delle forme di condivisione della conoscenza il ruolo del digitale è stato più volte oggetto di dibattito per le criticità che introduce nell’uso dei prodotti e nei processi comunicativi. Numerosi, in ambito espositivo, sono stati i progetti proposti per trasformare l’arte dell’esporre tra la fine...

Compared to a two-dimensional photographic image, a digital three-dimensional model offers several advantages: it can describe the shape of a drawing and its media replicating its optical properties; it can efficiently document its state of conservation by highlighting the overlaps and changes occurred over time; and, finally, it can be displayed i...

We derive algebraic equations for the folding angle relationships in completely general degree-4 rigid-foldable origami vertices, including both Euclidean (developable) and non-Euclidean cases. These equations in turn lead to elegant equations for the general developable degree-4 case. We compare our equations to previous results in the literature...

We derive new algebraic equations for the folding angle relationships in completely general degree-four rigid-foldable origami vertices, including both Euclidean (developable) and non-Euclidean cases. These equations in turn lead to novel, elegant equations for the general developable degree-four case. We compare our equations to previous results i...

In this paper, we propose an explanation and application of the synthetic method to the representation of the Platonic and Archimedean Solids (PS and AS). The intention is to illustrate the potential of this method in a historical and theoretical context. The study of regular and semiregular polyhedra in this sense is an ideal theme to illustrate t...

Both in the field of manufacturing and architecture, the art of paper folding (origami) is often taken as a reference for its kinetic proprieties and its elegant appearance. Dynamic facades, fast deployment structures, temporary shelters, portable furniture, and retractile roofs, are only a few of a vast variety of examples that can take advantage...

This paper aims to unravel the perspective construction used by Leonardo da Vinci for his iconic and celebrated unfinished painting the Adoration of the Magi. This study is the final step of years-long research brought forward by our department focused on the study of the perspective construction used by Leonardo in the preparatory drawings of his...

This contribution to the literature presents an in-depth analysis of the scene drawn by Leonardo da Vinci in the preparatory drawing, Adoration of the Magi, dated 1481, that is now housed at the Département des Arts Graphiques du Musée du Louvre in Paris, France. This analysis focuses on the architectural elements and highlights how the drawing dis...

Original hand drawings by Leonardo are astonishing collections of knowledge, superb representations of the artist's way of working, which proves the technical and cultural peak of the Renaissance era. However, due to their delicate and fragile nature, they are hard to manipulate and compulsory to preserve. To overcome this problem we developed, in...

The virtual (re-)construction of architectural artefacts that never existed or were destroyed is a research topic that currently presents several problems. This study, starting from a state of the art briefly described, tries to answer various questions: describe what a Critical Digital Model (CDM) is and what qualities it must fulfil to be scienti...

Il pezzo descrive nel dettaglio le fasi operative per la ricostruzione digitale della mostra tenutasi alla chiesa dello Spirito Santo nel 1817 curata da Antonio Canova. Il tour virtuale consiste in una passeggiata all'interno della chiesa ricostruita a partire da rilievi laser e fotogrammetrici dell'attuale chiesa rielaborati sulla base di analisi...

Curved-crease origami design is a novel area of research with applications in fields such as architecture, design, engineering, and fabrication ranging between micro and macro scales. However, the design of such models is still a difficult task which requires preserving isometry between the 3D form and 2D unfolded state. This paper introduces a new...

Designs based on developable surfaces can be convenient for many reasons, however designing developable patterns that make use of curved creases is a challenge. Many studies propose new methods to tackle the problem but sometimes these methods do not generate a parametric model which is easily modifiable by changing the input parameters. Furthermor...

English edition of the catalog of the exhibition held in Vinci, Museo Leonardiano, 15 April 2019 - 6 January 2020, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death. The exhibition aims to illustrate the strong link between the Tuscan genius and his hometown, Vinci, through a series of documents from various archival sources. In particul...

In this paper, we present a series of case studies of origami-like geometries modelled and animated following the principles of the synthetic method applied through parametric modelling applications. The aim of this research is to analyze the benefits and criticalities of the proposed method in the field of applied origami design. The presented met...

A partire dal 2010 l’Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna ha sviluppato una soluzione per acquisire in modo non invasivo, ricostruire digitalmente in 3D, e renderizzare tridimensionalmente disegni antichi con capacità di fedeltà del colore elevata, a una risoluzione di 50 micron, garantendo la restituzione dell’intera qualità formale e di rif...

On the occasion of the recent restoration of the sixteenth century Neptune’s Fountain in Bologna, promoted by the municipality in 2015 to preserve one of the major town’s landmark, high-quality imagery has been acquired for documenting the current state of preservation of the marble and bronze surfaces before and during the restoration phases. Star...

Non-flat-foldable origami patterns can be useful for making mechanisms that self-block at a wanted folded state. An origami pattern is “blocked” when at least one of the folds hits 180°. In this paper, we use non-flat-foldable developable degree-4 vertices as building elements for self-blocking one-DOF mechanisms. This paper also presents a method...

Digital visualization as the representation of a past that no longer exists is a communicative necessity in which virtual reconstructions have become means and experience of an otherwise intangible time. The case study presented is the expression of a methodology seeking to combine informative and scientific aspects. This method aims to provide an...

Among the many cases concerning the process of digital hypothetical 3D reconstruction a particular case is constituted by never realized projects and plans. They constitute projects designed and remained on paper that, albeit documented by technical drawings, they pose the typical problems that are common to all other cases. From 3D reconstructions...

The paper illustrates new researching methodologies applied to teaching. The workflow shows how the design of architecture and the use of three-dimensional models lead students to a process of critical knowledge that allows them to investigate the principles governing the design, composition and history of an architecture often left drawn.

This paper proposes a design method, through a case study, to explore the conformation of any corrugation to a single or double curvature surface using Grasshopper with Kangaroo. The research focuses on the Miura-ori [8] which is one of the simplest 1 DOF rigid-foldable corrugation. It has limited spatial configurations, and at first can't be confo...

The sixteenth-century Fountain of Neptune is one of Bologna’s most renowned landmarks. During the recent restoration activities of the monumental sculpture group, consisting in precious marbles and highly refined bronzes with water jets, a photographic campaign has been carried out exclusively for documentation purposes of the current state of pres...

The Ducal Castle Castromediano-Limburg was built around the sixteenth century in the historic centre of Cavallino, a town renowned for its excellence in the arts and culture, located in Salento south of Lecce (Italy). The Castle, also known as Ducal Palace, was the home of the illustrious Duke Sigismondo Castromediano, a man of great culture, archa...

Together with the Two Towers, the Fountain of Neptune is undoubtedly the most emblematic monumental complex in Bologna (fig. 1) Commissioned by the papal legate Cardinal Carlo Borromeo and supervised by Bishop Pier Donato Cesi, the fountain is the last in a series of works that created the current appearance of Piazza Maggiore, the imposing emblem...

Questo articolo vuole approfondire la tematica della fotomodellazione applicata all’architettura, in particolare ad edifici porticati, descrivendo ogni passaggio necessario per ottenere un modello tridimensionale texturizzato dal reale tramite un set fotografico. Le potenzialità e le criticità di questo metodo sono messe in evidenza attraverso la p...

The study is part of a broader search coordinated by the Department of Architecture of the University of Bologna, the Cineca and the city of Bologna for the nomination of the city porticoes in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The study describes, first, the problems and the methods adopted for the survey, the numerical modeling and visualization of...