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Masonry arch railway bridges represent a historically built heritage to be preserved. The multidisciplinary approach requires the construction of a common language, namely the creation of a formal conceptualisation of bridge domain that could serve as basis for both adding new layers of knowledge in H-BIM modeling and aiding the automatic segmentation of masonry bridge point clouds, thus supporting the semi-automatic creation of information models. The presented research aims at showing the results of an in-depth analysis conducted on masonry arched bridges computational ontologies; following this, the authors propose a semantic conceptualization in the masonry bridge domain, structured with three group of key concepts needed in the process of knowledge: bridge elements, materials, and defects. As a case study the masonry bridges of the Sicilian Circumetnea railway are chosen.

The paper shows the results of an experimentation on the use of low cost tools such as action cameras for the photogrammetric surveying of relevant archaeological sites characterized by the presence of narrow and complex rooms. The archaeological site chosen for this experimentation is the South-Western Quarter, also known as Quartiere Levi, of the Minoan Palace of Phaistos (Crete), one of only two cases of buildings surviving up to the third floor in the Aegean world. The research foresaw the setting up of a pipeline aimed at obtaining a complete scaled, photorealistic and navigable 3D model, with a considerable economy in terms of work time and number of photographs. For this purpose, many efforts have been paid on solving all the issues related to the complexity of the site and on comparing the performances of traditional (Canon EOS 70D) and action (GoPro Black Hero 6) cameras as well as of two of the current most used software in the field.

The use of virtual reality and ICT in the museum context provides a new key to understand and promote Cultural Heritage: thanks to these technologies the user has the opportunity to experience without the need to come into contact with the real objects. For the museum institutions VR and ICT are a valuable tool that allows them to perform different cultural tasks, addressing the public in a much more effective way than has previously been possible. Especially through VR, it is possible to reconstruct the original context of the artworks through the interconnection of contents: the virtual visitor, while viewing the artwork, can consult useful contents for the learning process. Another revolutionary element introduced by the new technologies is linked to the possibility of creating virtual exhibitions through which it is possible to exhibit works that are not accessible or not visible. These reflections and these theoretical principles were the basis for the development of the project proposal presented in these pages, that was born as a collaboration between the R3D Lab of the Museo della Rappresentazione of University of Catania and the CIMS Lab of Carleton University, Ottawa. It consists in the creation of a virtual museum, the Timeless Museum, in order to create an educational experience, able to make the users reflect on topics such as the value of history, the sense of beauty, the relationship with our past and our future, the protection and transmission to future generations of the artistic heritage we have.

The S. Nicolo l’Arena Exedra in Catania was built up in 1722 in front of the homonymous Monastery. The facade is composed by natural and artificial stones: Syracuse stone for portals and windows frames, lava stone for the basement and a reddish plaster for plane surfaces, typical materials of the Catania historic buildings. Its color is due to the introduction of the so-called “ghiara” in the finishing mixture. A multi-technique study is here presented: after the obtainment of a detailed surveying of the building surface through the integration of 3D laser scanner and digital photogrammetry techniques, FTIR-ATR, Raman and XRD analysis were carried out to characterize structures, materials and their alteration products.

This abstract illustrates an interdisciplinary research project which focuses on the study, conservation and enhancement, through 3D digitization and virtual fruition, of an asset of great naturalistic, historical and ethnoanthropological value: Grotta dei Pipistrelli of Pantalica Nature Reserve (Sortino, SR). The cave (located in the Calcinara necropolis) is characterized by a great beauty as well as by a high cultural relevance and a remarkable scientific importance. In 2005, it awarded the UNESCO World Heritage title for its high historic, archaeological and speleological profile. Despite the site is being studied by specialists in chiropterofauna, nowadays there is not a comprehensive and reliable documentation of the plano-altimetric morphology of the cave, able to constitute a 3D database of essential information (e.g. morphological, geological, textural and wildlife information) for current and future studies, and to preserve the memory of this fragile ecosystem. The process of 3D digitization aims to create a model of the cave that allows us to enjoy this place, to explore it and to closely understand it in order to limit the anthropic pressure caused by visitors on the real site. Consequently, it is proposed the creation of a virtual environment, as a reproduction of the real one, which can be enjoyed by all categories of users.

The study deals with the experimentation of innovative and advanced preservation methodologies for museum collections in historical buildings. In particular, this work shows the development of an algorithm, based on Machine Learning techniques, that suggests which actions to undertake in relation to thermo-hygrometric conditions. The aim is to guarantee microclimate conditions that are favorable both for collections and architecture. In order to boost the time required to gather the needed dataset a possibility is to train the decision-making model based on machine learning through the use of a synthetic dataset created via plugins connected to VPL (Visual Programming Languages) that allow the simulation of different scenarios starting from open source data. The training of the machine learning mechanism will be supervised and each solution will be “an experience” for the building from which to learn. Along the time thanks to experience and background data the decision-making system will improve the quality of his work.

This study shows the results of an interdisciplinary research aimed at devising artificial intelligence methods to support data understanding in Cultural Heritage. The objective is to create automated methods for automatically classifying and successively retrieving photographic data leveraging the current breed of AI methods based on Deep Learning paradigm. In this work, the lack of images to be used for the training of the AI system is addressed by testing an approach based on Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) for automatically synthesizing unrealistic photos, which, in turn, can be used for training image classification and retrieval systems. Specifically, we propose a method to drive the generation of realistic classical order images using GAN approaches anchored to semantic ontology domain representation. More specifically, the proposed AI leverages the advantages of knowledge-based and data-driven methods and foresees a level image generation: the first one that synthesizes isolated objects corresponding to each ontology concept and the second one that, instead, combines the generated objects according to the spatial information provided by the ontology in order to generate realistic scenes. The resulting images can then be employed to train automated classifiers and more reliable retrieval methods by minimizing the efforts usually required by human operators to manually annotate data. In addition, the proposed generative strategy allows for a deeper understanding of cultural heritage visual data enabling the possibility to enhance design capabilities in simulation contexts.

This paper investigates the application of the Digital Twin approach to get a Sentient building able to acquire the ability to perceive external inputs and develop strategies to support its management and/or conservation. The experimentation foresees the integration of an H-BIM model with a Decision Support System based on Artificial Intelligence (in this case Machine Learning techniques) for the management of museum collections in historical architectures. The innovative aspect of this methodology resides in the change of paradigm regarding the relations between the historical building under consideration and the professional figures who deal with the management, conservation and architectural restoration. This work tries to contextualize the novel HS-BIM methodology within the theoretical discussion of the disciplines mentioned above and to participate in Digital Twin’s debate. HS-BIM can be seen as a possible path that leads to creating digital twins for cultural heritage. The reflection inspired by this experience aims to revise the concept of Digital Twin as a parallel/external digital model in favour of an artificial evolution of the real system augmented by a “cognitive” apparatus. In this vision, thanks to AI application, future buildings will be able to sense “comfort and pain” and learning from their own life-cycle experience but also from that one of elder sentient-buildings thanks to transfer learning already applied in AI’s fields.

The Virtual Reality project called Piranesi “beyond the real” aims to help the understanding of the series of etchings Carceri d’invenzione (Prisons of invention) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, exhibited in the Museum of Representation of DICAR (University of Catania), participating in the strategies of co-creation of cultural content implemented by the museum. The research begins with a careful investigation of the etchings, which reveals immense spaces where bridges, towers, and stairs seem to follow each other endlessly. The only things in between are wooden beams, ropes or instruments of torture, used by surreal giant men in the foreground or “human ants” in the distance. The spaces that inspire this project are intended as the dream of a young man because of the fever or the genius of his black mind. The virtual labyrinth is a journey designed from the sensations of the Prisons, an immersive experience in completely new environments. Anxiety, disorientation, and illusion are the focus, the goal is the awareness of them. Two levels, two different perceptions of space: the first is an immense and dark underground labyrinth, which sinks vertically towards infinity with flights of stairs, high walls, suspended or recessed platforms; the second is an open space, which extends towards the horizontal infinity, extremely bright. it is a conceptual labyrinth, which can be crossed in many ways, with endless exits, and an end. That is the place where the visitor can complete the ascent being aware of the places he crossed. The study of spatiality was also conducted through the aid of a 1:200 scale physical model, which allowed us to verify the project hypotheses.

This chapter combines traditional artificial intelligence (AI) concepts, i.e., computational ontologies, with more recent trends, i.e., deep learning for content-based semantic retrieval in Cultural Heritage. More specifically, the proposed AI-empowered system employs computational ontologies for modelling photographs of religious historical buildings. The ontology, besides supporting data-modelling and concept-level annotation, guides a learning process – implemented through Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) – for automated image categorization and retrieval. The whole system has been tested on the ruins of the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Misterbianco, Catania, Italy, showing satisfactory performance.

This paper describes the results of a participatory approach experienced during the training of university and high school students at the MuRa (Museo della Rappresentazione). Mura is a university museum belonging to the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture at University of Catania. It houses and exhibits the collections of architectural projects of Francesco Fichera and a series of chalcographies including the collection of the renown engraver Giovan Battista Piranesi. The training program has been addressed at the documentation, visualization and communication of the architectures realized by Francesco Fichera and other Sicilian architects in the city centre of Catania in the first half of XXth century, whose projects are hosted by the museum. The methodology adopted has included the experimentation of participatory strategies aimed at the communication and the narration of the architectures built in the early twentieth century in Catania. After a preliminary training phase on digital tools for 3D documentation and enhancement of architectural heritage, the students were invited to participate with their ideas and creative expressions in the dissemination actions of the identified case studies.

[EN] This paper addresses the challenge of digitally reconstructing ruined architectural sites and retracing their history, in order to virtually recompose their geometrical, stylistic and material integrity. To this end, the research team analyzed the ruins of the church of Santa Maria de Monasterio Albo, located in the ancient village of Misterbianco (Sicily) and destroyed (together with the entire hamlet) by the 1669 eruption of Mount Etna. In the last years, some excavation campaigns brought the church to the light, unveiling the remains of the main portal and six altars, which are one of the most remarkable examples of Mannerist art in eastern Sicily. This research aimed to three-dimensional (3D) reconstruct both the altars and the portal, ideally reviving their original 17th century configuration. This goal was achieved through an in-depth archival research (documents dating back to the years between 1300 and 1666 were consulted), an analysis of Classic and Renaissance treatises, and two integrated digital survey campaigns (laser scans and photogrammetry). The outcome is represented by the 3D models of the seven artifacts, which include surviving parts reconstructed as photogrammetric meshes, several fragments were placed in their likely early location through a virtual anastylosis, and NURBS (Non Uniform Rational Basis-Splines) surfaces (recreating the no longer existing elements). The latter were 3D modelled based on the treatises (which provided information on the correct proportioning) or in analogy with other coeval similar artifacts. Overall, the digital reconstruction was based on the ethical principles of transparency of the intervention, recognition of non-original additions and distinction between evidence and hypothesis, according to the London Charter and the Seville Principles. The experimentation provides a valid support for possible interventions in the real world and is the starting point to develop a digital archive of the site, which would make the different accuracy levels the reconstruction explicit., [ES] Este artículo aborda el reto de reconstruir digitalmente las ruinas arquitectónicas y de recomponer su integridad geométrica, estilística y material. Para ello, los investigadores analizaron la iglesia de Santa María de Monasterio Albo, situada en el antiguo pueblo de Misterbianco (Sicilia) y destruida (junto con todo el burgo) por la erupción del Etna de 1669. En los últimos años, varias campañas de excavación han sacado a la luz la iglesia, revelando los restos del portal principal y los seis altares, que constituyen uno de los ejemplos más notables del arte manierista en el este de Sicilia. La investigación ha permitido reconstruir tridimensionalmente(3D) tanto los altares como el portal, reviviendo idealmente su configuración original del siglo XVII. Este objetivo se logró mediante una investigación de archivos (se consultaron documentos que se remontan a los años 1300-1666), un análisis de los tratados clásicos y renacentistas, así como dos campañas integradas de levantamiento digital (escaneado láser y fotogrametría). El resultado está representado por los modelos 3D de los siete artefactos, que incluyen partes supervivientes (reconstruidas como mesh fotogramétricas), varios fragmentos (colocados en su probable posición inicial mediante una anastilosis virtual) y superficies NURBS (’Non Uniform Rational Basis-Splines’, que recrean los elementos que ya no existen). Estos últimos fueron modelados en 3D, bien sobre la base de los tratados (que ofrecían información sobre las proporciones correctas), o bien por analogía con otros artefactos coetáneos similares. En general, la reconstrucción digital se basó en los principios éticos de transparencia de la intervención, reconocimiento de los añadidos no originales y distinción entre pruebas e hipótesis, según las Cartas de Londres y Sevilla. La experimentación ofrece un soporte válido para posibles intervenciones en el mundo real y es el punto de partida para desarrollar un archivo digital del sitio, capaz de explicitar los diferentes niveles de precisión de la reconstrucción., The authors would like to thank: the Monasterium Album Foundation, especially the president father Giovanni Condorelli and all the members of the institution, for allowing access to the archaeological site of Campanarazzu, for authorizing the photographic reproduction of images, as well as for the helpfulness to discuss the issues addressed; the Soprintendenza dei Beni Culturali of Catania (specifically the architect Giuseppe Sciacca) for providing the documentary sources of the excavation campaigns conducted since 2002 (specifically, the Fig. 7a, 7b, 8, 9a, 9b); Mr. Mimmo Murabito, for sharing the results of his historical research.

This study presents the results of a joint interdisciplinary research project between The Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC) of the Cyprus Institute in Cyprus and Survey and the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the University of Catania in Italy. The research project assessed the application of the Heritage-Building Information Modelling (H-BIM) paradigm for the study of the architectural history and conservation state of the St. John the Theologian church, the orthodox cathedral of Nicosia, an important example of Cypriot historical heritage. Despite being an important example of Orthodox architecture and art during the period of Ottoman rule in Cyprus, the building remained largely under-studied until now. Completely covered with frescoes dating from the 18th century in its interior, the church was built in 1662 on the remains of an earlier monastery. The project’s adopted methodology provided the framework for a dynamic investigation, constantly evolving along several dimensions: historical, geometric spatial, architectural-constructive identification and mapping of degrade, interpretation of degenerative causes and design proposals.

This paper is focused on the valorization and the communication about the Mother church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in the Ancient Misterbianco (Catania), one of the rare surviving vestiges of the eruption of Mount Etna in 1669 and the earthquake in Val di Noto in 1693. The project, starting from a 3D digital surveys carried out through reality-based techniques, uses an Augmented Reality approach to propose a virtual re-positioning of some significant elements of the church, removed during the eruption. This study required a deep architectural study and an archival documents research to exactly identify the original location of the re-positioned artworks. Then, a 3D reconstruction carried out to get accurate 3D models of them and Augmented Reality application allows the visitors to experience the current church environment enriched with these original artefacts, in order to achieve a more powerful learning/visiting experience.

The research proposes a novel and expeditious approach starting from direct and SfM (Structure from Motion) surveying up to H-BIM to provide a supporting tool to the knowledge of traditional bell towers, also useful for the seismic vulnerability assessment. The research draws on the possibility to enrich the H-BIM model with a semantic layer that takes into account the vulnerability indicators as defined in 2011 Italian Guidelines for the assessment and reduction of seismic risk of cultural heritage. Starting from 3D data survey, passing through the historical and constructive analysis, and the semantic classification of parts, the workflow foresaw the setting up of a semantic layer creating parameters to be assigned to each architectural component of the building and according an expeditious check-list which focuses on empirical knowledge of bell towers. This kind of information stored in the model could be very useful in situations that require particularly timely decision-making, such as in the case of calamitous events.

The contribution deepens the results of the innovative experiments carried out at the Museum of Representation pertaining to the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the University of Catania, aimed at the preparation of the section on digital representation for the communication and enhancement of cultural heritage. The design took place according to a bottom-up participatory process that involved millenials and potential museum users - a sample of students from the Building Engineering-Architecture courses – who acted as protagonists of the process, investigated the concepts of “virtual museum”, “citizen science 2.0” and “open science” reinterpreting them according to a sustainable logic of reuse and optimization of digital assets linked to the so-called orange economy according to a continuous exchange of ideas and visions for the future. They were asked design the setting-up, to envision new contents/ways of communication even low cost solutions and easily accessible from the web for augmenting audience’s experience (in terms of immersivity and interactivity).

This study is part of a broader research initiative aimed at the testing and establishment of effective workflows for creating 3D reusable semantic libraries of historical architectural elements in the context of Heritage Building Information Modeling (H-BIM). For the purposes of this research paper, four medieval bell towers located in the central region of Sicily have been selected for comparison as a case study. The work performed takes advantage of integrated digital survey techniques to obtain a rigorous and complete documentation and representation of historical architecture. To achieve the goals of the research, a critical interpretation of the architectural survey has been carried out, beginning with the semantic classification of elements and the identification of typological features to identify both the common and unique geometrical and stylistic features. This constitutes the basis upon which 3D semantic libraries were created in order to be reused in other projects.

This paper focuses on the results of a joint geoarchaeological research project of urban historical remains in the ancient Roman city of Durres, Albania. The project began with a desk-based analysis of all the historical and archival evidence including aerial photos from the 1920s–40s, a period before major urbanization of the area and prior to the capture of satellite imagery in the 1960s. These aerial photographs were re-processed and then combined with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) imagery and used to locate a Late Roman villa in the city. The integrated results produced a visual idea of what the villa looked like, when analysed in conjunction with the known archaeological and historical literature. During analysis, different levels of data reliability and resolution have been identified, which inform methodological choices when undertaking reconstructions of the villa . These methodological issues have generic resonance in the reconstruction of urban landscapes.