Researchers are using virtual and augmented reality to reconstruct cultural sites in 3D and make visiting them even more exciting. Like travelling back in a virtual time machine, this new tech can reveal buildings’ hidden secrets: how they were used in the past and how they evolved over centuries.
Museums, churches and cultural heritage sites can all be brought to life for visitors, just by pointing their phone at specific points to learn more.
For example, at the Istituto degli Innocenti Florence, Italy, by pointing their phone at one of its nine semicircular arches, users can learn not only about its terracotta designs (by Andrea della Robbia), but also about the building’s original function as an orphanage, alluded to in the relief design.
Researchers used advanced Building Information Modelling (BIM) techniques to create next-generation 3D models of artefacts and environments.
The models were enriched with a system that connects contextual technical and historical information like text, images, audio and video, so they can work together seamlessly.
As well as Italy, the tech has been trialled in eight different sites in Europe: the historic church of Obergum in The Netherlands, Castillo de Torrelobaton in Spain, Old Stone Villages in Dalmatia and the Technical Museum Nikola Tesla in Croatia, Church Panayia Phorviotissa in Cyprus, and in Greece the Akropolis of Erimokastro in Rhodes, Villa Klonaridi in Athens and the HAMH Museum in Hydra.
Enhancing people’s views of their surroundings in this way opens up countless possibilities for design studios, archaeologists and even the construction industry.