The research focuses on the San Pietro restaurant in Genoa, a significant example of rationalist architecture designed by Mario Labò between 1935 and 1938. The building, characterized by large windows and reinforced concrete terraces, integrated internal and external spaces in a unique relationship with the coastal landscape. Although partially demolished in the 1960s because of the needs of new infrastructure, the restaurant maintains a symbolic and historical value. Through digital technologies, such as 3D modelling and mixed reality, a refunctionalization is proposed that restores memory and meaning to this building and its urban context. The use of digital tools allows the creation of immersive hybrid panoramas that combine historical sources, reliefs and iconographic materials. This interdisciplinary methodology not only reconstructs the original qualities of the building, but also highlights the transformations that have occurred over time, allowing the dialogue between past, present and future to be explored. The Foce area, currently still evolving, is analysed to narrate its history, interpret its present and imagine its future. The project is configured as a replicable model, demonstrating how the integration between innovative technologies and historical narratives can enhance cultural heritage and stimulate reflection on the role of architecture in contemporary cities. The virtual reconstruction thus becomes a digital “window”, capable of raising awareness among a wide audience, encouraging new ways of enjoying and understanding the architectural heritage.
The Development of the Projects for Villetta Di Negro
This paper analyzes the historical evolution, unbuilt proposals, and current architectural form of Villetta Di Negro in Genoa, today home to the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art. Through archival research and three-dimensional reconstruction, the study retraces the original nineteenth-century villa designed by Carlo Barabino, its destruction during the Second World War, and the subsequent redesigns by Mario Labò between 1948 and 1971. Particular attention is given to the transformation of spatial organization, circulation systems, and museum experience, especially the cyclical exhibition path and changing staircase layouts developed across the 1952 and 1955 versions. Digital models are used to compare the different design phases and reveal the relationship between modern museum architecture, the historical park context, and references to Japanese spatial concepts. The project also proposes augmented reality applications to communicate lost or transformed architectural states to visitors directly on site, making complex historical stratifications accessible through interactive visualization.
The Appearance of KeplerianPolyhedra in an Illusory Architecture
The illusion of ancient frescoes takes on a new form through the methods offered by digital technol-ogies. This contribution deals with the representation of a geometric solid in the decoration of the Room of Leda in Palazzo Balbi Senarega in Genoa: this is the small stellated dodecahedron described by Johannes Kepler in 1619. An in–depth documentary and iconographic research has allowed us to prove that this is the first perspective representation of this solid which took place about thirty–five years after its discovery. The aim is to investigate and illustrate in a communicative, but not simplifying way, the connections between an example of Genoese decoration and the wider seventeenth–cen-tury milieu, which features artists, scientists, and generous patrons with their unsung brides.