With this paper, the authors want to reflect on how, in the age of the immaterial, a plastic model is a tool still current in the representation and able to connect with the new digital tools of augmented reality (AR). In this context, we would like to present a practical case concerning the realization of two static scale models, realized through Digital Fabrication technologies, aiming to increase the accessibil-ity to knowledge about the architectural project in an exhibition context.The final goal of this work is to develop a methodology that allows the user to obtain information about the architectural project not only through the real model but also through static and dynamic virtual models overlaid using the current AR technologies. In particular, the following tools were used for tracking: Unity®, a multiplatform graphics engine, and Vuforia®, an augmented reality software development kit.
AI+AR: Cultural Heritage, Museum Institutions, Plastic Models and Prototyping. A State of Art
The links between representation and artificial intelligence (AI) invade many fields of architectural re-search, recording continuous and significant advances: they require, on the one hand, a constant update of the state of the art and, on the other hand, careful consideration of the role of Representation in interdisciplinary research in this field. The present contribution intends to investigate these intertwining in some of the most frequented research fields in recent years: the valorization and communication of Cultural Heritage and cultural tourism, the experiences in the museum field, the research on the role of the prototype within the processes of artificial intelligence applied to architecture.