The design of the Politecnico di Torino “Campus delle Architetture, del Design e della Pianificazione” has an enormous strategic value, both for the reorganisation of the University and for the city dynamics, contributing to the overall development of the Po cultural axis. The transformation involved by the new campus will significantly impact the life of the area, radically changing its intensity through the daily flows of thousands of people and making the park an actual natural connective tissue. The communication project includes the realisation of events aimed at presenting the Campus to disseminate and popularise the outcomes of the realisation process to different stakeholders, showing a scale model of the area. Among the innovative features of the communication proposal is the superimposition of digital layers on the physical model for audience engagement through a webAR that activates a step-by-step journey with descriptions of different aspects of the campus project.
Urban Wunderkammer: Physical and Digital Experiences in the Historic Center of Turin
Through this contribution, the authors aim to illustrate a pathway for the knowledge, communication, and accessibility of urban heritage by utilising and applying current survey and representation tools based on AR technologies. Specifically, the area of focus is Piazza IV Marzo, located in the centre of Turin, whose original Roman layout has been modified over the centuries. Our research begins with a historical and philological study of the square, followed by the acquisition of metric data using a laser scanner. We then develop a three-dimensional reconstruction of the buildings through BIM processes, create a 1:500 scale 3D-printed model of the square, and conduct AR experience tests applied to the scaled model. Harnessing the power of augmented reality and interactive media, our prototype, Urban Wunderkammer, is an attempt to transform a “passive” informational experience into an active and exploratory one, with the potential to revolutionise the way we interact with and understand our urban heritage.
Design and Modeling Atelier: Interaction of Physical and Virtual Models for Augmented Design Experiences
This paper presents an educational experiment aimed at integrating physical and digital modeling within architectural design processes through augmented reality workflows. The research investigates how the interaction between tangible maquettes, digital 3D models, and AR visualization can enhance design understanding, communication, and learning outcomes in an academic context.
The methodology is developed within a design atelier where students produce multi-scale physical models (1:500 and 1:200), digital models using NURBS-based software, and AR applications that overlay virtual content onto real maquettes. The workflow combines traditional fabrication techniques, digital modeling tools, and AR platforms such as Sketchfab, MyWebAR, and Vuforia, enabling the superimposition of additional information, animations, and design alternatives onto physical models. As shown in the workflow diagram (Fig. 2, p. 594), the process integrates sequential phases from urban maquette construction to AR visualization. Results demonstrate that hybrid real–virtual environments improve spatial comprehension, support iterative design processes, and foster a more effective communication of architectural concepts, while also highlighting technical challenges related to model alignment, tracking, and interoperability.
Architectural Maquette. From Digital Fabrication to AR Experiences
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.