Augmented Experience to Disseminate Cultural Heritage: House of Commons Windows, Parliament Hill National Historic Site (Canada)

Abstract

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The use of photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning for building information modelling (BIM) in the documentation and conservation of Cultural Heritage (CH) is now well established. By combining BIM with the latest visualization technologies, powerful, semi-immersive experiences can be developed to enhance the dissemination of CH. In semi-immersive experiences such as Augmented Reality (AR), digital content can be overlapped on to physical spaces, providing a new way to interact with both the physical space and the digital content.</p><p> This paper discusses the translation of a digital object created using BIM, into a physical object and the utilisation of this physical object as a trigger for an AR experience. The case study looks at one of the neo- Gothic window frames from the House of Commons in the Centre Block of the Parliament Hill National Historic Site, in Ottawa, Canada. The window frame is one in a series that represents a Canadian province or territory with a stained glass feature that includes floral emblems and heraldic symbols from the respective provincial or territorial shield. The frame in this case study corresponds to the stained glass window of five provinces. Using the replica frame as a target, the user can select which stained glass windows they would like to view in the AR application.</p><p> Through these combined technologies, we argue that CH can be revealed in a more interactive way and therefore more engaging manner – making even inaccessible architectural details readily available to the public.</p>

Bim and Castello Sforzesco in Milan. A Particular Approach to Digitization of the Architectural and Information Heritage

“…Physical inaccessibility to some structures, or part of them, is a common condition to many historical buildings and touches both the world of tourism and the practice of professional activities. For example, in museums, there are closed rooms for maintenance activities (Carrion-Ruiz et al, 2019). Sometimes, instead, it is not possible to access a building for security reasons (Moretti et al, 2016).…”

The Secrets of S. Maria Delle Grazie: Virtual Fruition of an Iconic Milanese Architecture

“…Unlike VR, it does not replace reality but empowers it by overlapping digital content such as texts, images or holograms on top of the user's environment in real time, changing the idea of fruition into an innovative, dynamic and engaging "experience". In this context, it is possible to mention several Augmented Reality experiences (ArtGlass, 2017;Carrión-Ruiz et al, 2019;Liestøl, 2014;Palma et al, 2019;7reasons Medien GmbH, 2018). In many cases, VR and AR simulations are related to the paradigm of serious game: this concept refers to gaming experiences that allow new ways of learning, characterized by a playful component (Anderson et al, 2010;Candy et al 2014;Liestol, 2014;Pietroni, 2013).…”

From the Digital Twin of Architectural Heritage to the Definition of the Constraint Maps. The Case Study of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan

“…This climate has set the stage for countless studies, insights, and trials about digitalization in the AEC sector. This phenomenon is addressing research through different themes, from BIM for facility management in new buildings (Riexinger et al, 2018) to the tourist fruition of architectural cultural heritage (Barone and Nuccio, 2017;Partarakis et al, 2017;Agnello et al, 2019;Bolognesi and Aiello, 2019;Carrión-Ruiz et al, 2019). This transition to the digital world is now a prerequisite to continue protecting our Cultural Heritage (Battini and Landi, 2015;Gribaudo et al, 2017;Tommasi et al, 2019).…”