Experience and Atmosphere of the Built Heritage in Digital Environment

Abstract

Abstract. The digital documentation of heritage places produces accurate 3D restitution of their geometry in a virtual environment and can be related to multiple semantic layers to archive, represent, preserve and transmit the knowledge gathered along their lifecycle. The combination of high-density point clouds with other sources of information advises virtual reconstitutions of historical states of a place’s physical realm. The cultural significance of the built heritage lies in the values associated with its tangible and intangible dimensions. Apart from aspects of values related to historical sites’ physical attributes, 3D models can support the representation of intangible elements influencing visitors’ perception of their Genius Loci and supporting new interpretations about their cultural significance. In this framework, 3D animation, rendering, and simulation technologies allow recreating aspects of a place’s atmosphere, like the simulation of lighting conditions and the user’s immersive experience of a heritage site into a virtual environment. This paper focuses on the light perception recreated in a funeral chapel of the Theban Tomb environment by considering the strong spiritual dimension in the conception of funeral sites in ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom period (1550–1069 BC). We investigate the potential of 3D simulation and animation technologies to represent hypotheses about original lighting conditions in such sites. The proposed research is based on the case study of Sennefer’s tomb chapel, also referred to as TT96A, located on the western bank of the Nile, opposite modern Luxor.

Lived experience in human-building interaction (HBI): an initial framework

“…Although very prominent, the operationalisation of these phenomenological frameworks in the form of case-studies and empirical investigations occurred only in recent years within the field of architecture. Some examples involve investigating the authenticity of place in relation to the urban built environment (Wesener, 2016), people's spatial experiences of ambient atmospheres (Jouan et al, 2021;Pritzen et al, 2023) and healthcare settings (Annemans et al, 2018), people's everyday bodily experience of the urban environments (Peri Bader, 2015;Bader and Peri Bader, 2016), and architects' lived experiences during COVID-19 lockdowns (Marco et al, 2022), among others. Albeit limited in numbers, these case studies contribute to a deeper understanding of the lived experiences within architectural contexts.…”

Animation Technology to Enhance Communication of Cultural Heritage: A Systematic Review

“…However, there is no research evidence that using 2D animation technology to distribute animation is more effective than 3D. Using digital visualisation technologies, it is possible to create access that is closer to the reality of the place by enhancing the immersive and sensory aspects of the presentation (Jouan et al, 2021). With the addition of virtual reality interactive technology, the audience will be more active and interested (Wei, 2020).…”

Virtual reconstruction from scan to VR of architecture and landscape of a monumental park

“…However, the park and open space virtual reconstruction, precisely because of its intrinsic qualities, has not yet found its maximum expression in virtual use for specific well-being uses. And yet, thanks to TLS surveys or the possibilities offered by photogrammetry, it is possible to obtain representations capable of supporting any analysis for both maintenance and recreational use; it is possible to obtain a digital model of any context by integrating multiple disciplines from the field of digital survey, modelling, representation to recreate even extensive environments usable in immersive environments to grow the paradigms of well-being even in moments where the visit of a natural place may be precluded [Jouan 2021]. For this reason, this study proposes an experiment to create a virtual environment of the park and some of its monumental architectures able to simulate an immersive recreational environment whose characteristics support the research on a double theme.…”