Heritage within (HWITHIN)

Heritage Within (HWITHIN) aims to develop an innovative approach to present buildings and archaeological ruins. The project proposes to implement state-of-the-art technologies to produce an innovative visualization of the cultural heritage by showing what is hidden to our naked eye and the unknown features of our buildings and archaeological assets.

New technologies developed in the recent years allow the accurate visual 3D reconstruction of our monuments, greatly enhancing the user’s experience and interaction with the cultural built heritage, since it helps exploring the sites with great detail, even remotely. However, 3D modelling techniques typically applied for this matter, such as photogrammetry and laser scanning, only allow reconstruction what is visible to the eye, namely the exterior surfaces of the elements. A range of advanced technologies, such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and ultrasonic acoustic tomography, exist  and allows to go beyond this barrier to document and reconstruct precisely the interior of the constructive elements.

HWITHIN intends to obtain a complete 3D reconstruction of ancient monuments, including the exterior and interior of their constructive elements. The final complete 3D model will be implemented into an augmented reality application to offer a unique visualization of our heritage. The visitor will be able to visualize the interior of the columns on an almost stone-by-stone basis, providing a unique didactic experience that will highlight the construction know-how of our ancient builders and will help understanding how the monuments were precisely constructed.