Other Stories. Virtual Reconstruction of Different Design Hypotheses for Piazza d’Arogno in Trento

Contemporary cities represent only one of the infinite number of stories that could have taken shape over the centuries. Today, we can reconstruct and imagine some of these other stories thanks to archival documents, especially project drawings and historical iconography, when they are still in existence. However, contemporary image aesthetics, also thanks to digital technologies, seeks new dimensions for the fruition of historical documents and iconography. One potential solution to align with contemporary image aesthetics could involve integrating digital images and models acquired and processed from 3D surveys, along with historical documents. These archival sources can serve both as a historical reference (e.g., for reconstructing 3D virtual models of projects that were never realised) and as figurative support (e.g. by comparing or manipulating historical iconography and images of reality). In both cases, the integration between historical iconography and digital images and models can follow different declinations, such as the evocative and the rational approach. For instance, evocative representation can be based on the use of point clouds to create suggestions of urban environments, while rational representation can exploit volumetric modelling to overlay unbuilt urban elements on reality. At the same time, we can evoke suggestive new atmospheres through the manipulation of photographs and historical iconography, or rationally overlay and compare historical representations of the city with photos of current reality. Therefore, the purpose of this contribution is to present a low-cost workflow for creating a new digital iconography and explorable digital models of an existing urban environment and its unrealized alternative scenarios. The methodological approach is developed on Piazza d’Arogno, a nodal urban spot in the historic centre of Trento, and more specifically on the staircase that connects it to one of the main street axes. First, based on the extensive archival materials already available from previous research, we selected the main documents related to the staircase project of Piazza d’Arogno. Specifically, two types of historical documents were chosen: artistic drawings depicting the site before and after the design intervention, and project drawings and technical documents outlining the different design hypotheses. Then geometric and RGB data was acquired with a low-cost surveying tool, such as a 360° camera. By processing the survey data (i.e., spherical photos and videos), we generated a coloured 3D point cloud of the existing staircase as it is. Survey and historical data were then integrated and utilised in two different ways: for comparing Piazza d’Arogno before and after the completed project, and to reconstruct the 3D model of the main design hypotheses that were never realised. Both solutions were developed according to possible rational and evocative approaches. The outcomes of this experimentation are two different examples of 3D models that can be experienced in Virtual and Augmented Realities and new digital images to be experienced statically or interactively. In conclusion, this contribution shows the potential of combining low-cost 3D digital survey with archival documents for the creation of visual outputs to rationally or emotionally experience other stories.