3D Scanner and Virtual Stratigraphy

CHURCH OF SAN GIUSEPPE DEI FALEGNAMI - ROMA

3D Scanner and Virtual Stratigraphy

At the end of the 16th century, it began the construction of the first church dedicated to Giuseppe dei Falegnami. It is built upon one of the oldest Christian remains of Rome: the ancient Tullianum prison above which also stood the Church of San Pietro in Carcere. The church is a jewel located in a privileged position right in front of the arch of Septimius Severus at the Roman Forum.

To enhance the historical and archaeological heritage of the monument, the Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma commissioned Visivalab to digitalize the documents and materials of the complex. Through high-quality photographs and a laser scanner, we created virtual stratigraphies and digital surveys of the temple. We also developed a website that allows exploring the monument virtually and uploads the results of the last archaeological investigations.

CLIENT Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma

PARTNER Indissoluble

YEAR 2008

FEATURES

Heritage digitalization
Digital mapping
Laser scanner survey
Interactive 360º website
Scientific datasheet

Project

The archaeological field now recognizes the value of laser scanner surveys compared to traditional operating practices. We conducted extensive research of unpublished documents in Soprintedenza’s archive, which added to the photographic production and 3D scanner surveys, amounted to the total of:

800 photographs of the archaeological area.
1200 high-resolution photographs of the frescoes.
1500 photographs of the material found in the excavation.
60 datasheets about the monuments and related archaeological excavations.
500 digital images, which are now preserved in the Drawing Archive of the National Roman Museum (Palazzo Altemps), among which 100 are novel historical pictures, graphics and plans.

This material was uploaded to the website we developed, which has intuitive navigation and interactive thematic itineraries. It also includes scientific findings and the most recent publications from the adjacent Roman Forum archaeological area.

The website allows to virtually explore the monument, thanks to a 360º panoramic view and interactive images of the architectural, sculptural and pictorial elements that are analyzed in-depth in complementary scientific cards.

VIRTUAL STRATIGRAPHY OF THE FRESCOES

With the high-quality images and 3D scanner, we obtained a whole virtual reconstruction, with which later we created high-definition three-dimensional models without losing either proportions or sharpness while maintaining absolute color fidelity.

The microscopic observation of the plasters and frescoes produced valuable insights, which we used to reconstruct the subjects represented and to identify the typology and extent of damage caused by the pictorial surface’s alterations. For the Palimpsest with Saint Peter and Saint Paul enthroned, for example, it was possible to obtain a virtual stratigraphy of the painting from its earliest phase in the 11th century to the 16th.

We took pictures of the site before and after the in itinere restorations were applied, which verified them and helped to accurately polish and consolidate the surface. The project was completed with a series of 360º images that present the monument elements in their different stages of conservation.