Modelli digitali 3D per documentare, conoscere ed analizzare l’architettura e la costruzione nel mondo antico: l’esempio della Sala Ottagonale delle Piccole Terme di Villa Adriana

For its unique features and size, the Hadrian’s Villa site has always been the object of studies and investigations. Italian and foreign institutions, as well as research organizations, are working together with the common purpose of understanding and protecting the universally recognized ensemble of buildings and works of art, belonging to the World Heritage List since 1999. Within this interdisciplinary framework, over the past decade, new technologies for digital documentation in the field of cultural heritage have gained more importance with respect to the traditional field of architectural/archaeological surveying. Through expeditious surveying – with no physical contact with the object and different measurement resolutions – several 3D reality-based models were created in the last years, with special regards to the Villa’s pavilions characterized by more complex and daring shapes. The aim was a better understanding of specific problems in those cases where archaeological investigation methods may take advantage of a correct and complete digital surveying of elevations in general and in particular of vaulted spaces, intrados and extrados surfaces. 3D digital models of complex roofing, as shown in the case study of the Small Baths, provide additional advantages concerning the use of finite elements analysis (FEA). Both the digital models (current state of conservation and reconstruction hypothesis) underwent to an accurate stress analysis that enables further achievements for site conservation and management and for ancient constructive and designing techniques.