The Critical Digital Model for the Study of Unbuilt Architecture

The virtual (re-)construction of architectural artefacts that never existed or were destroyed is a research topic that currently presents several problems. This study, starting from a state of the art briefly described, tries to answer various questions: describe what a Critical Digital Model (CDM) is and what qualities it must fulfil to be scientifically constructed, visualized and evaluated. The qualities described are the followings: constructive aspects, the geometric accuracy and qualification of the 3D models; Traceability, use of sources and documentation, and the quality of historical (re-)construction; Accessibility and interoperability, compatibility with the publication on platforms/repositories and Data model Exchange formats; Visualization, graphic output to communicate scientific content throughout the 3D models. In particular, the latter quality is thorough, and some case studies are presented. Among these case studies, particular attention is given to the diplomatic representation and to the representation of the degree of uncertainty of the historical reconstruction of the model.