Physical scale models as diffusion tools of disappeared heritage

Abstract

Earls’ Oliva Palace was one of the referents of the early Renaissance and last Gothic in the ancient Kingdom of Valencia; victim of speculation and “elginism” practically disappeared during the first half of twentieth century. The dismantling operations carried out by Danish architect Egil Fischer, in order to reconstruct the most unique elements of the Palace in a new building in Denmark, included an extensive photographic report of the most relevant pieces as well as a rigorous graphic surveying, carried out, mainly by the architecture student Vilhelm Lauritzen. With this graphic documentation as a starting point, a 3D graphic restitution work of some of its pieces has been carried out with the aim of being able to visualize and understand these architectural elements of complex shapes. This 3D modelling has allowed manufacturing 3D scale models of the pieces that allow not only a visual perception, but also a tactile perception of the pieces, helping their comprehension and enjoyment by people with absence or difficulties of visual perception. © Springer International Publishing AG 2018.