A Methodological Approach for the Study of Domes

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A Methodological Approach for the Study of Domes Carlo Bianchini1  Accepted: 16 September 2020 © The Author(s) 2020

Abstract Domes still represents a prickly subject, large dimensions coupled with a limited accessibility making their study difficult and time-consuming. Although throughout history this problem has been tackled in different ways, relevant methodological and operational issues have until now limited the success of these efforts. Digital technologies have radically changed this scenario. 3D active and passive capturing systems currently allow for a dense and accurate surveying while modelling software provides powerful tools to build virtual counterparts of surfaces and to investigate their geometric properties. The aim of this paper is to present three different projects developed by a research group in the Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture—Sapienza University of Rome. Based on their results, the group has set up and tested a protocol that can guide users from acquisition through modelling and, finally, to the reading of the geometric properties of domes. Keywords  Domes · Hagia Sophia · San Carlo ai Catinari · St. Peter’s · Survey

Introduction The study of domes still represents a thorny subject. In fact, large dimensions coupled with a limited accessibility make the study of their shapes and geometry a traditionally difficult task (Rondelet 1802–17; Leroy 1845). Although throughout history this problem has been tackled in different ways (Letaroully 1840–55; Emerson and Van Nice 1943; Dorffner et al. 2000; Hidaka and Satō 2004), relevant methodological and operational issues have until now limited the success of these efforts. Digital technologies have radically changed this scenario. On one hand, 3D active capturing systems (Light Detection and Ranging, LIDAR) and passive ones (Structure from Motion, SfM) currently allow for a dense and accurate surveying * Carlo Bianchini [email protected] 1



Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazza Borghese, 9, Rome, Italy Vol.:(0123456789)

C. Bianchini

of surfaces (Bianchini and Russo 2018); on the other, modelling software provides powerful tools to build virtual counterparts (3D models) of these surfaces as well as to investigate their geometric properties (Migliari 2008). The aim of this paper is to present three different projects developed in the last decade by a research group belonging to the Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture (DSDRA)—Sapienza University of Rome. Based on the results of these activities, our group has set up and tested a protocol that can guide users from the acquisition phase through the modelling and, eventually, to the reading of the geometric properties of domes. However, this chain of activities must not be regarded as a mere application of different technologies but instead as the operational display of a rigorous scientific methodology (Bianchini 2014) that guides the construction