Digital models for built heritage representation and management

In the last decade, digital processes have strongly influenced the ways in which information concerning the built heritage is represented and managed and the consequent preservation and enhancement activities conducted by specialists in the field. While this has led to a significant increase in the amount of data produced, equally evident are the difficulties encountered in archiving and managing this knowledge, with consequent loss of data and dispersion of memory related to the design and construction of historic buildings. This paper aims to illustrate the potential that a model-based approach can offer for representing the multifaceted richness and uniqueness of the architectural heriatage, both from a material and intangible point of view, thus acting as a conduit for the knowledge and memory of the craftsmen who built it.