Theoretical background and historical analysis for 3D reconstruction model. Villa Thiene at Cicogna

Palladio showed a new way of conceiving construction which was made of repeatable, scalable and proportional modules. This fact has an interesting development today. This paper explains how it is possible to shape from a few drawings a descriptive model, usable like learning approach. The goal of our research is to create a theoretical background in Palladio's unbuilt heritage modelling. Authors will demonstrate how a 3D reconstruction project is a mean for historical analysis. This method aims not just to obtain a model from the plan and façades published in I Quattro Libri dell’Architettura, but also to allow a better reading of the architecture thanks to semantic organization. The entire process is based on understanding the drawings edited by Palladio. In fact the system of classical architectural rules allows us to model 3D close to Palladio's intent. Especially, the use of a shape-grammar, already employed for Palladian built heritage, paves the way for achieving semantic models according to Palladio's planning practice. In this paper, we explain a robust method to generate detailed primitive-based 3D models of architectural projects from historical drawings, using well-known procedures and software. In particular, our work analyses the project of Villa Thiene in Cicogna at Villafranca Padovana, of which only a barchessa was constructed. This project allowed us to validate a quick and easy workflow for the construction, hierarchical organization and the dissemination of unbuilt Palladian heritage.