Architectural modelling and information interfacing: learning from three case studies

Documentation analysis and organisation are vital to the researcher when trying to understand the evolution of patrimonial edifices and sites. But the documentation that serves as source of evidences is far from being exhaustive or nonambiguous. Its very uncertainty is what really matters for researchers, and is therefore what we really need to represent inside 2D or 3D graphics. What solutions can one base on when trying to generate representations what would not say more about an edifice than what is really known? We present experiences in which, at various scales, we investigate the usability and graphical language of 2D/3D representations. We derive from these experiences remarks on how representations in the field of the architectural heritage can adhere to the notion of uncertainty and in the end really mean something for the researcher or practitioner. In conclusion to the paper we underline lessons we have learnt from these experiences on how to produce and exploit sustainable graphics in the field of the architectural heritage.