Ourense native Carlos Paz has undertaken the task of digitally reconstructing the city's lost heritage. Through 3D modeling, historical buildings and elements that were demolished or modified come back to life on screen. The project allows residents and visitors to visualize what Ourense looked like in different eras, functioning as an educational tool that rescues urban memory.
Technology as a digital time machine 🕰️
The process begins with researching old blueprints, photographs, and testimonies. With that material, Paz uses three-dimensional modeling software to recreate every architectural detail. Textures, volumes, and proportions are adjusted to the available historical data. The result is a faithful representation that allows you to virtually stroll through streets that no longer exist. This work does not seek to compete with reality, but to offer a rigorous visual document on the city's evolution.
Now we can mourn the building they tore down in the 70s 😅
The good thing about this technology is that now we can properly argue whether that demolished manor house was prettier than the apartment block that replaced it. Carlos Paz gives us the chance to challenge nostalgia without needing to travel through time. Now we just need someone to model in 3D the neighbors from back then complaining about the construction noise. That way we'll have the complete historical drama.