The Spain Pavilion of Expo 92, known today as the Pavilion of Oblivion, stands as a testament to ephemeral architecture that becomes a permanent ruin. Decades of neglect have transformed its futuristic forms into a degraded shell, but its skeleton remains a gem for 3D modeling. This article explores how virtual reconstruction can restore its original splendor while documenting its current deterioration, offering a key tool for its preservation.
Photogrammetry and digital twin: methodology for capturing deterioration 🏚️
To approach the reconstruction, the first step is the massive capture of data through aerial photogrammetry with drones and terrestrial photogrammetry with high-resolution cameras. Over 500 images of the building in its current state are taken, covering cracks, detachments, and invasive vegetation. Processing software, such as RealityCapture or Metashape, generates a dense point cloud and a textured mesh that faithfully reflects the wear. On this basis, the original 1992 version is modeled using historical blueprints and archival photographs. The key is to align both models in the same coordinate system to create a digital twin that allows comparing the before and after, calculating volumes of structural loss, and simulating restoration interventions.
The heritage value of the virtual ruin 🏛️
Beyond the technique, this exercise raises a reflection: what does it mean to preserve a building when its physical structure is crumbling? The 3D model is not just a visual archive, but a container of historical and pathological data. By rendering the Pavilion in its ideal state and its current ruin, a dialogue between memory and decay is generated. For the Foro3D community, this project demonstrates that the reconstruction of ruins is not a nostalgic act, but an active tool for documentation and proposal, capable of inspiring new uses for spaces that time has condemned to oblivion.
Which photogrammetry and 3D modeling techniques do you consider most effective for digitally reconstructing a building like the Pavilion of Oblivion, starting solely from archival images and visual testimonies of Expo 92?
(PS: Reconstructing ruins is like doing a puzzle without knowing how many pieces are missing. But at least you can make up the missing ones.)