The vernacular historic cities can be defined as an ensemble of local needs and construction materials-based architectures which reflects local traditions and cultures. Very often adaptive processes for sustaining settlements such as the vernacular ones are based on both sustainable resources and cultural practices. This set of indigenous, ecological, biological, and cultural characteristics make vernacular historic cities valuable place for the valorization of local cultures and intangible heritage. Nowadays, dealing with the challenging task of heritage preservation in emerging countries, technologies are very often economically uncompetitive if used without the right methodology and a proper use. This study highlights the application of digital technologies for the documentation of historic city centers in fragile contexts such as global south countries by a deep case studies analysis of the Indian old cities of Ahmedabad and Jodhpur. The main aim of the research was to evaluate accuracy requirement and assess digital tools for heritage preservation end enhancement. By means of affordable use of digital technologies, the research stressed the existence of a strong relation between sustainable economy development and cultural heritage preservation even through capacity building activities carried out on field.

Este artigo aborda métodos integrados de diagnóstico de bens arquitetônicos e tem por objetivo evidenciar as características e potencialidades do escaneamento a laser em três dimensões, a partir da experiência de cooperação científica entre a Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo (FAU USP) e o laboratório de pesquisa da Università degli Studi di Ferrara (Unife) – Development of Integrated Automatic Procedures for Restoration of Monuments (DIAPReM). A análise é centrada nas experiências conjuntas entre as instituições, voltadas ao Edifício Vilanova Artigas, sede da FAU USP, e ao Museu do Ipiranga da USP. Para estruturar as questões, são inicialmente apresentadas as características da colaboração entre as instituições para, depois, analisar as características dos trabalhos feitos no Edifício Vilanova Artigas e no Museu do Ipiranga. Em seguida, são examinadas as particularidades do método e a discussão sobre suas potencialidades durante os ciclos de formação de estudantes da FAU USP; depois, são apresentadas considerações sobre o escaneamento a laser e seu papel no diagnóstico integrado. O texto é encerrado com reflexões sobre o método e suas potencialidades, evidenciando a necessidade de uma abordagem crítica.

During the last decade, 3D integrated surveys and BIM modelling procedures have greatly improved the overall knowledge on some Brazilian Modernist buildings. In this framework, the Casa de Vidro 3D survey carried out by DIAPReM centre at Ferrara University, beside the important outputs, analysis and researches achieved from the point cloud database processing, was also useful to test several awareness increasing activities in cooperation with local stakeholders. The first digital documentation test of the Casa de Vidro allowed verifying the feasibility of a full survey on the building towards the restoration and possible placement of new architectures into the garden as an archive-museum of the Lina Bo and P.M. Bardi Foundation. Later, full 3D integrated survey and diagnostic analysis were carried out to achieve the total digital documentation of the house sponsored by the Keeping it Modern initiative of Getty Foundation (Los Angeles). Following its characteristics, the survey had to take into consideration the different architectural features, up to the relationship of architecture and nature. These 3D documentation activities and the point cloud processing allowed several analysis in a multidisciplinary framework.

The demand for digitized cultural heritage has increased over the last few decades; digitization is indeed considered a powerful means to preserve and enhance cultural heritage and make it accessible to the wider public for education and research purposes. However, digitizing cultural heritage is a complex process, requiring specific competencies, skills, software, technologies, and, therefore, human and financial resources. Cultural organizations are therefore rethinking their traditional business models, often deciding to outsource their digitization projects or implementing PPPs—public–private partnerships. This is particularly evident in developing countries, where it is also challenging to find the required resources locally and international cooperation is sometimes necessary. However, international PPPs for the digitization of cultural heritage present several unsustainable aspects. There is therefore a need for a deeper understanding of which practices should be implemented to sustainably manage these collaborations. This paper aims to investigate this topic using a case study analysis of two international PPPs for the digitization of cultural heritage in Brazil. The analysis highlights relevant managerial choices that led these projects to positively impact local social, economic, and environmental development, thus bringing early insights to advance the academic and practice discussions on the above-mentioned topic.

The contribution deals with the elaboration of a digital methodology to be applied on 20th century buildings in Brazil and India as toolkit for their conservation and enhancement. The research has gone through a careful planning and guided process able to integrate all information related to the geometry with details concerning materials, phases of realization, technical characteristics, and environmental. The undertaken research path has shown that the application of technologies used through appropriate methodologies can be an effective approach for the preservation and enhancement of 20th century architectures in “global south countries” and for the transmission of this heritage to future generations all over the world.