Program and content
Virtual World and Visual History is an experimental monographic course. The detailed program and specific course contents will be presented in the Prolusion lecture.
Provisionally, the topics that will be discussed are:

• Introduction to the concepts of “Virtual world”, “Visual History”, “Real representation vs virtual representation”, “Representation of an architectural idea and representation of an architecture not meant to be built;
• Visual culture studies, Pictorial turn and historiography of architecture;
• Idealization of the imaginary model and allegoric ambitions of the virtual as a complement of existence, from Vitruvius to the theorists of the Modern;
• Western models and representations of ideal cities;
• Form and representation of Biblical places from Lost Paradise to Babel Tower;
• Literary narration and visual narration: the “mis-en-scène” and the theatrical set from from the ancient Greek-Roman theater to the “Revolutions” of the twentieth century;
• Architectural “Capriccio”: from the Modern age to the Post-modern age;
• Architecture painting, architecture in paintings;
• Architectural inventions and ideal architectures: the paradigms of printed images;
• The charm of distant worlds in time and space;
• Melancholy and Beauty: the places of “invenzione”;
• Illusory spaces and representative fictions of architectural landscape;
• Architectural Competition and Architecture on paper;
• The futuristic dreams from Jules Vernes to Éduard Utudjian;
• The paleo-future, the Future of Tomorrow and pop aesthetics;
• The representation of utopia and dystopia in Eastern and Western World;
• Ideology of vision and Collage from “Tavola degli orrori” to “La città analoga”, to “Roma interrotta” and beyond;
• Virtual worlds between comics and sci-fiction;
• Historical architectures and imaginary worlds in cinema and in TV series;

The past in the era of digital games, between imagination and historical architectural representation.

 Teaching methods
The 6 CFU course is structured on 37 lecture hours and 23 laboratory hours for a total of 60 hours. Ex cathedra lessons, in-depth seminars, readings of books, exercises, video and movie viewing.
The frontal lessons are constructed by proposing a sequence of in-depth topics that aim to make the student acquire a critical capacity on the main representative characteristics of virtual architecture and on the connections, in terms of quotations, between digital products and the constructive episodes that characterise the history of architecture. The laboratory activities are configured as a moment of active confrontation between students and lecturer during which ex cathedra lessons, in-depth seminars, book readings, exercises, and the viewing of videos and films will be carried out.

 Reference books

• Savorra, Virtual Worlds and Visual History, forthcoming. (The reference book has not yet been published).

Some references will be taken from:Steil (ed. by), The Architectural Capriccio. Memory, Fantasy and Invention, London-New York 2016.

• Chapman, Digital Games as History. How Videogames Represent the Past and Offer Access to Historical Practice, London- New York 2018.

Other didactic materials of the course will be provided (slides, articles, essays) before the lessons. Each topic will have its own specific bibliography. Besides, for the final examination the student will deal with the topics covered in the course through his own bibliographic itinerary, also based on the choice of a specific topic for an in-depth analysis. In this sense, didactic materials and specific bibliographic indications will be provided, starting from the individual themes and cases illustrated in the detailed program uploaded on the digital platforms provided (Facebook; Unipv; Kiro Unipv, website Unipv etc.).

 Learning Evaluation Methods
The final evaluation consists of an oral exam aimed at verifying learning and achievement of the training goals.

Module 1B – Theory and design for digital culture (6 CFU)

 Prerequisites
Students are expected to have already developed in their bachelor program:

• an understanding and knowledge of architectural culture through various ages and up to contemporary trends;
•  Appropriate skills both in terms of understanding and analysing architectural project and precedents, and in terms of representing them through a variety of media.

Training objectives
The module aims at providing students with appropriate knowledge and key skills to further develop design-oriented activities in the area of digital architectural culture and production.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OUTCOMES

• Knowledge of theoretical background to support the digital dimension towards architecture.
• Critical understanding of current trends, and tools available to enable digital dimensions.
• Research skills, including research by design, towards the set-up of a given assignment.

ABILITY OUTCOMES: SUBJECT-BASED PRACTICAL/PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

• Ability to critically analyse architectural precedents.
• Practice-oriented skills towards visual representation of architectural narratives.

 Program and content
The course is organized according to a division of topics into three didactic modules: the first related to digital modelling for the representation of real architecture and environments, the second deals with the topic related to the digital translation of the features of environments, the topic of visual simulation and its historical and technical evolution, and the third related to the possibilities of gamification, with the development of systems of interaction and virtual use of the models, with a focus on the perceptual aspect.
Lectures are combined with practical exercises and laboratory activities to succeed in providing theoretical content and technical skills useful for the development of digital products.
The lectures aim to guide the student on a process of knowledge and critical ability on the nature of the topics covered. During the first module the student will cover the basic content on the different ways of developing NURBS and Mesh models, analysing for each the different advantages and disadvantages with respect to the possible purposes of architectural modelling. Theoretical knowledge is combined with practical modelling activities (E1, E2) with different software useful for the management and development of reality-based and ex novo models.
During the second module, the student will address issues related to the spatial analysis of places and settings, to provide him or her with the cognitive basis for the transposition of real environments within the digital scene. In this way, it will be possible for the student to learn the concepts related to visual simulation and its evolution from analogue to digital systems, with an in-depth look at the most modern virtual simulation techniques. The theory will be combined with practical exercises (E3) related to characteristics recognition of environments and their digital translation through real-time rendering systems.
Regarding interaction with models and gamification possibilities for the enjoyment of the models, the course covers an examination of the methods of interaction with virtual spaces through the possibilities of populating the models with varied content and how to access them. The theoretical lectures are deepened by practical exercises related to the development of basic AR and VR applications (E4). 
Lecture content list:
Part 1 – Three-dimensional modelling and digital representation for architecture (7 hours lecture)

• Course overview. Introduction to the basic concepts of 3D graphics. History of the evolution of three-dimensional modelling: from wooden models to digital models.(3 hours of lectures)

• Reality based products and development of environments from scratch. Modes of software interaction and integration of procedures for data optimization. Advantages and disadvantages applied to architectural representation. (4 hours of frontal lectures)

Part 2 – Visual Simulation. Duplication of reality between analogy and illusion (8 hours of lecture)

• Space in the digital scene. Considerations on proportions of shapes and different dimensions perceived in digital space between issues of atmosphere and motion. The construction of a language through the characterization of scenarios. Digital settings and qualification of scene elements between images and corresponding forms. (4 hours lecture)

• Introduction to the topic of visual simulation. Historical evolution of the concept of simulation: from perspective to virtual reality. Techniques for defining the visual rendering of 3D models. Advantages and disadvantages of rendering. (4 hours lecture)

Part 3 – Gamification Techniques: the systems of use and interaction of digital models (8 hours lecture)

• Introduction to virtual interaction systems and Gamification. Brief history of video games. Structure and elements that make up a video game. Interaction and narrativity. (4 hours of frontal lecture)

• Methods of model interaction and navigation. Platforms for developing interactive environments. Tools for digital enjoyment of models (Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality). (4 hours of frontal lecture)

Exercise content list: (12 hours)
E1. Introduction to the use of 3D NURBS modelling software. From vector drawing to three-dimensional model: modelling techniques using Rhinoceros software. From primitive models to the development of complex models. (3 hours of classroom practice)
E2. Introduction to the use of 3D Mesh modelling software. Digital sculpting operations on high-poly mesh and construction of digital landscape through an additive or subtractive mechanism (Blender software). (3 hours of classroom practice)
E3. Feature analysis of symbolic environments. Introduction to rendering engines (Lumion, Twinmotion) and scene animation techniques. (2 hours of classroom practice)
E4. Development of an AR application (Unity 3D). Introduction to the use of software for the use of digital models (Unreal Engine 4.0). (4 hours of classroom practice)

Description of laboratory activities
During laboratory sessions, students will work in the classroom on in-depth theoretical knowledge and practical applications related to model development and different techniques for sharing and interacting on digital environments for architectural representation using open source softwares (such as Unreal Engine or Unity). The course will annually propose a monographic theme that each student will develop during laboratory hours. The theme will cover the creation of a 3D model of an architectural system and the creation of a way to enjoy it through different virtual reality solutions.

 Teaching methods
The 6 CFU course is structured on 23 hours of lecture, 12 hours of exercise and 45 hours of laboratory for a total of 80 hours. The lectures are constructed by offering a sequence of in-depth topics that address the main problems of 3D model representation and development, illustrating examples and comparing different workflows. The exercises are focused on verifying the learning of the course content, proposing a course of exercises aimed at verifying the actual knowledge of the skills acquired. The laboratory activities are configured as a moment of active discussion between students and professor during which they develop their modelling work that will be presented in the exam.

 Reference books

• Module 1 – Three-dimensional modelling and digital representation for architecture

  • Melendez, Drawing from the Model: Fundamentals of Digital Drawing, 3D Modeling, and Visual Programming in Architectural Design, London 2019.

  Module 2 – Visual Simulation. Duplication of reality between analogy and illusion

  • Norberg-Schulz, Genius Loci: towards a phenomenology of architecture, New York 1979.

  • Fuery, K. Fuery, Visual Cultures and Critical Theory, New York 2003.

  • Arnheim, Art and visual perception. A psychology of the creative eye/New version. Berkley, 2004

  Module 3 – Gamification Techniques: the systems of use and interaction of digital models

  • Ioannides, N. Magnenat-Thalmann, G. Papagiannakis, Mixed Reality and Gamification for Cultural Heritage, New York 2017.

  • Champion, Critical Gaming: Interactive History and Virtual Heritage, London 2015.

  • M. La Valle, Virtual Reality, Cambridge 2017.

  Handbooks and guides

  • Shannon, Unreal Engine 4 for Design Visualization: Developing Stunning Interactive Visualizations, Animations, and Renderings, Boston 2018.

  • Wells, Unity 2020 By Example: A project-based guide to building 2D, 3D, augmented reality, and virtual reality games from scratch (3rd Edition), Birmingham 2020.

  J. M. Blain, The Complete guide to Blender graphics: computer modeling & animation, London 2021.

 Learning Evaluation Methods
Checking of acquired knowledge will take place through the exercises to be developed by the student during the course. These are articulated in such a way as to review the topics covered during the lectures constituting practical moments of verification and comparison of the skills acquired. The course laboratory is designed as a moment of open work in which students will interface with the professor through a learning-by-doing process.
The course contemplates in the exercises a series of small tests to verify the knowledge acquired, representing a moment of comparison with what has been deepened in the laboratory hours. The monograph topic assigned to each student will provide a way to develop a product that the student will submit in the exam.
The examination is held through a presentation by the student of the work done during the lab, presenting his or her modelling project, and through an oral examination of the skills acquired.

 Program and content

The course is structured in three parts that address the problem of light and its design. The course explores the technical and artistic aspects of mapping and designing projections to articulate environmental and architectural space. Focusing on the theme of projected media environments, students will develop a project that has a physical and emotional impact on the viewer, either as a large-scale installation or performance or as an integrated element of architecture. Students will learn real-time video processing and 2D and 3D projection mapping techniques using open-source or licensed educational software, while studying the historical and contemporary use of projection in performance, architecture and visual art.

Part 1 Fundamentals of lighting engineering

• Physical characteristics of light and photometric quantities.
• Types of light sources and their application in different architectural environments.
• Standards for visual comfort in closed and open environments.
• Photometric quantities, units of measurement and the relationship between them. Illuminance from point, linear and extended sources. Radiometry, photometry, colorimetry.
• Natural lighting and colour rendering.
• Light sources and control systems: luminaires.
• Introduction to light design.

Part 2 – Designing light within digital spaces

• Light as a material component for the design of architectural space
• Overview of software for the simulation of lighting systems.
• Setting up light sources.
• Light in motion.
• Visual comfort in digital environments.

Part 3 – From digital to real: video mapping and light as a language for architecture

• Introduction to video mapping technique.
• Lighting and video mapping for cultural heritage
• Overview of existing video mapping software (e.g. Resolume Arena).
• Creative content and case studies to test the techniques learned on different surfaces.
• Design and planning of a video mapping installation using different spaces or models.

 Teaching methods

The 6 CFU course is structured on 23 hours of lecture, 12 hours of exercise and 45 hours of laboratory for a total of 80 hours. The lectures are constructed by offering a sequence of in-depth topics that address the main problems of light analysis, simulation and design. The exercises are aimed at familiarising the student with software and tools through the development of problems related to the lighting of digital spaces and the different perception that such lighting can generate in the user of such architectures. The laboratory activities will focus on the development of one’s own lighting project on a digital architecture, developing static and dynamic proposals of light sources.

 Reference books

• • D. Egan. Concepts in Architecture Lighting, New York 1983.
  • Köster, Dynamic daylighting architecture, Basics, Systems, Projects, Basel-Boston 2004.
  • Maniello, Augmented Reality in Public Spaces. Basic techniques for video mapping. Vol.I., Brienza 2014.
  • Lanier, Aesthetic 3D Lighting: History, Theory, and Application, London 2018.
  • lluminating Engineering Society, IES Lighting Handbook (various editions, publishers, years.)

 Learning Evaluation Methods

At the end of the course, the student will take an oral examination aimed at verifying the knowledge acquired during the lessons. In the exam, the student will present their own lighting project, which will be assessed. The laboratory activities and exercises will contribute to providing a constant dialogue between students and lecturers, facilitating the mechanics of learning and comparison. The development of a practical exercise will enable technical skills to be acquired through the principles of learning-by-doing.

 Program and content

The course addresses the History of Graphics and how it can be applied in the field of digital communication. Enrolees will study Drawing as a communicative tool and as a basis for the production and processing of digital images. The course will cover the importance of mark-making and the use of colour in hand drawing, digital drawing, illustrations, and photographic images. These operations will be carried out both on historical or existing images and on images produced within the course. The focus of the course is to provide an understanding of the value and use of such systems for visual communication. The course aims to provide the tools for the elaboration of digital products capable of interacting with corporate graphics.

The lectures are divided between theory and practice, to enable students to acquire the necessary notions to be able to critically analyse and describe a visual product.

The course will cover: the basic contents for image editing using dedicated software (Open source software or educational licences); the contents to produce 2D graphics Open source software or educational licences); and the contents for publishing and page layout (Open source software or educational licences), analysing for each the different advantages and disadvantages with respect to the possible purposes of architectural communication. During the lectures, paper media (sheets of different formats for freehand drawing, then digitised) and digital media (Pcs and graphics tablets) will be used to also enable an integrated hybrid approach between freehand and digital drawing.

List of lesson contents

• Overview of the history of Graphic Design and Visual Communication.
• Digital communication in products (lettering, signage, graphic design, visual design, web design, etc.).
• Digital images, characteristics, and critical analysis of the digital image (format, quality, use).
• The tools, software, and Apps for digital image production (drawing and photography).
• Sign and digital drawing, techniques, and software for drawing digitally.
• Colour theory in the digital field.
• The 2D Digital Drawing, modes, and purposes of communication.
• Digital image editing (drawing and photography).
• The structure of a communicative message.
• Analysis of comics and illustration for narrating a visual message.
• Digital formats, layout for web and print.
• The digital product for printing. Typography fundamentals (fonts, formats, products).
• Layout software.
• The portfolio.

Description of lab activities

During the laboratory hours, students will work in the classroom on the deepening of practical knowledge related to the development of digital graphic products.

• The 2D vector drawing (Open-source software or educational licences).
• The raster drawing and editing of 2D images (Open-source software or educational licences).
• The storytelling and portfolio.
• The graphic layout for printing.
• The graphic layout for the web.

 Teaching methods

The 3 CFU course is structured on 15 hours of theoretical lecture and 23 hours of laboratory activities, for a total of 48 hours. Each theoretical lecture is combined with a practical laboratory activity, subject to evaluation, to be carried out in the classroom during laboratory hours. Individual work activities are planned outside the classroom, especially about theoretical study aimed at filling any knowledge gaps in the basic disciplines.

 Reference books

• • Albers, Interaction of Color, New Haven 2013.
  • Bierut, How to use graphic design to sell things, London-New York 2015.
  • Lupton, J. Cole Phillips, Graphic Design, New York 2015.

 Learning Evaluation Methods

During the course, the student will develop practical laboratory tests to verify the knowledge acquired. The tests cover the topics discussed during the lectures, constituting practical moments of testing and comparing acquired skills. A test will be given for each topic covered. In this way, the student will be able to check his understanding from time to time, also comparing himself with the expert staff present in the classroom, according to a “learning by doing” method of teaching. Practical tests in the laboratory will be used to develop, step by step, thematic portions of a macro-topic. Upon completion of the individual laboratory activities, the student will bring his or her product as monographic examination material.

For the exam, the student will prepare a presentation of what they have accomplished during the lab, showing their graphic design and product communication project, and will take an oral examination on the acquired skills.

Module B – Architectural Photography (3 CFU)

 Prerequisites

Students are expected to have already developed in their bachelor programm:

• Basic knowledge of representation of architectural space and the typological, morphology and material understanding of the built environment.
• Basic knowledge of digital image management software.

 Training objectives

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OUTCOMES

Ever since the invention of photography, architecture has been a notable subject for photographers and likewise, photography has played an important role in the way architecture is communicated and perceived. Every picture has a meaning, it not only represents the visual aesthetics and materiality but also how space is perceived without physically being in it, thus it has the capability to convey feelings and emotions.

The photographic representation of architectural space is understood as a critical mode of spatial, morphological, and typological understanding of the built space, both in relation to the surrounding landscape and in relation to the structuring and articulation of the interior space.

The course aims to provide tools and skills for the critical reading and the autonomous realisation of photographic images of architecture, both outdoor and indoor, with a level of autonomy adequate to realise independently a photographic documentation focused on specific purposes.

The course will address topics related to techniques and equipment, giving meanwhile importance to space, materiality, details, and form 

ABILITY OUTCOMES: SUBJECT-BASED PRACTICAL/PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

At the end of the course students shall know:

• Critically understand photographical representation of architecture.
• Manage instruments and tool for plan, develop and post-process photography architecture.

Integrate compositional skills with the understanding of typological, morphological, and material aspects of the building.