3D Survey Systems and Digital Simulations for Structural Monitoring of Rooms at the Uffizi Museum in Florence

This article presents research activities conducted on several rooms as part of the extension project of the Grandi Uffizi Museum in Florence (Italy). The research addresses survey methods for monitoring the static performance and evaluating the structural plastic deformations of vaulted systems and architectural elements, mostly subjected to structural reinforcements. In order to achieve positive results, the most appropriate 2D and 3D graphic representation methods have been identified, to enable the realization of detailed, technical documents. Laser scanner survey activities have been executed along with photo-modeling and extensive photographic documentation, crucial for the operations of photogrammetry and photomapping reconstructions. Post-production and data processing steps have produced substantial documentation of graphic materials through the development of floor plans, detailed measurements of series of sections, photomap reconstructions and 3D simulations. The thrust of the innovative research deals with the development of 3D computational models by implementing and refining reverse engineering processes for the simulating the static performance and plastic deformations that overlap the various stages of each investigation. These monitoring techniques have made it possible to determine the effect of the consolidation interventions operated, through a progressive implementation of the point cloud. The opportunity to follow the construction site from 2010 until now has contributed significantly to the enhancement and refinement of these detection and representation techniques, enabling the development of new operational methods with higher metric reliability to support the activities that such a sophisticated construction site as the Grandi Uffizi in Florence represents.