The Palimpsest, a new project from Interactive Architecture Lab, uses 3D scanning and virtual reality to record urban spaces and the communities that live in them.
In 1998, researchers discovered that mathematical proofs by Archimedes had been overwritten with biblical texts by monks in the 13th century. Documents such as this, with previous erasures still visible beneath the primary text, are known as palimpsests. Architecture can also be a palimpsest: as cities and buildings are modified and re-purposed, traces of their previous lives remain visible.
Takashi Torisu, Haavard Tveito and John Russell Beaumont imagine what an urban palimpsest can be in the digital age. Using 3D scanning and virtual reality, their project records personal stories and local histories, layering them over the city at a 1:1 scale. Building this collective memory is especially important in areas undergoing dramatic urban redevelopment. These virtual Palimpsests aim to create more inclusive planning practices, using emerging technology to directly connect communities, governments, and developers in conversation. They also become historical documents, digitally recording spaces and stories that might otherwise be lost.
For more information about the making of the Palimpsest, read a full article with detailed descriptions of the process and Interactive Architecture Lab’s past work.