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Digital Heritage as a Living Computational Medium
An experimental framework combining heritage documentation, digital twin production, computational reinterpretation and CNC-based hybrid fabrication.
Beyond preservation
DI-REH investigates how historical architectural ornaments can be documented, digitally reconstructed, computationally reinterpreted and physically produced through CNC-based fabrication workflows. The workshop connects traditional craftsmanship with digital twin methodologies, computational design and hybrid heritage production.
Ornament is approached not only as a decorative element, but as a cultural knowledge system carrying traces of craftsmanship, geometry, local culture and spatial memory. Rather than aiming for exact reproduction, DI-REH encourages controlled reinterpretation.
This workshop is developed in connection with the Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Teaching activity of Muhammed Çuha and organised in collaboration with ISTAR-Iscte and Vitruvius FabLab. The workshop sits within ISTAR-Iscte / Digital Living Spaces and the Vitruvius FabLab at the Iscte University Institute of Lisbon.
Five ideas at the core
Digital Heritage
Treating documentation not as an endpoint but as the first move in a longer creative and computational process.
Digital Twins
A faithful computational model of the ornament that becomes editable, interrogable and generative.
Computational Reinterpretation
Line abstraction, cubist fragmentation, pixel transformation and geometric distortion as a design language.
Hybrid Fabrication
CNC-based re-materialisation that closes the loop between historical craft and contemporary production.
Heritage Reinterpretation
New cultural narratives generated while spatial identity and cultural memory are maintained.
Speculative Preservation
Asking what heritage could become, not only how it can be kept.
From historical motif to fabricated artefact
Historical Motif
Geometric & vegetal ornament read as a cultural knowledge system.
Visual Analysis
2D reading of geometry, rhythm, repetition and formal structure.
2D Interpretation
Visual references translated into digital working files.
Digital Twin
A computational model of the motif as living, editable data.
Computational Reinterpretation
Line abstraction, cubist fragmentation, pixel and geometric distortion.
CNC Fabrication
Toolpath logic re-materialises the motif in timber, cork or composite.
Physical Prototype
A hybrid heritage panel holding both memory and computation.
Digital Exhibition
The full process re-narrated as a web-based dissemination layer.
How can historical ornaments be transformed into contemporary hybrid heritage objects through digital twin methodologies, computational reinterpretation and CNC-based fabrication workflows?
By integrating digital modelling, computational thinking and physical production, DI-REH promotes a dialogue between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary digital design. It investigates how endangered or disappearing craft-based knowledge can be reactivated through digital modelling, fabrication workflows and web-based exhibition formats.
Join the reinterpretation of heritage
Places are limited to a maximum of 15 participants. Register your interest to receive the call for participants, eligibility details and the full programme.