Phd in HISTORY, REPRESENTATION AND RESTORATION OF ARCHITECTURE

Thesis title: Architettura e spazio: comunicare attraverso i "dispositivi di sostituzione sensoriale"

The development of immersive technologies and digitization processes applied to architecture has oriented cultural heritage communication toward more sustainable and inclusive models. In this context, the growing amount of data generated by digital models opens new possibilities for translating spatial parameters into alternative perceptual forms, facilitating access to architectural knowledge for users with sensory limitations. Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) convert visual information into auditory or tactile stimuli, exploiting brain plasticity and the nervous system’s ability to reorganize perceptual flows. This study proposes to extend these operational principles to architectural representation, experimenting with modes of spatial understanding based on listening, and defining a model capable of conveying form and proportion through correspondences between geometric parameters and acoustic features. The Tempietto of San Pietro in Montorio, designed by Bramante, was selected as a case study: its spatial articulation and formal characteristics make it ideal for testing the model’s ability to communicate architectural qualities through sound, derived from a simplified geometric representation. Model validation was carried out through a two-phase experimental protocol involving sighted and blind participants, who underwent audio-tactile and immersive navigation tests. The results, supported by neurophysiological analyses, highlight the model’s ability to convey geometric and atmospheric information consistent with architectural perception, demonstrating how sound experience can serve as an effective form of spatial representation and learning.