Post-demolition preservation: reclaiming lost architecture

Until now, the method used for historical documentation of lost architecture has primarily been achieved through the use of static two-dimensional media (photographs and drawings), which encompass separate images that can be tangentiaUy grouped. Thus, we rely upon the viewer's ability to effectively cognate the relationships of three-dimensional form and space imagery when trying to understand the bmlding as one complete whole. However, this methodology discounts the visual experience endemic in three-dimensional form and space because one cannot move through and around it, as we do in real life. Computer representations can be utilized to assist viewers in better understanding the visual experience of lost architectural form and space elements when taking advantage of threedimensional modeling and animation tools. Computer representation, as a post-demolition historical documentation methodology, will allow us to reclaim a greater visual understanding of lost architectural form and space elements not previously archived in such a process and form. The methodology utilizes the computer to create an animated, photorealistic, three-dimensional model, which is recorded onto a video medium. It wkl also allow us to cater to multiple viewers through the medium's accessibility, transportability, and cost.