Modello reale e realtà virtuale fra dismisura e misura. Real model and virtual reality between measure and out of measure.

The work presented here is intended to propose an interdisciplinary approach to architectural and urban design storytelling. The features and benefits of using physical models in architecture are numerous and well-known. At the same time, the potential of XR applied to accurate models is still being explored and developed. Nevertheless, in many cases, they are employed simultaneously to take the subject inside a world that is experience, surpassing the assumption that objects at scale are static and unchanging. In particular, the authors show the interaction of two representational systems, one real and the other virtual: the physical scale model and the VR immersive experience by delving into some of the design elements that emerged during the 2020 “Future Shanshui City Dwellings in Lishui Mountains International Urban Design Competition”, in which the Politecnico di Torino won third prize. The workflow involved creating real-scale models using digital fabrication techniques and an immersive VR project using Twinmotion software. The intent is to demonstrate how both real and virtual approaches allow working on different scales to produce otherness, acting as simulacra and expanding our vision of reality.