A tailored workflow for the valorization projects of industrial heritage through a BIM-based VR experience

Digital information systems became a pivotal opportunity to enhance the heritage investigation, documentation, valorization as well as the dissemination of cultural values embodied in modern heritage assets. Industrial heritage represents a paradigmatic field, often showing accessibility issues, complexity for the users in discerning the site's evolution phases, and the specific production process due to the lack of original machinery. Thus, the paper proposes a customized methodological flow for high-definition 3D digital modeling, which can improve the interaction and personalization of immersive cultural experiences and highlight the tangible and intangible values of existing and lost heritage. The workflow was tested on the Mecenate paper mill in Tivoli, Rome and the aim was to realize a virtual tour, addressing two specific issues in the storytelling of the factory: the lack of the original machinery and the loss of innovative lightweight metal roofing design by Gino Covre.