Strumenti VPL per la Divulgazione della Storia della Costruzione Metallica - VPL Tools for the Dissemination of Iron and Steel Construction History

In Italy the construction of the railways network in the 19th century represented a significant scenario for the technological advancement of the national building sector; it produced a relevant renewal of construction techniques. Icons of this robust infrastructure building program were the railway bridges built over the Po River; they represented an arduous technological challenge. Unfortunately, in the years following the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy the national industry was disorganized and unprepared to face this challenge; indeed, the first four bridges were built by foreign companies. However, the industrial scenario immediately changed, and the last two bridges were designed and built by Italian engineers and local metalwork manufacturing companies. The railway bridges over the Po River are now lost; the changing needs of railway traffic or bombings during the World War II led to their demolition. Their enhancement through 3d modelling and virtual representation is fundamental for the rediscovering of the role they played in the life of the young state. To this aim, the paper proposes the outcomes of research that explores potentialities of 3d software with Visual Programming Language (VPL), in order to create tools useful for the dissemination of historical values of this lost heritage.