IMPACT OF INTEGRATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN LOST ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE VISUALIZATION IN POST-CONFLICT SOCIETIES

Abstract. Technological developments in architectural visualization and advancements in digital applications that uses Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) platforms allows integration of digital technologies in heritage visualization more than ever before. Particular advantage of the integration of these digital technologies could be seen in the lost architectural and urban heritage visualization. Since these buildings or historic towns do not exist or simply altered in a way that the historical aspects of these heritage places could not be captured anymore, these digital technologies generates a valuable platform in order to experience these non-existing buildings as they were many years ago.

One of the major objectives of this research was to assess the contribution of recapturing lost architectural heritage for cross cultural understanding, place-identity and heritage relationship. In order to assess this research question, participants were selected as population exchange descendants of 1923, that took place between Turkey and Greece. As one of the primary port of deportation and as major cultural and economic centres of early 1920s, Izmir and Thessaloniki provided valuable research area with their similar historical developments that resulted by the loss of many heritage buildings. Accordingly interviews, focus group studies and participant observation has been performed with conservation decision makers and population exchange descendants by using various digital models of lost historic buildings from Izmir and Thessaloniki. This allowed a comparative analysis of the impact of the use of digital technologies as part of heritage visualization of lost buildings.

This paper aims to discuss the significance of using various digital technologies while visualizing lost architectural heritage in the particular case of post-conflict societies.