Academic Position and Education
Federico Fallavollita, architect, is an associate professor of drawing at the University of Bologna's Department of Architecture. He graduated with honours in Architecture from Sapienza University of Rome. He obtained a PhD in Representation and Survey Sciences in 2008 from the Department of History, Drawing, and Restoration of Architecture at the same university. His doctoral thesis, titled Ruled and Developable Surfaces: A Reinterpretation Through the Virtual Laboratory, focused on studying ruled surfaces using digital modelling tools.
Research Interests
His research focuses on representation, architectural drawing, and survey methodologies, with particular attention to the interaction between descriptive geometry, architecture and digital tools. He has contributed to studies on the renewal of descriptive geometry through digital representation methods and has participated in several research projects related to 3D digital modelling in architecture.
Scientific Contributions and Publications
He has participated in numerous international conferences and seminars, presenting different research contributions, including Construction of the Three Principal Axes of Quadric Ruled Surfaces, delivered as a speaker at The 15th International Conference on Geometry and Graphics (2012).
He collaborated in the writing of Geometria Descrittiva, Vol. I and II by Riccardo Migliari (2009), contributing chapters such as Constructions Related to the Circle (Vol. I) and Ruled Surfaces (Vol. II). Additionally, he participated in the development of the first critical edition of the drawings in "De Prospectiva Pingendi" by Piero della Francesca, coordinated by Prof. Riccardo Migliari (De Prospectiva Pingendi. Volume III B. Tomo II Disegni, Rome: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2017).
In recent years, he has collaborated with Professor Fabrizio Ivan Apollonio and researcher Riccardo Foschi on the study of hypothetical virtual reconstructions. Among his most recent publications are Terminological Study for Scientific Hypothetical 3D Reconstruction (2024) and The Critical Digital Model for the Study of Unbuilt Architecture (2021).
Research Projects and Collaborations
He has collaborated with the research group led by Marco Gaiani on the implementation of computational tools for the study and visualization of architecture at the Department of Architecture, University of Bologna. In particular, he contributed to the development of 3D models of the Bologna porticoes, a project aimed at documenting and enhancing the architectural heritage.
Furthermore, he collaborated with the German research group DFG Research Network: Digital 3D Reconstructions as Tools of Architectural Historical Research (2018–2022) in the preparation of a book on virtual reconstructions, titled Handbook of Digital 3D Reconstruction of Historical Architecture (2024).
Coordination of International Projects
He served as coordinator and team leader of the Erasmus+ project "Computer-based Visualization of Architectural Cultural Heritage" (CoVHer, Project No. 2021-1-IT02-KA220-HED-000031190), an initiative involving seven international partners (five universities and two private companies) from five European countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and Poland).
The project's main objective was to define practical guidelines and operational methodologies for the study, implementation, visualization, and critical evaluation of 3D models of architectural artefacts that no longer exist or were never built, following the Charter on the Preservation of Digital Heritage (UNESCO, 2003). Among the project's key outcomes is the development of a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) dedicated entirely to the theory and practice of virtual hypothetical reconstructions.
