Valorisation of the Design Process. Digitisation as a Means of Conservation and Knowledge

The paper describes the ongoing project of digitization of the archive of the famed Italian modeller Giovanni Sacchi. The main idea that drives the project is to create a digital archive that links heterogeneous data – sketches, technical drawings, images, physical models – referring to a single product in order to create an overall view of the design process and creative thought performed by various designers. Six renowned industrial products, of which Triennale di Milano conserves a wooden model of Giovanni Sacchi, have been chosen as case studies and all the related material has been retrieved, digitized and catalogued following the current Italian standards. The project of digitisation and the first results of the testing procedures are encouraging: the methodology has allowed to obtain high quality digital outputs and the Regional archiving system (SIRBeC) offers a great basis to build scenarios of access for the exploitation of data. The objective is to make the complete archive available at Triennale di Milano and in selected reference points for the off-line consultation, allowing to browse through the archive with technological and innovative devices: a pioneering system of consultation through the use of handhelds, table pc and the exploitation of augmented reality as a tool to enhance the comprehension of the digital data and to involve the visitors into an immersive experience.