Generative Modeling as an Alternative Analysis Tool for Cultural Heritage : the Case Study of Helicoidal Staircases

The study proposed sees the application of generative modeling as an analysis tool applied to some artifacts from different eras, specifically stairs and ramps, which have the helicoidal development of their intrados as their common denominator. Algorithmic modeling or generative modeling in recent years is arousing increasing interest within the world of architecture and design as a powerful design tool capable of chaining changes and automating processes in a defined non-destructive modeling. At the same time, it represents an extraordinary tool of analysis and verification. Over the centuries, helicoidal surfaces have characterized some complex formal configurations of different architectures, but considering their complex geometric genesis, they are particularly complicated to model in a digital environment. The study envisaged the modeling of ‘generative’ helicoids through the creation of specific algorithms which were then verified and used as an analysis tools for the Cultural Heritage, applying them to the identified case studies