Historical and 3D Survey Analyses for an Informative Database on the Venetian fort of Sant’Andrea

This paper focuses on the Venetian fort of Sant’Andrea, also known as Castel Nuovo, located at the entrance of Venice’s lagoon, in front of the inlet of San Nicolò del Lido. Redesigned in 1543 by the architect Michele Sanmicheli with the assistance of a series of military experts appointed by the Republic, at the time it represented the most relevant modern fortress of the city, embodying the image of the defence and political-institutional power of the Serenissima. Over the centuries, the building complex was profoundly altered by several restoration works and it is now in a state of disrepair and at risk for sale. In April 2023, a new digital survey of the whole structure was developed within the ERC project Venice’s Nissology (VeNiss), a research that seeks to reconstruct digitally the history Venice’s lagoon islands – from the sixteenth century onwards – through a geospatial semantic infrastructure. The survey campaign was conducted with mobile and TLS laser scanners and drones (flying and submarine) to generate digital archives, point clouds, and three dimensional models integrated and interwoven with historical and archival data in the informative system. While the elaboration of architectural drawings (sections and maps) is fundamental to describe the state of conservation of the fort, it also comprises the essential reference point for analysing its change over time. The digital twin of the fortress, accessible through the interactive 3D online map, constitutes a crucial opportunity to visualise its long-term architectural transformations as well as promoting strategies of valorisation of this important and almost neglected monument to a broad public.