Die Homepage des Architekturinstituts der Hochschule Mainz

AIMAINZ

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**PhD Dissertation:**

‘Interactive visualisation of architectural heritage. Knowledge mapping using an integrated digital environment.’


Curriculum Vitae

**Selected works and research projects:**

‘Application of algorithmic tools in the process of historic building information modelling’

‘Digital methods for the reconstruction of war-damaged monuments’

‘Building Information Modelling of the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology as a virtual environment for management and visualization’

‘ERASMUS+ international grant ‘CoVHer - Computer-based Visualization of Cultural Architectural Heritage’ - 2021–1-IT02-KA220-HED-000031190

‘African Palimpset. Dynamics of urban and rural communities of Numidian and Roman Mustis (AFRIPAL)’ - 2020/37/B/HS3/00348


Publikationen

Jakub Franczuk

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M.Sc.

##### About the project:

**The Synagogue of Wołpa**, once a magnificent wooden structure built in the 18th century (or possibly as early as 1643, according to some sources), was located in the town of Wołpa, now part of modern-day Belarus. It was a significant example of Baroque wooden architecture, admired for its beauty and architectural ingenuity. The synagogue was one of the most important Jewish prayer houses in the First Polish Republic and was even recognized by the Polish Sejm in 1781 as an artistic and national treasure. However, during World War II, in June 1941, it was destroyed during a bombing by the Luftwaffe. Today, all that remains is a neglected cemetery and a symbolic memorial.

An exciting new development in the field of reconstructing lost sacred spaces is the upcoming **conference titled "Empty Boxes? Modeling the Lost and Ephemeral in Premodern Sacred Spaces"** to be held at the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome on 29-30 May 2025. For more details click  **[here](https://www.academia.edu/118290994/Call_for_Papers_Empty_Boxes_Modeling_the_Lost_and_Ephemeral_in_Premodern_Sacred_Spaces_Workshop_Rome_29_30_May_2025_)**. The event is organized with support from the Bibliotheca Hertziana and Deutsches Historisches Institut in Rom, as well as the CANTORIA research project on Music and Sacred Architecture at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. This conference aligns closely with our ongoing efforts in digital reconstruction, and in response to the call for projects, we have decided to expand our previous work on the Wołpa Synagogue. See our earlier postcard project **[here](https://arvr.hs-mainz.de/en/)**.

The project to reconstruct the Wołpa Synagogue was initiated by AI Mainz in collaboration with the Warsaw University of Technology. The goal was to digitally recreate the synagogue's intricate architectural details and faithfully restore its structure as much as possible.

The process began by analyzing historical drawings and records. The first step was to model the primary geometry of the building, including the dimensions and the distinctive shape of the wooden structure (Img 2, Img 3). Following this, the team focused on the finer architectural details, such as the intricate woodwork, carvings, Bima, and Aron ha-Kodesh (Img 4). To achieve this, numerous historical photographs and architectural images from the early 20th century were gathered to capture the synagogue's detailed elements. These images helped form the basis for modeling the complex features of the synagogue in 3D.

Additionally, **modern AI technology was used to assist in the design process**. AI-driven tools, such as image-to-3D generation (Img 5), were used to create and enhance various components of the building, offering an innovative way to reconstruct the synagogue’s complex features with precision and efficiency.

The project also included an **acoustic simulation** of the synagogue's interior. Since the original building was made of wood, simulating the acoustic properties of this material was a key aspect of the reconstruction. This allows us to understand how the space would have sounded during prayer, considering the reverberations and acoustics of the wooden interior.

Finally, the precise geographical position of the synagogue was located using historical pictures and modern map tools, ensuring that the digital reconstruction was accurate in both its historical and geographical context. Moreover, an advanced **Grasshopper script** (Img 6) was used, which, based on available photographs, can estimate the placement of neighboring buildings in 3D space. This technology made it possible to recreate the urban context in which the Wołpa Synagogue was situated, accurately positioning it within its surrounding landscape. The script enabled the creation of a realistic and contextually accurate visualization of the space in which the synagogue functioned, providing a deeper understanding of its significance within the local environment.


The reconstruction of the Wołpa Synagogue, once a masterpiece of Baroque wooden architecture, was digitally brought to life. The process involved modeling the synagogue's main geometry and intricate details using historical drawings, photographs, and AI-driven 3D generation tools. Additionally, acoustic simulations of the wooden interior and precise location mapping were conducted to enhance the digital recreation, offering an immersive experience of this lost cultural heritage.

Jakub Franczuk, M.Sc.

Jakub Franczuk, M.Sc.

Academic lecturer and research fellow at the Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology

Arbeitsschwerpunkte

Curriculum Vitae

Publikationen

Portfolio