Tankshal ni Pol Masjid - Young Heritage Explorer's Programme 2.0 - Digital Twinning

Center for Heritage Conservation (CHC), CEPT Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) in collaboration with The Hive (Ahmedabad), conducted a workshop, Digital Twinning: Case Study of Tankshal-ni-Pol Mosque, on 22 January 2023 at CEPT Conservation Site School in Tankshal, Ahmedabad. This is the second workshop in the Young Heritage Explorers' Program (YHEP) series, aimed to introduce young people to heritage sites and educate them about the significance of history and heritage conservation in our contemporary lives.

In this workshop, participants were exposed to the technology of 3D Laser Scanning (digital twinning) through the case of the rare old timber mosque in the historic city of Ahmedabad. The workshop, through a projector setup on-site, encouraged participants to explore the 3D Point Cloud data of the timber mosque v/s panoramic images captured.The workshop introduced young participants to the theory of digital documentation, its purpose, and limitations and explored the various outputs of the 3D model through three fun activities:

Is this an X-ray or Picture: participants learned the difference between the multiple methods of capturing visual data.

Playing with Clouds and Mirrors: this activity exposed participants to the Laser scan terminologies- Point cloud and Mirror ball, which helped them to understand the technology.

Why we Draw/Visualise: this activity aimed to establish the need for the technology, its applications, and its limitations. The participants had a hands-on experience with the 3D model, where they could visit the inaccessible parts of the structure through the model.

The curious explorers were also introduced to the structure through stories and narratives of the history and an exhibition of material specimens from the dismantledarea of the structure. Kits, which included puzzles, treasure hunts, postcards, and otherinteractive tools, were created to engage the participants better.