Factum Foundation

22/04/2026

We need your vote! Factum Foundation is eligible for the Public Choice Award 2026.

We are proud to have been named a Heritage Champion at the 2026 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, Europe's most prestigious recognition for outstanding work in cultural heritage.

For over a decade, Factum Foundation has been working alongside institutions and communities around the world to redefine what it means to preserve cultural heritage.

Now help us take it one step further: head to vote.europanostra.org and show your support to our work before 12 May.

21/04/2026

Winners in the Heritage Champions Category, / 2026

21/04/2026

We are honoured to announce that Factum Foundation has been named a 2026 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards laureate in the category of Heritage Champions — Europe's most prestigious recognition for outstanding work in cultural heritage, supported by Creative Europe.

Awarded by the European Commission and Europa Nostra, this recognition reflects the full scope of what Factum Foundation does: developing technologies and methodologies for the preservation, study, and dissemination of cultural heritage; designing tools such as the Lucida 3D Scanner and the Selene Photometric Stereo System; producing facsimiles for conservation and display; and supporting the transfer of skills to communities and institutions in Europe and around the world.

This recognition belongs not only to us, but to every collaborator, institution, and team member who has contributed to making this work possible.

More on: https://www.europeanheritageawards.eu/winner_year/2026/

09/04/2026

'𝑫𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆. 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍, 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏' is a free 10-hour online course curated by Factum Foundation. Bringing together leading practitioners, researchers, and institutions, the sessions explore how advanced digital tools are transforming the ways cultural heritage is recorded, understood, and preserved—while generating concrete, physical outcomes.

Across five sessions, the course explores key challenges in heritage preservation: the reuse of industrial architecture in the Arctic, questions of provenance and restitution, community-led initiatives in South Asia, and new scientific methods for analysing cultural heritage.

Case studies include the Aalto Silo in Oulu, the Torcello Altarpiece in Venice, the digital reconstruction of fragmented works in Nigeria and Lagos, and the use of advanced imaging technologies in Spain and UK. Together, they demonstrate how digital processes can lead to real, tangible outcomes.

Moderated by Costanza Blaskovic, the programme offers a focused overview of how high-resolution data is driving new approaches to preservation, access, and storytelling.

Speakers include: Carlos Bayod Lucini, Santiago del Bosque Arias, Stefania Gerevini, Imran Khan, Meri Lending, Adam Lowe, Javier Ors Ausín, William Owen, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Lucía Pereira-Pardo, Helen Philon, Francisco Prado-Vilar, Ferdinand Saumarez Smith, Charlotte Skene Catling, Valentino Tignanelli.

𝐀𝐎𝐀 - 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐢𝐕𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲
🗓️ April 20, 22, 24, 27 and 29
🕓 from 3 to 5 PM (CEST)
📋 All classes are free
📌 Register here: https://www.archive-venice.org/course/digital-technologies-and-physical-change/

Fondazione Giorgio Cini

Digital technologies and physical change. How technology enables real, tangible innovations in heritage preservation Tonal map of Casa Pieris II by Minnette De Silva © Factum Foundation Inspecting the condition of the Silo's concrete walls in 2021 © Otto Lowe Ahmad Shah Bahmani’s Tomb from a dro...

19/02/2026

At the heart of Carnival celebrations in Lanzarote, the buches are inflated shark stomachs used by the maúros, masked figures representing Mauritanian farmers historically settled in the island’s interior.

During Carnival, the performers take to the streets, playfully striking passersby with the buches, accompanied by music and dance in a vibrant display, merging local identity and cultural heritage.

Since the 2019 ban on shark fishing in the Canary Islands – a crucial step in protecting marine ecosystems – the materials needed to make the traditional buches have become unavailable.

In collaboration with the Parranda Marinera Los Buches , with funding and support by Arts, Cultural and Tourism Centres of Cabildo de Lanzarote (EPEL-CACT) and SPEL–Turismo Lanzarote, Factum Foundation digitally preserved, both in shape and sound, the remaining 12 buches and produced 35 fully functional facsimiles.

In February 2026, the replicas took to the streets for the first time, ensuring that the Parranda Marinera can continue.

This approach offers to reconcile heritage preservation with ecological responsibility, showing how craftsmanship, science, and technology can sustain living traditions in a changing world.

Pictures: © Amanda M. Izquierdo () and Oak Taylor-Smith | Factum Foundation

19/02/2026

Deccan Heritage Foundation (DHF), in collaboration with the Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Preservation and the Architectural Survey of India (ASI), is undertaking a landmark digital restoration and documentation project at the mausoleum of Ahmad I Shah Wali (AD 1436) in the royal necropolis of the Bahmanis in Ashtoor, Bidar.

This mausoleum (the first royal tomb of the Bahmanis in the newly established capital) is famous for its unique paintings. Building was started by Ahmad Shah and completed by his son and successor Allauddin Ahmad II soon after his enthronement. The non-invasive recording will be followed by a digital restoration of the paintwork that will bring together heritage expertise and advanced digital technologies to revive and communicate one of the most significant monuments of the Deccan and the Bahmani period.

From 3 to 17 January 2026, Imran Khan and Teresa Casado carried out the complete recording of the tomb using LiDAR scanning, high-resolution photogrammetry, and colour panoramic photography. They have created a comprehensive and precise digital record of the architecture and complex geometric and calligraphic paintings. The non-invasive techniques are able to capture architectural details, surfaces, damage and spatial measurements with exceptional accuracy. The resulting digital archive will support future conservation, research, and interpretation while ensuring long-term preservation of the monument’s material presence and artistic significance.

During the recording process, two students from the Deccan Studies Programme 2025 were trained on site by Factum Foundation’s experts, with mentorship and institutional support from DHF. This hands-on engagement reinforces Factum Foundation’s and DHF’s commitment to capacity building and transfer of skills, enabling emerging scholars to gain direct experience in heritage documentation techniques. Through this collaboration, we are developing an integrated model of conservation—one that combines technology, scholarship, and training to safeguard the cultural heritage of the Deccan for future generations.

09/12/2025

15/10/2025

Factum's workshops in San Blas have been featured on Madrid Directo 'Madrid Directo', a Telemadrid production. Thank you for visiting and this opportunity to share the work we do to help the preservation of cultural heritage.

Visitamos este espectacular taller perteneciente a la Fundación Factum ubicado en San Blas, donde se recrean piezas de escultura de todas las...

03/10/2025

Congratulations to Jerry Brotton on winning Best Education Podcast at the British Podcast Awards 2025!

'What's Your Map?' brings historical cartography and exploration to life, making them accessible to wide audiences. Podcasts like this remind us why sharing knowledge beyond academic circles matters.

Factum Foundation's Founder, Adam Lowe, had the pleasure of joining Episode 5 (S1) "Lost Treasures: Reconstructing Al-Idrisi with Adam Lowe" – you can listen here:
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzHB-T74VWQ
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1LyIJcwbEuQQjWIb8THByj
- Oculi Mundi: https://oculi-mundi.com/adam-lowe

25/08/2025

Within the framework of the AOA - ARCHiVe Online Academy, every Saturday from 7 June to 12 July, Imran Khan ran an online, free photogrammetry workshop for university students in the fields of Archaeology, Heritage Conservation, Heritage Studies, and Museum Studies from Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and South Asian countries. Out of 250 applications from 52 countries and 174 different universities and institutes, 16 students successfully completed the course.

You can see the results in this incredible collection of 3D models, spanning from India, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Cyprus: https://factumfoundation.org/our-projects/training/archive-analysis-and-recording-of-cultural-heritage-in-venice/photogrammetry-in-heritage-documentation-2025/

"In regions where the preservation of cultural heritage often stumbles due to scarce funding and a lack of specialised skills, online and free courses are a game-changer. While digital technologies like photogrammetry are becoming more common for heritage documentation in the West, access to tools and training remain limited in Asia and the South. By equipping young professionals already active in the field with cutting-edge skills, the course lays the foundation for sustainable, long-term preservation efforts in low-income countries." — Imran Khan