Inspiration
Architecture tells the story of civilization, yet many of humanity’s greatest buildings have been lost, destroyed, or transformed beyond recognition. While photographs, paintings, and archaeological records preserve fragments of their history, they rarely allow people to truly experience these places.
Our goal was to answer a simple question: What if anyone could walk through history?
Inspired by iconic architectural masterpieces from different cultures and eras, we created an AI-powered virtual museum that allows visitors to experience historical environments in an immersive way. For this project, we reconstructed two dramatically different worlds:
- The Crystal Palace during the Great Exhibition of 1851, featuring the Greek Slave sculpture, the award-winning equatorial telescope, the legendary Koh-i-Noor diamond, Hyde Park’s preserved trees, and the magnificent fountains beneath the world’s largest glass building.
- Hanyuan Hall of Daming Palace, where visitors travel from the monumental palace exterior, through the ceremonial colonnades, and into a Tang Dynasty imperial residence inspired by historical palace architecture.
Rather than simply displaying historical models, we wanted visitors to feel as though they had stepped inside these lost worlds.
What We Learned
This hackathon introduced all of us to entirely new AI workflows.
Although each team member had experience with different creative tools, none of us had previously built immersive historical environments using today’s generative AI ecosystem. Throughout the project we learned how to:
- Collaborate across research, prompt engineering, 3D asset generation, and scene composition.
- Transform historical references—including paintings, archaeological reconstructions, floor plans, and archival photographs—into coherent virtual experiences.
- Iterate rapidly with AI-generated assets while maintaining historical consistency.
- Balance historical accuracy with artistic interpretation when source materials were incomplete.
Perhaps most importantly, we discovered that AI is not a replacement for historical research—it amplifies it. Good reconstructions still depend on careful reference gathering, architectural reasoning, and many rounds of refinement.
How We Built It
Our workflow combined several generative AI tools, each contributing a different part of the production pipeline.
- Historical Research We first collected historical paintings, architectural drawings, archaeological reconstructions, museum references, and surviving artifacts to establish an accurate visual foundation.
- Asset Generation Using Tripo AI, we generated 3D assets representing historical objects and architectural details, including exhibition artifacts and decorative elements. Additional generative AI tools were used to create supporting textures, concept images, transparent-background assets, and reference illustrations where historical records were incomplete.
- Environment Reconstruction Using Marble WorldLabs.ai, we assembled immersive virtual environments where visitors could freely walk through each reconstructed site. Instead of presenting isolated objects, we focused on recreating the atmosphere of each historical location—from lighting and spatial scale to architectural proportions and environmental storytelling.
- Experience Design Finally, we created guided walkthroughs that lead visitors naturally through each environment, allowing them to explore architecture and important historical highlights at their own pace.
Challenges
One of our biggest challenges was learning entirely new tools within the limited time of the hackathon.
Because every platform uses different workflows and supported file formats, moving assets between applications required constant experimentation. Some environments relied on traditional 3D meshes, while others used Gaussian Splats, making compatibility an ongoing challenge.
Other obstacles included:
- Converting assets between incompatible file formats.
- Learning each AI platform’s strengths and limitations.
- Maintaining consistent visual quality across multiple generative models.
- Reconstructing historical spaces when only partial documentation existed.
- Finding the right balance between historical authenticity and an engaging visitor experience.
Each iteration taught us something new, and every obstacle improved the final result.
Accomplishments that we’re proud of
One of our biggest accomplishments was creating a complete immersive experience within the limited time of the hackathon. Rather than producing a single 3D model or scene, we built two fully explorable historical environments that transport visitors across different civilizations and centuries.
We’re especially proud that we successfully reconstructed:
- The Crystal Palace (1851 Great Exhibition) with historically inspired highlights including the Greek Slave sculpture, the award-winning equatorial telescope, the Koh-i-Noor diamond exhibit, Hyde Park’s preserved trees, and the iconic fountains.
- The Tang Dynasty’s Daming Palace, guiding visitors from the monumental exterior of Hanyuan Hall, through its ceremonial corridors, and into a historically inspired imperial residence.
Another achievement was learning and integrating multiple AI platforms into a single creative workflow. Within just a few days, we became familiar with tools such as Tripo AI, Marble WorldLabs.ai, and other generative AI models to create assets, reconstruct environments, and produce immersive walkthroughs.
Most importantly, we’re proud that our project demonstrates how generative AI can make cultural heritage more accessible. Instead of viewing history through static images or museum displays, visitors can virtually walk through places that no longer exist and experience architecture in a far more engaging and memorable way.
Looking Ahead
This project represents only the beginning.
We envision expanding Wonders Through Time into a growing virtual museum where visitors can explore architectural masterpieces from civilizations across the world—from Ancient Egypt and Classical Greece to medieval Europe, imperial China, and beyond.
Generative AI is making historical preservation more accessible than ever before. By combining historical scholarship with immersive technologies, we hope to inspire curiosity, encourage cultural appreciation, and allow more people to experience the wonders of the past—not through imagination alone, but by virtually walking through history itself.
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