Our Process
The Landscape,
Made Physical
Heritage Elevated creates handcrafted 3D relief maps that transform real landscapes into physical works of art.
The Idea
More Than a Map
A map can show you where a place is. A relief map lets you see the landscape itself.
Heritage Elevated began with a simple idea: the places that shape us deserve to be experienced in three dimensions.
The Process
From Data to Terrain
Each Heritage Elevated map begins with a real landscape and moves through a series of carefully developed steps to become a physical object.
Elevation Data
We begin with real-world elevation data, using NASA's SRTM Global 30-meter dataset as the foundation for our terrain models.
Terrain Model
The elevation data is transformed into a three-dimensional representation of the landscape, preserving its terrain.
Casting
The original terrain model is used to create a mold, allowing each map to be cast in urethane resin.
Hand-Painting
Each map is carefully painted by hand in the colors of its country's national flag, following the contours of the underlying terrain.
Framing
The finished terrain is placed in a shadow-box frame and prepared for display.
Home
The result is a physical representation of a place, made to be lived with rather than simply viewed on a screen.
The Landscape Itself
Why Real Elevation Data Matters
Every Heritage Elevated map begins with the landscape as it exists in the real world. We use elevation data to recreate the physical contours of each country — its mountains, valleys, plateaus, and plains — as a three-dimensional terrain model.
The result is more than a geographic outline. It is a physical representation of the land itself.
A Human Touch
Made by Hand
Technology gives us the terrain. The final character of each map comes from the human hand.
Every map is individually painted in the colors of its country's national flag, following the contours of the terrain beneath it. No two are exactly alike.
About Heritage Elevated
Geography, Craftsmanship, and a Love of Place
Heritage Elevated brings together geography, craftsmanship, and a love of place to create physical representations of the landscapes that shape us.
Founder, Heritage Elevated
