A New Perspective on Heritage and Multi-dimensional Representation with H-BIM

The paper investigates the state of the art of “Heritage-Building Information Modeling” (H-BIM) vis-à-vis its specific challenges, envisaging possible new uses of current tools. It also devises new features that could easily improve current modelling/BIM packages. “Building Information Modelling” (BIM) can be seen as a multi-dimensional modelling technique for “Architecture, Engineering and Construction” (AEC), where a database of different data-sets is linked to geometries, containing valuable information about physical and rendering features, among others. In case of heritage-buildings many specific challenges arise, since many more parameters (hence dimensions) must be considered, including forms of decay, historical and technical layers, degrees of exploration. Moreover, two aspects characterize the use of H-BIM: the uncertainty about the surveyed elements – especially as to their hidden parts which, in a BIM logic, must nevertheless be accounted for – and the need to include overlapping geometries insisting on the same space relating to different aspects of the surveyed reality, e.g. stone elements and their deterioration patterns, as well as structures and their sub-elements. As to the first aspect, while in BIM reality follows the model, in H-BIM the model must correspond to the surveyed data and possibly include different hypothesis as to the uncertain ones, along with certainty gradients. As to the second, the co-existence within the same model of the overall shape and of its constituents, so that the latter add up to a perfectly overlapping unity, closely matching the former, would allow for the full exploitation of current technology. Careful use of existing tools and suggested improvements thereto are set forth in this paper, in view of delivering BIM tools and practices that can better represent and describe heritage-buildings, extrapolate new data, as well as allow for simulations of various kind, thus also helping in their preservation and maintenance through optioneering based on reliable data.