The Evolution of Interactivity, Immersion and Interoperability in HBIM: Digital Model Uses, VR and AR for Built Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Today, a building is not just a “body” or a “machine” as defined by modern architecture, but rather an immaterial entity immersed in a digital world where not only its components but also the information associated with it are accounted for. In recent decades, building information modelling (BIM) has made it possible to move from 2D CAD drawings to 3D models capable of supporting different processes and interacting with different disciplines in the AEC industry for storing, documenting and sharing heterogeneous content. It has thus become possible to direct these techniques towards built heritage to investigate new forms of communication and share heritage building information modelling (HBIM) models. This research investigates this evolution in both generative terms (scan-to-BIM process) and cultural and historical terms in order to orient BIM uses towards novel forms of interactivity and immersion between users and models. The author proposes the use of a digital process and the development of VR and AR environments based on a visual programming language (VPL) to improve access to a deeper knowledge of HBIM models and the artefacts and information contained therein.

Assessment of Disused Public Buildings: Strategies and Tools for Reuse of Healthcare Structures

“…BIM (building information modeling) is a model that contains all the information concerning the entire life cycle of a construction, from project planning to building and use, until demolition [53,54]. In the construction sector, BIM is increasingly used to facilitate interoperability and facility management among project partners [55,56]. Although a BIM model can interact with different disciplines, presently, it is mostly applied to new construction rather than to existing buildings.…”

Built Heritage Visualizations in Immersive Environments to Support Significance Assessments by Multiple Stakeholders

“…point clouds generated by photogrammetric reconstructions and laser scanning surveys provide a first virtual representation of a place of interest and a reliable source for metric data extraction. They also support the reconstruction of other three-dimensional representations of objects in the form of 3D meshes with different levels of accuracy, complexity and information (Banfi, 2021). During the last decades, researchers investigated the use of such 3D reproductions for visualization purposes and to support the organization, storage, and transmission of associated heritage information.…”

“…They proposed multiple Level Of Detail, Information and Accuracy (LODIA) to guide the 3D reconstruction of objects or building elements and spaces according to their significance. In addition, Banfi presented a complete methodological framework for integrating HBIM models in VR and AR environments (Banfi, 2021) to enhance accessibility of the information contained such information models by all stakeholders of the conservation project for knowledge to a wider audience. Beyond the ability of such an environment to enhance knowledge transmission to a broad audience, (Poux et al, 2020) also argued that they allow collecting information, as on the users' behaviour, for instance.…”

Data-driven conservation actions of heritage places curated with HBIM

“…There is an increasing interest in developments which expand the capabilities of HBIM, such as element modelling (Barazzetti, Banfi, Brumana, & Previtali, 2015), HBIM element library experiments (Baik, Alitany, Boehm, & Robson, 2014), information mapping (Chiabrando, Lo Turco, & Rinaudo, 2017), mixed-reality applications (Banfi, 2021), the development of generative modelling methodology (Brumana et al, 2018), and even the illustration of a road map for holistic conservation practices (Brumana et al, 2020) and building archaeology (Banfi et al, 2022). Despite these significant attempts, using HBIM for data-driven conservation actions remains an open field of study.…”