BUILDING ARCHAEOLOGY DOCUMENTATION AND ANALYSIS THROUGH OPEN SOURCE HBIM SOLUTIONS VIA NURBS MODELLING

Intelligent optimal design of floor tiles: A goal-oriented approach based on BIM and parametric design platform

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a globally adapted methodology by government organisations and builders who conceive the integration of the organisation, planning, development and the digital construction model into a single project. In the case of a heritage building, the Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) approach is able to cover the comprehensive restoration of the building. In contrast to BIM applied to new buildings, HBIM can address different models which represent either periods of historical interpretation, restoration phases or records of heritage assets over time. Great efforts are currently being made to automatically reconstitute the geometry of cultural heritage elements from data acquisition techniques such as Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) or Structure From Motion (SfM) into BIM (Scan-to-BIM). Hence, this work advances on the parametric modelling from remote sensing point cloud data, which is carried out under the Rhino+Grasshopper-ArchiCAD combination. This workflow enables the automatic conversion of TLS and SFM point cloud data into textured 3D meshes and thus BIM objects to be included in the HBIM project. The accuracy assessment of this workflow yields a standard deviation value of 68.28 pixels, which is lower than other author’s precision but suffices for the automatic HBIM of the case study in this research.

Cultural heritage conservation and restoration work is a complex process that includes documentation, data collection, interpretation and production. By integrating the BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology into this process, the concept of HBIM (Historic Building Information Modeling) has been formed. In this article, the progress of this process with the HBIM methodology in the restoration, protection and management studies of cultural heritage buildings and sites requiring collective and holistic work, the evaluation of access to the information obtained, and the provision of interdisciplinary information exchange were analyzed. By using the SWOT analysis method, the opportunities and threats offered by using the HBIM working methodology were evaluated and the strengths and weaknesses of the HBIM technology were determined. As a result of the SWOT analysis, it has been determined that the HBIM application will positively contribute to the heritage structures and increase in the direction of potential opportunities by eliminating the weaknesses.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has excellent potential to enhance building operation and maintenance. However, as a standardized data format in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, the retrieval of BIM information generally requires specialized software. Cumbersome software operations prevent its effective application in the actual operation and management of buildings. This paper presents BIMCoder, a model designed to translate natural language queries into structured query statements compatible with professional BIM software (e.g., BIMserver v1.5). It serves as an intermediary component between users and various BIM platforms, facilitating access for users without specialized BIM knowledge. A dedicated BIM information query dataset was constructed, comprising 1680 natural language query and structured BIM query string pairs, categorized into 12 groups. Three classical pre-trained large language models (LLMs) (ERNIE 3.0, Llama-13B, and SQLCoder) were evaluated on this dataset. A fine-tuned model based on SQLCoder was then trained. Subsequently, a fusion model (BIMCoder) integrating ERNIE and SQLCoder was designed. Test results demonstrate that the proposed BIMCoder model achieves an outstanding accurate matching rate of 87.16% and an Execution Accuracy rate of 88.75% for natural language-based BIM information retrieval. This study confirms the feasibility of natural language-based BIM information retrieval and offers a novel solution to reduce the complexity of BIM system interaction.

Recent technological evolutions in the acquisition and management of building data are offering new opportunities for digital reconstruction. At the same time, the BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology, based on the implementation of libraries composed of parametric objects provided by the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) standard, allows the design and management of data of existing buildings, and, in particular, historical and archaeological buildings. In the latter case, the great variety of Cultural Heritage (CH) distributed over the European territory, and the ability of BIM to cover the life of buildings or/and other artefacts from a geometric, descriptive, physical and static point of view, have stimulated the development of the HBIM (Historic BIM) modelling. The HBIM approach should consider the complexity of historical or archaeological buildings or artefacts, with particular attention to possible fragmentation or incompleteness of parts. In this work, different approaches regarding the survey, restitution and data management will be described, finalised to the construction of an HBIM model, considering different possible variables, emerging from different study cases.

Efficient project delivery is essential in the Indian construction industry. This efficiency can be achieved by reducing errors in construction projects to minimize cost and time. The chances of errors in the designing stage are high, which can lead to construction delays and other claims. BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a technology that can reduce not only human efforts but also the likelihood of errors. BIM is emerging rapidly and transforming the Indian real estate and construction sectors. This study verifies the BIM functionalities that help reduce the design and human errors that occur at various intervals of the project. This study also helps BIM users identify possible errors and their perceived severity, which can occur while working in a construction environment and avoiding these errors by applying BIM functionalities to achieve optimum time and cost. The quantitative technique was difficult to carry out for evaluation. Hence, the qualitative approach for research is carried out based on the perception shared by construction professionals working on the BIM platform. Ineffective design coordination between the design and planning teams, detailing errors, clashing of elements, and lags in most up-to-date information were found to be the most severe errors that affect the project. The analysis explains the seven functionalities that were beneficial in reducing errors. Functionalities with similar natures of reducing errors were clubbed into compound clusters. Although quantity take-off was not very beneficial, it formed a greater number of clusters with other functionalities. Among several functionalities, the natures of the coordination model and work-sharing with a central cloud database were more similar in avoiding chances of errors. More attention is needed on technologies and software that will help reduce such errors. Training on BIM-based software is essential for the Indian construction industry to utilize effective project management systems and reduce claims.KeywordsBIM functionalitiesEffective managementCollaborationReducing errors

This research focuses on enhancing the precision and management of the top push method in cable-stayed bridge construction through the application of building information modeling (BIM) technology. By evaluating BIM standards, engineering decomposition standards, and modeling software, an appropriate BIM platform and standard were selected to create BIM models for each component of cable-stayed bridges. Using the Yellow River Cable-stayed Bridge as a case study, various construction schemes were visualized through BIM. The study investigated the impact of key structural parameters, such as cable stiffness, main girder stiffness, and main tower stiffness, on the top push method by adjusting them by − 3%, − 1%, 1%, and 3%. The outcomes showed that changes in cable stiffness had the most significant effect, with a 1% stiffness variation causing a 51.3 mm displacement in the main girder and a 124.2 kN deviation in cable force, increasing to 151.2 mm and 179.8 kN respectively for a 3% change. This research demonstrates that BIM technology can significantly improve the management of top-push construction methods, enable three-dimensional visualization of the construction process, and advance the informatization and industrialization of bridge construction.

As building information modeling (BIM) gains popularity in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, manufacturers are required to distribute their product specifications in digital product models. Currently, manufacturers mainly employ proprietary formats, such as BIM objects supplemented by PDF documents to represent their product data descriptions. However, these formats do not support flexible automated product search and data integration. This paper describes the use of Semantic Web technologies in combination with BIM-based visual programming language (VPL) to automatically integrate product data from external databases. To facilitate data integration, we introduced a method to semantically represent product data linked with the CEN/TS 17623:2021 standard using ontologies in web ontology language (OWL). The study has focused on the use case of a manufacturer of lighting products. Results show that building designers are able to execute a more efficient product search that satisfies their query requirements and returns suitable products of their choice from the manufacturer's database based on their requests. This approach eliminates the time-consuming and error-prone process of manually entering product data into BIM software.

PurposeSteel and reinforced concrete are among the most common structural materials used in the construction industry. Cost and the speed of construction have been usually the main criteria when selecting a building’s structural system, whereby the environmental impact of the structural material is sometimes ignored. Availability of an easy-to-use tool for environmental assessment of the structural alternatives could encourage this evaluation in the decision making. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an automated tool for the environmental assessment of the on-site construction processes of a building structural system, which calculates the energy consumption and carbon emissions of the structural system as a parameter for comparison.Design/methodology/approachThis assessment tool is implemented using a building information modeling (BIM) platform to extract structural elements and their key attributes, such as type, geometrical and locational data. These data are processed together with a productivity database to calculate machine hours, and then predefined energy and carbon inventories are used to assess the energy consumption of the structural system in the erection/installation stage.FindingsThis assessment tool provides an automated and easy-to-use approach to estimate energy consumption and carbon emissions of different structural systems that are modeled in a BIM platform. The results of this tool were within the ranges reported by the available studies.Originality/valueThis research project presents a novel approach to use BIM-based attributes of the structural elements to calculate the required efforts, i.e. machine hours, and assess their energy consumption and carbon emissions during construction processes.

Knowledge about heritage buildings and structures is interesting for a wide variety of stakeholders,
\nranging from architects to operators or the public administration. Such knowledge includes a large
\nvariety of physical and functional characteristics of the building. Laser scanning allows efficient and
\naccurate 3D digitalization of heritage sites and subsequent data processing towards the creation of
\ngeometrically and semantically rich models.
\nParameterization and semantic enrichment of heritage building representations towards the creation
\nof Heritage Building Information Models (HBIM) generally involves the use of point clouds
\nand images as templates for manual mapping procedures in commercial software. Indeed, the information
\nto include in BIM models depends on the requirements of the application it is intended to
\nserve. In view of that, the applications presented in this chapter pertain to automated techniques
\nthat were implemented to parameterize point clouds towards models suitable for energy analysis
\npurposes.
\nThe challenge in automating the reconstruction of heritage buildings is to deal with their geometrical
\ncomplexity and irregularity, meaning that the methodologies selected should be robust and
\nefficient under these conditions. The resulting 3D semantically rich model enhances the knowledge
\nof the heritage building, complementing other representations of the facility such as point clouds or
\nhandmade HBIM. The procedure is implemented and validated in a real case study: the Ducal Palace
\nin Guimarães (Portugal).

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to outline in detail the procedure of remote data capture using laser scanning and the subsequent processing required in order to identify a new methodology for creating full engineering drawings (orthographic and 3D models) from laser scan and image survey data for historic structures.Design/methodology/approachHistoric building information modelling (HBIM) is proposed as a new system of modelling historic structures; the HBIM process begins with remote collection of survey data using a terrestrial laser scanner combined with digital cameras. A range of software programs is then used to combine the image and scan data.FindingsMeshing of the point cloud followed by texturing from the image data creates a framework for the creation of a 3D model. Mapping of BIM objects onto the 3D surface model is the final stage in the reverse engineering process, creating full 2D and 3D models including detail behind the object's surface concerning its methods of construction and material makeup, this new process is described as HBIM.Originality/valueThe future research within this area will concentrate on three main stands. The initial strand is to attempt improve the application of geometric descriptive language to build complex parametric objects. The second stand is the development of a library of parametric based on historic data (from Vitruvius to 18th century architectural pattern books). Finally, while it is possible to plot parametric objects onto the laser scan data, there is need to identify intermediate software platforms to accelerate this stage within the HBIM framework.

The design and evaluation of virtual learning environments for construction and surveying students is presented in this paper; by combining virtual learning environment and on-site student surveys to model and replicate practice in the architectural heritage sector. The Virtual Learning Environment is enhanced with real live survey projects whereby students collect the data to build virtual historic buildings from onsite surveys using advanced survey equipment. The survey data is modelled in HBIM; Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is currently being developed as a virtual learning tool for construction and surveying students in the Dublin Institute of Technology. HBIM, is a novel solution whereby interactive parametric objects representing architectural elements are constructed from historic data, these elements, including detail behind the scan surface are accurately mapped onto a laser or image based survey. The architectural elements are scripted using a Geometric Descriptive Language GDL. In the case of this project a Virtual Learning Environment is being developed which combines advanced recording and surveying with Building Information Modelling (BIM) to simulate and analyse existing buildings.

Building Information Modelling is a well-known acronym in the construction industry. BIM process is more than modelling buildings, and it provides the opportunity to drive efficiency and effectiveness to the information management of build projects. Accordingly, Building Information Models (BIMs), typically known as semantic three-dimensional parametric models, are fast becoming the comprehensive information source in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC), and Facility Management (FM). The use of BIM in existing buildings has been hampered by the challenges and limitations surrounding the available technologies. The most popular and commonly used approach for generating models is to manually generate 3D artefacts utilizing point measurements extracted from range-based technologies (typically 3D laser scanning). In the recent past, several studies have been carried out to make the retro t BIM development process as effective and efficient as possible by developing different methods for mapping 3D models using Point Cloud Data (PCD) as the main source of information. However, an appropriate fully generated parametric model is still some way away. In this paper, we review the-state-of-the-art to address the research gap and challenges involved in generating parametric models before outlining the proposal of our approach. In this research, we employ Semantic Web technologies to capture parametric models. Elements are first recognized in PCD, and corresponding geometric information extracted from PCD are then tagged with Universally Unique Identifiers (UUIDs). Tags are then linked with the generated Resource Description Framework (RDF) data for each element. The core and challenging part of this research is the standardization process where RDF as a serialization is translated to Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) as a data model. The generated IFC format is then utilized to capture corresponding models. The primary results are very promising and should be of interest to the modelling of all kinds of building components, particularly historical building information modelling (HBIM).

Architectural heritage surveying plays a fundamental role in the preservation of historic buildings for scientific research, education and tourism. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Terrestrial Laser Scanning techniques are essential for architectural heritage surveying and mapping. In recent years, the combination of Building Information Modelling (BIM) with heritage studies has been presented as Historic BIM (HBIM) which, integrated with UVA and TLS, is a technique that is able to deal more efficiently with the management and protection of historic buildings. This paper focuses on the integration of UVA images and point clouds from laser scanning to build a 3D architectural model for the documentation of Chinese historic buildings. In particular, the method, tested in the case study of the traditional village, Hexinwu, China, can contribute further to the analysis, evaluation and heritage planning of this remarkable architectural structure, thus increasing its historical significance for the future.

Abstract. Geomatics' interest in Building Information Modelling (BIM) processes applied to Cultural Heritage is evolving in many directions. The traditional fields of Geomatics -data acquisition and processing- have been largely dealt with about HBIM (Historical Building Information Modelling) systems, but there are still some issues that need to be explored in more detail. In addition to modelling, it is essential to consider the information content of the model, how it is generated, recorded and managed.If the objective of the HBIM model is the conservation project, it becomes essential to understand what types of data can be inserted in the model, how to record them and, above all, what their purpose is. The HBIM approach did not start out as a simple data repository, but as an information tool with the aim of helping the designer at all stages of the construction process. Moving to the field of preservation, much information about the building is represented by thematic maps. They allow to have a graphical image of the state of conservation of a façade or to understand the structural situation of a building.This research, tested on the Arch of Augustus in Aosta, starts from the big amount of data acquired by the RAVA Laboratory of the Superintendency of Aosta during a long period. These data allowed to test different approaches to thematic mapping, according to the specific themes to be represented (previous restoration interventions, diagnostics, decay mapping, etc). Anyway, this experiment also required a theoretical reasoning that preceded the operational phases. Faced with a new system, in fact, it is always advisable to reason about the method applied, to avoid the error of simply translating a method that could instead be developed in new directions. The question, to which this article wants only to begin answering, concerns the role of thematic mappings in the preservation design made by a HBIM approach, their necessity and their implementation towards a truly three-dimensional data, which thus maintains all the information that is acquired directly in three dimensions and which instead, today, are reprojected in 2D or used as a placeholder in the 3D space.