Leveraging digital elevation models for data-driven assessment of evolutionary damage in built heritage

Abstract

The paper aims to illustrate how implementing a digital elevation model enables an extensive comprehension of the current deformation crisis state of overturning masonries in the context of a case study. The approach explores the interoperability challenges and details in scan-to-hBIM processes, thereby elucidating how hBIM models can support operations that are intended to maintain and preserve extant historic assets despite the persistent challenges. This illustrative investigation underscores the effectiveness of applying digital technologies to advance the conservation and management practices of built cultural heritage, particularly in addressing structural concerns associated with historic masonries. The information should involve meticulous knowledge, anamnesis, visual inspection, and instrumental measures, as dataset accuracy is crucial in architectural heritage, where surveyed objects exhibit complex geometries and significant deformation. It is a deliberate, synthetic operation that develops a structural model for assessment. A key finding of the present paper is that the precision and detail of the model determine the accuracy of structural analysis results, emphasizing the importance of accuracy consideration to achieve meaningful and reliable results. As a consequence, the building assessment demonstrated which parts of the building’s facades were overturning while identifying the thorough kinematic phenomena progressively acting.