AI and Digital Twin Applications in 3D Information Models for Heritage Buildings: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The recent emergence of technology as digital tools has provided architects with possibilities for 3D modelling and simulation of built environments. Currently, the "digital twin" and Building Information Management (BIM) techniques enable analytical tools like connection analysis and energy performance modelling in tandem with the ideation of realistic 3D illustrations. These methods are now seen emerging in managing and documenting heritage structures. A Heritage Building Information Management (HBIM) platform is a multi-disciplinary process and a valuable tool to automate, manage, and document heritage structures. However, making the final product in an HBIM platform involves several laborious steps of processing, segmenting, and integrating raw data from different sources, such as laser-scanned point data and image data. Hence, an expedited, streamlined platform is necessary to facilitate conservation architects and other agencies involved in documenting, maintaining and interpreting heritage buildings and structures. Newer technologies like Artificial Intelligence can enhance previously unavailable opportunities to automate specific tasks and uncover paradigms through predictable simulations. For this, the researchers reviewed the literature on two fronts: i)Investigating process flow and identifying the issues and challenges in gathering digital data of the existing building effectively. ii)Reviewing the literature to understand the models and tech solutions that revolutionized building heritage building information models for practical use. This study unravels workflow patterns and challenges based on these two sections of this literature review. Further, this research explores and analyses the trends and techniques employed in a typical heritage Building Information Management (HBIM) platform. The focus is on AI's capabilities as a digital tool in different stages of documentation and interpretation, performance measurement and simulation of heritage buildings, such as energy performance modeling, 4D (3D+Time) for projects planning, cost solutions, and simulating the historical significance to propagate the importance of HBIM. This study referred to the progress in the scientific literature on HBIM after the initial studies of C. Dore, and M. Murphy (2009).