BIM as a resource in heritage management: An application for the National Palace of Sintra, Portugal

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a Building Information Model (BIM) that constitutes a resource for the management of the National Palace of Sintra, Portugal. The complex geometry of this large palace, which has heterogeneous modules built in distinct architectural styles, was acquired with terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) techniques, and modeled using Autodesk Revit®software. Decisions on the level of detail and on the application of parametric modeling for the decorated architectural Manueline style were critical to achieve a manageable model. The requisites for the management model specified the inclusion of historical data, daily activity recording and properties and composition of the constructive and structural elements as attributes, which is possible due to the capability of the in-built database and its relation with the individual BIM elements. This way, the developed model simultaneously supports the seismic structural analyses by providing key parameters and incorporates their results as attributes, enabling a coherent and seamless workflow, enhancing the capabilities of BIM as a useful decision support tool within the heritage management framework.