HBIM technologies demonstrate increased potential in managing existing built heritage, leading to improved building lifecycle engineering. However, applying HBIM protocols to Cultural Heritage, particularly museum assets, represents an outstanding question. The study provides the findings of a research project conducted at the Galleria Borghese Museum to implement a geometric and informative BIM-based digital environment for museum management, as well as preventive and predictive maintenance. Furthermore, the study examines—referring to the debate over the widespread application of integrated digital technologies to cultural heritage management—the opportunities and challenges associated with digitization processes towards the implementation of Digital Twin (DT) (Vuoto in Int. J. Arch. Herit. 18(11), 1762–1795, 2024) and Digital Cultural Objects (DCO), as well as the transferability of the study’s findings. The Galleria Borghese Museum provides scholars with the opportunity to examine architecture and artworks integrated into spaces of both permanent and temporary exhibitions, multidisciplinary study areas, restoration spaces for art and architecture, and environments conceived for the valorization, communication, and participation of a large public of experts and non-experts.
Generation and Evaluation of High-Fidelity Digital Twins: An All-Inclusive Pipeline for Enhanced Construction Efficiency in Diverse VR Environments
XR (extended reality) environments have driven professionals in the construction industry to adopt advanced digital surveying and 3D modelling techniques, improving project quality and site management through enhanced visualization, accuracy, and precision. Photogrammetry and laser scanning have been crucial in the scan-to-XR process, enabling the development of digital twins (DT) throughout the construction lifecycle. However, converting survey data into usable models for immersive experiences requires expertise in digital representation and software development. Digital representation transforms raw data into functional models, yet challenges remain. Survey outputs typically feature high polygon counts for detail, which can overload XR applications, causing slowdowns and reducing fluidity, especially on devices with limited resources. Additionally, high-resolution textures further strain computational power and memory. Optimising these textures is key to balancing visual quality and performance. XR platforms like Unity and Unreal Engine demand specific rendering standards, and non-optimised models can fail to meet these, requiring further adjustments. This study aims to develop a pipeline for creating high-fidelity DTs of an ongoing construction site. Data is collected through photogrammetry and laser scanning, followed by model optimisation for XR applications. The optimised model is integrated into real-time platforms for interactive use, producing both VR and web-XR models. This pipeline will aid in construction-site management, safety inspections, and communication between stakeholders, contributing to DT technology and to the efficiency of the construction industry.
Semantic Integration of BIM Model with Existing Asset Databases and IoT Data for Public Administrations
Today, information exchange in the AECO industry at different stages of the construction process is typically done through file transfers in heterogeneous formats, with limited communication between parties. This leads to potential data management issues such as redundancy and write errors. While efforts to standardize data exchange date back to the 1990s with formats such as STEP and IFC, the challenge of interoperability remains. That is why it is important to establish integrated management systems and interoperable cloud-based technologies. The rise of open semantic standards by W3C and other organizations in recent decades has been significant, but a cohesive link between different ontologies is needed to realize Digital Twin technology, which represents the lifecycle of a building, not just the design phase. An introduction to the concepts and standards of Semantic Web technologies and their possible applications to the construction sector in the different phases of an asset’s life cycle is proposed. In particular, the paper addresses the management of existing assets by public administrations, focusing on the creation of an infrastructure that links existing traditional databases, BIM models, and dynamic data collected by IoT devices. This will be done using standards such as RDF, OWL, and SPARQL. The research is part of an ongoing NRP project called “BIM2DT. BIM-to-Digital Twin: Information Management to Support Decision-making in the Building Life Cycle”.
Scan-To-BIM-To-VR Processes for the Documentation and Valorization of the Defensive Fortifications in Piombino
The paper intends to explore the integration between Scan-to-BIM parametric modelling techniques and VR virtual systems to support activities of documentation, analysis, valorization, and popular storytelling of Architectural Heritage. In this sense, these themes have been deepened through a series of experimental HBIM applications conducted on the military fortifications of Piombino, and more specifically, on the case study of the defensive complex formed by the Rivellino and the Porta a Terra. Through the implementation of the HBIM model within game-engine platforms, the project aims at enhancing the historical heritage, favouring dissemination and interactive use through immersive virtual environments.
Strategic Classification of the Integration Between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Building Information Modelling (BIM): Opportunities and Future Challenges
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) represents a promising but complex frontier in the construction industry. While BIM has already transformed construction workflows through digitalization and lifecycle management, AI has the potential to further advance automation, optimization, and data-driven decision-making. This study aims to provide a systematic classification of AI applications within BIM, identifying four key categories: AI as a digital consultant, collaborative interface, process regulator, and process outcome. Through a scientometric analysis of literature and structured mapping of existing software, the paper evaluates the state of the art, exploring the capabilities and limitations of current solutions. Results highlight how AI + BIM tools are transforming various lifecycle stages, from conceptual design to construction and operations. However, challenges remain, including the lack of standardization, risks related to data security, and the balance between automation and human oversight. This classification framework not only structures existing knowledge but also directs future research and applications, encouraging critical reflection on AI’s role in advancing BIM methodologies while considering its implications for transparency, efficiency, and technological governance.
Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality for Communicating the Uses of Natural Fibers in Building Construction: State of the Art and New Proposals
This contribution presents a digital framework to promote and communicate the use of natural fibers in building construction, developed within the “Circular Design for Natural Fibers” (CD4NF) project. The research addresses the limited application of advanced digital tools in this emerging field by proposing an integrated workflow that synergizes Building Information Modeling (BIM), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and eXtended Reality (XR). The core of the proposal is a flexible and modular platform built upon a structured material filing system that catalogs detailed information on various natural fibers. This platform utilizes BIM as a central data repository. An AI system, based on a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) model, enables users to query this complex data using natural language. XR applications provide an interface for visualizing and interacting with the BIM models and their associated information in real-world contexts. This approach aims to optimize key processes from material research and design to construction, enhancing decision-making, interoperability, and communication. The system represents a step towards a more efficient, circular, and sustainable construction sector by facilitating the informed adoption of natural fiber-based materials.
TIBER: Test, Interact and Build in Extended Realities
The aim of the research project “Modeling the Morphology and Dynamics of Roman Mediterranean Port Cities,” funded by the LABEX Intelligence des Mondes Urbains of the University of Lyon, is to reconstruct lost urban spaces of antiquity while facilitating possible interactions between two scientific communities often brought together in our field: archaeologists and architect-computer scientists. It focuses primarily on a collaborative and interactive environment allowing these communities to interact by jointly and incrementally formalizing the scientific hypotheses that will serve to reconstruct the studied urban and port spaces in three dimensions. The concerted formalization of an urban space at a given period requires numerous interactions: verbal exchanges, visual demonstrations, iconographic comparisons, and morphological hypotheses. It is nourished by expansive preliminary documentary work constituting a state of knowledge at a given moment. However, we believe that when it comes to collaborating between heterogeneous communities, whose words, descriptions, understanding, and interpretation of space draw from different visual and scientific cultures, 3D visualization alone—as detailed and eloquent as it may be—is unable to provide the same interpretative keys to different disciplines. Debates pertaining to synthetic images, for instance, may deprive those who fail to master digital tools of a nuanced space of expression, which can ultimately unbalance the interpretations and shaping of the studied spaces. We have therefore decided to reconsider the nature of this interaction space by reinventing the REACTABLE© (Reactable Project Homepage, https://reactable.com/, last accessed 2025/05/13.), which is essentially a backlit translucent horizontal surface on which tangible objects are placed in order to manifest the appearance of their digital 3D double on a large screen, for example. Echoing what D. Schön calls the “reflective conversation with the materials of the situation” characteristic of the mental disposition of individuals in situations of exchange and debate, we endeavor to enrich possible levels of interaction between transdisciplinary communities by using concept-objects belonging to the real world that allow each individual around the table to participate in exchanges bolstered by the same capacity for interaction.
Artificial Intelligence Alternatives for the Digitisation of Cultural Heritage, 3D Rendering Processes of the Sala Basile in Villa Igiea
The technology integrated with Artificial Intelligence functionality allows the acquisition of real spaces in an increasingly expeditious manner, giving the possibility of digitally configuring complex environments and experimenting with new digital surveying methodologies that differ from the established image/range-based techniques. In recent years, substantial advancements in the fields of computer graphics and computer vision have led to the emergence of innovative approaches, such as Gaussian Splatting, which have revolutionized 3D scene reconstruction and rendering processes. These methods offer remarkable improvements in both realism and computational efficiency. Moreover, in the digital age, the demand for accessible and user-friendly applications is constantly growing, and research is increasingly focused on solutions that offer essential functionality at cost-effective prices. These objectives are mainly pursued by exploiting open-source frameworks, cloud services, and simple methodologies to keep development costs low. The paper aims to validate the results of two Gaussian Splatting processes generated by accessible and user-friendly applications, as well as using simple data as a starting point, such as videos recorded with 360-degree cameras. In this way, the work seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of these innovative techniques in producing high-quality 3D reconstructions, considering the simplicity of the process for users and the associated costs.
Integration of AI-Based Methodologies for Surveying and Virtual Reconstruction: The Case of the Chiostro and the Cappella della Pace in the Monastery of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice
The case study described below is part of a larger project entitled “RE-LIFE: accessibility and inclusiveness in the scenarios of reuse and enhancement of former monastic buildings” at the University of Padua, funded by the European Commission and still under development. The project involves the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) reconstruction, historical-architectural analysis, accessibility studies, and the use of virtual and augmented reality to highlight, through a timeline, the various construction phases and works lost over the centuries. The present article focuses on the case of Santi Giovanni e Paolo and on the Chiostro and Cappella della Pace, both of which no longer survive. The objective of the article is to delineate the historical and graphic workflow pursued to reconstruct the chapel, a hypothesis based on the analysis of precise historical-graphic sources and on the digital survey. The latter was carried out on the cloister through photogrammetry using a Fujifilm MILC camera and an Insta360 X4 8K. The focus is on the use of 360 video shooting techniques for photogrammetric survey processing and on the possibility of integrating a Gaussian Splatting survey for the development of immersive realities, such as applied games or virtual tours. The article provides a comprehensive explanation of how diverse representation techniques can be converged for a singular divulgative purpose.
The VeNiss Infrastructure: A Virtual Environment to Navigate the Venetian Lagoon Through Space and Time
Venice’s Nissology (VeNiss) is a multi-institution research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC), involving the universities of Padua, Florence, and Harvard. Its goal is to represent the architectural heritage of Venice’s lagoon through an interactive 3D web map, allowing users to explore the historic archipelago via a digital platform. Nowadays, this environment faces severe neglect, and many ancient settlements have largely disappeared. The VeNiss project retraces the history of these places over the past five hundred years, shedding light on the events that have shaped around thirty of the more than sixty islands that, over the centuries, have gradually lost their connection to the city centre. The creation of this semantic infrastructure on urban history is based on a complex, integrated process involving a diverse group of scholars, including architectural and art historians, as well as experts in digital surveying, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Building Information Modeling (BIM). This contribution describes the main steps used to produce three-dimensional models of the lagoon settlements and highlights the progressive integration of VR visualisation to ensure optimal collaboration among team members during the design and validation processes of BIM models.