Search

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as a revolutionary tool in the domain of architectural conservation and documentation. When combined with terrestrial 3D laser scanning, it presents a powerful method to capture and represent the intricate details and nuances of historic structures. Such buildings, with their unique architectural lineage, often exude a geometric complexity unparalleled by standard designs. Consequently, the transition from scan data to a BIM framework, or the scan-to-BIM process, becomes intricate and time-intensive. Beyond the challenge of digital translation, the true essence of these historic buildings lies not only in their geometric form but also in understanding and preserving their design logic, formal composition rules, and primitive geometry. It then becomes imperative that the resulting model maintains fidelity in terms of proportion, shape, symmetry, and spatial rationale. Considering these challenges and potentials, this article delves into the process of digitalizing and BIM modeling of the Lisbon Agricultural Exhibition Pavilion located in Portugal. Our study proceeds in a tripartite structure: initiating with an in-depth terrestrial 3D laser scanning of the pavilion, followed by a comprehensive registration, processing, and alignment of the acquired scans, and culminating in a detailed BIM model using the industry-standard Revit 2020 software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architectural survey methods using terrestrial 3D laser scanning and digital photogrammetry prove capable of registering a building with a level of accuracy far superior to traditional methods, minimizing errors, and reducing fieldwork. Current developments in the construction industry, and new requirements emerging worldwide, have increased the demand for building information modeling (BIM) models as the end product of these surveys. Still, because BIM is a new paradigm, many professionals find the transition challenging, especially when dealing with old and heritage buildings. The new ways of the market demand solutions to optimize processes and make architectural reconstruction from point clouds even more efficient. An online questionnaire survey was carried out with 208 industry professionals working in 78 countries to assess the scope of these demands. As a result, the article presents an overview of current scan-to-BIM practices worldwide with data regarding the architectural survey and BIM modeling derived from point clouds. The implemented survey also identifies in which countries BIM adherence is most accelerated for conventional buildings and for listed buildings and non-listed old buildings, the main benefits and difficulties encountered by professionals, tools and workflows used, and the role of different professionals in collaborative work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]