Sustainable Heritage Transformation: Bridging BIM and Simulation Processes

Abstract

Integrating Heritage Building Information Management (HBIM) into historic building preservation presents challenges despite its potential for structured information management and collaborative, data-driven processes. This research proposes a framework for integrating energy performance and lifecycle simulations with HBIM in the case study UNESCO site Speicherstadt in Hamburg. Structuring BIM models into information containers enhances information availability. A user-oriented workflow enables non-BIM experts to make modifications. An innovative interface is proposed to simplify access, query, and manipulation of BIM data. While no single standard can ensure complete interoperability, the promotion of open standards such as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and Open-Source Software (OSS), contributes to the improvement of interoperability and the democratization of built heritage information. The interface allows stakeholders to directly add and modify discipline-specific data, improving accessibility.The research acknowledges workflow challenges in the BIM ecosystem, such as data compatibility, user experience, and collaboration. It contributes to the ongoing data quality and consistency debate, focusing on leveraging HBIM for sustainable historic building preservation. The developed concept emphasizes HBIM models, user-oriented workflows, open standards, and accessible data structures to address heritage building conservation needs while enabling efficiency simulations and assessments.