B.I.M. models and evaluations

The new Italian Procurement Code—L.D. n. 50, 2016—implementing the 2014 European Union Directive, introduced BIM (Building Information Modeling) as an innovative approach to digitalize the construction sector. The recent Decree n. 560 of December 1st 2017 defines the methods and schedule for the gradual introduction of the BIM for the design, execution and management of construction works. BIM procedures involve a radical change in the design approach that goes from the graphical representation to the simulation of a process, both in the field of new constructions and in the field of Cultural Heritage conservation. In this perspective the article shows the results of a survey carried out on historic buildings. It aimed at verifying how much the modeling has remained confined to a low level of development (LOD A, according to the UNI 11337 standard is linked to a merely symbolic level) and those who have gone further by integrating specific and detailed information that allow real time to evaluate the sustainability of different alternatives. The article, which represents a first step of an ongoing research, starting from the regulatory framework of the BIM in Italy, highlights its potential (Sect. 1); the issue of the evaluation is deepened (Sect. 2), with particular reference to the 5D-BIM Project cost management and to the Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM).