The research project “CHARMING PISTOIA”: an integrated HBIM project for preservation and maintenance of heritage structures

The implementation of proper strategies of conservation of heritage structures requires the collection of heterogeneous sources of information (historical evolution, past restoration works, experimental data, monitoring systems results, etc.). The handling of this data needs an effective informative modelling, able to collect different type of data by using 3D parametric model. Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) can be considered a promising tool for the conservation of monuments which have to be protected along the centuries, thanks to its capability of archiving and handling the building information. This paper discusses this topic by describing the research project “CHARMING PISTOIA” (Cultural HeritAge infoRmation ModellING for PISTOIA: from monitoring data to digital twin). The goal of the project is to deliver tools and methodologies to improve conservation of historical constructions by ensuring the optimal use of the resources required for the tasks of Control & Preservation of heritage buildings. It proposed a three steps approach: i) the design of the HBIM to collect the information on the structure and to export them in computational models; ii) the integration of a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system to ensure the steady flow of structural information and its updating through Bayesian inference; iii). the definition of robust computational models for the Joint Vulnerability Assessment of the structure and the works of art inside. In this context, the Pieve of Sant’Andrea in Pistoia (Italy) and its masterpiece, the Pulpit of Giovanni Pisano, represents an emblematic case study to meet the challenges of the research. In this paper the preliminary stages of the project are reported and discussed together with the expected results.