Modeling Historic Architecture: a reflection on representation in the BIM environment

BIM modeling of architectural heritage raises important issues mainly related to the complexity of geometric shapes of architectural elements and the lack of specific libraries for the historical buildings. Therefore, reflection on how to model individual architectural components is necessary. The choice of one modeling method rather than another and, at the same time, the acceptability or otherwise of the deviations between the model and the real element, depends on the objectives pursued and on the peculiarities of the building under study. The paper deals with an experimentation concerning the use of different procedures for the modeling of vaulted ceilings, with the aim of evaluating the benefits and disadvantages of each procedure, also taking into consideration the different deviation values obtained.