Investments in preservation and development of regional cultural heritage: A library of bim elements representing national architectural and urban-planning landmarks

Abstract

Introduction: The paper presents a methodology for reduction of expenses within investment projects aimed at the preservation and development of cultural heritage sites, based on the combined use of methods of scientific restoration, laser scanning and information modeling, as well as creation of a library of unique BIM elements of ancient city buildings, identified at protected sites of the urban environment, using restoration of a building in the Old Tatar Quarter (Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda) in Kazan as an example. Methods: The authors performed standard (traditional) scientific restoration activities and innovative field studies using laser scanning and built a parametric information model of the cultural heritage site for further development of a restoration plan with account for site adaptation to modern functions. Results and discussion: Point cloud processing is carried out to create an information model and a library of unique BIM elements, which can be used repeatedly in restoration and reconstruction, thus reducing costs for BIMmodel development in future investment projects. The practical significance of the study lies in the creation of a public good - a library (encyclopedia) of ancient architectural elements in the form of a library of BIM elements for BIM models of architectural and urban-planning landmarks in the region, as well as in the development of recommendations (by individuals, regional and local regulatory authorities) for an efficient policy in urban planning and restoration with regard to similar historical and cultural, architectural and urban-planning landmarks.