Building Information Modeling and Structural Analysis in the Knowledge Path of a Historical Construction

In the field of historical buildings, the development of the knowledge of the structural characteristics is essential to assess the structural risks of a construction. The preservation of memory, the respect for heritage principles and the interdisciplinarity of the subject make analysis more complex. An exhaustive knowledge path of historical constructions goes through a deep analysis of all interventions carried out, the constructive evolution, the geometric and mechanical characteristics of the building, the structural forces that have already act in the past and in the current configuration, the built environment and the atmospheric environmental factors, the maintenance interventions, etc. Using exhaustive methodologies capable of satisfying the needs of designers is important due to the large number of factors influencing such a study and the difficulty of obtaining and collecting information. The objective of this work is to investigate existing and proven options of methodologies in order to apply them to the field of built heritage constructions. The main aim is to achieve an overall study of the historical building characteristics. Defining an interpretive model allows both a qualitative interpretation of the structural performance and a structural analysis for a quantitative evaluation. In the paper, a multidisciplinary analysis is proposed adopting two proven methodologies: the knowledge path and Building Information Modeling (BIM). The chosen case study is the Troop Barracks in the old fortress located in Anhatomirim Island (SC), Brazil. This aims to show how the proposed methodologies can be adapted to historical building in structural masonry and wooden horizontal elements.