Implementation of Scan-to-BIM and FEM for the Documentation and Analysis of Heritage Timber Roof Structures

Current heritage analysis applications and documentation techniques for timber roof structures rely on manual measurements to provide the spatial data. Major simplifications are made to document these structures efficiently. However, these simplified geometric models provide less reliable results. Therefore, the need exists for more realistic models. Additionally, the exchangeability of information between varying parties is paramount. Hence, the construction elements should be defined in a Building Information Model (BIM). This allows users to reuse the model, allowing the distribution of information throughout the project. The goal of our research is to create a realistic BIM model of a complex heritage roof structure employing dense point clouds. The comparison of our complex geometric model to a traditional wire-frame model proves that our approach provides more reliable results in terms of geometry and structural behaviour. Our work covers the acquisition, the modelling and the structural analysis of timber roof structures.