In the architectural heritage field, a complete and in-depth knowledge of the assets is indispensable for any restoration and conservation strategy. In this context, the Historical Building Information Modelling (HBIM) technique is gaining much interest in supporting the diagnostic phase and the design and management of conservation activities. The HBIM provides opportunities to collect, organize and integrate information coming from different sources, inspections, and diagnosis techniques as well as to use standardized and effective tools for orienting cultural heritage asset management. This study addresses the challenges of developing HBIM for large-scale assets, that require adapting the conventional workflow to deliver results in a reasonable time. To this aim, a novel procedure involving a fit-for-purpose Inventory form and a scan-to-BIM approach is proposed. The data acquisition process is speeded up using multiple surveying techniques, and the modelling and information phases benefit from the interoperability among different tools that are already known by professionals in the field. As such, the main innovation lies in the ability to oversee the entire process through a single software, ensuring centralized and efficient control. This innovative process has been applied to investigate a significant portion of the city walls of Pisa, proving its ability to support the decision-making phase for planned conservation of large-scale architectural heritage. The emphasis is on the all-encompassing, interdisciplinary understanding of the assets across different scales. The suggested approach ensures a swift yet precise and reliable outcome in the diagnostic process and facilitating the critical temporal assessments and the review of information by any actor involved in the conservation.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present and validate a large-scale methodology for risk assessment and management in cultural heritage sites, taking into account their specific tangible or intangible values. Emphasis is given to historic centres that are key resources in building resilience to disasters but are also highly vulnerable due to several factors, such as the characteristics of the built environment, the community and social life, the lack of risk awareness and maintenance and finally the poor regulatory framework for their management and valorisation.Design/methodology/approach: The multi-step procedure starts from the assessment of the attributes of cultural heritage in order to identify priorities and address the analysis. Then, it evaluates the primary and secondary hazards in the area, the vulnerabilities and threats of the site and the impacts of the chain of events. Finally, it allows for calibrating a site-specific set of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery measures.Findings: The application to two case studies in the Italian peninsula, the historic centres of San Gimignano and Reggio Calabria, allows for identifying research gaps and practical opportunities towards the adoption of common guidelines for the selection of safety measures.Originality/value: By providing a qualitative assessment of risks, the research points out the potentialities of the methodology in the disaster risk management of cultural heritage due to its capacity to be comprehensive and inclusive towards disciplines and professionals.

In the conservation of monumental heritage, the collection and utilization of information are of primary importance. The Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) procedure harnesses the potential of three-dimensional models, offering significant advantages in accessing documentation, interoperability, multidimensionality of intervention design, cost evaluation, and maintenance management. Our attention here is focused on the Certosa di Pisa (Italy), a large historical complex built in the 14th century as a monastery of the Carthusian Order, currently in a state of deterioration and in need of restoration and re-functionalization. The multifaceted nature of this monumental complex, with its intricate interplay of architectural elements spanning different historical periods and featuring diverse techniques, poses a significant challenge for structural safety assessment. This case study presents an opportunity to explore an HBIM approach to streamline the diagnostic process and facilitate the intervention design phase. The goal is achieved by utilizing an accurate 3D model enriched with data from multiple sources and automating certain operations for a simplified safety assessment of masonry structures under both gravity and seismic loads. The usefulness of the HBIM methodology is highlighted as a valuable tool in the realm of cultural heritage structures for both practitioners and scholars alike.