Digital Cultural Heritage and Digital Humanities are, historically seen, in focus of different communities as well as approaching different research topics and - from an organizational point of view - departments. However, are they that different? The idea of this joint article involving digital humanists and heritage researchers is to examine communities, concepts and research applications as well as shared challenges. Beyond a collection of problem-centred essays this is intended to initiate a fruitful discussion about commonalities and differences between both scholarly fields as well as to assess to which extent they are two sides of the same medal.

In object-oriented historical research the need to combine hypotheses and textual arguments with the critical analysis based on sources – such as floor plans, sections, perspectives, and photographs – has considerably benefited from the developments in Digital Humanities (Münster, 2022). The use of digital 3D models has overcome many limitations inherent to two-dimensional records. Since the early 1990s hypothetical 3D reconstructions have therefore increasingly become routine research tools and essential means of representation capable of offering new methods of investigation, enabling new insights into the object-related research. In terms of a holistic approach to the analysis and case studies, i.e. the enhanced ability to examine and explore (Favro, 2012) serious challenges remain regarding documentation, interoperability and long-term access to 3D-based research outputs.In this context, numerous initiatives and research projects have emerged with the common objective of systematising and rationalising the various problems identified by scholars. Such projects still tend to remain isolated, lacking a significant impact on the community of potential users. 3D research outputs are not widely applicable, due to the complex prototypes of the software architecture, difficult to apply in a broad sense. Furthermore, the ‘old’ problems still exist, i.e. the traditional approaches - which do not consider a 3D model as a scholarly result, but only an investigative tool - and the reluctance to share these results and the associated procedures. Therefore, an attempt is being made to define the development and evaluation of an applicable methodology for the hypothetical 3D historical reconstruction, based on a shared theoretical approach.The working method presented here reflects many years of engagement with source-based hypothetical 3D reconstruction of no longer extant or unrealised architecture for teaching and research. Our focus is therefore on a low-threshold, application-oriented method of the Scientific Reference Model (SRM) as a documented and published basic model. The structured SRM represents an important working and knowledge state, which clarifies the essential information about the object, its components, its credibility or extent of hypothesis and copyright. Such SRM is made available for further research, edits and refinement, as well as further derivatives (special applications). Thus SRM represents a findable referential result of a scholarly investigation of a material object that physically no longer exists.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an established approach in the construction industry that enables efficient collaboration between stakeholders and facilitates project management. However, when it comes to historical buildings, the application of BIM can be demanding due to the complex nature of these projects. Although BIM Uses in the construction sector are well-documented (Penn State University, 2013) and we are surrounded by amazing technologies, we do not yet have standardized international workflows on how to use those state-of-the-art techniques with Cultural Heritage Assets (Bruno and Roncella, 2019). Standardizing Cultural Heritage (CH) metric documentation and Heritage/Historic Building Information Modeling (HBIM) is challenging since each CH asset needs different information throughout the whole life cycle of the monument - both their physical and non-physical attributes, such as historical and cultural characteristics. Additionally, every work carried out on CH, such as knowledge acquisition, restoration, adaptation, etc., requires specific data inputs. Although there are guidelines books that offer some general proposals, they represent the maximum effort towards standardization. As a result, the field of HBIM has emerged as a relatively new area of scientific research that focuses on the digital representation of CH assets.This research aims to develop a working method and templates for procurement workflow standardization that will facilitate the documentation of historic buildings and heritage assets in coordination with relevant historic preservation authorities for the BIM use case - asset register. The use of various measurement methods, the registration of captured point clouds, and the transfer of geometry to a BIM-compliant 3D information model and sustainable data storage are important aspects of this project.

The CoVHer Erasmus+ project addresses the long-standing lack of standardisation in hypothetical virtual 3D reconstruction and modelling in architectural heritage research. It aims to develop best practices for the 3D reconstruction of lost or never-built architectural heritage, enhancing research quality, transparency, and reusability. The collaborative effort includes contributions from five European universities and two private companies, focusing on architecture, archaeology, digital humanities, and art history. The presented workflow of documentation is the result of the joint effort in extensions of the approaches of the Scientific Reference Model (SRM) and Critical Digital Model (CDM), which strive for faithful reconstruction, documenting all decisions and inferences and advocate open licensing and use of non-proprietary formats to promote accessibility and reusability. The developed methodology aims to provide tools for the scientific evaluation of hypothetical reconstructions and support data exchange between researchers.