Developing a combined Light Detecting And Ranging (LiDAR) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach for documentation and deformation assessment of Historical Buildings

Abstract

Cultural heritage plays a fundamental role in preserving the collective memory of a nation. However, it is noted that many historical buildings suffer from serious deformation that may lead to deterioration or loss. In this paper, we propose an approach for documentation and deformation assessment of historical buildings based on the combination of Terrestrial Light Detecting And Ranging (LiDAR) technology and Building Information Models (BIM). In order to digitally archive the current state of a historical building, classical surveying techniques (Traversing, Levelling and GPS) are integrated with Terrestrial Laser scanner (TLS). A Leica Scan Station C10 is used to accomplish the 3D point cloud acquisition. In addition, Leica GNSS Viva GS15 receivers, a Leica Total Station TCR 1201+ and a Leica Runner 24 are used for classical surveying. The result is a 3D point cloud with high resolution, which is referenced according to the local geodetic reference system Ain el Abd UTM 37N. This point cloud is then used to create a 3D BIM that represents the ideal condition of the building. This BIM also contains some important architectural components of the historical building. To detect and assess the deformation of building’s parts that require an urgent intervention, a comparison between the 3D point cloud and the 3D BIM is performed. To achieve this goal, the main parts of the building in the BIM model (such as ceilings and walls) are compared with the corresponding segments of the 3D point cloud according to the normal vectors of each part. A case study that corresponds to a historical building in Jeddah Historical City named ’Robat Banajah’ is presented to illustrate the proposed approach. This building was built to serve pilgrims that want to perform the fifth pillar of Islam. Then, it was endowed (waqf) as a charity housing for widows and disabled. The results of assessing deformations of the case study show that some rooms are in a degraded condition requiring urgent restoration (distortions reach up to 22 cm), while other building parts are in a non-critical condition.