Documentation for Architectural Heritage: A Historical Building Information Modeling Data Modeling Approach for the Valentino Castle North Wing

Although HBIM (Historical Building Information Modeling) excels in geometric data acquisition and modeling within Scan-to-BIM (Building Information Modeling) workflows, its application in digital documentation faces persistent challenges, such as balancing precision and efficiency, ambiguous information structures, and the absence of standardized protocols. To address these issues, this study refines key steps from the systematic Scan-to-BIM process and proposes a documentation-oriented HBIM workflow. The workflow is designed to tackle data complexity and semantic alignment challenges through detailed strategic planning, standard data collection, efficient geometric modeling, and ontology-based information integration. Validated in the Valentino Castle’s north wing digital archiving project, the proposed framework emphasizes archival management and standardization, reducing reliance on high-precision point cloud data and complex geometric modeling. Instead, it adopts low-precision geometric models as information storage containers, employing standardized information structures to manage and transfer heterogeneous data. Key contributions include the following: (1) establishing a requirements-driven and model-level-based framework for standardized project management; (2) introducing a component alignment concept to harmonize IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) standards and traditional terminologies; and (3) developing a four-level information structure to enhance HBIM parameter and database management. The workflow significantly reduces data acquisition and modeling time while offering a replicable methodology for heritage documentation, promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration and standardization in digital preservation practices.