Determining the Degree of Degradation Using BIM Analysis Software

The analysis of degradation is an essential step, preliminary to the development of any restoration project for existing buildings.

Traditional methods allow for an accurate result but involve considerable effort for the designer, especially in terms of time.

The BIM approach applied to existing buildings (HBIM) has introduced a series of advantages in the design, management, protection, and enhancement processes of historic buildings.

A real-based method, in fact, facilitates the construction of “smart” 3D models that include metric, geometric, morphological, material-constructive, conservation-related information, etc.

In this blog article, we will explain how to perform the analysis of degradation of an existing building with BIM software to optimize the time and results of your project.

In particular, we propose a practical example using the HBIM environment features of a software for the recovery of historic buildings.

Download the software for free, follow my instructions, and try to perform the analysis of degradation of your project building directly on the 3D model.

How to perform the analysis of degradation of an existing building directly on the 3D model

Degradation or Alteration Phenomena?

Over time, all materials undergo modifications.

When these changes imply a deterioration in the conservation status of the material, it is referred to as degradation.

Conversely, if the modification of the material does not necessarily imply a deterioration of its characteristics from a conservation perspective, it is called alteration. Typically, the analysis of historic buildings focuses on identifying degradation phenomena, as these can impact the health and conservation status of the artifact.

Having clarified the difference between alterations and degradations, let’s delve deeper into the latter.

Degradation Analysis: What It Is and Its Purpose

Degradation analysis is a study that investigates the conservation status of all materials and surfaces of stone artifacts. The investigations conducted culminate in descriptive graphs that depict, with hatching and legends, the plans, sections, and elevations of the building and the degradation phenomena detected.

The aim is to analyze the “defects” presented by the building under study in order to identify the most appropriate “treatment” to resolve the issues that the building manifests.

The mechanism is analogous to the clinical analysis that a doctor performs on their patient: they study the symptoms that manifest, conduct analyses and in-depth investigations, formulate their diagnosis, and finally choose the most suitable treatment.

Similarly, degradation analysis includes the description of degradation and instability phenomena, the causes that generated such phenomena, and the restoration and conservative rehabilitation interventions to be planned in the project.

Below are all the types of degradation recognized and classified.

• Color alteration
• Alveolization
• Leaching
• Biological colonization
• Crust
• Deformation
• Differential degradation
• Surface deposit
• Disintegration or pulverization
• Detachment
• Efflorescence and sub-efflorescence
• Erosion
• Exfoliation
• Fracturing or cracking
• Rising front
• Vandal graffiti
• Encrustation and concretion
• Gap and absence
• Stain
• Patina
• Biological patina
• Film
• Pitting
• Presence of vegetation
• Swelling
• Scaling

This information can be represented in various ways:

• tables or documents as hyperlinks, without 2D or 3D graphic models;
• 2D graphic documents of the degradation mapping represented as hatchings and extracts from photos and sketches made during the survey;
• 3D model with mappings based on the profiles of degradation forms (lines, polylines, etc.) present in CAD documents;
• 3D BIM model with representation of cracks and degradation mappings based on orthophotos, textures, or rectified images;
• 3D BIM model built from point clouds and textured meshes with representation of cracks and degradation mappings.

To date, the most widespread method is certainly that which involves analyses carried out from 2D documents created with CAD software, on which the degraded areas are mapped and then analyzed in specific explanatory legends.

With the development of BIM and the application of this new methodology to historic buildings (HBIM), the techniques for representing and analyzing degradation and instability phenomena have also evolved.

This evolution brings numerous advantages for the technician, including significant time and labor savings.

Let’s see together how to represent the degradation analysis of an existing building with BIM software.

How to Perform Degradation Analysis with BIM Software

First, it is necessary to create the BIM model of the building, understood as a set of parametric objects that can contain an infinite amount of constantly updated, implemented, and essential information for managing the maintenance, protection, and enhancement of the asset.

To delve into the modeling of a historic building, we recommend reading this article.

With the development of HBIM, all the advantages of the BIM methodology are automatically transferred to the existing building heritage, allowing optimal management of the monitoring of the asset, planning of interventions over time, safeguarding of collected information, interoperability among the figures involved in the process, etc.

Once the 3D model is created, we can proceed with the analyses.

Degradation analysis with BIM software | Image created by Edificius

With BIM software, it is possible to work directly on the BIM model, identify pathologies directly on the orthophoto associated with the parametric objects of the model, automatically obtain the legend with the patterns used in the graphs, the type of degradation, the causes, and the interventions planned by the restoration project.

The process is faster than that traditionally conducted with CAD software: it takes less time, leverages the automation provided by the functionalities of HBIM, but above all, it results in a 3D model complete with all the information, which can be implemented over time, modified, and updated automatically and with extreme simplicity.

How to do it with Edificius

With Edificius, you can process the degradation tables of your building in just a few steps and obtain:

• the realistic representation of the current state thanks to the use of the orthophoto;
• the representation of the degradation areas with the respective patterns and automatically generated legends;
• a BIM model that is consultable, implementable, and updatable over time;
• graphic tables with photorealistic views and legends;
• the quantities to be included in the calculation of restoration interventions;
• photorealistic renders of the model to be used for project presentation.

If you also want to perform the degradation analysis with Edificius, download the HBIM software for free and continue to follow my instructions step by step:

• in the HBIM section, choose the command Orthophoto to upload the straightened photo of the facade to be analyzed onto the model
• position and scale the image to obtain the realistic representation of each facade of the building
• select the command Deterioration
• from the 3D view, click on the envelope where you need to insert the degradation area
• click on Edit to define the degradation area or modify one that has already been inserted
• freely trace the areas that show signs of degradation by overlaying them on the just uploaded orthophoto
• at the end of the operation, click on Finish
• select the area just defined and associate a type of degradation from the properties toolbox
• choose the type of degradation from the BIM objects library in the “Alterations and Degradations” folder
• in “Characteristics,” also define the Depth, Classification, and Thickness of the degradation phenomenon
• define all the characteristics of the degradation phenomenon from the Properties
• automatically obtain the legend of the degradation phenomena inserted in the model, with related patterns and descriptions, to be included in the executive graphic tables.

Watch the video

Watch the video that shows you how to use Edificius for the redevelopment of historic buildings.