Heritage building information modelling: a case study of Kasthamandap, Nepal

Abstract

A heritage building information model (HBIM) has been used to record permanently the tangible and intangible aspects of a heritage structure, Kasthamandap, situated in Kathmandu, Nepal. Kasthamandap dates back to 600 CE and is a building integral to Nepal’s heritage. It collapsed as a result of the Gorkha earthquake in 2015, and the reconstruction began in May 2018. The HBIM created was capable of achieving traditional building information modelling functionality to display the structural components (timber and masonry). In addition, a method of presenting intangible information was achieved, by modelling generic objects in the Revit software program to represent artefacts and ‘spaces’ and using web pages linked to the objects to display photographs and other archaeological data. The HBIM of Kasthamandap was created using the Autodesk Viewer software program to display a three-dimensional Revit model online, allowing access to the model at no expense to users. This paper demonstrates the variety of ways that an HBIM can be used to represent both engineering data and intangible heritage data, with the possibility of involving the public in the heritage documentation process.