Use of the BIM Methodology for the Maintenance and Valorisation of Historical and Architectural Heritage: the Case Study of the College of the Jesuits in Catania

In recent years, important changes have affected the fields of architecture and engi-neering, revolutionizing the traditional construction process. Among these, the Building Information Modeling is a key tool for the design and management of the building during the entire life cycle, from its construction, maintenance and restora-tion to its disposal. In order to make this tool effective, it is necessary to develop a methodology that integrates the different types of information contained in the virtual BIM model, including the interventions on both the building heritage and architec-tural emergencies. The realization of the BIM model, and the following integration of building compo-nents information, is particularly complex in the case of historical-monumental build-ings, both for the geometric-architectural complexity that characterizes them and for the high amount of associated information. These can be partly found through the reconstruction of the building history and integrated with the geometric survey of the building in its current configuration. In particular, among the information of the his-torical building that can be included in the "virtual archive" associated to the BIM model, those relating to the maintenance phase are the most relevant. In fact, this phase is predominant for temporal extension compared to the other phases charac-terizing the entire life cycle of the building. Moreover, the planning phase of mainte-nance works related to the architectural and monumental heritage is an issue, espe-cially in recent years, due to the increasing awareness about the recovery and re-use of historical and cultural heritage. The present research, through the analysis of the case study of the Jesuits College of Catania, aims to combine the use of the BIM methodology with suitable planning and management of the maintenance activities addressed to the building case of study, characterized by a high historical-monumental value. In particular, this study analyses some structural and non-structural building components, which have been modelled and completed with the information necessary to guarantee, in the future, both a reduction in design and economic uncertainties and a rational management of the heritage.