Il BIM per i beni archeologici: il caso studio delle Terme Romane dell’Indirizzo di Catania

In recent years, the development of increasingly high-performance and accessible software lead to the evolution of the so-called "virtual archaeology", a process that can provide, through a reconstruction that starts from the current state and includes historical knowledge, a complete view of how the building appeared, often with a hypothetical representation of its uses and users. The reconstruction of the archaeological heritage through digital technology can achieve two goals: on one hand, it is able to make the building "accessible", because it can be visited and understood by the visitor; on the other hand, it allows to obtain an "information container" as a final product, able to include the information collected in the past and up to day. For the achievement of the first objective the research has made considerable progress, reaching the realization of real "virtual paths", but the need to develop systems and methodologies for the integrated storage of information and documentation of the building, to optimize its current use and its future management, still occurs. From this point of view, the use of Building Information Modeling is indispensable, because this methodology, unlike those aimed only at the virtual reproduction of the building, also includes the creation of a three dimensional model able to provide a realistic representation associated with the storage of its components’ information. The present research, through the analysis of the case study of the Terme Romane dell’Indirizzo of Catania, aims to illustrate the process that, starting from the relief of the archaeological heritage and the storage of its information, reaches the realization of a "smart" model. This model represents a container of data that can be integrated with the evolution of the building and can be used for its correct management and for the planning of activities aimed at its recovery and maintenance over time.