Heritage building information modeling and building performance simulation for solar design in built heritage

Heritage building information modeling (HBIM) and building performance simulation (BPS) are gaining significant traction for the documentation, conservation, and restoration of historical buildings. HBIM acts as an information repository to collect, organize, and manage data over time, for the design and implementation of renovation interventions, while BPS provides the decision support needed to optimize design solutions. The integration of solar panels (both photovoltaics and solar collectors) within these interventions can face barriers of acceptability, involving three assessment criteria: esthetic, technological, and energy integration. HBIM and BPS are beneficial to all three, enhancing the implementation of solar panels in heritage sites. Thanks to the coupling of 3D geometries and data, HBIM can foster a clear and effective visual representation of design options to assess esthetic integration by incorporating rendering engines, also in real time. Technological integration is fostered by HBIM’s capability to manage and evaluate installation and operation processes. As for energy integration, BPS models are used for energy and environmental simulations through interoperability processes. Moreover, the HBIM approach allows to bridge the traditional boundaries between architecture, engineering, and economics, as well as between research and professional practices, and seems promising to promote the consideration of the three criteria as a whole, fostering interdisciplinarity in the design process. The use of HBIM and BPS for the installation of solar panels in historical sites represents an innovative and sustainable solution for the conservation cultural heritage. It encourages interdisciplinary collaboration in the design process, fostering innovative, sustainable, and technically advanced esthetic solutions.