A Semantic Framework for the Assessment and Management of Historic Timber Structures: Linking CIDOC CRM-Based Ontological Modelling and HBIM

The conservation of historic timber structures requires the continuous collection and updating of heterogeneous information related to both historical development and structural safety. Data coming from repeated maintenance surveys and on-site assessments are often fragmented, difficult to compare, and poorly structured for long-term use. This study proposes a semantic framework for the assessment and management of historic timber structures, whose applicability is demonstrated through its application to the timber roof structure of the San Marco Museum in Florence. The methodology defines the knowledge domain specific to historic timber structure assessment and formalises it through an ontological model aligned with the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) and its extensions CRMba and CRMsci. The ontology is implemented in Web Ontology Language (OWL) using the Protégé editor, populated with individual instances, and queried through SPARQL, while an HBIM environment provides the spatial and operational context for data organisation and visualisation. The two systems are linked through a shared identifier system. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework enables the structured integration and querying of heterogeneous diagnostic data, supporting their long-term management while preserving provenance, temporal context, and methodological information.