Treasured heirlooms are “priceless,” not because they are cheap; on the contrary, a culture ascribes pricelessness to things of irreplaceable socio-historical significance. But, these histories, reflected in architecture, are threatened by the erosion of time.
Fortunately, CTC Software’s Revit-compatible Building Information Modeling (BIM) Suites™ offer streamlined workflows to architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) teams. These Suites house add-ins that help contribute to safeguarding history, while limiting costs associated with saving what is priceless.
Revit’s Role in Preserving Histories with BIM
BIM is a process that enables interdisciplinary collaboration across the life of an AEC project. Architects once drafted blueprints in isolated Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs. Revit® has since broken down the walls of CAD, with BIM making data underlying 3D building models accessible to all project stakeholders.
Revit’s BIM functionality has been used to restore and preserve buildings and monuments representing the narratives of nations. Governments have indicated that the continuity of these stories is important enough to warrant legal protection.
The United States exemplifies this attitude in The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), creating the National Register of Historic Places. 16 U.S.C. § 470a(a) (originally, Pub. L. No. 89–665, 80 Stat. 915 (1966)). Registered landmarks are seen as “living expression[s]” of a collective heritage, comprising “diverse traditional prehistoric, historic, ethnic, and folk cultural traditions[.]” 16 U.S.C. § 470a note (citing Act amending NHPA, Pub. L. 96–515, § 502, 94 Stat. 1003-04 (1980)).
The maintenance and modernization of historical landmarks signifying American heritage, including the Washington Monument and Empire State Building, have utilized Revit’s BIM mechanism.
BIM allows for circular feedback, which shapes and informs designs, thereby reducing mistakes, increasing efficiency, and inviting versatile perspectives. CTC Software’s Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) Connector™ attaches powerful add-ins from its BIM Batch Suite™ and Manager Suite™ to link Autodesk® software and automate Revit tasks for smoother historical building renewal.
Nôtre Dame: Revit in the Restoration and Preservation of Global History
Firefighters saved Nôtre Dame from complete disintegration. Around the globe, an image of the gold cross rising behind the rubble-filled altar circulated a message of hope and resilience. But, the AEC experts conscripted to rebuild the Cathedral were strapped with not only preserving collective memory, but also restoring Nôtre Dame’s legacy. The Cathedral’s rapid refurbishment could not have been accomplished without Revit.
In collaboration with Art Graphique & Patrimoine (AGP)–a French alliance of experts specializing in 3D digitization of historical monuments–Revit’s BIM process was implemented to reconstruct Nôtre Dame. AGP captured a multitude of photos and measurements of the Cathedral, employing laser scanners and drones. These scans were uploaded to Autodesk software as distinct cloud points. BIM then conglomerated these cloud points into a hyper-realistic 3D representation, rendered in Revit.
The rehabilitation of Nôtre Dame–a mammoth structure that took centuries to erect and modify–is on track to conclude only six years after the devastating fire, with its doors set to usher visitors eastward, toward sunrise, by the end of 2024. Every step of the way, the AEC coalition demonstrated reverence for the Cathedral’s origins.
Nôtre Dame illustrates how state-of-the-art digital tools, including BIM, can bring damaged historical sites back to life.
CTC Software Bolsters Revit to Preserve, Restore, and Make History
CTC Software’s BIM Suites supply extensions that build on Revit’s success in historical preservation and restoration.
The Fire Rating add-in, one of more than 20 tools available with the BIM Project Suite™, permits users to monitor Revit building components’ fire-resistance ratings. It also delivers visualization of various element configurations, so designers can ensure legal compliance and safety before a fire occurs.
Further, CTC Software’s Nexus Suite™ furnishes unique content specific to masonry. Our Content Experts, sponsored by official organizations in the masonry industry, developed this content, which was provided by the International Masonry Institute, as part of the BIM for Masonry initiative.
To learn more about how these, and other, CTC Software add-ins can buttress Revit to decrease tedium and increase ROI for your priceless historical enterprises, explore our BIM Suites and ROI calculator.
