Building Information Modelling for Heritage Project Management: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Heritage buildings represent valuable cultural, historical, and architectural assets that require effective management to ensure their preservation and sustainability. However, managing heritage projects presents numerous challenges, including incomplete documentation, complex geometries, conservation constraints, and multidisciplinary stakeholder involvement. In recent years, Building Information Modelling (BIM), particularly Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM), has emerged as a promising digital approach for improving the documentation, management, and conservation of historic structures. Despite the growing body of research on BIM applications in heritage contexts, the extent to which BIM contributes to heritage project management remains fragmented across the literature. This study aims to systematically review the existing research on BIM for heritage project management to identify major research trends, applications, and gaps. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Relevant publications were retrieved from the Scopus database using predefined search strings related to Building Information Modelling, heritage buildings, and management practices. The search covered publications between 2010 and 2020. This study provides a foundational analysis of the formative decade of HBIM development (2010–2020), representing the period during which the core concepts, workflows, and methodological structures of HBIM were established. The initial search identified 389 records. After removing duplicates and applying screening and eligibility criteria, 28 studies were included in the final qualitative synthesis. The selected articles were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key application areas and management implications of BIM in heritage projects. The results indicate that BIM plays an increasingly important role in heritage project management by facilitating heritage documentation, conservation planning, information integration, and lifecycle management. Six major themes emerged from the analysis: heritage documentation and digital reconstruction, HBIM-based information integration, conservation and restoration planning, lifecycle and facility management, collaborative project coordination, decision support for heritage project management. The findings also highlight BIM's potential to improve project coordination, information transparency, and long-term heritage asset management. Inconclusion, this paper contributes to the understanding of BIM-enabled heritage project management and identifies future research directions for integrating digital technologies into heritage conservation practices.