An appraisal of the HBIM methodology as a viable approach for sustainable conservation in heritage asset management practices

The heritage industry has attempted to adopt HBIM as its flagship methodology for achieving sustainable conservation in heritage asset management practices. Sustainable conservation in heritage asset management entails safeguarding the cultural values associated with heritage assets, while simultaneously addressing the environmental, social, and economic challenges they currently face or may be exposed to in the future. Sustainable conservation practices are based on the integration of these core principles, which include the following key points, ethical compliance, environmental responsibility, preventive maintenance strategies, stakeholder engagement, the adoption of innovative technologies, and meaningful community participation in the conservation process. In trying to efficiently balance the huge sustainability demands of a small heritage sector, experts have looked to integrate emerging digital transformative processes such as HBIM, digital twins and GIS techniques to help strike a balance and achieve improved sustainability in their asset management outcomes. Despite the developmental efforts of heritage professionals and scientific contributions from academic sources, HBIM integration in the heritage sector is still facing sector-specific challenges that limit its adoption and use for sustainable conservation practice. Therefore, this research study aims to provide an appraisal of the HBIM methodology as a viable approach for sustainable conservation in heritage asset management practices. This follows a qualitative approach that utilises semi-structured interviews as a technique to gather rich, in-depth insights from the two key stakeholder communities: academic experts and industry professionals. The dual-community focus allowed for a comparative perspective that revealed not only shared understandings and perspectives of the HBIM concept, but also key divergences shaped by disciplinary context, technical exposure, and practical experiences in heritage asset management contexts. A comprehensive review of the literature, combined with insights from the exploratory study, enabled the research to critically engage with each of the identified objectives and address the overarching aim in a structured and informed manner. Based on the findings from this process, it is clear that HBIM is not a viable method for sustainable conservation in the management of heritage buildings, while large scale projects demonstrate the potentials associated with successful integration. The capacity to fully transfer such BIM functional requirements into small scale projects dispersed around the heritage sector is extremely difficult. This research challenges HBIM-based narrative for the management of heritage assets and raises a question about the legitimacy of HBIM methodology, Instead, it calls for a shift of focus to developing sustainability strategies rather than the technicalities of processes that guide them.