INTEGRATING HETEROGENEOUS DATASETS IN HBIM OF DECORATED SURFACES

Abstract. There are multiple conservation challenges related to decorated surfaces, the majority are intimately linked to its documentation. This paper draws on wall paintings as a representative of decorated surfaces, arguing the importance of considering its fourthdimensionality – space and time – in its conservation and documentation. To that end, we propose the use of Building Information Model (BIM) as a platform to consolidate this approach together with various documentation techniques used for the conservation and management of wall paintings. This paper exemplifies this method with a case study of Myin-pya-gu Temple in Old Bagan (Myanmar); firstly, reviewing the different techniques used to document the temple and wall painting (photography, photogrammetry, laser scanning, reflectance transformation imaging (RTI); and secondly, discussing the data integration within a BIM environment. This position proposes a transition from a two-dimensional to a four-dimensional approach in wall painting conservation, potentially opening up possibilities of documentation, monitoring, simulation, or dissemination. Ultimately, the case study of Myin-pya-gu has the objective to introduce the use of HBIM as a platform for consolidating the documentation of decorated surfaces.