Saudi Arabia has more heritage at stake than any market we work in. HBIM is BIM tuned for buildings that were built without drawings, modified over generations, and need to be preserved without being idealised. Scan + historic family library + preservation-led detailing.
A traditional Diriyah mud wall isn't a parametric "wall" — it's a stratified mass with thermal performance shaped by what hand-built it. Standard families flatten that information and lose the asset.
Heritage restoration requires the joint, the moulding profile, the carving pattern — the parts that make the building what it is. Without those captured as data, "restoration" defaults to pastiche.
Most heritage buildings have no usable drawing record. Without a measured digital twin, every decision about preservation, structural retrofit, or adaptive reuse is made blind.
HBIM done right means the building becomes a queryable dataset. What material is that wall? Where is the original timber lintel? Which courses are 1820 and which are 1956 repair? The model should answer those.
HBIM sits at the intersection of two disciplines that don't usually speak — conservation theory and BIM. We work to both: minimal intervention, reversibility, authenticity of materials — all captured as data on the model.
Conservation specialist reads the building; laser scan captures the geometry. We start with what the building is, not what we want it to be.
Revit model authored against the cloud with custom heritage families, period stratigraphy, and material composition data baked into each element.
Defect mapping overlay on the model, intervention philosophy documented, restoration specification linked to model parameters. Conservation theory turned into a BIM dataset.
Construction drawings + specifications generated from the HBIM model. Every restoration intervention is traceable, documented, reversible where principle requires.
Centuries-old Saudi castle with no usable record drawings. Full HBIM delivery from scan campaign through restoration spec — custom heritage family library, period stratigraphy, condition mapping, and a preservation strategy that intervenes only where the structure needs it. The flagship HBIM showcase in our portfolio.
HBIM (Heritage BIM) is the application of BIM workflows to historic, listed, or culturally significant buildings. The core difference from regular BIM is the source data: HBIM starts from laser scan + photogrammetry of an existing structure, not from new design intent. Custom Revit families are authored to match observed geometry (no library standards exist for 18th-century coral-stone facades). Material parameters carry conservation status (original, restored, replacement), not just specification. The deliverable is an as-built model usable for restoration planning, condition monitoring, and educational records.
For typical ornamental decoration (Mashrabiya, plasterwork mouldings, calligraphy bands) we achieve LOD 400+ via Leica BLK360 close-range scanning paired with high-res photogrammetry. The point cloud captures geometry to 3-6 mm; the photogrammetry overlay captures color, texture, and weathering pattern. Custom parametric Revit families are authored per ornament type and applied across the building — a Mashrabiya panel modeled once becomes a family with parameters for size, lattice density, and timber profile. We've achieved this on Koraysh Castle (Old Jeddah) and the Aleen 152 heritage interpretation panels.
Faro Focus S350 for general site scan (3 mm at 25m, fast setup). Leica BLK360 for close-range ornamental capture and tight spaces (6 mm accuracy, lightweight, ideal for upper-floor or narrow-passage scanning). DJI Phantom 4 RTK for roof and facade photogrammetry of inaccessible upper stories. We never use a single scanner — heritage capture always combines terrestrial laser + close-range laser + photogrammetry, then registers all three into a single point cloud. The combined dataset is the basis for the HBIM model.
Yes — site access on listed and conservation-zone buildings requires Heritage Commission permits, which we coordinate as part of the project setup. Our HBIM deliverables are formatted to match Heritage Commission documentation requirements: orthographic plans/elevations/sections at 1:50, material schedules with conservation status flags, and a separate report file describing scan methodology + LOD achievable per surface. The Commission has accepted our deliverables for 3 heritage projects to date.
Yes — that's the core use case. The HBIM model is the basis for: condition assessment (each element gets condition parameter — sound, damaged, missing, replaced), restoration scope definition (BoQ extracted from the model with quantity per material per condition), phasing plans (which elements get treated when), structural intervention design (new reinforcement modeled against the as-built), and post-restoration record (the model updates as work completes, becoming the conservation baseline for the next century). Heritage clients value this longitudinal use as much as the immediate restoration deliverable.
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60 seconds — name, email, scope brief.
A senior BIM lead reads your scope and replies — bilingual EN/AR.
Real conversation. EIR + BEP scope outline. ISO 19650 aligned.