From the quarry to the H-BIM for telling the story of Romanesque church of São João de Calvos (Portugal)

Abstract

Romanesque churches are among the most significant elements of Portuguese heritage, due to their architectural and technical-constructive quality and the stonework. The regions of Minho and Douro have the highest concentration of examples. The use of Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) tools now facilitates their protection, conservation, and promotion. This study presents the Romanesque church of S. João de Calvos (Guimarães, Portugal), which contains a wealth of architectural, historical, and technical-scientific information, recovered using different analysis tools applied to the study of its architecture and construction materials. A complete set of archaeological and physicochemical data on the materials was integrated into a Heritage Building Information Modelling model capable of managing geometric and non-geometric information. This is a pilot study for future initiatives, such as the “Route of the Romanesque” (Rota do Românico), incorporating the information into a municipal Heritage Building Information Modelling database for different purposes.