Last week, members of the Capitol’s HBIM team traveled to Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia as part of an ongoing project with Quinn Evans Architects to construct a Historical Building Information Model (HBIM) for the Capitol. A BIM model is a digital twin of a structure that acts as a 3D reconstruction of the building’s mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and historical infrastructure.
The project is entering its second year of implementation, and the team continues to expand the model’s capabilities. Their focus includes the use of the HBIM to monitor temperature throughout the Capitol, the tracking of water pipes and system shut offs, the documentation of portraiture and decorative artwork, and digital scanning and recreation of the building’s most precious surfaces, among other things.
Capitol staff visited several sites on this trip that relate specifically to recent work Quinn Evans has completed in the D.C. area, including the Old Richmond City Hall, the Virginia State Capitol and its new welcome center, and Mount Vernon. At each of these sites, staff learned about different approaches to historic preservation projects, the importance of documentation and archiving of ongoing preservation, and the use of HBIM models in acting as a repository for historic building condition, assessment, and MEP reports.
The Michigan State Capitol Commission would like to thank Quinn Evans Architects and their historic preservation partners for hosting us on this informational tour of our nation’s capital!
