Visualising Relation Between Terminologies and HBIM Models for Historic Architecture

Moving beyond the limits of purely geometric or descriptive documentation, the study conceives the digital models as a structured information system capable of coherently and queryably organising both the formal-typological and the interpretative-historical dimensions of heritage. The methodology is developed within the framework of the European Horizon MSCA project Hephaestus, which investigates cross-border Cultural Heritage Routes (CHRs) and historic fortification systems in the Adriatic and Baltic basins. The paper focuses on Adriatic CHR, through the selection, organisation, and interrelation of a distributed corpus of fortified architectures, articulated according to historical phases, territorial clusters, typological classes, and multilevel relationships. The study adopts an approach centered on HBIM models and ontological frameworks, implemented through complementary top-down and bottom-up processes. The results show the possibility of structuring HBIM-derived data within an ontology-based framework capable of linking, within a single information system, architectural elements, fortified systems, and territorial entities across heterogeneous case studies. The application to differentiated contexts highlights the ability of the models to adapt to different scales and levels of complexity, supporting querying, comparison, and multi-level interpretation of heritage. The variety of sources and contexts enables the methodology to be tested across heterogeneous historical and typological scenarios, strengthening its applicability and robustness within a multiscalar information structure.