# Ambiances Integration in the HBIM Process Towards an Ambient Twin: A Literature Review

Nadia Bouzgarrou, Faten Hussein, Laurent Lescop

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Nadia Bouzgarrou, Faten Hussein, Laurent Lescop. Ambiances Integration in the HBIM Process Towards an Ambient Twin: A Literature Review. The Eurographics Association. Digital Heritage International Congress 2025, Sep 2025, Sienne, Italy., DH2025 proceedings, pp.3368, 2025, 10.2312/dh.20253368. hal-05357129

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Submitted on 10 Nov 2025

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# Ambiances Integration in the HBIM Process Towards an Ambient Twin: A Literature Review

N.Bouzgarrou¹, F.Hussein² and L.Lescop³

¹ PHD student and Researcher ERA / LARPAA / EDSIA - ENAU - TUNISIA & AAU - UMR | CNRS 1563 Nantes

² Associate Professor and researcher at ERA / LARPAA / EDSIA - ENAU - TUNISIA

³ Professor at the Nantes' Superior School of Architecture (ENSA Nantes) and researcher at AAU - UMR | CNRS

## Abstract

This paper discusses new methods for digitally valorizing a heritage by proposing the inclusion of sensory and atmospheric dimensions within Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) workflows. The age of digital transformation has afforded unprecedented tools through immersive technologies and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), with which to enrich heritage beyond its geometric documentation. Instead of reframing or transforming the experiences of cultural heritage, we propose to turn to a poetic-sensory model with an awareness of the ambient as the mediation between the physical and experiential dimensions. Through a critical literature review and analysis of HBIM projects in Tunis (Tunisia) and Nantes (France), we both take stock of current practices and suggest future possibilities for defining ambient and in-tangible knowledge using HBIM as the modality. Importantly, our Research supports the evolution of digital twins to encompass ambient twins, to document, capture and ultimately portray emotional attachments and cultural significance of heritage places. The proposed model is currently being developed within the framework of a joint PhD. The case studies in Tunis and Nantes aim to identify relevant tools and methods to capture, store, and integrate atmospheric data into HBIM environments.

**Keywords:** Heritage, Ambiances, Digitization, HBIM (Heritage Building Information Modeling), sensory, collaboration

## 1.Introduction

The shift to digital documentation of heritage impacts the documentation of physical places more accurately, but the intangibility of ritual, atmosphere and sensory memories can be difficult to document. By emphasizing a future in which heritage is recast as narrative in motion (not only preservation) and that emotional reactivations would occur through activating ambiance and perception, in this case the idea of Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) is more than just morpho-technical.

How do ICT, and HBIM in particular, evolve beyond morpho-technical models into a sensory regeneration of memory and atmosphere of cultural heritage sites?

## 2-Literature Review

Since its emergence, Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) has been dealt primarily with the geometric modeling of historical buildings, in support of documentation, restoration, and conservation efforts (Murphy et al., 2009). Over time, HBIM has developed to include semantic, historical, and typological data, enabling broader interdisciplinary applications. However, despite these enhancements, current HBIM practices are still

limited in their ability to represent atmospheric, narrative, and sensory dimensions elements that are fundamental to the memorial and experiential value of cultural heritage.

Our research approach addresses this gap by adopting a poetic-sensory perspective that highlights the affective and relational qualities of space, drawing on Gernot Böhme's concept of atmosphere (1993) and Juhani Pallasmaa's focus on multisensory perception (2005). These perspectives suggest that the memory of place extends beyond physical form to cover lived materiality its sounds, textures, smells, and generally ambiance.

In this context, we suggest the notion of an "Ambient Twin": a conceptual extension of HBIM in which sensory and emotional layers light, sound, symbolic meaning into digital heritage models. This method goes beyond the purely morpho-technical logic of the digital twin, aiming instead to capture the emotional essence of place through immersive representation. Despite parallel progress in the field of digital heritage, immersive museography, and interactive storytelling (e.g., Champion, 2015) explore similar ideas, few initiatives incorporate these aspects within the HBIM process itself. Our research aims to
overcome this gap by embedding HBIM with atmospheric and in-tangible data, positioning it as a tool not only for preservation, but also as a method for cultural mediation and sensory engagement.

The literature review that anchors this study focused on publication dates ranging from 2009 to 2025, regarding the development of HBIM and its intersections with ambiance, sensory perception, and in-tangible heritage integration. By redefining HBIM through the perspective of emotional experience and environmental perception, this work provides the basis for a more inclusive, meaningful, and affectively immersive method to digital heritage.

## 3- Preliminary Methodology

This research incorporates a comprehensive literature review on Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM), Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and immersive technologies with a preliminary field investigation in two different cultural contexts: Nantes (France) and Tunis (Tunisia).

We selected two emblematic heritage sites currently undergoing rehabilitation: the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul (Nantes) and the Acropolium of Carthage (Tunis) as the focus of our analysis. The main stakeholders for each project were identified, particularly those shortlisted in design competitions or engaged in the rehabilitation process.

To assess BIM maturity, we used the BIM Compass diagnostic framework, which we modified to assess not only technical and organizational aspects (e.g., workflows, data exchange, decision-making) but also the integration of sensory and in-tangible heritage values. This extended tool, referred to as the Ambiance-Oriented BIM Compass, introduces parameters related to atmosphere, qualitative data, and ambient perception

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /><figcaption>**Figure 1: Preliminary Methodology process**</figcaption></figure>

## 4- Summary and conclusions

This study presents a conceptual extension of the traditional HBIM process toward an Ambient Twin, seeking to incorporate the atmospheric, symbolic, and affective dimensions of heritage sites. Through an analytical literature review, we emphasized the limitations of current morpho-technical models and accentuated the need to integrate sensory and experiential data such as light, sound, materiality, and spatial narratives into heritage modeling. The Ambient Twin is therefore imagined as a hybrid digital model, capable of representing not only the physical framework of heritage, but also its in-tangible atmospheres. This document is a position paper which supports an in-progress doctoral research project on heritage regeneration in Tunis and Nantes. To validate and refine the proposed Ambient Twin approach, the research will bring together in-situ sensory data collection, promote interdisciplinary collaborations, and engage in immersive modeling experiments.

## 5. References

[ACMNDF17] ARAYICI, Y., COUNSELL, J., MAHDJOUBI, L., NAGY, G., DWEIDAR, K., and FERNANDO, T. "Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) for Cultural Heritage Conservation". In: HERITAGE BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING. Ed. by ARAYICI, Y., COUNSELL, J., and MAHDJOUBI, L. Routledge, (2017), 15-40.

[Azh11] AZHAR, S. "Building Information Modeling (BIM): Trends, Benefits, Risks, and Challenges for the AEC Industry". LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN ENGINEERING 11.3, (2011), 241-252.

[BPFMG18] BEKELE, M. K., PIERDICCA, R., FRONTONI, E., MALINVERNI, E. S., and GAIN, J. "A Survey of Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality for Cultural Heritage". JOURNAL ON COMPUTING AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (JOCCH), (2018), 11.2.

[BBS15] BILLE, M., BJERREGAARD, P., and SØRENSEN, T. F. "Staging Atmospheres: Materiality, Culture, and the Texture of the In-Between". EMOTION, SPACE AND SOCIETY 15 (2015), 31-38.

## 6. Acknowledgments

This research is part of the PHC-Utique project BIMaSPHERE Regenerative Ambiances and Cultural Heritage (CMCU Code: 25G0405).