When we enter a cathedral, stroll through a monastery, or visit a castle, we rarely think about everything that is happening “inside” them. We do not see how moisture slowly rises through the walls, how increasingly frequent and abrupt temperature changes generate invisible stresses, or how a millimetric crack can eventually become a striking fissure over time. And yet, that is often where the deterioration of heritage begins.
Preserving our historic buildings is not just about restoring them when a crack appears or cleaning them when a façade looks worn. Above all, it is about anticipation. It means understanding what is happening to them before the problem becomes evident. With this idea in mind, the Comprehensive Intelligent Monitoring and Predictive Risk Assessment Model for Cultural Heritage Assets (MIMER-BIC, Spanish acronym) was developed by the Cultural Heritage Area of CARTIF.
This model is based on something we can all agree on: to know what is happening to someone, we must first listen. And if that “someone” is something as valuable as our historic buildings, listening means measuring. Sensors record temperature, humidity, light (infrared, visible, and ultraviolet), air quality, crack growth, wall inclination, vibrations, the presence of insects that attack wood, the number of visitors, or even potential intrusions. However, the real innovation lies not in placing sensors, but in transforming that data into useful information. The model converts all these measurements into clear indicators and risk indices that, on a simple scale from 0 to 100, reveal whether a building is in a stable condition or requires priority intervention.
Thanks to this methodology, it is possible to detect whether the indoor environment is endangering paintings or altarpieces, whether a structure is undergoing abnormal movements, whether excessive visitor numbers are affecting the microclimate, whether a weather event could accelerate external deterioration, whether a fire is starting, or whether someone has entered a restricted area. The focus is no longer on reacting once damage is visible, but on preventing it in advance and, above all, doing so with sound judgment.
Behind this advancement lie many years of research. The CARTIF team has worked intensively in different technologies such as:
- 3D surveying
- HBIM
- Preventive conservation
- Structural analysis
- Risk modelling
- Advanced sensorization
- Artificial intelligence applied to heritage
Yet this journey has not been undertaken alone. Close collaboration with companies in the sector (where the role of TRYCSA has been particularly noteworthy) has been key to ensuring that the model did not remain on paper but became a practical reality. Their hands-on experience, technical expertise, and commitment have made it possible to test, refine, and transform the methodological proposal into an effective and applicable tool.
The result is an original model with its own methodology (from the definition of architectural-functional typologies and major families of pathologies to the formulation of synthetic risk indices), protected under intellectual property regulations. This protection is not merely a legal formality: it is recognition that we are facing a pioneering proposal with high scientific and technological value for the heritage conservation sector. A model developed in the region of “Castilla y León”, yet with a clearly global vocation and positioned at the forefront of applied research in cultural heritage.
“We are facing a pioneering proposal with high scientific and technological value for heritage conservation sector”
At a time when climate change, tourism pressure, and limited resources are testing conservation capacities, having tools that enable prioritization, planning, and decision-making based on objective data is more necessary than ever. The MIMER-BIC model represents precisely that: a new way of caring for what belongs to us all, combining expert knowledge, technology, and collaboration between research and industry. Because, in the end, preserving heritage is not only about keeping old buildings standing. It is about protecting stories, memories, and a shared identity. And doing so intelligently today is the best guarantee that they will still be there tomorrow.
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