Laser scanning tall buildings to design new cladding systems

21st July 2020

Laser scanning is an ideal tool to quickly capture vast amounts of spatial data of the external envelopes of buildings. When coupled with HDR and Panoramic photography, virtual buildings can be created quickly to inform on condition and provide the raw information to develop both 2D CAD and 3D modelling of a property.

 

Lane and Frankham

Lane & Frankham (Frankham Consultancy Group’s Measured Survey Division) provided this information to good effect in 2019 by scanning a number of 20+ storey towers for a London Borough to aid the design of a new cladding system. In this instance the existing system had been removed. By scanning the properties at high resolution with the latest terrestrial laser scanners, a high definition point cloud was produced. This point cloud was then utilised to create an LoD 4 Revit model of two typical types of tower giving designers a detailed and accurate picture of the buildings from which they could design a new system.

By providing highly accurate information at an early stage many potential issues can be identified and mitigated during design, potentially saving considerable time and money during construction.

For high rise buildings it is now possible to accurately combine data from terrestrial and drone-based scanning to gain a complete picture of the property without the need for working at height. Panoramic photography provided in a free to download application without the need for costly CAD or Revit software can be supplied. This gives the design team access to a virtual building that can be marked up and shared providing an ideal early decision-making tool.

Good initial information provides a bedrock for any project. Lane and Frankham are committed to working with our clients to provide a bespoke solution to their unique project needs. From simple photographic information to highly detailed revit modelling for a full BIM approach. Accurate spatial data of existing assets can provide both the basis for design and a foundation for the future management of the property.

 

Andy Lane
Director
Lane and Frankham
andy.lane@laneandfrankham.com