Case Study: Point cloud created by a surveyor for a national hotel refurbishment program
Surveyors that can support 3D scanning sites located nationally
In today’s modern era, the practice of relying on paper-based drawings and floor plans for a hotel refurbishment has become obsolete, with architects increasingly turning to modern workflows to maximise on the benefits that 3D scanning and modelling can offer. Realserve was engaged by an architect in Brisbane, Queensland to capture point clouds for multiple sites around the country.
Using our surveyors based in offices located in Adelaide and other major capital cities, a Realserve National Project Manager was appointed to facilitate the project and arrange for multiple sites to be surveyed and documented. Instead of the project architect needing to fly interstate or engage multiple surveyors in Australia, all they needed to do was contract Realserve to conduct a detailed 3D scan of the hotel gaming room and then process the data to create a point cloud for each location.
Each site included in the National hotel refurbishment program had its own unique characteristics and architectural features. The surveyed areas varied in shape and size, with total floor areas being anywhere between 50 and 200 square metres.Realserve provided consistent and reliable data for the project design team to work from
Surveyors that do 3D scanning and point cloud creation
Realserve has a team of 3D survey technicians in Adelaide (and other states of Australia) that regularly complete 3D scanning projects for entire buildings, retail stores, industrial warehouses, factories, or, as in this project, hotels that were flagged for refurbishment. 3D scanning is the fastest, most efficient and accurate way to capture all the details of a site with precise measured information.
The comprehensive point cloud data captured with 3D scanners can be used to create various forms of survey accurate architectural documentation like a floor plan, reflected ceiling plan, elevation plan or a lettable area survey. With so much data at hand, a point cloud will enable remote architects, drafters, designers or engineers s to produce plans needed to renovate, sell, or lease a property or even be stored to serve as a record of a site’s existing conditions for historical conservation purposes.
Why was a surveyor needed for a hotel gaming room refurbishment?
The National Hotel group with multiple properties in Adelaide needed to make changes to their gaming rooms to create more space between the individual machines and refurbish the spaces across their network. By using a 3D scanner Realserve was able to survey the commercial property in a short period of time with minimal disruption to the retail operations of the facility. The 3D scanners capture detailed actionable data which is delivered as a point cloud and 360-degree photos that can be digitally shared and worked with anywhere in the world.
A surveyor can be used to create traditional 2D drawings and floor plans or 3D models in Revit to help design, approve, plan and complete refurbishment of a hotel (or any other commercial use property). In this example, our task was to do the 3D scanning on site, then process the data to create a single point cloud for the architects to use in their office interstate.
The utilization of 3D scanning technology eliminates the requirement for an architect’s physical presence at the site, and eliminates the necessity for surveyors to revisit the location as it’s highly effective in capturing all the visible features the first time, including intricate details such as columns, fittings, and unusual ceiling heights. This streamlined approach results in a reduction in both time and monetary expenses for the architect. Furthermore, architects can leverage the 3D point cloud in conjunction with site photographs to eliminate the necessity of on-site visits altogether.
What documentation can a 3D point cloud help to create?
While these types of survey documents were not required for this project, it is possible to create the following that may have been relevant to this situation;
Floor Plans
An existing condition or as built floor plan could give an interior design team the most accurate layout possible to use for their initial space planning, as well as assist them with identifying what existing structural features would present limitations for their design ideas. Enabling the designers to have the exact location of existing columns or other building features it let them to incorporate these into their new fit-out design ideas, maybe even using them as focal points.
The Reflected Ceiling Plan
Was critical as it identified the location of the feature bulkheads as well as major permanent services, such as fire sprinklers. This prevented the interior designers from designing lighting and services layouts that would conflict with those major service provisions.
Section drawings
Even in their most basic form, sections provide incredible amounts of time saving data. With fire evacuation plans and the manual task of collecting the details of the bulkhead heights, floor changes and stair voids, designers would have spent tens of hours extra collecting and documenting the detail required. Having Realserve 3D scan and provide the data in a format ready for them to use, saved time and resources, and also gave designers confidence knowing the data was accurate and could be relied on.
Revit Model
Once the point cloud was created we could have then built and delivered an accurate 3D Revit Model that was ready to be used in a range of different applications. Primarily, the as built 3D revit model could be used to visualise the existing conditions, demolition stage, and floor plan changes all in 3D Further to this, the process of 3D laser scanning to create a Building Information Model, otherwise known as Scan to BIM, is what is required to create a digital twin of a property.
Evacuation Diagram;
It is always important to consider staff safety and not rely on existing documentation or signage which may be out of date. Whether or not the renovations would change the floor plan a current one should be made available that has accurate information.
What is the alternative to getting 3D scanning of a retail or hotel property?
The big advantage of using the latest 3D scanning technology for retail or commercial buildings is the data captured can be used for multiple purposes if required. So for this site we captured the data outside of normal working hours which meant there were no people around and the space could be captured in its existing state.
The big advantage of using the latest 3D scanning technology for retail or commercial buildings is the data captured can be used for multiple purposes if required. So for this site we captured the data outside of normal working hours which meant there were no people around and the space could be captured in its existing state.
3D tour
A 3D scan could be produced as a Matterport Virtual 3D Tour which would enable someone to virtually ‘walk’ through the space being considered for refurbishment. This can be useful if the building managers have to get approvals from other stakeholders who are located interstate or overseas.
A tour could be conducted before and after the refurbishments to then show the changes that have been put into effect on the site. The tour can also be used for marketing purposes by a real estate agent trying to find new tenants, sell the building or on the shopping centre website to attract customers.
3D Revit Model
A 3D revit model could be created that can be used by an architect to design with. Using a Revit model allows for entire buildings or parts of buildings to be modelled and worked on electronically. This can be very useful for multiple parties to collaborate with who are all involved in a construction project. Using Revit modelling as part of the BIM process makes it easier to create & manage things like 3D renders, 3D perspectives, detailed drawings and walkthroughs where any changes are then ‘updated’ across all documentation.
BIM allows everything to be created live in Revit so that adjustments can be made as required by various parties, to develop a practical and cohesive design that suits the requirements of the site and the client’s goals. Different variations of plans can be easily created and used for estimating costs & the complexity of different renovation solutions, for example, comparing a stair and lift installation.
As built Revit models can not only be used to produce and view designs in 3D, but also enable various contractors to ensure that newly constructed elements can fit into the space provided, without clashings with existing services.
Using digital twins to manage maintenance in a national hotel group
Using the latest in 3D scanning means that all the documentation is electronic which makes it very easy for different stakeholders to collaborate on a construction project. For this building project in Adelaide it meant the architect, construction manager and engineer were all able to all view the same set of plans in real time via a computer or laptop, anywhere in the world.
Using advanced 3D scanning and modelling tools, surveyors can create more accurate and comprehensive documentation resulting in significant time savings. Rather than having to rely on paper-based plans, which may require redrawing, the use of digital 3D models can streamline the planning process and support the project’s overall success.
Point cloud samples
