ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Architectural Advisory:

As an architectural advisor, we leverage decades of experience to identify challenges with potential projects, existing conditions, or previous work and offer innovative solutions to improve your space. Navigating a major architectural project is complicated and each situation is unique and we are here to help guide you along the way. Whether you need help with exploring the potential of a project, gaining insight for a given space, gathering market research data, or examining existing work, we can piece together a plan for you that’s customized to your unique circumstances.

Adaptive Reuse:

Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl. We handle each adaptive reuse project on a case by case basis and carefully consider the unique parameters, goals, and issues for each project. We review conservation and heritage policies to ensure guidelines and restrictions are addressed in the project scope. By reusing an existing structure within a site,  the energy required to create new spaces is lessened as is the material waste. Unoccupied buildings can become suitable sites.

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)

Architectural LiDAR Services: (coming soon)

3D scans provide amazing accuracy, spatial coordination, and a wealth of information to the owner, project manager, architect, engineers, contractors, and facility managers. Demands in the architectural profession have led to creative ways to use this information.

Scans are assembled into a 360-degree, full-color point-cloud with billions of measurable points. Teams can survey and measure just as traditional surveying methods permit. The difference is measurable in several ways:

  • The speed in which scans are captured is much faster than traditional surveying methods, saving both time and money
  • Remote or otherwise inaccessible sites can be surveyed with little risk or danger to people
  • Web access allows anyone around the world to “directly walk through” the project and take direct measurements as if they were on-site
  • Once scanned, the project site can be visited numerous times anywhere there is computer access
  • Complex field measurements can be done at the comfort of a desk in a fraction of the time, and with better control for verification and re-verification

Key benefits of using 3D laser scanning:

  • Complex 3D measurements can be viewed whenever someone needs it, without a site visit
  • Confirmation of measurements vs old drawings in the case of existing or historic buildings
  • Quick verification of planar alignment of walls, floors, and ceilings
  • Insertion of 3D objects to evaluate design options
  • Precision down to millimeters of existing conditions
  • Quick conversion of information into a 2D CAD drawing or 3D Revit model

Other LiDAR Services: (coming soon)

Digital Elevation Model (DEM):
Digital Elevation Model, or DEM, is a digital model or 3-D representation of a terrain’s surface. A DEM is built by using data collected from LiDAR equipment. Often times, DEMs are used for geographical information purposes such as a digitally produced relief map.

Microtopography:
Using LiDAR services to capture DEMs produces a scan that is so accurate allowing the height and roughness of the ground surface to be examined and measured on a very small scale. Soil surface conditions affect overland flow and soil erosion processes, but acquiring microtopographic data traditionally has been difficult. LiDAR services can produce instant and complete surface profiles with higher data acquisition than traditional methodologies. This can reduce the time it takes to gather measurable data, and reduces the frequency of field studies, especially if the site is remote or otherwise hard to access.

Biodiversity Assessment:
Habitat structure is crucial in explaining species diversities and patterns for many groups, but typically assessing them over large spatial scales can be difficult, time consuming, and dangerous. LiDAR scanning can be applied over entire landscapes, which can overcome traditional limitations. Additionally, LiDAR can eliminate the need for re-entering the field for missed data, as it can capture much more information in a shorter period of time. Additionally, LiDAR services can help monitor environmental conditions over time for side-by-side comparison and analysis.

Historic Preservation:
As more buildings and sites are added to historic registries across the country, 3D scanning offers an inexpensive way to capture building information for preservation and presentation purposes. Some sites may even prove to be too inaccessible for traditional surveying, making 3D scanning the only viable option. These scans can then be used to provide accurate drawings for presentation or for 3D model building complete with texture, detail, and quirks that may have evolved over time from the original plans.