Restoring and conserving historic buildings is a delicate process that requires taking precise measurements — without invasive methods that could cause damage.
Traditional methods, such as measuring by hand, are time consuming and increase the risk of inaccuracies. Additionally, textures and other vital architectural details are often missed by the human eye.
Modern construction technology like 3D laser scanning and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) photography offer powerful solutions for overcoming these obstacles. These tools can help you get the best possible reality capture data so your team can accurately recreate a site digitally, without invasive discovery methods.
CHALLENGES IN RESTORING AND CONSERVING HISTORIC BUILDINGS
Traditional, manual methods for documenting historic buildings come with significant challenges:
- Time-consuming hand measurements —Traditionally, documenting a historic building involves manually measuring and mapping each element, from individual stones to decorative details. For larger, more complex structures, this process is time-intensive and introduces risks, like the need to set up scaffolding that may harm fragile exteriors.
- Hidden structural issues —Many structural problems in historic buildings may not be easily visible to the naked eye. Cracks, foundational shifts, or deteriorating materials are often not discovered until the damage has progressed significantly enough that it’s obvious and showing through. Particularly if the damage is not at eye level.
- Difficulty capturing details — Historic buildings often feature unique architectural elements like intricate carvings, delicate textures, or complex facades. Accurately documenting these features by hand is difficult and time consuming.
Combined or on their own, these challenges can lead to projects going over budget, extended timelines, and results that fail to capture the essence of the original building.
MINIMALLY INVASIVE TECHNOLOGY MEANS DETAIL WITHOUT DISTURBANCE
Modern construction technologies have revolutionized historic building restoration , offering non-invasive ways to collect detailed, precise data across every inch of a site.
For example, using 3D laser scanning in combination with UAVs/Drones aerial photography has proven to be a powerful combination of documentation when teams are looking for the most complete digital visuals of historical builds’ exteriors to date.
3D laser scanners can capture detail down to the millimeter level, allowing for highly accurate 3D renderings to be built from the millions of point cloud data. With UAVs, you can expand this detailed capture process beyond the floor level to get a full view of the building or site from the air.
In addition to the 3D renderings, the captured point cloud data can also be viewed as 360 photos (a byproduct of the point cloud data). As well, 2D or panoramic photos captured via UAV/Drones can be used for further visual reference needs.
This reality capture data can better inform restoration efforts and planning so that projects can minimize potential delays or major issues before any work even begins.
BENEFITS OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY FOR HISTORIC PROJECTS
Individually, 3D laser scanning and UAV/Drone reality capture can each assist with historical restoration projects. But when these technologies are combined, their capabilities are amplified, as mentioned above with unmatched accuracy reality capture data, non-invasive assessment methods, accessibility to hard to reach areas but there are even more benefits to realise like:
- Time and resource efficiency — Manual documentation methods are time- and labor-intensive. By automating the documentation process using 3D laser scanning and UAVs/Drones, workloads can be drastically reduced. Additionally, the reality capture data is often in a compatible format for integration with design platforms like CAD or BIM, so you can expedite project planning and execution relatively quickly post documentation of the site.
- Detailed structural analysis — Engineers and architects can use digital models to analyze structural flaws or deformations, virtually test restoration plans without risking original materials, and compare differences between as-built conditions and original plans. With sites captured from all angles, including previously inaccessible aerial perspectives, you can complete a more thorough assessment of structural integrity.
- Global use and accessibility —With a combination of detailed reality capture data and cloud-based software, team members can virtually tour the site from anywhere in the world, exploring individual points mapped to the floorplan or structural sections for better collaboration and decision-making. This is particularly beneficial for international collaborations and projects requiring input from stakeholders from multiple companies/teams.
DOCUMENT YOUR HISTORIC SITE WITH MULTIVISTA
Multivista empowers construction professionals with cutting-edge technology for reality capture data, leveraging tools like UAVs/Drones and 3D laser scanning for buildings that require special care.
Our documentation specialists have helped document historic buildings, such as the first skyscraper in Miami, the historic Stoke Newington Library in the United Kingdom, and a heritage gas station in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. See more project highlights to learn more about our experience and capabilities.
While individual construction technologies offer benefits for historical restoration, an end-to-end solution like Multivista — one that integrates 3D laser scanning and UAV/Drone aerial photography with AI-powered analysis and a collaborative cloud-based platform — is the best way to get a comprehensive understanding of a historic building and its restoration needs – plus act as a single source of truth for teams to better plan and complete conservation efforts.
Contact us to learn how we can support your work in historic building restoration.
