Not every construction project starts from the ground up. And when it comes to renovations and expansions on existing or historic buildings, one of the first hurdles a project team encounters is determining accurate as-built and existing conditions to create a baseline for everything that follows.
In this article, we’ll touch on how strategies work, how they benefit construction teams, and why many professionals turn to third-party experts to perform scan-to-plan work.
What is scan-to-plan?
Traditionally, creating floor plans of existing buildings required visiting a jobsite and hand-measuring everything—a time-consuming (and notoriously error-prone) process. These days, more and more project teams are turning to laser scanners that capture highly accurate point cloud data that can be used to create floor plans quickly and with much less margin for error.
With up to 1/8-inch (3mm) accuracy, these scan-to-plan drawings can be used to make more informed decisions and complete projects faster, thanks to reduced errors, better collaboration, and better access to field intelligence wherever you need it.
Working from 2D CAD drawings created with Multivista’s Scan to Plan service, project teams are less likely to run into issues caused by inaccurate measurements or assumptions made due to a lack of information. Minimizing the risk of incorrect measurements provides the architect, engineering, and construction teams with actionable information on things like:
- Floor plans
- Roof plans
- Ceiling plans
- Exterior elevations
- Building sections
- Site layouts
CAD documents created using scan-to-plan are valuable not only when a building is finished, but also afterwards. They allow staff and future designers, engineers, and architects to know where certain features are—and because they’re digitized, you don’t need to worry about storing (or losing) large-format documents.
“Asset owners, architects, and project teams need to know what they own, or what they are starting with,” says Mark King, Multivista’s Product Manager for 3D Laser Scanning. “Utilizing laser scanners creates accurate, up-to-date data with value that extends far beyond the renovation or building process. We work with a number of school districts who use these plans for life safety and emergency planning as well.”
Why construction stakeholders turn to experts for scan-to-plan services
While there’s no doubt that scanning existing facilities is almost immediately beneficial, the process isn’t inherently simple. Here’s why:
Scanners that deliver such a high level of precision are expensive, generate large data files, require specialized software, and necessitate a certain level of expertise to use properly.
For these reasons, most construction professionals turn to professional scanning service providers like Multivista, who come on site to scan the property, then analyze and process the data to create AutoCAD (DWG) and PDF plans. Once generated, the entire project team can access this data via a secure online portal.
“Our skill is capturing the right data and putting the dozens, or thousands, of scans together into a simple and accurate deliverable,” King says. “And with professional laser scanning technicians in 60+ locations around the globe, our geographical footprint is among the best in the AEC industry.”
To learn more about laser scanning and how scan-to-plan services might benefit your next project, call us for a demo.
