Latest technology for as-built data capture

Demo site Berlin, Germany

The demo site at Berlin, Germany, consist in a renovation of an apartment block with 56 dwellings, built in 1960. Due to the age of the building, as built information was all on paper outdated or incomplete drawings.

In renovation projects, this lack of information can produce errors in the design, cost overrun and delays in the project. For this reason, it is important to capture properly the existing conditions of the building at the initial stage of the project to support planning and execution activities from an early point.

To reduce this risk, we started the as-built data capture conducing a high-resolution 3D survey of all exterior surfaces of the building and the internal surfaces of the technical room and a sample occupied apartment using a robotic total station in conjunction with a laser scanner. This approach reduces the time that is necessary to overall verifications, as a complete layout and scan can be made in a single set-up. The cloud point data collected allow developing a detailed as-built BIM model of the building. This model will be compared with a BIM model of the demo case that was created previously through a conventional approach, which developed the 3D model from the drawings of the building and data collected manually. 

To check the insulation of the building, we used the latest technology for thermal scanning: drones. A high-resolution camera and an infrared camera were attached to the drone which flew over and around the building, capturing multiple images in a systematic scheme. Drone-generated thermal maps are a game-changer for these kinds of inspections, this technology simplifies the scanning procedure leveraging predefined flight-plans, scanning the surfaces in a semi-automatic way.

The drone was used for the thermal scanning of the rooftop and some regions of the façades of the building, which allowed the identification of specific areas of the roof and façade possibly affected by moisture. The results obtained may encourage the replacement of the insulation membrane.

The latest technology used to survey the building gave the project team accurate information that will reduce risks during works on site and support better decision making about this renovation project, leading to higher energy efficiency. 

Great progress at demonstration sites

Spain and Bulgaria

Since the launch of our project in November 2018, our consortium partners are endeavouring to realise the energy-efficient housing renovations in the EU. Thanks to them, BIM-SPEED is running on wheels.

Hot summer months were the perfect time for completing the thermal scanning. With the help of our partner Architectural Spies, successful thermal surveys were carried out in both Bulgarian demo site (Varna) and Spanish demo site (Vitoria-Gasteiz). In Varna, a total of 256 scans (204 interiors and 52 exteriors) were made. These scans are to be integrated with the additional building data to understand the energy behaviour of the demo site. For Vitoria-Gasteiz, another scanning is planned this winter. A final thermal scanning after the actual renovation will determine the real quality of the insulation of the building.

Furthermore,  we have completed a detailed survey of every apartment regarding the ventilation, carpentry, and condensations in Vitoria-Gasteiz demo site. In combination with 3D scanning data and the 3D model developed by our partner LKS, the survey will provide relevant building details to produce a BEM (Building Energy Model). In addition, the 3D model images have also been facilitating smooth communication between the community and our project. "An image is worth more than any word."