2D — December 23, 2022 - January 19, 2023 — Year in Review 2022 — M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal
www.MAREJ.com
Y ear in R eview 2022
By Mikaela Price, AKF Group 3D Scanning – Not just a new way to view architectural elements
3
D scanning has been gaining in popularity with real estate devel-
building adds value for archi- tects and interior designers, but what about the engineers? Is there a benefit? The short answer is yes, and it is similar to a virtual walkthrough of a house or mall, but the focal points are the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection services. Over the past 20 years the popularity of fixing up older buildings has hit a record high. The AIA collected data that indicates 52% of firm billings consist of renovations. At the start of a renovation project the access to existing
drawings determines how much information a design team can gather about the existing systems, apart from surveying it. 3D scanning provides value to the owner and design team by ensur- ing a thorough survey of all systems in a shorter amount of time compared to an in- person survey. For example, services generally run in the same service tunnel; tracing individual lines, taking pho- tos, and marking up a plan can take several hours over the course of multiple days. With a 3D scan, a team can
locate all services and how they are coordinated within the general footprint of the building or space. Typically, a design team will send out at least one person per discipline over multiple days to trace out existing fa- cilities. 3D scanning requires only one or two individuals for a few hours to capture the information. This informa- tion is then translated into a point cloud and High Dynamic Range (HDR) imagery that al- lows design teams to virtually survey the space and re-visit it at any time they may need.
This information can also be imported into design models (Revit, 3D PDFs, virtual real- ity headsets) to ensure that existing information is mod- eled in the correct locations and proper heights to help mitigate any confusion that comes about from only having markups and a standard photo from a site visit. The level of coordination with existing systems that 3D scanning provides allows a design team to be confident that new equipment, duct, piping, conduit, and other services can fit within the parameters of an existing space. This also minimizes the amount of RFIs that may arise from missed informa- tion or modeling from ex- isting drawings, which can lead to less change orders for stakeholders. AKF’s 3D Scanning inte- grated service has proven use- ful in multiple projects from universities and health care facilities to commercial spaces by being able to provide the design team with a detailed visual of existing services, while also providing owners and stakeholders information of the completed project. Mikaela Price is a mechan- ical engineer at AKF Group, an MEP/FP Engineering and Integrated Services firm with offices throughout the USA and Mexico. MAREJ
opers in resi- dential and commercial spaces. Mod- ern scanning technology allows stake- holders to walk through virtual spac-
Mikaela Price
es without setting foot in a building. Owners can show off spaces or sample future spaces to prospective customers. The ability to scan the interior of a
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The Year in Review 2022 Spotlight
a section of the Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
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