There is an important distinction to be made between the act of drawing to design and drawing to record. The objectives of the two are different, but the language (being the act of drawing) remains the universal language of architecture. The space the architect designs is defined by the building internally and buildings or buildings and site externally.

There is a reality in building survey that acknowledges that planes (floors or walls) may not be parallel, walls not vertical or floors level. To assist in accuracy we can offer 3-D Laser Scanning as part of our heritage assessments.

3-D Laser Scanning

3-D Laser Scanning affords a tool to record accurately the warts – and all physical realities of heritage buildings and their sites. 3-D scanning also captures the important wider physical context within which built heritage exists and which together make architectural space. The 3-D data file brings with it unique opportunities for sharing and collaboration across disciplines and zones (time and/or place).

Once captured this data can be safeguarded and used over time, particularly as the technology goes beyond that used in its original capture are real issues for consideration. The record (as point cloud data or as 2-D drawings taken from that data), becomes doubly valuable as an archive and as a record which can be repeated over time and used as a measure against previous survey.

Trotec T3000 Moisture Meter

The T3000 multifunctional moisture meter enables precise measurements of a wide range of materials. This specialist equipment enables non-invasive microwave recording of materials (including stone and masonry) up to 300mm in thickness. The T3000 now enables us to make a broader assessment of any building fabric within the context of our detailed building surveys and has already proved invaluable in providing compelling evidence of material performance as found and measured over time to determine the effects of moisture within historic building fabric.