Case study - We are planning an energy-efficient refurbishment of the entire building

Find out how our precise 3D models help you to plan safely and efficiently, even with complex and deformed existing buildings. In this case study, our guest describes her project experience with our 3D data.

Why did we decide to survey the building?
Although the existing building is well preserved in parts, it is crooked and skewed in large parts. We assumed that a professional building survey would give us a little more planning certainty than if we worked with as-built plans or our own rudimentary measurements.

Our building project
We are planning an energy-efficient renovation of the entire building, i.e. complete insulation of the building envelope, replacement of the heat generation and distribution systems and replacement of all technical installations. A garage building is also to be built near the street. The building survey will be further processed as a 3D model in ArchiCAD - existing elements will be set for demolition and new components will be drawn in.

Our experience
Working with plans where not every angle is 90° and not every surface is completely flat is a challenge, as we believe that programs such as ArchiCAD are designed for new buildings and have difficulty with irregularities. Sometimes you have to be inventive in further processing (e.g. if a window is to be routed through an existing wall and additional insulation).

Our advantages
We clearly see the advantage in the fact that even simple visualizations simplify communication with the client and have become an important design and review tool for us. Although working in 3D is more time-consuming for the first time, it enables efficient control of planned conversions, especially when components extend over several storeys.