KBS recently had the opportunity to learn about an emerging technology in the design and construction industry, 3D laser scanning. Prologue Systems, a Richmond based laser scanning firm, spoke with over a dozen KBS employees about the benefits of scanning and the insight it provides for QA/QC, as built analysis, structural forensics, planning, design, etc. It became apparent during our lunch & learn session that this technology, which uses a LASER to capture up to 976,000 measurement points per second, rendering a 3D image with an extremely high resolution measured in millimeter-accuracy, could bring significant value to many different stages of a construction project.
KBS was quick to “kick the tires” on this technology when the Element at Stonebridge project team hired Prologue Systems to conduct a 3D scan of pre-slab pour plumbing penetrations to confirm the accuracy of pipe placement relative to the CAD overlay of the first floor of Building #1. The results of this scan proved to be extremely valuable after having identified several locations where plumbing was out of a wall or interfering with other construction. Each of the issues identified were fixed before any concrete was poured, thereby eliminating costly, destructive remediation down the road. After this successful trial run, KBS is exploring many other opportunities to leverage this technology in our goal to bring quality, value and consistency to our clients.
