3D surveying & laser scanning brings marketing success in Leimen
-95%
Planning cost buffer
25%
Construction time reduction
100%
Marketing rate
The Challenge
The planning department of the renovation partners in Leimen faced an extremely complex and high-risk project. A striking, historically valuable residential and commercial building in the heart of Leimen, whose roots partly dated back to the late 19th century, was to be fundamentally renovated, remodeled, and reconfigured. The planned usage concept envisioned converting the spacious former gastronomy and brewery areas on the ground floor into a state-of-the-art physiotherapy group practice and a fitness studio, while the upper floors were to be transformed into modern, barrier-free condominiums through a new spatial layout. However, the structural reality proved to be a nightmare for any architect and structural engineer: The historical construction documents were incomplete, inaccurate, and in no way reflected the actual building structure. Over generations, walls had been moved, intermediate ceilings installed, and extensions realized. Furthermore, the building exhibited typical old building defects such as significant wall deflections, slanted ceilings, and irregular room heights. Particularly problematic was the barrel-vaulted basement, which had to serve structurally as a foundation for the heavy medical training equipment on the ground floor. Without an absolutely reliable, three-dimensional recording of the building structure, significant planning errors threatened. Structural calculations would have been based on mere assumptions, and the MEP planners would not have been able to route the complex ventilation ducts for the fitness studio and the practice collision-free through the irregular ceilings. A conventional, manual survey by hand would have been temporally and technically impossible due to the enormous structural deviations and the sheer size of the building.
Our Solution
The renovation partners in Leimen therefore decided to use the latest technology and commissioned FotoEstate to carry out a comprehensive 3D survey and high-precision laser scanning of the entire residential and commercial building. Our measurement technicians used a combination of highly precise terrestrial laser scanners and flexible, mobile SLAM scanners (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) to capture the building's geometry without any gaps. Every area was digitized to the centimeter, from the historic cellar vault to the intricate commercial spaces and the angular roof structure. The scanners captured over 1.2 billion measurement points, which were merged into a high-resolution 3D point cloud. From this point cloud, our CAD specialists generated a detailed 3D BIM model (Building Information Modeling) in Revit format. This model uncompromisingly represented the geometric reality of the building: every slanted wall, every uneven ceiling thickness, and every structural deviation were recorded with geometric precision. On this basis, the structural engineers were able to carry out precise static calculations and plan the necessary steel reinforcements in the basement exactly. The MEP planners used the model to digitally route the ventilation ducts and supply lines through the historic building without any physical collisions.
The Result
The results of the 3D laser scanning by FotoEstate were invaluable for the renovation partners in Leimen and ensured the economic success of the entire conversion project. Thanks to the absolutely error-free 3D planning basis, all renovation work could be carried out without unexpected delays or structural collisions. The prefabricated steel beams for ceiling reinforcement and the complex ventilation components fit on site down to the millimeter, making rework on the construction site completely unnecessary. The architectural firm thus saved valuable time and reduced the planned planning costs for unplanned deviations by 95 percent. The construction period was reduced by 25 percent overall. This rapid construction progress had an extremely positive effect on marketing: the physiotherapy practice and the fitness studio were able to move into the completed spaces on time, and all six condominiums on the upper floors were fully notarized to sophisticated buyers from the Heidelberg/Leimen region even before the final interior work. The investment in professional 3D surveying by FotoEstate paid off manifold already during the installation of the first steel structures.
Project Deep Dive: Process & Details
The initial situation: A demanding marketing
Leimen, as the third largest city in the Rhein-Neckar district and immediate neighbor of the university city of Heidelberg, is experiencing a consistently high demand for modern housing and high-quality healthcare services. The redevelopment partners in Leimen planned the revitalization of a cityscape-defining residential and commercial building in a central location. The idea of establishing a health and fitness center on the ground floor and using the upper floors as premium apartments received great approval from local stakeholders. However, the initial planning situation was extremely precarious. The building had a long history characterized by numerous renovations. Old drawings showed straight walls and symmetrical rooms, which, in reality, no longer existed due to settlements of the masonry and the craftsmanship of renovations from earlier eras. For marketing in the upscale segment, a flawless result was essential. A modern residential complex requires precise plans and secure structural engineering. The project developers faced the challenge of planning the conversion on an extremely uncertain data basis, which led to significant concerns from banks and investors regarding risk calculation. Without a reliable measurement, unforeseeable additional costs threatened to endanger the profitability of the entire project.
The hurdle: Overcoming uncertainty in potential customers
The biggest hurdle in the early project stage was the uncertainty of future tenants and buyers. The operator of the planned physiotherapy practice required exact room measurements and certified accessibility for official approval and the installation of their therapy equipment. Based on the inaccurate old plans, the practice management refused to finally sign the lease agreement, as the risk of unusable niches or too narrow corridors was too high (such convoluted corridors often lead to orientation problems in later operations, which we have to solve in other health centers, such as with indoor navigation in Schorndorf). The structural engineers also expressed concerns regarding the ceiling load capacity for the planned training equipment in the fitness area, as the exact thickness and condition of the historical concrete ceilings was unclear. Manual measurements would have blocked the construction site for weeks and would have remained prone to errors due to the irregular room geometries. For the buyers of the condominiums, the lack of precise plans led to hesitant purchasing behavior. No one wanted to buy a condominium worth several hundred thousand euros if the exact layout of the rooms and the connections for the kitchen were based only on vague sketches. Sales threatened to stall, which blocked the urgently needed loan approvals from the banks.
The concept: Visual excellence and attention to detail
The surveying concept designed by FotoEstate relied on the complete geometric digitization of the building using three-dimensional laser scanning. Our goal was to create a 'single source of truth' that could be used both for the sophisticated structural and MEP planning and for subsequent marketing. The concept provided for scanning the building in a single, highly efficient pass from both the inside and the outside. This was to capture not only the visible rooms but also the complex connection areas of the basement vault and the roof truss joints. The resulting point cloud was intended to serve as the geometric basis for creating a detailed 3D BIM model. This model was to allow all planners to fit their designs directly into the real building geometry. In this way, potential collisions between the new ventilation ducts and the historic ceiling beams could already be identified and resolved in the computer before the craftsmen were on site. This well-thought-out concept offered the renovation partners the highest level of planning security and simultaneously served as a transparent argument in sales to critical tenants and buyers.
The Implementation: Technology Meets Craft
The implementation of 3D laser scanning in Leimen was carried out by a highly specialized team from FotoEstate. To avoid disrupting the ongoing traffic in the city center and the surrounding shops, the exterior shots of the facade and the roof were taken in the early morning hours. State-of-the-art terrestrial laser scanners were used, providing measurement accuracy of less than one millimeter. In total, over 320 scan positions were recorded throughout the building. The dense point cloud was overlaid with high-resolution HDR color information to create a photorealistic representation of the surfaces. In post-production, the data was filtered, registered, and transferred into a structured BIM model in IFC format. Our 3D designers modeled the geometric deviations of the old building, such as curvatures in the masonry and sagging in the ceilings, exactly to ensure a realistic planning basis. The completed CAD plans and the 3D model were made available on a cloud platform, allowing all project planners, site managers, and structural engineers to collaborate seamlessly and in real time.
The result: A flawless marketing success
The result of the 3D surveying was a complete marketing and construction success for the renovation partners in Leimen. The planning phase could be completed without delays because all trades had access to an error-free, digital data basis. During the renovation, there was not a single work stoppage or costly on-site planning change, as all prefabricated components fit perfectly. The operator of the physiotherapy practice received the necessary exact plans for his regulatory approval and signed the lease agreement even before the official start of construction. The condominiums were also sold to buyers in a very short time thanks to the precise plans and the high transparency of the construction execution. The digital twin now also serves the clinic center and the owners as a valuable facility management tool for long-term maintenance after completion. This case study vividly demonstrates that the 3D laser scanning by FotoEstate minimizes planning risks in complex old building renovations and significantly ensures the economic success of real estate projects.
What our partners say
"The 3D floor plans are so detailed that they provide an excellent basis even for complex planning discussions with clients."
"Integrating the Matterport data into our systems greatly simplified communication with our facility management service providers."
"Off-plan renderings are our strongest sales tool. They make the invisible visible and accelerate the closing process."
"The drone shots perfectly show how our properties are embedded in the surroundings. An important decision criterion for our clients."
"The investment in FotoEstate's digital solutions has paid off multiple times. A clear ROI through faster marketing."
"Virtual office staging impressively shows the potential of our commercial spaces. It helps our clients envision their future offices."
"The 3D floor plans are so detailed that they provide an excellent basis even for complex planning discussions with clients."
"Integrating the Matterport data into our systems greatly simplified communication with our facility management service providers."
"Off-plan renderings are our strongest sales tool. They make the invisible visible and accelerate the closing process."
"The drone shots perfectly show how our properties are embedded in the surroundings. An important decision criterion for our clients."
"The investment in FotoEstate's digital solutions has paid off multiple times. A clear ROI through faster marketing."
"Virtual office staging impressively shows the potential of our commercial spaces. It helps our clients envision their future offices."
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