Richard Laing

Providing real-estate services through the integration of 3D laser scanning and building information modelling

There is an opportunity for real-estate services sector to deliver more accurate, faster and quality building surveys and information models. This paper reports on a study, designed to establish automated procedures for the development of a digital model to assist in faster and better services and delivery of real-estate services by integrating 3D laser scanning and BIM technology. It proposes an intuitive and interactive building model that is easy to query and navigate, and thus support property developers, buyers and sellers in the property sales sector. An outline of the new approach is provided to illustrate the benefits of the proposed method to the real-estate services sector. The key arguments in the paper are consolidated by the results of a qualitative study amongst real-estate professionals, which sought to determine the added value of BIM-3D laser scanning in comparison to conventional building surveying and Computer Aided Design (CAD) methods.

The Application of Visual Environmental Economics in the Study of Public Preference and Urban Greenspace

Urban greenspace has consistently been argued to be of great importance to the wellbeing, health, and daily lives of residents and users. This paper reports results from a study that combined the visualisation of public results from a study that combined the visualisation of public greenspace with environmental economics, and that aimed to develop a method by which realistic computer models of sites could be used within preference studies. As part of a methodology that employed contingent rating to establish the values placed on specific greenspace sites, three-dimensional computer models were used to produce visualisations of particular environmental conditions. Of particular importance to the study was the influence of variables including lighting, season, time of day, and weather on the perception of respondents. This study followed previous work that established a suitable approach to the modelling and testing of entirely moveable physical variables within the built environment. As such, the study has established firmly that computer-generated visualisations are appropriate for use within environmental economic surveys, and that there is potential for a holistic range of attributes to be included in such studies.

Delivering lower carbon urban transport choices: European ambition meets the reality of institutional (mis)alignment.

Reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector has become a critical imperative for public policy as our understanding of the impacts of the mobility system on the environment has developed. This paper contrasts policy development in three cities (Aberdeen, Bremen and Malmö) that collaborated as part of a European Union knowledge exchange programme designed to share innovative approaches to carbon reduction in the transport sector. We identify a number of critical aspects of governance, including the approach to policy formulation and implementation, and the status of consensus and cohesion, as key determinants of transport outcomes. We conclude that the degree of institutional alignment evident in each city’s governance network is crucial in explaining their appetite for the pursuit of low carbon policies, and in turn the real potential for policy transfer to occur as envisaged by European Union collaboration frameworks.

Combining visualisation and choice experiments in built environment research

This paper reports results from a project that combined the visualisation of streetscapes with environmental economics. The particular economic methodology employed was choice experimentation, which has previously tended to use text to convey scenarios between which respondents make choices. The research investigated how the visual impact Of streetscapes could be incorporated in choice experiments through the use of 3D computer generated visualisations. Data was gathered initially through an Internet based survey, and replicated later using a high specification stand-alone machine. This paper identifies strengths and weaknesses in the approach, and reports results pertaining to effectiveness and practicality of the methodology. Using visualisation offers many potential benefits to the field of choice experimentation, and application within the built environment merits further development.

Remnants of Scottish stone architecture in Nova Scotia.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, thousands of Scottish emigrants travelled to Canada. This paper concerns those buildings that were designed and constructed by Scottish settlers, utilising skills and materials transported from their homeland. The research concerns the extent to which buildings of those early generations of settler might still be intact, with specific reference to selected case studies from Nova Scotia. One is faced with still intact examples of Scottish architectural heritage, located thousands of miles from Scotland. This has interesting and important implications for the manner in which we value, care for and understand meaning within the built heritage.

Stone cleaning and its effect on property market selling price

Stone cleaning has been carried out widely for over two decades, and a large amount of cleaning is still completed each year. Whilst in many cases the aesthetic benefits of stone cleaning have been initially undeniable, concern has been raised concerning the long-term effects of such intervention. In order that the reasons underlying the continuing popularity of stone cleaning as an urban improvement device can be better understood, it was suggested that stone cleaning might in itself result in immediate gains in terms of property market selling prices. The study concludes that the gains which might be expected initially are in the region of up to 3%, with improvements in property marketability more apparent. At present, it would appear that problems associated with stone cleaning methods causing damage to stone are not being reflected by the property markets to a significant extent. It is essential that these gains be examined in relation to longer-term life cycle costs, in order that the overall effects on financial value can be better understood.

Representing heritage

Cultural heritage is increasingly being viewed as an economic asset for geographic areas who aim to capitalise in the surge in interest in local history and heritage tourism from members of the public. Digital technologies have developed that facilitate new forms of engagement with heritage and allow local areas to showcase their history, potentially broadening interest to a wider audience, thus acting as a driver for cultural and economic resilience. The research presented in this paper explores this through interdisciplinary research utilising laser scanning and visualisation in combination with social research in Elgin. 3D data capture technologies were used to develop and test 3D data visualisations and protocols through which the urban built heritage can be digitally recorded. The main focus of this paper surrounds the application and perceptions of these technologies. Findings suggest that the primary driver for cultural heritage developments was economic (with an emphasis on tourism) but further benefits and key factors of community engagement, social learning and cultural resilience were also reported. Stakeholder engagement and partnership working, in particular, were identified as critical factors of success. The findings from the community engagement events demonstrate that laser scanning and visualisation provide a novel and engaging mechanism for co-producing heritage assets. There is a high level of public interest in such technologies and users who engaged with these models reported that they gained new perspectives (including spatial and temporal perspectives) on the built heritage of the area.Cultural heritage is increasingly being viewed as an economic asset for geographic areas who aim to capitalise in the surge in interest in local history and heritage tourism from members of the public. Digital technologies have developed that facilitate new forms of engagement with heritage and allow local areas to showcase their history, potentially broadening interest to a wider audience, thus acting as a driver for cultural and economic resilience. The research presented in this paper explores this through interdisciplinary research utilising laser scanning and visualisation in combination with social research in Elgin. 3D data capture technologies were used to develop and test 3D data visualisations and protocols through which the urban built heritage can be digitally recorded. The main focus of this paper surrounds the application and perceptions of these technologies. Findings suggest that the primary driver for cultural heritage developments was economic with an emphasis on tourism but further benefits and key factors of community engagement, social learning and cultural resilience were also reported. Stakeholder engagement and partnership working, in particular, were identified as critical factors of success. The findings from the community engagement events demonstrate that laser scanning and visualisation provide a novel and engaging mechanism for co-producing heritage assets. There is a high level of public interest in such technologies and users who engaged with these models reported that they gained new perspectives including spatial and temporal perspectives on the built heritage of the area.

Governance and policy challenges of implementing urban low-carbon transport initiatives.

Emissions from transport represent a quarter of Scotland’s total. Action to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport has been criticized for being limited, poorly integrated with other areas of policy and focused on narrow programmes. Several funding bodies at the European level provide funding for the development of pilot initiatives to reduce carbon and to promote knowledge exchange between partner cities. Cities where strategies have been successful consider transport as being a significant part of wider urban design and urban development, thus ensuring that the potential benefits are directly related to concerns of planning, housing and behavioural change. Through research into the experience of one local authority in a European project, this paper finds that governance, cultural, economic and policy barriers inhibit the successful implementation of low-carbon transport initiatives. This paper concludes that, despite these challenges, there is still value for local authorities to engage in projects that fund pilot carbon reduction initiatives and promote knowledge exchange.

Built Heritage Digitization: Opportunities Afforded by Emerging Cloud Based Applications

This paper concerns the use of cloud-based photogrammetry to collect and process 3D information pertaining to the built heritage. Although modern surveying technologies such as laser scanning are available, their application may be prohibited by cost and the need for specialist knowledge in all but the largest projects. The paper uses a specific case study, that of a small vernacular building, to illustrate the manner in which affordable and cloud based photogrammetry can be used to record buildings. Much previous work has concentrated on the use of mobile cloud based 3D surveying technology to record small objects, yet this paper illustrates an application within the architectural heritage. Recording the intact built heritage in this way provides a rich data set, and one which can be readily incorporated within mainstream building information modelling packages.

Cloud and Computer Mediated Collaboration in the Early Architectural Design Stages: A Study of Early Design Stage Collaboration Related to BIM and the Cloud

Efficient collaborative design during the early design stages in architecture is a condition for effective overall design and construction and visual and tactile interfaces can facilitate and support collaborative design leading to promoting communication and effective information exchange. The collaborative design process is captured nowadays within shared Building Information Models (BIMs) that bridge spatial, temporal and conceptual barriers, and the technological means for sharing that information are based on cloud technologies. Nevertheless, BIM models tend to be focused on detailed and construction design stages while the current paradigm on early stages conceptual design tends towards still using analogue means of communication. The focus of this paper is about bridging the conceptual design stage with the later detailed design BIM ones by using tactile and tangible interfaces and digital and cloud technologies. As a result, the information and initial ideas are effectively transferred between the different design stages. A specific case study is presented to illustrate the conceptual design process of a multidisciplinary focus group using both analogue means and tactile and tangible user interfaces (TUIs).