Case study: Scan to BIM - Maria Theresa Barracks, Budapest
The Kilián Laktanya
This is the adaptive reuse project of Kilián Laktanya, a barracks building located in the heart of Budapest. It’s a massive building of almost 60,000 square meters, that has been largely unused for some time. Our first step involved laser scanning the building to create a digital twin model, using Building Information Modeling or BIM.
With big buildings, the complexity grows exponentially. One of our initial hurdles was planning and access. We had a tight one-month window to complete the scanning. Some doors were welded shut; others required coordination with a facility manager who might or might not know which keys opened which doors. And in some cases, we had to work around the schedules of storage unit owners within the building.
Technical Challenges
Technically, the challenges were twofold: time and precision. We used both fixed and mobile laser scanners to cover different types of spaces. Fixed scanners were used in complex areas like the basement, which itself is almost 10,000 square meters. Mobile scanners were used in the areas in between stairwells to fit into the tight timeline.
Point Cloud Registration
The registration part alone was a mammoth task. We’re talking about 2,000 scans, resulting in 500 gigabytes to a terabyte of data. It took us two weeks to register the point cloud, and we actually hit the limits of our software, encountering bugs we had never seen before. We use Leica hardware and their Cyclone Register360 software. Our workflow makes it possible to register the point cloud data in parallel with the fieldwork.
Once the point cloud is created and exported, architects can use it to redesign the building, adapting it for modern uses while preserving its historical value. The sub-sampled version of our point cloud is a “measly” 300-gigabyte file, but it’s an invaluable resource for the next stages of the project.
Conclusion
The Kilián Laktanya is one of the projects that we are most proud of when it comes to laser scanning. The scale, the technical challenges, the team coordination—getting it all right has been a massive accomplishment. And it’s rewarding to think that we’re breathing new life into a historic building in the heart of Budapest.
Project & BIM Management
Laser Scanning & Pointcloud Registration
BIM Modeling
Project Location
Expertise
