【3D Panoramic Scanning】How to Simplify As-Built Drawing Processes? The Unmissable Advantages of Space Scanning!

 
Easily Create As-Built Drawings with Digital Twins
As the saying goes, even the most comprehensive construction management plan can quickly go awry. While your team may spend countless hours designing a structure or planning a renovation, it only takes one day for unexpected challenges to arise, leading to a significant difference between the design and the as-built. Accurate as-built drawings ensure the entire process is completed correctly, challenges and all, and prevents confusion later on.

Unfortunately, the difficulties of handling as-built drawings often lead to unfavorable situations. From communication problems to outdated technology, many challenges can result in rushed or incomplete as-built drawings during construction.

Whether you are undertaking a renovation or building a site from scratch, accurate as-built drawings not only benefit you in many ways but can also be easily put together!

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What are As-Built Drawings?
As-built drawings, or red-line drawings, are part of the as-built documentation that accurately shows how a structure was actually built, rather than how it was designed. If any changes were made to the original plans during construction, the as-built drawings should reflect these design changes. Ideally, as-built drawings and documentation should also include a detailed log of the reasons for changes and supplementary notes.

Before drafting the final as-built drawings, an as-built survey is usually conducted. During this process, the contractor or architect will conduct an in-depth survey and record the location of utilities, the height and dimensions of surfaces, etc. The surveyor will also note any deviations from the blueprints or construction plans to the existing conditions of the structure.

Ultimately, anyone reviewing the as-built drawings should be able to understand the specifications of the structure or site, and why any changes were made.

Who is Responsible for As-Built Drawings?
The person responsible for as-built drawings largely depends on the reason for the drawings and the type of construction. When building a new structure, as-built drawings are usually completed by an architect or designer. If the project is a renovation, it is usually the general contractor or architect, depending on the scope of the renovation.

Regardless of who creates the documentation, as-built drawings provide many benefits for all construction-related roles.

• Architects: As-built drawings can serve as a reference point for future projects, allowing architects to gain a deeper understanding of future renovations and similar projects.

• Designers: Incomplete information can limit designs and even endanger safety. As-built drawings provide designers with precise measurements and specifications, helping them make informed decisions without limiting the design.

• Contractors: With as-built drawings before construction begins, contractors can properly plan the project and anticipate potential challenges in advance. This also enables contractors to procure the correct materials in advance and can even prevent safety issues.

• Building Owners/Managers: As-built drawings give building managers a more detailed understanding of their structure, allowing them to anticipate maintenance needs and budgets, and make more informed purchasing and sales decisions.

While accurate as-built drawings can bring many role-specific benefits, they also play a larger role throughout the construction process.

The Importance of As-Built Drawings
Few places are as busy and dynamic as a construction site, especially for large projects involving dispersed teams. Regardless of one's role in a construction project, as-built drawings are important for many reasons.

More Effective Portfolio Management and Maintenance
If you manage multiple properties, as-built drawings become invaluable for several reasons.

As-built drawings provide you with detailed records of each building, enabling you to plan maintenance and budget for each site. 

The detailed information provided by as-built drawings also allows you to understand the value of each building. This is useful for estimating the value of your portfolio and determining insurance amounts. These details can also help you determine which investments can yield the greatest returns, what your annual costs might be, and which structures pose the greatest risks.

Accurate, Detailed Record Keeping
In short, as-built drawings are an extremely accurate and detailed record of a project. This brings various benefits, from helping diagnose maintenance issues to serving as proof of a project, assisting in purchases or sales, and more.

Establishing a Reference for Maintenance and Repair Work
When it comes to building maintenance and repair, a little knowledge goes a long way. As-built drawings can help you diagnose problems, anticipate issues, and resolve problems that arise more effectively.

Suppose you have a power issue in your room. Without as-built drawings, you are left with only the original drawings (if any), which show where the utility box should be but don't capture last-minute wiring changes. With accurate as-built drawings, you can quickly see these changes, while design documents would leave your maintenance team scrambling.

Using Them as a Starting Point for Planning and Executing Renovations
Like maintenance, renovations largely rely on up-to-date information. As-built drawings clearly show the materials used, the location of load-bearing supports, and so on. All of this can help you easily plan and execute renovations, reducing the likelihood of encountering unexpected challenges along the way.

For example, suppose you want to add new wall-mounted storage to a room. If substandard materials were replaced during the original construction and not documented, you could end up damaging the wall and the new storage. Accurate as-built drawings prevent this kind of confusion.

Helping Stakeholders Understand Modifications
Project stakeholders are not always on-site during construction, so unplanned changes can lead to unpleasant surprises.

Annotated as-built drawings can help stakeholders understand any unplanned changes. This understanding can reduce friction between workers and stakeholders, and once again demonstrate that everything is still being built to standard.

Used as a Reference Point for Communication and Collaboration
Communication and collaboration are crucial in the construction industry. If an unplanned change occurs on the job site one day, and different workers start work the next day—whether planned or unplanned—as-built drawings will keep everyone informed.

The same applies to distributed teams and teams managing multiple work sites. By keeping as-built drawings as accessible as possible, you can ensure that all team members and stakeholders are on the same page, regardless of their location or what changes occur.

Reducing Risks Associated with Inaccuracies
Inaccurate information can lead to minor and catastrophic risks in construction. By maintaining accurate as-built drawings, you can ensure that everyone is equipped with the information they need to do their job—whether it's managing a building, handling maintenance, determining how to safely renovate a structure, etc.

Assisting with Government Compliance
States and nations can have different mandates for structures. These regulations can affect new construction and renovations, especially large buildings. Often, you need to obtain permits before breaking ground, but also provide proof afterward that the project was completed according to regulations. As-built drawings are excellent supplementary documents that can be included and show any changes you made in accordance with all requirements.

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Solving 3 Major As-Built Drawing Challenges
While as-built drawings exist to provide information and make projects easier, this is only true when they are completed as thoroughly as possible. Overcome the following as-built drawing challenges to ensure you provide your team with all possible information.

Incomplete Documentation
If you are creating as-built drawings, make sure to gather all the information you can. Ideally, you will be able to obtain this information from the source on-site. This may involve measuring the space and interviewing experts who handled various aspects of the project.

If you cannot find the people you need or access the information, make a note of this and set a reminder to follow up as soon as possible.

Lack of Coordination
Poor coordination among various teams can lead to communication errors, inaccurate information, and failure to capture high levels of detail. Avoid this by setting communication protocols. Utilize digital communication channels such as instant messaging or video chat to ensure your team can quickly share information. Implement best practices and stakeholders for various processes to ensure people communicate the right message to the right people as milestones are reached.

Outdated Technology
When creating as-built drawings, outdated construction technology can lead to many problems. Manual measurements can be inaccurate and time-consuming, paper record-keeping makes collaboration difficult and increases the likelihood of using outdated information, and a lack of communication tools makes collaboration difficult.

Avoid this by solving old problems with modern solutions. For example, the measurement mode in a Matterport digital twin allows any viewer to take measurements of a Matterport scan from anywhere, on any device. These scans can be done quickly and easily by anyone, meaning you can even get updated measurements daily. Meanwhile, instant messaging and video chat features make communication much easier, and digital record-keeping can help you utilize the latest documents without the risk of easily losing records.

How Matterport Improves the As-Built Drawing Process
As-built drawings are only useful when accurate and complete, and doing this correctly can be a tedious manual process. David Kuoppamaki, owner of Kuop Designs, states that using Matterport's digital twins significantly reduces manual measurement needs by 80%, shortens drawing time by 50%, eliminates manual photography, and manages to improve bidding accuracy.

The Matterport Pro 3D panoramic scanner is a fast, simple way to capture spatial and photographic data of a property in minutes. It is significantly cheaper than traditional LIDAR scanning, costing only about 10% of the price of LIDAR, and greatly simplifies the workflow.

In this video, Kuop Designs introduces their workflow: