17 Columbus Courtyard, Canary Wharf is a 10-storey office building developed in 1999 totalling 247,602 sq ft. It was recently purchased by Oaktree Capital Management to transform the building into a new ‘state-of-the-art’ life science and technology hub. This scheme is the latest in an emerging life sciences cluster in Canary Wharf, London.
Castle Surveys was commissioned by Arcadis Consulting (UK) in February 2023 to undertake a measured building survey of its architectural, structural and MEP services to produce an information-rich, LOD 300, 3D Revit model of the building that includes two basements, ground and nine upper floors.
This provided a comprehensive master plan for the project’s various contractors, including the main architect Scott Brownrigg, engineers and consultants to assist in delivering the high-spec design for this ambitious scheme.
The Equipment
To carry out the work, cutting-edge technology was deployed by an experienced two-person team from Castle Surveys, which ensured that the time required to scan the entire site including an electrical substation was completed in just eight working days.
We used the very latest technology including a Leica P40 Scan Station to get the levels around the building and a high-definition RT 360 scanner, a Leica TS-16 robotic total station and GPS to capture everything in 3D including its complex mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems.
Site Challenges
This £200m refurbishment scheme demanded the very highest level of scan detail from Castle Surveys. Our brief was to provide a full overview of the entire site, by capturing every component of the building’s interior including floor plans, precise elevations, stairways, its MEP systems and exterior facade to ensure precise and accurate data collection.
The building had been stripped back to the steel frames before the work began, however, the electrical substation in the basement together with its MEP systems presented a challenging working environment for our surveyors where safety was paramount.
Paul Jackson, Managing Director, Castle Surveys, explains: “It was hard work capturing the scan data, sometimes in awkward places for all the individual duct vents, sprinkler systems, rainwater, soil vents and main water pipes and there were electrical cables everywhere.
“As we progressed through the building, we found that the main electrical substation for Canary Wharf itself was located within the basement. We had to follow strict health and safety protocol to ensure the safety of our surveyors; the equipment they used had to be intrinsically safe and the right clothing worn before we could safely capture, measure and map these essential MEP services.”
Solution
To ensure accuracy and to capture the minute details of this building, we deployed advanced laser technology capable of completing 350 scans in a single day, facilitating the creation of a point cloud from which we delivered a precise 3D, LOD 300 Revit model featuring over 24,000 individual components.
Our expert in-house team completed the project in just under three months, providing a cost-effective and rapid turnaround for a project of this scale to the satisfaction of our client. The refurbishment scheme is scheduled to be completed by 2025, repositioning the building for the fast-growing life sciences market.
Summary
- Service: Land and Measured Building Survey
- Timescales: 3 months
- Equipment: A P40 Scan Station, RTC 360 scanner, TS16 robotic total station and GPS
- Output: 2D CAD plans and high-definition 3D Revit Models
