Existing Conditions Industry Insights

At Existing Conditions, we believe that building industry professionals deserve the best possible support when it comes to using accurate existing conditions surveys, CAD Drawings, BIM Models, 3D laser scan data, and virtual site visits. Our expertise is in making the best use of the data you already have, or need, for the assets you need to manage. There is so much valuable data within the laser scan data and BIM models that most building industry professionals don’t even know how to access. That's why we're proud to offer our Expert Consultation & Support services, which provide direct access to our most knowledgeable staff to help you make the most out of the existing conditions services we provide.

Aerial imaging is not a recent invention. French photographer Gaspard-Félix Tournachon captured images above Paris in 1858. His mechanism of flight: balloons! The use of aerial footage caught traction, speeding worldwide in only two years. In 1860, photographer James Black captured a bird’s-eye-view of Boston. Aerial imaging didn’t stop there.

Existing Conditions has over 27 years of experience surveying buildings, and as a result, we have experience overcoming nearly all of the risks and challenges associated with facade surveys, such as safety risks, structural risks, and environmental risks. Mitigating these risks requires careful planning, proper safety measures, skilled operators, and high-quality equipment. Here are some of the risks and challenges that we have faced, and how we have dealt with them.

Since 1997, Existing Conditions has measured and documented an estimated 500 million square feet of space for architects, engineers, building owners, and real estate professionals. We use 3D laser scanning technology to gather millions of data points that can be used for many things, including building information modeling (BIM). This information has proven to be invaluable for several industries as it currently stands, but what does the future hold for BIM?

Existing Conditions, a 3D laser scanning company, recently surveyed a Boston University building at 270 Bay State Road in Boston, Massachusetts. Despite some fog and clouds, the team successfully surveyed the exterior facade of the building for the client and delivered high-quality drone images, 3D laser scan data, and accurate architectural as-built drawings. In this article, you will get an inside look at the process that Existing Conditions uses to holistically survey the exterior of a building. From the initial overview of the building and surrounding area to the completion of the drone flights and 3D laser scanning, our team works thoroughly and thoughtfully to provide clients with high-quality information about their building.

Our team members at Existing Conditions were delighted to attend the Brooklyn Design Awards for their very first time, organized by the AIA Brooklyn chapter. The event featured a diverse range of innovative and inspiring architectural projects from across the borough, and it was exciting to see the talented work being produced by local architects and designers.

Our partnership with Tufts University began back in 2013 when we were asked to 3D laser scan and model all three of their campuses, which totaled approximately 4.5 million square feet. This project allowed Tufts to gain a better understanding of its space and identify its most valuable assets.

Starting capital projects off right requires not just knowledge of your fundamental assets, but accurate as-built data on those assets as well. The question is, where do you start and who can document your asset without wasting time or money? Do you try to cobble something together from existing documentation and have a team verify and adjust existing drawings, or do you start from scratch?

Boston, MA, June 16, 2022 – Existing Conditions founder and CEO Kurt Yeghian announced the donation of a FARO X-120 3D laser scanner with software, valued at over $30,000, to his alma mater the Boston Architectural College (BAC) to be used in training future architects.

What is a Virtual Site Visit? Existing Conditions performs Virtual Site Visits to access spatial data of your building or project – from any device and without any burdensome downloads. We take the measurements captured by our team on-site and turn reality capture data into an easy-to-use digital twin of your building.

Often when people see drones flying nearby, they think of a kid's toy, of commercial flyover footage and blockbuster movies, or maybe even search and recovery missions. What most people don’t recognize is how useful drones can be when added to an arsenal of reality capture tools.

Accurate building documentation relies on technology and expertise. Our New Year, New Tools guide examines how Existing Conditions leverages...