My As-Built Drawing Experience
This week, I’ve been going on site and collect some existing dimensions for a housing renewal project. And of course this is my first time out in the field collecting this sort of information so I definitely find it difficult (even though it only lasts for a week).
Things have changed since the beginning and my methods during the process. In this case, I thought I would like to share some of my process.
Collecting dimensions on site allows us for an accurate depiction of the existing as-built conditions. For my residential project that got me out in the field this week, and some meetings with the clients, there are two possible design solutions. The first is a complete re-do of the whole entire housing estate built approximately on the existing foundation, or a second possibility solution that half of the house is reconfigured while the other half is taken down to be completely redesigned. Either way, the building will not be keeping any of its original exterior facades and landscapes. Which also means that all the walls and window placements will take priority when collecting the data. Luckily, I know what information is worth collecting and what information is worth ignoring, and I found it saved me a plenty of time.
And here’s a brief equipments that I bring to measure:
- A Laser Measure
- 50’ and 200′ measuring tape
- iPhone (for pictures
- Existing plan drawings
One of the things that happen on these site visits is that I take a lot of photos. As a result, I have a sizeable collection of the sites’ as-built documentation selfies. And despite of the heat and the mosquitos while collecting data, the overall experience is priceless.
