Residential Apartment Building Condition Survey
South Brisbane, QLD · Client: Body Corporate Management Firm
Area Scanned
4,200 sqm (facade area)
Time on Site
1.5 days
Sector
Civil & Infrastructure
Deliverables
5 formats
Overview
A 15-level residential apartment building in South Brisbane was subject to a body corporate dispute regarding facade cracking and water ingress. The body corporate manager engaged an independent engineer to assess the condition, and required a measurable 3D record of all four facades to document crack locations, widths, and patterns. We scanned the building from ground level and from the rooftop of an adjacent car park to capture the full facade height. A drone equipped with a high-resolution camera captured close-range imagery of the upper levels where ground-based scanning could not resolve fine cracks. The combined dataset produced a facade condition map overlaid onto the 3D model, with each defect tagged with coordinates, dimensions, and a severity rating. The engineer used the model to quantify remediation scope and prepare a costed repair programme for the body corporate committee.
01 Challenge
The building is surrounded by other towers, limiting scanner positions and creating shadow zones on the facade. Balcony overhangs obscured portions of lower-level facades. Drone operations required CASA notification due to proximity to the Brisbane CBD restricted zone.
02 Solution
Scanner positions were optimised using a pre-survey site walk to identify elevated vantage points on adjacent structures. Drone flights at 45-degree oblique angles captured under-balcony surfaces. CASA notification was lodged 5 business days in advance with a detailed flight area map.
03 Outcome
The engineer documented 47 facade defects from the 3D model, including 8 cracks wider than 1mm that required structural repair. The costed remediation programme was presented to the body corporate with visual evidence from the model, enabling a resolution vote at the next AGM without further dispute.
Equipment Used
- Trimble X7
- DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise
- Trimble RealWorks
- Pix4Dmatic
- AutoCAD
Deliverables
- E57 Point Cloud
- Facade Condition Map (DWG)
- Defect Register (Excel)
- Drone Imagery Report
- Ortho-rectified Facade Elevations
Have a similar project?
Send us your project brief and we will provide a fixed-price quote within 24 hours.