Case Study: 3D Laser Scan of Staircase

There are stairs we are all familiar with, such as those in your house or on your deck. But this Arrival 3D customer deals with staircases of a completely different kind. These are ultra-high-end luxury staircases made from exotic materials and designed as if by a sculptor. Could you imagine spending a half a million dollars on a staircase? In their word, this is not unusual. That is why they utilize the accuracy and precision of 3D laser scanning to design and build their custom staircases and railings. 

When you are building steps out of a rare hardwood from Africa that was very expensive and difficult to obtain, you naturally don’t want to waste any material. There is no material to spare and every board needs to fit perfectly the first time. 3D laser scanning and the scan-to-BIM provides the confidence needed to prefabricate the staircase elements so that they can be assembled onsite without any cutting. 

Mis-measurements and mistakes often cause delays on construction projects and can have an impact on other parts of the building construction. Scanning helps keep everyone working within the same set of coordinates and measurements and can actually avoid problems and clashes that used to be par for the course when building something as complex as a modern building. This customer brings scanning in at an early stage so that their engineers are forewarned of potential issues and can address them at the design stage instead of during installation.