Legacy Factories & Buildings
Crossness Engine Pumping Station | London,United Kingdom
Abbey Wood: London SE2 9AQ
Crossness is a remarkable example of Victorian engineering and a key part of London's transformation into a cleaner, more sanitary city.
The Crossness Pumping Station, located in southeast London, is an important historical and architectural landmark. Built between 1859 and 1865, it was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette as part of London’s pioneering Victorian-era sewage system.
The Ask
The objective of the project was to create a comprehensive Digital Twin of a historic building, combining both its exterior and interior. The client required a highly detailed, immersive 360-degree experience that could be used for virtual walkthroughs, architectural assessments, and preservation planning.
By merging the interior and exterior scans into a unified point cloud, the project aimed to provide an accurate digital replica of the building. This model would offer users a complete visualisation of the space, enabling stakeholders to explore the building virtually with precision and interactivity.
The Scope
The scope of the project involved capturing both the exterior and interior of the building using a combination of drone-based photogrammetry and LiDAR scanning technology.
The task was to scan the exterior with high-resolution drones and use the professional 3D scanners for the interior. The two datasets, representing the inside and outside of the structure, were to be merged into a single point cloud to create a seamless, immersive experience that users could explore in 360 degrees.
Additionally, the final deliverable needed to be a navigable digital twin that allowed users to zoom in on details, measure dimensions, and switch between exterior and interior views.
Our Role
As the project lead, our role was to manage and oversee the entire Digital Twin creation process, from the initial planning and capture stages to post-processing and final delivery.
We were responsible for drone operations, LiDAR and photogrammetry scanning, and the subsequent integration of the datasets into a cohesive model. Ensuring the scans were captured with precision and merged accurately was crucial for delivering a high-quality, seamless digital twin.
Additionally, we managed communication with the client, ensuring their needs were met at every stage of the project.
The Team
The project involved a skilled team of professionals:
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Drone Operators: Responsible for flying the DJI drones and capturing the exterior data using photogrammetry techniques.
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3D Scanning Experts: Specialised in using the professional 3D scanners for the interior mapping, ensuring every room and architectural feature was documented in detail.
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Data Engineers: Tasked with processing and merging the exterior and interior point clouds into a unified model.
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Project Manager: Coordinated the workflow, ensured timelines were met, and maintained communication between the client and the technical team.
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3D Modelers: Refined and optimised the merged point clouds to ensure the final deliverable was not only accurate but also highly interactive and user-friendly.
Final Deliverables
The final deliverable was a 360-degree immersive Digital Twin of the building, combining both the interior and exterior scans. This digital model was accessible through a web-based platform, allowing users to:
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Navigate seamlessly between the exterior and interior environments.
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Zoom in on specific areas for detailed views.
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Measure dimensions and distances within the model.
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Use it for virtual tours, remote inspections, or architectural analysis. The completed Digital Twin provided the client with an invaluable tool for preservation, virtual engagement, and future planning.