Surveyors from the University of Birmingham have been working with developers in the US state of Illinois to create a detailed 3D laser scan and model of the planned new National Public Housing Museum (NPHM).
The surveyors presented their model of the museum, which is due to be constructed in an existing former public housing building on Chicago’s west side, at the end of last year, having been working on it as part of a partnership programme between the university and the museum.
The Birmingham-based leaders of the surveying project, Dr Richard Clay and Dr Henry Chapman, said that the model will aid with the redevelopment of the building and will allow for future visitors of the museum to take virtual tours of the building as it currently stands.
“The result is a metrically accurate 3D point-cloud (i.e. record) of the building as it survives today before any future development proceeds,” the two specialists said in a statement. “The 3D dataset will not only serve as a basis for interpretation and as an aid in architectural planning, but will also serve as a historic legacy to preserve the past.”
Dr Keith L Magee, the executive officer of the NPHM, said that the scan will help them construct the first cultural institution in the United States dedicated to the American experience in public housing.