Twelve months ago, Awesome Proportions Ltd made a major investment in our technical workflow by bringing the Leica RTC360 3D LiDAR laser scanner in-house.

Over the past year, integrating survey-grade reality capture into our daily practice hasn’t just improved our architectural drawings—it has fundamentally changed how we approach complex buildings. Furthermore, because the hardware is ultra-portable, it has enabled us to offer standalone, high-precision 3D point cloud and measured survey services to fellow architects, developers, and engineers across the UK.

Here is a look back at our first year operating the Leica RTC360, the tangible improvements in speed and accuracy, and how it performed on three very different projects across Hull and East Yorkshire.

Why We Invested in Survey-Grade LiDAR Technology

When working on complicated refurbishments or heritage restorations, discovering an unexpected structural deviation during the construction phase is expensive. A wall that bows out by 75mm, a sagging timber floor, or an undocumented change in ceiling height between rooms can invalidate prefabricated joinery, disrupt structural steel calculations, and delay building control sign-off.

We chose the Leica RTC360 specifically because it bridges the gap between rapid data capture and rigorous engineering precision. Rather than relying on lower-grade mobile scanners that sacrifice range and tolerance for convenience, the RTC360 delivers true survey-grade data directly into our Leica Cyclone Register 360, Autodesk Revit, and AutoCAD environments.

1. Uncompromising Millimetre Accuracy

The Leica RTC360 captures up to 2 million points per second, achieving a 3D point accuracy of 1.9mm at 10 metres. Instead of taking ten discrete measurements in a room and assuming the walls between them are straight and plumb, we capture millions of individual spatial coordinates. Every mortar joint, timber deflection, window reveal, and overhead pipe is recorded in true 3D space. When we return to the studio, we aren’t guessing how a building fits together; we have a digital twin sitting on our workstations.

2. Radical Speed on Complex Sites

Before adopting LiDAR, surveying a complex multi-room or multi-storey building could require days of intrusive site visits—and often an inevitable return trip to verify an elusive dimension.

The RTC360 completes a full-dome, high-resolution 3D scan alongside a calibrated 360-degree HDR spherical image in under two minutes per setup. Crucially, the scanner features a Visual Inertial System (VIS). Using integrated video cameras and an inertial measurement unit, the scanner tracks its own movement in real time from room to room. By the time we walk from one setup location to the next, the scanner already knows where it is in relation to the previous scan, automatically aligning and registering the point cloud on-site without the need to place physical targets on walls.

3. True Portability for Nationwide Scanning Services

High-precision laser scanners used to be bulky, fragile instruments requiring heavy transport cases and multi-person crews. Weighing just over 5.3kg with a compact footprint and a collapsible carbon-fibre tripod, the Leica RTC360 packs neatly into a specialized backpack.

This agility means two things for our practice:

• Access to Tight Spaces: We can easily carry the scanner up vertical loft ladders, into cramped historic roof voids, down narrow cellar stairs, and across uneven scaffolding.

• Nationwide Deployment: Because the entire setup can be carried by a single operator on a train or stowed easily in the boot of a car, we are no longer geographically restricted. Alongside our core architectural work in East Yorkshire, we now deploy across the country to capture and deliver registered point clouds (E57, RCP, LAS) and 2D/3D CAD deliverables for external practices and commercial clients.

Real-World Impact: Three Projects from Our First Year

The true test of any architectural technology is how it performs in the field. Over the past 12 months, the Leica RTC360 has proven indispensable across a wide spectrum of building typologies.

1. Heritage Precision: Grade II Listed Windmill, Burton Pidsea

Surveying historic and listed buildings presents an obvious geometrical challenge: there isn’t a single right angle in the building.

When tasked with surveying a Grade II listed windmill in Burton Pidsea, East Yorkshire, traditional tape-and-disto methods would have required days of complex triangulation, and the resulting drawings would still have been an approximation. Windmills are tapering, cylindrical masonry structures that have settled, shifted, and weathered over centuries.

Using the Leica RTC360, we captured the entire internal and external envelope rapidly and non-invasively.

• Zero Physical Contact: When working with delicate historic fabric, Conservation Officers rightly scrutinize any invasive work. Laser scanning is entirely contactless, capturing high-resolution structural data from ground level without needing to fix targets to historic brickwork.

• Capturing True Geometry: The resulting point cloud mapped the exact taper of the circular walls, the pitch and twist of historic timber beams, and the precise condition of the masonry.

• Planning & Heritage Compliance: When preparing Listed Building Consent applications and Heritage Statements, having millimetre-accurate sections and elevations gives local authority conservation officers total confidence that proposed interventions respect the existing structure.

2. Commercial Speed: Change of Use to Low-Rise Apartments on Witham, Hull

Converting existing commercial or underutilized urban properties into residential accommodation is a cornerstone of modern regeneration, but these projects always operate under tight commercial timelines and strict regulatory frameworks.

On a recent Change of Use application for a low-rise apartment development on Witham in Hull, speed and spatial coordination were paramount. Multi-unit residential conversions require a precise understanding of floor-to-ceiling heights, structural column grids, party wall thicknesses, and window alignments across every storey to ensure compliance with Building Regulations (particularly Approved Document B for fire safety, Approved Document E for acoustics, and national space standards).

With the RTC360, we scanned the entire building in a fraction of the time a manual survey would have demanded.

• Eliminating “Dead Space” Errors: In multi-unit layouts, a cumulative measurement error of just 50mm across a floorplate can be the difference between a compliant hallway width and a failed building control inspection. The registered point cloud gave us an exact 3D slice through every floor level simultaneously.

• Rapid Scan-to-BIM Workflow: Importing the registered scan data directly into Autodesk Revit allowed us to model the existing structure with complete certainty, test apartment layouts rapidly, and submit a robust, rock-solid planning package without disrupting ongoing site operations.

3. Live Hospitality Venues: Modifications to Art House on Princes Avenue, Hull

Hospitality and commercial leisure venues present a completely different surveying headache: they are busy, cluttered, dimly lit, and cannot afford to close their doors during trading hours for a drawn-out architectural survey.

When brought in to design modifications to Art House, a popular bar on Princes Avenue in Hull, we needed comprehensive spatial data of a lived-in, architecturally eclectic environment filled with fixed seating, bar equipment, decorative fixtures, and complex M&E runs.

• Working Around Operational Hours: Because the RTC360 captures a high-resolution scan in under two minutes, we completed the entire site capture in a narrow morning window before staff and patrons arrived—causing zero disruption to the business’s revenue.

• High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging in Low Light: Bars and evening venues often have moody, high-contrast lighting where bright street-facing windows meet dark internal corners. The RTC360’s 5-bracket HDR imaging system automatically balances exposure, producing crystal-clear, colourised 3D point clouds and panoramic walkthroughs even in challenging lighting conditions.

• Virtual Site Visits: When designing bar modifications, being able to open the spherical imagery and point cloud in the office meant we could check the exact height of an extraction duct, verify the clearance behind a bar counter, or inspect ceiling bulkheads without driving back to Princes Avenue.

Traditional Measured Surveys vs. Leica RTC360 LiDAR

For clients, contractors, and fellow design professionals weighing up the value of a 3D laser scan against a conventional manual survey, the practical differences across a project lifecycle are substantial:

Frequently Asked Questions About 3D Laser Scanning

What deliverables do you provide from a Leica RTC360 survey?

Whether we are acting as the lead RIBA Chartered Architects on your project or providing a standalone measured survey for your design team, we tailor the output to your software environment. We supply fully registered, clean point cloud files in industry-standard formats (E57, Autodesk Recap .RCP/.RCS, LAS, and PTS), alongside navigable 360° TruView/panoramic image links, 2D AutoCAD plans, sections, and elevations (.DWG/.PDF), or full 3D Autodesk Revit (.RVT) models.

Does laser scanning damage fragile or listed buildings?

Not at all. The Leica RTC360 uses a Class 1 eye-safe, invisible 1550nm laser beam. It is 100% non-contact and non-invasive, making it the gold standard for Grade I and Grade II listed buildings, scheduled monuments, and delicate interiors where physical access or fixing survey targets is prohibited.

Can you travel outside of Hull and East Yorkshire for scanning projects?

Yes. Thanks to the compact, backpack-portable design of the RTC360, we provide rapid-response 3D LiDAR scanning and measured building surveys across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and nationwide across the UK.

Need a Measured Building Survey or Architectural Support?

Looking back on our first year with the Leica RTC360, the scanner has paid for itself many times over in eliminated site revisits, smoother contractor coordination, and faster planning approvals. Whether we are sensitively restoring a listed structure in the East Riding countryside, converting commercial floorspace in Hull city centre, or reconfiguring a vibrant hospitality venue, starting with millimetre-perfect reality capture removes the guesswork from construction.

If you are a property developer, homeowner, contractor, or an architectural practice looking for reliable 3D point cloud scanning, measured building surveys, or full RIBA Chartered architectural services, get in touch with Awesome Proportions Ltd to discuss your next project.

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What will I need to do?

As part of our service, we handle every aspect of the planning process for you. We make every phone call, go to every meeting, and respond to every letter. You can sit back and relax knowing your project is in the best hands.

Our experience interacting with planners across the country allows us to guide your design toward planning approval whilst keeping the project on track to meet your aspirations. We don’t do this with trickery, or any underhanded rule-bending, we do it with our greatest assets, our ability to produce high-quality designs and our ability to communicate those designs to planners and the public in a clear and appealing way. These skills aren’t learned overnight, or by going on a 3-day CAD drawing course, they come from years of high-level education and industry experience.

What’s permitted development?

Planning approvals come in many forms and some projects don’t require planning approval at all and fall under what is known as Permitted Development. Permitted development is, in simple terms, a set of pre-approved modifications you can make to your property without requiring planning permission. The criteria are often based on the dimensions of your existing building, the dimensions and type of your proposed modification and the materials you intend to construct the modifications from. Unfortunately, rights to build under permitted development are not universal across the country. Conservation areas typically do not have permitted development rights, and in many cases, new homes have the rights removed by the developer that built the house, so it’s always worth appointing Awesome Proportions to check you have the rights in place before starting construction. Building without the rights or permissions in place can result in enforcement action from your local planning authority.

Between planning approval and permitted development is a system known as Prior Approval. This is similar to Permitted Development but often lets you construct larger modifications without the need for planning permission. Unlike permitted development, prior approval requires a submission to the planners for them to confirm that the criteria for prior approval are met, and in many cases, the neighbouring properties are given a statutory period of time to raise objections. Should objections be raised the planners have the right to intervene. We always recommend talking to your neighbours before undertaking any work that might affect them. There’s no law that says you have to, but in our experience, early engagement is by far the best way to avoid future disagreements and the delays that come with them.

After our initial (free) assessment we’ll be able to tell you what type of permission will be required for your project and what the design will have to feature to be granted approval.

How long does a planning application take?

Should your project require a planning application, these can take around 8 weeks to be processed by your local planning authority (LPA) This can be an important factor when planning your project, so contact us as early as possible so we can help you plan the timing of your project.

How long does planning permission last?

Planning approval is typically valid for 3 years, so it makes good sense to get planning permission as early as possible. It is a time-tested truth of the construction industry that if you give yourself more time to make arrangements, the smoother and more cost-effective the project is on-site. Contractors’ prices will vary throughout the year as some periods are busier than others. Having your planning permission well in advance gives you a great opportunity to cherry-pick from the best contractors and secure their services for the best price.

If 3 years isn’t long enough for you, or you may have changed your mind on some aspect in the meantime, we can, of course, help you with getting the plans reapproved or make applications for small amendments.

Conservation Areas

Planning policies, especially in conservation areas can be rigid and very restrictive, and for good reason. Areas of real architectural heritage and beauty often need protection from misjudged and careless design. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid attempting to make improvements to your property, just because it’s in a conservation area. We have experience in developing a wide range of projects in conservation areas as well as experience working on Grade 2 and Grade 1 listed buildings, many of them in Hull’s city centre. Working with buildings of historic value takes care, skill, and experience and we’re always more than happy to bring all of those to the table to help you preserve and enhance your historic property.

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Building Control is a system of legislation, regulations and oversight that ensures all construction in the UK meets the standards required by law. It can sound complicated, and in reality, it is. The current regulations are the culmination of generations of knowledge, research and in-depth collaboration across the whole of Europe. The accumulative time and resources spent on creating them are simply staggering. So it would be unthinkable to have your project constructed, only to find it doesn’t comply and requires corrective work, at great expense. Without care, knowledge and experience at the design stage, that could be a terrible reality.

The regulations cover everything from ensuring the building will stand up, to ensuring a new home has a proper internet connection and doors that lock securely. Everything in between is just as important and requires careful attention.

How do I get Building Control Approval?

The main thing to remember is that we’ll handle the whole process for you. As your agent, we’ll handle every aspect of the building control approval process and will always advise on the best way to proceed.

Not to be confused with planning approval, building control approval is the signing off of construction by a qualified building control inspector who will issue a completion certificate when they are satisfied the work is complete and compliant with the building regulations. The completion certificate will be a very important document should you ever come to sell your property, so skimping and sidestepping is simply never an option, no matter what a man down the pub tells you.

There are two main ways to achieve a valid completion certificate:

1. 1. 1. Building Notice. Put simply this system relies on few, or no drawings and specifications at all. A contractor will start building and the work will be inspected stage by stage to ensure it complies. This can, in the right hands, be a time-saving way of getting a small and very simple project constructed and signed off. It relies entirely on the contractor being able to design as he builds and ensure the regulations are all met in the process. If the contractor makes a misjudgement and the building control inspector disagrees with their approach and feels the work doesn’t comply, then the building control inspector is legally required to insist the work is redone. The financial impact of this rework is not the building control inspector’s concern. It simply has to comply.
      2. Full Plans Approval. A more reliable system whereby we submit detailed drawings and specifications to the building control inspector for them to review and approve before any materials are purchased or any physical work is done. If the building control inspector requests amendments to the design, those amendments can be made at no cost or delay to the project. Building Control inspectors rarely ask for anything to be changed on our drawings due to the care and attention we give them, but you having the peace of mind that everything is agreed upon before you start is a great thing to have.

Getting Prices on Detailed Drawings

Detailed technical drawings also serve another and equally important purpose. After your project is fully designed, you’ll need a good contractor to build it for you. Using detailed and building control-approved drawings as brief quotes from contractors can be collected based on clear and objective design data. There’s no need for the contractor to have to assume anything when they have a detailed set of plans. This allows you to make accurate comparisons of contractor’s quotes and make an informed decision.

Although many contractors will give “estimates” on non-detailed planning drawings, they are unlikely to ever give you a solid quote based on drawings that lack details. This means comparing estimates is tricky and fraught with errors and each contractor could have made totally different assumptions about important aspects. You may find the contractor that gave you the lowest estimate, gives you the highest quote when the detail is provided. That’s why we always recommend that you allow us to prepare your design in full detail, so you can budget and proceed with confidence.

What about Structural Engineers?

Requiring a structural engineer on a building project is commonplace. Their main function is to provide the mathematical evidence that proves a structure will remain standing when life throws everything it has at it. They can often add value by designing structures that deal with loads more efficiently or simply require less work to install. It’s a design process in itself.

We’ve worked with structural engineers all over the country and have built decades-long relationships will local engineers who we know and trust. We work as a close team, developing the design assessing each other’s ideas, and working everything through in detail to produce elegant and efficient solutions that complement the design as a whole.

Party Walls

In very simplified terms Party walls (or structures) are parts of buildings or landscapes that sit astride property boundaries. They essentially are the responsibility of the owners on either side to maintain and repair, and as such, when one party wants to make modifications to the structure, they need the permission of the other party. For example, you could receive planning approval for an extension that requires a steel beam to be connected to the party wall.

The planning authority has approved the design, and building control is happy it meets the regulations, but as it involves modifying a party structure, you still need a party wall agreement in place with your neighbour. These are simple to arrange and templated letters can help the process move along smoothly. This is another instance where early conversations with your neighbours can pay off. Agreeing on things in advance can save you delays and therefore money.

The law around party walls is extremely complex, but it only really comes into force when there is a disagreement. If one occurs we can assist you in getting in touch with the right legal professionals to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, though, in 10 years of practice, we’ve always been able to help neighbours come to agreements without the need for external legal assistance.

As this is a very simple interpretation of the act, we recommend you look at this government pamphlet explains the whole process in a clear and friendly way if you’d like to know more:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523010/Party_Wall_etc__Act_1996_-_Explanatory_Booklet.pdf

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Well, the start of our year was postponed for a few months, but 2020 is now the year I launched this shiny new website!

It’s been a long time coming. Believe me, becoming a charted architect takes a long time and an even longer time if you study part-time like I did. But now, after 20 years in the industry, I’m a fully paid-up member of the RIBA and I thought a new website would be a great way to celebrate and reach out to more of you good people.

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I’m new to blogging, but I’m hoping this is something I can really get into as I’d really like the wider world to know what it’s like being a self-employed, Hull-based architect. Not that it’s directly fascinating, but I still feel that lots of the public see architects a bit like lawyers or solicitors (people who’ll bill you for a phone call) and I’d really like to break down any barriers that might be there.

When you’ve studied both, you realise that design is a lot like music, and a good designer is a lot like a good composer. There are rules, like scales and keys and things need to be balanced, in tune, and played at an appropriate volume. When you start to realise that our eyes work a lot like our ears, the effect a good designer can have makes a bit more sense. I’ve been playing the guitar for 25 years, maybe you’ve never touched one, but I’m still certain that if I played my guitar out of tune, you’d know instantly. What I’m here to do is make sure all the designs you pay for are in tune. You’d think it was crazy to get a person to play at your wedding that couldn’t play in tune, but all too often people spend thousands constructing expensive buildings that are full of bum notes, and that’s something I’m determined to fix.

I’m really looking forward to making sweet music with even more people.

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