Back in January 2014, Napa County Landmarks supported efforts to use 3D Virtual Design Technology, a laser scanning-to-building information model firm, to survey the historic Gordon Building on First Street. This process used high-definition 3D laser scanners to create an as-built documentation of the Gordon Building. Directly after the South Napa Earthquake, the Gordon Building was red-tagged, and 3D Virtual Design Technology returned to Napa in September 2014 to resurvey the building–documenting the damage sustained in terms of wall deflection and new cracking. The information models from the January 2014 scan and the post-earthquake September 2014 scan were incredibly helpful in determining the extent of the seismic damage, while remaining unobtrusive and keeping the assessment team safe from any potential structural failure.

3D Virtual Design Technology has provided their skills and resources laser scan the earthquake-damaged Center Building on Brown Street, to gain precise information on the building’s most critically-damaged areas, and the extent of the damage.

Shari Kamimori is the President of 3D Virtual Design Technology, based in San Francisco, and is also a member of the Napa County Landmarks Preservation Action Committee (PAC). Shari wrote a fascinating article about the process of surveying the Gordon Building with laser-scanning technology in LiDAR Magazine, available to read here (page 22).