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Official World Architecture Day 2019 logo

Leica Geosystems Celebrates World Architecture Day with “Housing For All”

By Christopher Dollard

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10/02/2019

Happy World Architecture Day!  

It’s the first Monday in October and that can only mean one thing – World Architecture Day, which was created in 2005 by the Union of International Architects. While we celebrate architects every day, today we’ll take a closer look at two ways that technology is impacting the role of the architect and their influence on society. 


The Vision: Housing for All 

The theme of World Architecture Day 2019 is “Housing for All.” Architects can contribute to the realization of affordable and accessible housing for all and to make cities and human settlements safe, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.  

In keeping with this theme, we recognize the efforts of Tom Tasker, managing director of Australian-based Unify SDA Housing

At Unify SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation) Housing, Tom has mastered the ins and outs of the Australian government’s NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme). Essentially, the government has put in place a national policy for improving the lives of its citizens with disabilities, their families, and their careers by providing more options to live independently.   

This is where Tom’s team comes in, especially when it comes to addressing the enormous shortfall of housing for people with high physical needs. In fact, he points out that 1,600 teenagers are currently living in nursing homes due to the lack of suitable housing. Addressing this issue is Unify SDA’s number one goal.  

Unify SDA sees reality capture playing a significant role in assuring quality in the development of accommodations for people with disabilities. From an architecture perspective, reality capture technology provides millimeter accuracy, which is a top priority for projects of this nature. Along with providing millimeter accuracy on measurements, it also enables Tasker and his team to design and build accurate doorways, bathrooms, benches, and thresholds that will make a significant difference for a wheelchair-bound person. 

For example, below is a conceptual drawing and some laser scanning measurements, captured by the BLK360, for Unify SDA’s specialist disability accommodation projects based in Northern Tasmania.  

Concept drawing of a carport for wheelchair access.

Concept drawing of a carport for wheelchair access.


Kitchen wheelchair access measurements.

Kitchen wheelchair access point cloud measurements.


Ramp grade and suitability measurements.

Ramp grade and suitability point cloud measurements.

We’re proud to recognize Tasker’s work with Unify SDA Housing, and we look forward to seeing more accessible and affordable housing constructed in the future with the aid of reality capture technology. 

Preserving Architectural History with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation 

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation made a commitment to digital innovation and technology to capture, document and preserve their architectural history. Part of this effort includes creating an immersive online experience that enables anybody, anywhere to tour Taliesin West, Wright’s winter home, desert laboratory, and School of Architecture at Taliesin. 

A Leica BLK360 captures Taliesin West.The 37,000 square foot property attracts more than 110,000 tourists each year. Using a combination of reality capture technology, construction documentation services, and a 3D cloud platform, the world can now explore Taliesin West through accurate and detailed 3D models of the physical site. This allows viewers to virtually experience and move through the property as if they were actually there. 

For architects and architectural enthusiasts, this effort goes beyond traditional 3D renderings, documentation and virtual online tours. It captures the property from every dimension – the exterior grounds and the interior home, sculptures and other noteworthy features, along with architectural details including 3D views and floorplans. 

Of note, this site was also recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with eight other Frank Lloyd Wright designs in the United States. Click here to view the 3D immersive experience of Taliesin West.


Disclaimer: This article features the Leica BLK360 G1. Explore the expanded capabilities of the latest BLK360 model here.