The project was commissioned by the City of Dubai. The project called for the scanning and development of 8 historic buildings and their surroundings. Point clouds in RGB colours were collected utilising Riegl VZ 400 and Faro Focus. Photographic information was recorded using both Nikon and Canon equipment all controlled with a Leica TCRA 1101 total station. From the highly-detailed datasets collected on site, a variety of products were produced and delivered including Textured 3D CAD models, TruViews, Panotours, 2D CAD Drawings and Interactive walkthroughs.

Challenges of this project

This project posed a significant challenge but at the same time provided a great environment for technical innovation. We were able to enhance and develop the existing process as well as learning new skills. The specification called for works to be completed to a high precision, this coupled with the historic and irregular nature of the buildings caused difficulty with producing solid models. The volume of data collected also caused problems with editing. The solution for the manipulation of such a large amount of data was to use simplified models for texturing and detailed models for animation creation.
This project was the also the first time we delivered an interactive walkthrough as a product. This is a great product for historic buildings where clients want to offer an online interactive experience.

1. Hatta Fort location: Hatta

Built in the 19th Century and covering an area of around 1700 square meters. It’s a tall structure with thick walls surrounding a large courtyard. Built predominantly of mountain rock, mud and palm trunks.

2. Al Otaibat Mosque location: Al Shindagha

One of the finest examples of traditional mosques in Dubai, built in 1904, it covers an area of 2720 meters sq. Constructed from traditional materials from the local area as well as imported stone and Mangrove Trees.

3. Traditional Architecture Museum location: Shindagha

The house of Sheikh Juma Al Maktoum was built in 1928, It covers an area of 1073 Sq. meters. This two-storey building has many rooms arranged around a central courtyard, with a large terrace at first-floor level. The facades are lavishly decorated with geometric and floral ornamentation. In 2002 the building was arranged as a museum showing the traditional architecture of Dubai.

4. Dubai Museum (Al Faheidi Fort) location: Bur Dubai

Built at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries this fort covers an area of 4900 meters Sq. The Fort was originally built as the house of Sheikh Maktoum Bin Hasher Al Maktoum. This fort played the significant role in the history of Dubai as it was the centre of management and administration.

5. Al Ahmadiya School location: Deira

Built in 1912, Ahmadiya School covers an area of 530 meters Sq. The school played an important role in the education of many of Dubai’s elite including members of the ruling family. Restored in the mid-1990’s it is now a museum dedicated to the history of the school and the next generation of Dubai residents.

6. Architectural Heritage Department location: Al Faheidi

Built in 1932 and covering an area of 600 sq. m, this house was originally owned by the merchant Mohammad Al Sharif Olam. The house is rich in architectural detail including a beautifully decorative Liwan (half-open corridor).

7. Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum House location: Shindagha
Museum of Historic Photograph and Documents of Dubai Emirate

Originally built in 1896 by Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum and covering an area of 1750 square meters, this is one of the earliest and largest traditional homes in Dubai. Following the Sheikh’s death in 1958 the house fell into disrepair. It was renovated in 1986 and now houses a museum dedicated to the old history of Dubai, Its Trade, Its pearl-diving past and its place in the world.

8. Poet Al Oqaili Museum location: Deira

Built in 1922 in the district of Deira Souq, by the poet Mubarak Bin Hamad Al Oqaili. The house has a unique architectural language due to the influences that have been imported from Saudi Arabia.