LiDAR Scan to BIM Modeling of Historical Satchel Paige House

By Cyn Rene Whitfield | Senior Marketing Specialist

When modern survey technology meets historic baseball, the result is the preservation of both the achievements of a cultural icon and the Kansas City house he formerly called home. The residence holds historic significance as LeRoy “Satchel” Paige was the first African American pitcher to play in a World Series game during his 1948 season with the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). In 1971, he was the first representative of the Negro Leagues to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. TREKK is proud to bring LiDAR technology documentation to assist in the restoration of the 1910 structure back to life as a museum honoring Satchel Paige.

In May 2022, TREKK provided high-definition imagery and 3D colorized LiDAR data of the three-story, 3,672 square foot Satchel Paige residence for historical recordation and redevelopment. The interior and exterior static scan data was used to create a Building Information Modeling (BIM) model.

TREKK LiDAR technicians, Barry Kindsfather and Warren Digman, spent six hours documenting the built structure, collecting 107 color scans using the static LiDAR RTC 360 scanner so that the architects could redevelop the home to include exhibition and retail spaces, incubator offices, and rentable meeting rooms.

“The house is remarkable with all the features it has,” remarked Kindsfather. But despite its attributes, it was difficult to obtain floor plans and document the architectural features that were left behind from a 2018 fire, leaving the residence with major damage.

“The biggest challenge we faced was the temporary electricity was disconnected,” said Kindsfather. “We brought in a generator and hooked to the temporary lights on each floor. There were a total of four levels; a basement; the main floor with the kitchen, dining and living rooms; a second level with five bedrooms and two bathrooms; and a full attic with several extra rooms.”

TREKK utilizes static LiDAR scan methodologies, terrestrial mobile LiDAR and traditional survey to provide survey data used for BIM. Combining sound conventional survey practice with LiDAR, overseen by a licensed land surveyor, each project is safer and more complete. Buildings can be precisely tied to gridlines, elevations can be based on real world datums, and multi- level jobs can be placed directly on top of each other in CAD.

“We have a detailed process in place that helps us control the work environment to provide the most accurate results. Surveys are completed using a mutually agreed upon grid system either state coordinate or internal coordinate systems,” said TREKK's Survey Service Lead and Professional Land Surveyor, Michael Klasing. “Our LiDAR technicians have experience working in adverse conditions, which allows us to be prepared for anything.”

TREKK also has been adding value to civil engineering utilizing its in-house mobile and static LiDAR technology to acquire attributes with control. 3D LiDAR scanning is quickly becoming the tool of choice for engineers when acquiring three-dimensional data. By combining 3D laser scanning and modeling into their design, TREKK engineers help their clients foresee potential challenges in the office rather than during construction, saving both time and money. These scans establish a rich High-Definition Survey (HDS) 3D data set of the project area, which are then imported into ReCap or AutoDesk Revit BIM model. BIM supports planning, design, construction and life cycle operations in 3D, allowing for a more detailed and intuitive digital twin of even the most complex conditions found in the built environment. This intelligent data through BIM can be used throughout the building lifecycle.