Land, Measured Building and Underground Utilities Survey
North Rotunda, Glasgow

Navigating site challenges to deliver ‘high quality and accurate’ data for redevelopment of Glasgow’s iconic North Rotunda

Glasgow’s iconic Harbour Tunnel Rotundas are two impressive red brick rotundas which flank the River Clyde in Glasgow and are linked by tunnels, which until the 1980s provided vehicular and pedestrian access to opposites sides of the river. Located on the aptly named Tunnel Street, the North Rotunda, which was built in the 1890’s is to be converted into an events venue and unique bar/restaurant by Forest Hotels Limited

We were asked by Forest Hotels to carry out a series of surveys for design and planning purposes. Completing the internal and external surveys not only required us to coordinate with the current occupiers of the North Rotunda, but also the OVO Hydro, a multi-purpose indoor arena, located adjacent to the Rotunda.

A team of surveyors from our Glasgow office worked closely with the building’s manager to coordinate a schedule of works in order to complete a full Measured Building Survey (MBS). With kitchens, customers and events to work around, our surveyors completed the MBS in a week – scanning the entire inside and outside of the building in order to create a 3D point cloud from which we were able to build 2D Auto CAD plans, as well as a 3D Revit Model.

Where 2D CAD plans reveal main structural features, a Revit Model is a dimensionally accurate, 3D digital model of a building that can be used to design, document, visualise and deliver architecture, engineering and construction projects. This highly detailed, high-spec deliverable also offers an opportunity for an enhanced level of collaboration and communication between project contributors.

Surveying the outside of the building for the MBS, as well as topographical and utilities surveys, was not without its own challenges. The North Rotunda is situated in a busy central Glasgow location and right next door to the city’s main indoor arena. Closing off access roads to allow our surveyors to complete the surveys using laser scanners and total stations would have caused too much obstruction and disruption, especially to the OVO Hydro which was hosting a series of concerts, conference and conventions at the time.

Our surveying team worked closely with the OVO Hydro to understand when events were being held and pedestrian and vehicular access would be busiest. We worked around these periods, cordoning off open manhole covers for health and safety purposes when completing both Ground Penetrating Radar and Electromagnetic Location surveys to track and trace utilities within the circa 13,000m2 area.

Our team of four local surveyors completed all the surveys in two weeks, with minimal disruption to the respective businesses and their customers, and to the satisfaction of our client.

“Following our purchase of the Victorian era grade B listed North Rotunda we appointed Survey Solutions to provide a detailed Measured Building, Topographical and Utilities survey as the first step in our journey to redevelop the building. Survey Solutions augmented this base information with the production of a full Revit model of the existing building. This allowed us to provide enhanced concept designs at a very early stage. Visual walk throughs and view point interfaces were also made possible with the click of a button. This suite of high quality, accurate information at such an early stage of the project has been invaluable and will enhance the redevelopment of such an iconic Glasgow building.”
Keith Vallance, Director, Forest Group

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