The Art of Historic Preservation

Monday, May 16, 2016

The San Jose Woman's Club




Documenting the Historic
       San Jose Woman's Club
San Jose Landmark #32



75 South 11th Street

A formal organization since 1894, the San Jose Woman's Club has a rich and interesting history.
This fall, young ladies from Notre Dame High School's engineering club will laser scan the historic  building in anticipation of the club's planned retrofit.

In addition to documenting the property for preservation purposes, the data will be used to assist the architects and contractors during the both the planning and construction phase of the retrofit, process. The significance of having the pre-engineering work on the building completed by these young ladies is what makes this project noteworthy. Introducing the next generation of designers and engineers to this technology, while studying one of the oldest women's organizations in the Bay Area is a truly unique opportunity.

The beautiful Spanish Revival Building on South Eleventh Street was completed in 1929. Currently, the building is still used as the clubhouse for the SJ Woman's Club however the building is a favorite
rental location for weddings and special events.

Under professional supervision, the documentation process will begin with a formal research on the structure, including blueprint review and visual inspections.
The students will develop a logistical plan and scan plot for the building and property based upon the client's requirements.
The scanning process is scheduled and the documentation completed, the data is processed into a 3D point cloud.
The point cloud will be developed into a fly-through model for the Woman's Club webpage.
The raw point cloud will be given to the SJ Woman's Club's architect for use as a 3D blueprint. The point cloud can be imported into AutoCAD or Revit software for planning, design or engineering.

The project is expected to take place over the course of a semester. However, the actual scanning and processing will take little more than a week total. The extended schedule is necessary to accomodate the demands of the students normal academic requirements and engineering/robotics club responsibilities.

Look for a follow-up blog post, a fly-through video and white paper by the students around December
of 2016.

For more on the history of the San Jose Woman's Club, visit them online at http://www.sjwomansclub.org/about_us.html








Monday, May 9, 2016

Reality Capture Technology Summer Camp


Coming This July, The Reality Capture Technology Training Center will host our second annual summer technology camp at History Park in San Jose. The week long camp provides participants with hands on experience using state of the art laser scanning and photogrammetry technology to digitally document the historic buildings and artifacts at History Park. The data from the buildings and artifacts documented by the student/participants becomes part of the History San Jose archives and will eventually be featured in a major 3D exhibition.

Laser Scan from 2014 Summer Camp
by Aaron and Adam Rhetta
 Current reality capture technology allows users to collect billions of point measurements fast and safely, then register scans to create an accurate photo realistic unified 3D point cloud model. The overall benefit of the 3D model is extreme accuracy of the data collected and the ability to seamlessly transfer knowledge and information from user to user, user to client or user to the general public.

Whether you have an interest in art, animation, architecture, building/construction, design, engineering, forensic investigation, geomatics, operations or surveying, reality capture technology will play a major role in the future of these and related vocations.
Laser Scan by
Brittany Bradley and Liz York
JFK University

We are looking for students from 8th grade through 12th grade who are interested in participating in the summer technology camp.Students must be residents of Santa Clara County and must commit to the entire week long program.

We are also looking for college interns with an interest in architecture, computer science (software), construction, engineering, photography, surveying or related fields who are interested in learning about new technology.

Laser Scan X Section of
the Historic Pasetta House
Camp Schedule:
July 13th   9:00am to 4:00pm
July 14th   9:00am to 4:00pm
July 15th   9:00am to 4:00pm
July 16th   9:00am to 4:00pm
July 17th   9:00am to 4:00pm

...at the Historic Pacific Hotel at History Park in San Jose. 


The Reality Capture Technology Training Center was established with several objectives in mind. Objective One (1); to digitally document the artifacts, buildings and property at History Park. Objective Two (2); Expand the reach and scope of History San Jose's archives through 3D exhibits. Objective Three (3); to introduce students to engineering, mathematics and science through a hands on experiences with reality capture technology. Objective Four (4);provide
Leica 6000s  Laser Scanner
supplemental technology resources for public schools and STEAM educators. 
Objective Five (5); to provide student/participants with marketable, 21st century job skills

Our goals are as follows, Goal One (1);to establish a sustainable technology training center and resource for our students and educators. Goal Two (2);to inspire students to pursue higher education and/or find a career path through local labor organizations. Goal Three (3) to digitally document the architecture, property and history of San Jose. 

 Much of the documentation of our historic buildings and artifacts are done by students and interns, under the supervision of industry professionals. 



3D Focus