Introduction
The laser scan survey was undertaken at The Windmill Suffolk, one of the UK’s most unique and luxurious holiday accommodations. We undertook a day of laser scanning to provide the pointcloud for this unique historical building.
The pointcloud could be used at any point in the future to produce accurate as built drawings.
From this file we can produce:
– Floor Plans
– Cross Sections
– Elevations (Internal & External)
– Reflected Ceiling Plans
– Electrical Plans
– Floor Level / Flatness Survey
The scans were undertaken in colour and registered using Leica Cyclone. We also put it through Faro Scene software to create the still images you can see further down.
History Of The Windmill
Historical Records show The Windmill Suffolk was the last windmill to be built in Suffolk in 1891, and it ceased running by 1900.
The cap was believed to have been removed in the early 1920s and everything below was used as a store for almost a century. Below are some dated photographs showing the windmill with the cap and fantails and some when they had both been removed.
Further photographs taken between 1930 and 1950 show the cap being replaced by a water tank which was believed to hold water for nearby houses.
Between 1960 & 2014 the windmill stood derelict and deteriorating. In 2008 Natalie & Steve Roberts purchased the windmill in the hope they could bring it back to life in some way.
A few years later in 2014, they decided it was time to start the renovation and give it a new life as luxury adults only holiday accommodation.
1922
1925
1931
1950
1955
1960
1977
2000
2009
The Design Team
This beautiful historic windmill was transformed with the help of Beech Architects and has gone on to win a number of awards for the design.
The existing brick structure required a bespoke insulated render solution externally to retain the existing brickwork inside. A glamorous interior design and a layout that works very well within the smaller circular floors completes the finished space.
The roof frame was constructed using a Kerto Timber Rib system of plywood sheets cut and stressed and then pieced together to give it strength. It was then clad with 200 zinc panels custom cut and fitted around the curved shape.
We must stress how stunning this is both inside and out. From the inside it looks like an upside-down old timber ship! Given its location it serves as a stunning viewing platform over open green fields where you can see for miles.
The Renovation
The renovation of The Windmill Suffolk was carried out as a self-build project by the owners Natalie and Steve Roberts where they commissioned specialist contractors and suppliers to carry out the works.
Today’s Use
Today The Windmill Suffolk is an extraordinarily unique adults only holiday rental, it has been highly recognised in many articles and books and has won numerous awards.
The Pointcloud Survey
We arrived on site one foggy morning of December, armed with a laser scanner and a drone.
We scanned inside and out thoroughly for around 8 hours. This is a process we use whilst we are doing measured surveys around London to produce as built measured surveys. The colour pointclouds take longer as the laser scanner will take 70mp photos and overlay them onto each individual laser dot. This job is compiled of circa 80M coloured laser dots. The process of laser scanning can be used to capture an accurate representation of any site to create detailed, accurate as built drawings. You can see below some still shots of the full colour HD pointcloud in various views. As you will see, due to the height of the zinc clad roof we have not been able to capture the top of it. The top of the roof could be filled in at a later date using our drone images if it was important information.
