From Theory to Practice: Working with Tufts University Marketing Students

3D Laser Scanning Tufts University

Our partnership with Tufts University began back in 2013 when we were asked to 3D laser scan and model all three of their campuses, which totaled approximately 4.5 million square feet. This project allowed Tufts to gain a better understanding of its space and identify its most valuable assets. Since then, we have continued to work with the team at Tufts, most recently with Professor Jack Derby and the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. This long-term collaboration has proven to be valuable for both Existing Conditions and Tufts University.

Jared Curtis, President of Existing Conditions had the opportunity in the past to work with Professor Derby on multiple projects and developed a strong relationship with him while learning about his role as a Tufts professor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. As a big advocate of the entrepreneurship, marketing, and sales tracks at the university, Professor Derby invited Existing Conditions to participate in one of his classes in 2019, where a team of students conducted a market analysis and created a preliminary marketing plan for Existing Conditions. In 2022, Existing Conditions was invited back to work with a new team of entrepreneurship students in a senior-level marketing course, this time collaborating on a specific campaign for building envelope surveys.

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Collaborating with Tufts Marketing Students

During the fall semester of 2022, we collaborated with a fresh group of talented marketing students at Tufts University who were enrolled in Professor Derby’s class. The students had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through this project with Existing Conditions. The students did an excellent job, not only becoming knowledgeable about envelope surveys and Existing Conditions' 3D laser scanning services but also gaining firsthand experience by joining us on-site. Together, they produced various content to promote a continuing education webinar on how to leverage technology to evaluate buildings and enclosures, including blog posts, social posts, and a one-hour webinar that has recently gone live.

The students developed a timeline for the publication of their content. To ensure that we were on track, we held weekly meetings to address any questions or concerns they had and discuss the progress of the campaign. These meetings provided a platform for the students to share their thoughts and ideas, and for us to offer guidance and support. By working together and staying open to new ideas, we were able to make significant progress on their projects and achieve our goals.

Tufts On-Site Facade Survey

The Tufts students were given the chance to go behind the scenes and observe a facade survey firsthand. They were able to witness a demo from Joe Sullivan, Senior Project Manager and Head of Drone Operations. This provided a valuable learning opportunity as they were able to see the techniques and processes used to assess the condition of building facades, from drone surveying to 3D laser scanning. During the session, they were able to take pictures and videos and ask questions. Overall, it was a positive experience for the team and the students, with them actively participating and engaging in the learning process.

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The Final Presentation

The students impressed everyone with their level of engagement and professionalism. They were interested in the work that Existing Conditions does with drone flights and scanning, and they also learned about marketing a business and reaching out to clients.

One aspect that the students particularly appreciated was the opportunity to create something tangible, such as the webinar, that would quickly be launched and tested with real-world clients and prospects. They approached the project as if they were a team of marketing consultants working with Existing Conditions, and they managed the project very professionally.

The project was a mutually enriching experience as both sides learned from each other and worked towards a common goal. The students demonstrated their innate qualities as entrepreneurs and were engaged in every aspect of the project, from asking questions and gathering information to creating content and participating in the real-world application of their skills. Overall, it was a successful and educational experience for all involved.

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The Launch of Our AIA-Approved Continuing Education Webinar

Our new webinar titled “Push the Envelope: How to Leverage Technology to Evaluate Building Enclosures,” is led by Jared Curtis, who provides an overview of reality capture technologies, the current state of architectural surveying, and relevant local mandates that impact building envelopes. Jared also discusses the increasing demand for surveys of building enclosures and the challenges that commonly arise during facade surveys. Lastly, he explains how up-to-date technology can help provide professionals with situational awareness of their buildings. We are thrilled about the recent launch of our webinar, and we want to extend our thanks to the Tufts marketing students for their efforts.

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The Next Steps

One of the most exciting aspects of the awareness campaign for envelope surveys is the opportunity to showcase the great work that Existing Conditions have done for clients and the valuable service that we provide within the architectural and real estate ecosystems. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the various technological advancements that are currently more valuable for evaluating building envelopes, such as drone imagery, satellite imagery, thermographic imaging of the exteriors of buildings, and photogrammetric surveys of the exteriors of buildings. These tools allow us to gather a wealth of data and insights about building envelopes, including the risks and opportunities related to facade and roof maintenance, energy efficiency, and historic preservation. The goal is to inform architects and their teams about the range of services and expertise available at Existing Conditions and help them understand how they can leverage our knowledge to enhance their projects.

Through participation in the webinar and consumption of related content, architects and their teams will become aware of the various ways in which a company like Existing Conditions can help them gain situational awareness about the risks and opportunities related to building envelopes. They may come to realize that they can take a more proactive approach to manage these risks rather than simply accepting them as an inherent part of the project.

A Thank You

We want to express our gratitude to the Tufts University students for their dedication and hard work throughout the semester. We hope that they have gained valuable experience and knowledge through this collaboration and that this will be a stepping stone for their future success. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors and hope that we may have the opportunity to work with them again in the future.

"Working with Existing Conditions this semester has provided our team with a start-to-finish understanding of how to build a comprehensive marketing campaign for a specific service (Facade Surveying). In the beginning, we met with Existing Conditions and conducted thorough background research to understand the services that Existing Conditions has to offer and the various technologies they use. Over the course of the semester, we created and designed our deliverables: blog posts, social media posts, email blasts, newsletters, and a 100+ slide webinar. We frequently communicated with the Existing Conditions team and received constant feedback on our work to ensure our content met the company’s standards. This campaign will be launched within the next month, and we will keep track of several metrics to measure the effectiveness of our content. Our team was very much on the same page with Jared and Existing Conditions management, and I feel very proud of the work that our team accomplished. We learned useful marketing skills and immediately applied them to the content we were creating. We gained real exposure to working in a professional team environment. We are incredibly grateful to Existing Conditions for the opportunity to work with their dynamic team." - Simon Perry, Tufts University student.

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Existing Conditions 3D Laser Scanning Services

Over the past 27 years, Existing Conditions has measured, documented, and modeled over 10,000 buildings spanning over 700 million square feet across the United States, establishing ourselves as an industry leader in 3D laser scanning. Building professionals trust us to deliver digital representations of the as-built environment with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency. Our dedicated Project Managers provide fast and accurate 3D laser scanning services and drone imagery services, and expert CAD and BIM technicians create custom, detailed deliverables, including point clouds, 2D CAD drawings, 3D BIM models, 3D mesh models, TruViews, and 3D virtual tours. Our greatest reward remains delivering superior-quality scan-to-BIM work and knowing we played a vital role in our clients’ projects.