New York Historical Society

Case Study: New York Historical Society

The Tang Wing for American Democracy is a major renovation and expansion project at The New York Historical Society, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects.

The New York Historical Society required precise as-built documentation to support the efforts of architects, engineers, and facility managers who were completing the renovation and expansion.

Recognizing the complexities and the need for accuracy in documenting such a historically significant structure, the New York Historical Society partnered with Existing Conditions, a leader in 3D laser scanning, BIM modeling, and as-built surveys.

‍

Project Scale and Architecture

• The new wing is a five- to six-story, 70,000–80,000 square foot structure, integrated with the existing building at Central Park West.
• The facade is being constructed from granite taken from Deer Isle, Maine. This is the same stone used to build the museum's original structure over 100 years ago, which helps the new wing match the historic look of the old building.
• The exterior design of the wing was required to reflect and complement the architectural character of the 1908 and 1938 additions.
• The design renovation added new facilities and space, including art galleries, classroom space, teacher development space, library storage, conservation studio, LGBTQ+ museum space, courtyard, and rooftop terrace.
• The budget is approximately $175 million, including full funding from public and private sources, with the project scheduled for completion in July 2026.

Problem

The Society’s renovations took place under significant time pressure, as completion needed to align with major institutional milestones and public programming commitments. The building had to remain open to staff, researchers, and visitors throughout the construction and renovation processes, a major logistical challenge for any large-scale project.

The firm did not want to employ traditional survey methods, which would have required weeks of onsite work, heavily disrupt building operations and would not keep pace with the evolving needs of project stakeholders. These manual methods of using photos, sketches, and tape measures are not only slow, but produce incomplete, inconsistent, and outdated data.

Solution

Existing Conditions collaborated closely with the owner's representative and the lead architects. They identified and prioritized the most critical project elements, employing 3D laser scanning to capture precise as-built data in days instead of weeks. This significantly reduced disruptions within the occupied building, provided immediate access to detailed documentation for coordinated architectural and engineering planning, and greatly enhanced the agility of facility management throughout the project.

To expedite data collection, they employed the “swarm technique”—sending multiple 3D laser scanning surveyors simultaneously rather than relying on a single operator over several weeks. This strategy cut onsite surveying time in half, minimized disruptions, and allowed the building to remain fully operational throughout the process.

Survey control points were established at the outset, enabling the survey to be accurately linked to other past and future surveys. This ensured seamless integration of the new data with previous or concurrent architectural drawings and supported collaborative decision-making.

Existing Conditions deployed both color laser scanning for public display areas and grayscale scanning for less critical back-of-house spaces. The rapid and accurate capture of the building’s physical reality fed directly into the creation of a comprehensive 3D BIM model.

Benefits

The swarm technique dramatically reduced 3D laser scanning time on site and delivered more usable, accurate spatial data compared to traditional manual efforts.

By prioritizing the deliverables required for renovation, the client and architects gained fast access to actionable BIM information while the rest of the model was developed in parallel.

The Society’s mission and daily functions continued without interruption during 3D laser scanning, preserving public access and internal operations.

The digital deliverables—point clouds, as-built drawings, and 3D BIM models—became assets that supported not only the current renovation, but ongoing facility management, accessibility upgrades, public safety improvements, and future repositioning or rehabilitation needs.

With established survey control and high-quality documentation, future design and maintenance teams can leverage the same reliable data set without needing to repeat 3D laser scanning, enabling seamless collaboration across project lifecycles.

‍

‍

‍

Existing Conditions 3D Laser Scanning Services

With 27 years of experience, Existing Conditions is renowned for accurate as-built drawings, existing condition surveys, 3D laser scanning, and drone imaging, supporting some of the most iconic projects in the United States. Now, as part of GPRS, the nation’s leader in Intelligently Visualizing the Built World^®, we can deliver additional services faster and with greater support. Wherever your project is located, trust the combined expertise of GPRS and Existing Conditions to deliver the data you need—quickly and reliably.

Contact us today for a free project estimate.