Cairn Homes rolls out reality capture technology across residential portfolio

Ireland-based housebuilder Cairn Homes has deployed reality capture technology across over 25 active sites through a multi-year enterprise agreement with DroneDeploy, standardising use of drones, 360-degree cameras and handheld 3D scanning to deliver faster inspections, higher data accuracy and clearer visibility across its residential development portfolio.

PBC Today reported that in less than two years, Cairn's reality capture programme has scaled from initial pilots to enterprise-wide deployment, with site management, engineering, town planning, aftercare and commercial teams using the technology to capture, analyse and share high-resolution site data driving everything from early-stage site assessments and design verification to progress tracking and proactive aftercare management.

Jakub Urbanczyk, digital construction manager at Cairn, said digital construction is not a side project but central to how the company plans and delivers developments. He noted DroneDeploy allows all visual site data to be brought into one place with trusted accuracy, enabling teams to see progress home by home and apartment by apartment whilst verifying earthworks, planning site logistics and coordinating site works with high accuracy.

From early design and site appraisal through to cut/fill analysis, site logistics and final council handover plans, Cairn's teams and design partners are using aerial maps and 3D models as a single visual record of the entire project lifecycle. By overlaying drawings and work areas directly onto up-to-date site imagery, project teams can coordinate crane locations, haul routes, public interfaces and temporary works with greater confidence.

Using DroneDeploy's Ground Pro 3D scanning and RTK-enabled mobile capture, Cairn is integrating trench scanning into standard operating procedures. Selected trenches are scanned prior to backfilling, creating permanent, measurable records of installation depth, separation and overall quality, gathering evidence needed to evaluate broader rollout across developments.

Discover complete technology deployment strategy and project applications for the reality capture programme.