Digitising Old Building Documentation
How to create a reliable digital archive, vectorise drawings and distinguish archival conversion from verified as-built information.
Digitisation may mean scanning, image enhancement, indexing, CAD vectorisation or BIM reconstruction. Each level has different cost and evidential value.
Scanning and preservation
Create a high-quality master, readable access copy and consistent metadata for building, discipline, level and revision.
Vectorisation
Redrawing improves editability but cannot increase the accuracy of the original source.
Site verification
For refurbishment use, define which dimensions and conditions will be checked on site.
BIM reconstruction
Distinguish verified, inherited and assumed information. Do not present assumptions as measured facts.
Information management
Use controlled file naming, revisions, access, backups, OCR and links to assets or spaces.
Need deliverables that remain usable
Before commissioning the work, define the purpose, survey scope, required accuracy, deliverable formats and acceptance checks in writing. DigiStav provides surveying, building records, 2D documentation, point clouds and BIM-ready outputs for buildings, infrastructure and industrial assets. The scope should always follow the intended use rather than a generic package.
This article provides general technical information. It is not a substitute for project-specific legal, surveying, engineering or professional-authorisation advice.
Verified sources and further reading
Czech Building Act No. 283/2021 Coll.: https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2021-283 · Czech Decree No. 131/2024 Coll. on construction documentation: https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2024-131 · Czech Act No. 330/2025 Coll. on construction and built-environment information management: https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2025-330 · Czech BIM implementation portal and Building Data Standard: https://www.koncepcebim.cz/ · buildingSMART International – IFC and openBIM: https://www.buildingsmart.org/