There’s an App for That: 3D Scanning with a Smartphone
Tools for documenting historic buildings evolve constantly, but professional 3D scanners remain out of reach for most of us. Alumna Ye Hong, our first dual-degree student in Heritage Conservation and Building Science, sees a path to more equitable heritage conservation in the nearly ubiquitous smartphone. For her thesis, she tested the potential and limitations of mobile apps to scan Reunion House, designed by Richard and Dion Neutra. In this episode, co-host Trudi Sandmeier discusses this exciting project with Ye, as well as (fellow alum) Sian Winship of the Neutra Institute for Survival through Design.
Historic photo of the Reunion House, 1951. Source: University of Southern California. 
Example of a measured drawing. 
Interior photograph of the living room, Reunion House (later the residence of Dion and Lynn Smart Neutra), 2240 Earl Street (aka 2240 Neutra Place), Silver Lake, California, 1951. Designed by Richard Neutra. Source: USC Library. 
Smartphone device on tripod with an angle facing down. Source: Ye Hong. 
Downloadable Reunion House videos and photos from Matterport webpage. Source: Ye Hong. 
Scan 4 point cloud in CloudCompare. Source: Ye Hong. 
After merge view in scalar field. Source: Ye Hong. 
Master bedroom in Reunion House
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Featuring
Ye Hong was the first dual degree student in Heritage Conservation and Building Science at the University of Southern California. She also has a Bachelor of Fine Art, Art History, degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. Ye started as an intern at Historic Resources Group and was then hired as an Associate Architectural Historian. Concurrently with her recent coursework at USC, Ye completed an internship at RLA Conservation, analyzing and conserving artifacts. She was also a Research Assistant at the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage in Beijing, helping to develop a preservation plan and conducting archival work for the Summer Palace.
Sian Winship is an architectural historian, marketing researcher, and writer, specializing in modern architecture and cultural history. As President of the Society of Architectural Historians/ Southern California Chapter, she has curated numerous architectural tours and events. A two-time graduate of USC, she obtained a degree in Business and a master’s in Historic Preservation in 2011.
Learn More
Scanning Using a Smart Phone for Heritage Conservation: A Case Study Using the Reunion House by Ye Hong
Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design
AQYER (building documentation company)
Western Chapter of Association for Preservation Technology
Save As episode: Every Fixture Tells a Story: Neutra’s Reunion House
Apps mentioned in the episode:
CloudCompare
Matterport
Sitescape
USC Heritage Conservation Programs
Your Hosts
Co-host Trudi Sandmeier is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of Graduate Programs in Heritage Conservation, and Professor of Practice at the USC School of Architecture. Her work centers on the conservation of the recent past and the impact of under-recognized communities on the historic built environment. Read more in her USC faculty bio.
Co-host Cindy Olnick serves as both Associate Director of Heritage Conservation at USC and a communications consultant for heritage conservation, historic preservation, and the built environment. Read more in her USC faculty bio.
Podcast producer Willa Seidenberg taught audio journalism and podcasting at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, while pursuing a USC Master of Heritage Conservation degree. She retired from teaching and earned her degree in 2023.
A 20-year broadcast journalist and an inaugural fellow with USC’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Willa founded Annenberg Radio News, the university’s radio news operation; and Intersections South LA, a reporting lab and community website for South Los Angeles.
With photographer William Short, Willa is the author of two oral history/photo projects: A Matter of Conscience: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War and Memories of the American War: Stories From Viet Nam.
