Architecture Restoration for The City of Victoria

The City of Victoria was in the process of restoring the Gate of Harmonious Interest, a landmark cultural site. A critical part of the restoration involved the soffit details, which required 200 identical decorative brackets. Traditional replication methods for historic architectural details can be incredibly time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, the city faced a significant logistical hurdle: the project had a hard deadline of January 12th to allow for painting and installation. With the request coming in mid-December, the project fell directly over the traditional Christmas holiday closure, leaving no room for error or delay.

Morin 3D provided a modern end-to-end solution to bridge the gap between historic craftsmanship and modern deadlines: 3D Scanning: Rather than manual measurement, Morin 3D scanned an original bracket to create a high-fidelity "Digital Twin." This ensured that every one of the 200 replicas would be a perfect geometric match to the 1981 originals. Within 24 hours Morin 3D 3D scanned and produced a physical sample for the City’s carpentry team to inspect, ensuring the quality met their standards before the full production run. Once the sample was approved Morin 3D adjusted their holiday production schedule. By utilizing 3D printing, they were able to quickly scale up production and produce the intricate brackets far faster than traditional casting or carving methods.

By leveraging 3D printing and scanning, the City of Victoria achieved several key outcomes: Precision at Scale: 200 identical, high-detail brackets were produced, maintaining the architectural integrity of the Gate. Met Deadlines: Despite the holiday season, the brackets were delivered in time for the painting and installation phase. Future-Proofing: Morin 3D keeps the digital scan on file. If the Gate ever requires maintenance in the future, the City can order more brackets instantly without the need for additional scanning or design fees. Cost-Effective Restoration: The city avoided the high costs of manual fabrication and instead relied on local agile production with Morin 3D