Their quantity surveyor checked subcontractor claims against 360° photos of the site. Room by room, on every visit. Here's what the photos showed.
Construction projects often require teams to answer questions long after work has been completed. Traditionally, this relied on site diaries and individual photographs.
HBC implemented Oculo across multiple projects, capturing regular 360° walkthroughs throughout construction.
HBC implemented Oculo across multiple projects, capturing regular 360° walkthroughs throughout construction.
The scans created a permanent visual timeline, giving both commercial and site teams the ability to return to any location at any point in time. Whether reviewing completed works, investigating issues or validating commercial claims, teams can instantly access a visual record of exactly what happened on site.
One of Oculo's biggest commercial impacts came during the refurbishment of the Ramsden Building at the University of Huddersfield.
Senior Quantity Surveyor Ashley Etherington used Oculo during monthly valuations to verify subcontractor claims. Rather than relying solely on submitted quantities, Ashley reviewed completed works using Oculo's historical timeline.
In several cases, subcontractors had overclaimed on their works, while Oculo showed what had actually been completed. With traditional finishes in historic buildings coming at a premium, these discrepancies quickly became significant.
By validating completed works against Oculo's visual record, HBC estimates it identified approximately £100,000 - £150,000 in overclaimed works.
Oculo also became a key evidencing tool during conversations with subcontractors.
During a conversation, another subcontractor argued that delayed access had prevented works from starting on time. Using Oculo's timestamped imagery, HBC was able to demonstrate exactly when operatives were present on each floor.
“Our site management used Oculo to basically say, 'Here's a picture of some of your team on Floor 1 or Floor 2 at this date.'”
Ashley estimates this evidence helped avoid tens of thousands of pounds in potential disruption claims.
For Site Manager Carl Gelder, one of Oculo's biggest benefits came during an investigation into hairline cracking on an existing building. Questions arose about whether the works had caused the damage.
Instead of searching through hundreds of photographs, Carl simply returned to the project's first Oculo scan. The scan clearly showed the cracking already existed before construction began.
“I could go straight back to our first scan and showed it was existing... without the system I would have been a bit stuck.”
The ability to prove pre-existing conditions protected the project from unnecessary remediation costs and lengthy investigations.
One of the biggest advantages highlighted by HBC was that Oculo delivers value across multiple roles throughout the project lifecycle.
As Carl summarised: “It's a very rounded system.”
HBC is one of the UK's leading construction companies, delivering complex construction projects across the public and private sectors in Yorkshire, Teesside and the East Midlands.
Across projects including the Ramsden Building for the University of Huddersfield, Rotherham Markets and Rye Park in Newcastle-under-Lyme, HBC adopted Oculo to create a complete visual record of construction.
Today, Oculo supports both commercial and site teams by providing instant access to historic site conditions, helping verify completed works, investigate issues and reduce project risk.
Book a demo on one of your own sites. We'll walk the timeline, open a valuation and pull the evidence, the same way HBC's teams do every month.
