Hamilton photographer recreates iconic buildings in the GTHA as 3D models

Hamilton's City Centre and the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto are iconic buildings slated for demolition. Thanks to a Hamilton photographer, you'll be able to see a version of those, and other buildings, long after they're gone.

Mathew Alex created 3D models to preserve the City Centre, Science Centre and many other notable buildings in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Viewable on a screen, or using augmented- and virtual-reality tools, the models show a drone's-eye view of the structures capturing their scale in a way traditional photography can't.

"I've always had a passion for capturing moments, so the 3D experiences were actually just an extension of that," Alex told CBC Hamilton. 

Alex started his passion project when he was working with the Hamilton Public Library in 2021, scanning local historic buildings like the Griffin House. The idea was to bring heritage sites to life during the pandemic, he said.  

When his contract ended, he decided to keep going, scanning buildings including Auchmar House and Century Manor. Eventually, he moved beyond Hamilton, and now he's slowly working his way through buildings designed by Raymond Moriyama, the Science Centre's iconic architect. 

"This type of 3D imaging is actually a multidisciplinary skill," Alex told CBC Hamilton, since it requires knowledge of specialized software to put many images together into a 3D building.

Virtually any object can be scanned and recreated in 3D, Alex said, but much of his portfolio is architecture.

It can take a long time to do a scan, and usually more time spent taking photos leads to a higher quality product, he said.

In the case of the City Centre, which Alex scanned after reading it would be demolished, he spent 20 to 30 minutes photographing the building with a drone. 

Mostly, Alex said, he focuses on buildings he finds interesting or historically significant. When he travels, he brings his drone in case the opportunity for a scan arises.

One of Alex's favourite things to scan is murals. 

"I've always found art interesting because it's like the polar opposite of me," Alex said.

At home, Alex has a virtual reality setup he can use to view his work. Virtual reality allows a user to look around as if they've entered a space. Augmented reality — another tool one could use to view this work — places a virtual object into an existing space.  

Going forward, Alex says, he'd like to add scans of the Toronto Reference Library and Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, and Science North building in Sudbury, Ont., to his archive.