New technology was used to assist with the National Comedy Center project on Tuesday.

A drone was used to take photos of the area surrounding the former Jamestown Board of Public Utilities substation building, which is going to be used in the National Comedy Center project. Paul Hedin, Clark Patterson Lee principal consultant, and Andrew Goodermote, Clark Patterson Lee principal associate, invited Richard Carlo, Alfred State College professor of architecture and design, to use drone technology to take the photos.

Hedin said the photos will be used to gain information about a retaining wall on the south side of the former BPU building, which is now owned by the National Comedy Center and will be used for the Hologram Comedy Club.

In partnership with the National Comedy Center, Hologram USA has created the Hologram Comedy Club that will display holograms of famous comedians delivering well-known routines. There will be eight to 10 famous comedy routines that will circulate through the day, with a marque schedule so tourists know when their favorite virtual performer will be on stage.

Hedin said with the use of the drone, they were able to collect necessary information on the wall, and other areas around the building, that will be used to make architectural decisions for the National Comedy Center project. Hedin said by using the drone, they saved man hours because they didn’t have to send an actual person to measure or inspect the retaining wall.

”This will give us an accurate depiction of what is there,” he said. ”We now have an accurate portrayal of what the conditions are.”

Hedin said the information will help when it comes to bidding for contractors because they will have more information about the site of the project. This will help with preventing change orders and added costs once the project has started. He said this is the first time they have been able to use drone technology for an architectural project.

Carlo said drones are not yet legal for commercial architectural purposes, but they were able to use it for academic purposes Tuesday. He believes one day they will be used to assist architects because the technology is a valuable tool.

”There are a lot of applications just starting to be realized,” he said.

Carlo said they used the drone for about 40 minutes to take photos around the building. He said now they will be able to create a photo mosaic through a 3-D point cloud. A point cloud is a set of data points. In a three-dimensional coordinate system, these points are usually defined by X, Y and Z coordinates, and often are intended to represent the external surface of an object.

”The point cloud represents a series of points to create a 3-D model with the photos,” he said. ”We will have a 3-D realism of this object.”

Carlo said they don’t know if they will have to return to the proposed National Comedy Center site until they have viewed the photos and the 3-D imagery. He said the process used to take the photos is called ”mowing the lawn.” This is when mostly vertical shots of the area are taken. He added they only took photos of the area, but they had the capabilities of also taking video.

Carlo said he is amazed by the software available to manipulate the photos that can be taken by the drone. He said the imagery can be sent to a 3-D printer, which can make 3-D solid objects from a digital file.

The team of stakeholders in the National Comedy Center project includes the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy; the Gebbie Foundation; the Oishei Foundation; the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, Lenna Foundation and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. The visitor experience has been designed by world-renown creative firms Jack Rouse Associates and interactive specialist Local Projects. Clark Patterson Lee is the lead architect for the project.

The center will use two buildings that have already been constructed, the former BPU substation and the wings of the Jamestown Gateway Train Station. The center will include the construction of a new building, which will be the entrance area. Between the former BPU building and the train station there will be a walkway connector. There will also be access to the Chadakoin River and the new Comedy Center Park from Second Street through separate ramp and stair systems. Center construction will begin in the spring of 2016. Fabrication and installation of the attraction components along with the content acquisition process will follow, with a target opening in late spring 2017. The center will be a 28,000-square-foot facility, with construction estimated to cost around $20 million.

The National Comedy Center is designed to be a national attraction based on the celebration of comedy: the craft and its contributors, and embodies Lucille Ball’s vision for her hometown of Jamestown.