Technology · Sheet T-03
360° photo documentation of the spaces that matter
Buildings change constantly and nobody remembers exactly when. 360° documentation is our discipline of capturing the spaces where condition matters most: mechanical rooms, roofs, risers, common areas and tenant suites. Each 360° capture is filed under the building and shows the date it was published, so months or years later you can look around the space as it was.
Definitions
What is 360° site documentation?
A 360° photo records every direction from a single point: the floor, the ceiling, and what sits behind the person holding the camera. A normal photo shows what someone chose to frame. A 360° capture shows the context too: the valve beside the one that failed, the stain above the ceiling grid, the stored material blocking a panel.
That makes 360° building documentation evidence rather than illustration. When a question comes up later, you do not have to rely on whoever took the photo having pointed the camera the right way. It is also different from a 360° walkthrough, which links capture points across a whole floor so you can step through it. Documentation is targeted: specific spaces, at specific moments.
On projects, 360° site documentation is most valuable just before something is hidden: above-ceiling work before the tiles go back, in-wall services before drywall, roof work before it is covered. A capture at that moment answers questions that would otherwise need a ceiling tile pulled or a wall opened. It is one of the simplest habits a construction management team can adopt.
When we capture
Four moments where a dated record pays for itself
Baseline
Onboarding capture
When Levaru takes over a building, we document its condition first: the mechanical spaces, the roof and the common areas. Day-one condition stops being a matter of opinion, for you and for us.
Turnovers
Before and after tenant spaces
Suites are captured at move-out and after tenant improvements. Damage negotiations and punch-list disputes end faster when both sides look at the same dated record.
Incidents
Claims evidence
After a leak, storm or failure, we capture the affected areas before and after remediation. Paired with the work order and its before-and-after photos in the CMMS, your claim file starts with evidence, not memory.
Planning
Capital planning record
Engineers and contractors can scope from the record before they visit, using a tour link or photos we send. Condition over time becomes visible, which sharpens capital planning conversations.
Scope
Which spaces are worth documenting in 360°?
Not every room needs a capture. Focus on spaces where condition drives cost, risk or disputes, and where people rarely go:
- Mechanical rooms. Equipment condition, labels, leaks and the clearances around units.
- Roofs. Membrane, drains, flashing and rooftop equipment, before and after storm season. Our roof maintenance checklist covers what to look for.
- Electrical rooms. Panel labeling and the clear space in front of panels.
- Risers and shafts. Penetrations, stains and signs of water travel between floors.
- Tenant suites. Condition at move-in and move-out, and after build-outs.
- Common areas. Lobbies, corridors and restrooms, where finishes wear and complaints start.
We agree the list with you during onboarding, so you get a documentation scope that fits the building rather than a fixed package.
Method
How do we capture and file 360° building documentation?
- Agree the list. We set the spaces and the triggers with you: which rooms, which events, and how often critical spaces are re-captured.
- Capture. A Levaru team member photographs each space with a 360° camera, from as many points as the space needs.
- File. Each capture is filed under the building and published to the platform. It shows the date it was published.
- Repeat. We capture again after the changes and events on the list, so the record shows the space over time.
Access
Who can see the captures?
Owner portal seats for the building can open the captures, and so can Levaru staff. Tenants cannot. For an outside party, such as an adjuster or a contractor, the sharing tool is the floor tour: we can send an expiring, view-only link to a published 360° walkthrough. Single-room captures cannot be shared by link, so for a claim we send the relevant photos on request.
All of this sits inside the client portal, next to the work orders and asset records for the same building. It also helps our own team: a new technician or manager can look around a space before the first visit.
How does 360° photo documentation compare with phone photos or a capture vendor?
Each approach has a place. A specialist capture vendor can produce excellent results for a one-off project. The difference is what happens to the record afterwards.
| Question | Levaru 360° documentation | Phone photos | Separate capture vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it shows | Every direction from each capture point, so the context is in the record. | Whatever the person holding the phone chose to frame. | High-quality capture of the scope you paid for on the day of the visit. |
| Where it lives | Filed under the building, next to its work orders and asset records. | Phones, inboxes and shared drives. | Usually the vendor platform or a delivered file set. |
| When it is repeated | After the changes and events agreed in your service agreement. | When someone remembers. | When you book and pay for another visit. |
| What it costs you | Included with Levaru management. | Staff time, and the cost of the shot nobody took. | Usually a fee per visit or per project. |
Limits
What 360° documentation is not
- Not a measurement tool. It is a visual record. Measured drawings and survey-grade data still come from a surveyor or design professional.
- Not a camera timestamp. The date shown is when the capture was published in our platform, so a capture date that matters belongs in the work order or report too.
- Not an engineering opinion. It helps engineers scope and check a facility condition assessment, but it does not replace one.
- Not a promise about the past. It covers what we captured from the start of our engagement, not the years before it.
FAQ
360° documentation — common questions
How is 360° documentation different from a 360° walkthrough?
A 360° walkthrough connects capture points across a whole floor on the floor plan, so you can step through it. 360° documentation is targeted capture of specific spaces, such as mechanical rooms, roofs, risers and tenant suites, at specific moments. The walkthrough answers what the floor looks like; documentation answers what this space looked like when it was published.
When do you capture 360° documentation?
At onboarding for a baseline, before and after tenant turnovers and capital projects, after significant incidents such as leaks or storm damage, and on a periodic schedule for critical spaces. The list of spaces and the triggers are set in your service agreement.
Is the date on a capture a camera timestamp?
No. Each capture shows the date it was published in our platform, not a date read from the camera. Where timing matters, as with a claim, note the capture date in the work order or report as well.
Who can see the documentation?
Levaru staff and the owner portal seats for that building. Tenants do not see captures. Share links work for published floor tours, not for single-room captures; for a claim or project we can send an outside party an expiring, view-only link to a floor tour, or send photos on request.
Can 360° photos replace a condition assessment or a survey?
No. They are a visual record, not a measurement tool or an engineering opinion. They make a facility condition assessment easier to scope and to check later, but measured drawings and engineering findings still come from the right professionals.
Does 360° documentation cost extra?
No. Every Levaru facility management and property management engagement includes 360° capture of the spaces agreed in your service agreement. There is no software license and no per-seat fee to view it.
Next step
Every Levaru engagement includes 360° documentation. Yours could start next.
Curious how it works? See how our 360° walkthroughs work →