Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, USA

The Art Center College of Design is planning a phased renovation of the Hillside Campus building which was completed in 1976 and designed by Craig Elwood and is considered a major work of Southern California modernist architecture. The Project Architects required a point cloud survey and as-built Revit model to create comprehensive documentation to be used as the basis of design at each renovation stage and as a dynamic Facility Management resource which will be updated continually.

The project was awarded to Mollenhauer Group on account of our experience in both surveying and Revit modelling of existing buildings. We performed a comprehensive laser scan survey of the two storey 220,000 sqft building and created a Revit model of all exposed structure and architecture, as well as all lighting, electrical fixtures, piping and ducting.

The project was challenging due to the predominantly glass and steel structure and the constant occupation of the building which is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The laser scan survey required thoughtful planning and the point cloud significant cleaning to reduce the level of data noise caused by reflection and refraction of the laser. The modernist style of the building meant that most structure was exposed, but any hidden elements were added to the model using the original construction plans.

The Beverly Center Shopping Mall, Los Angeles

The eight-story (just under 3 million sqft) shopping mall located in Beverly Hills requires upgrading to meet the needs of todays’ customers. An international team of Architects and Engineers led by Neumann Smith Architects were put together to redesign parts of the mall. An important part of the process was the creation of a BIM of the Center. Mollenhauer Group scanned the facility using both a Leica P20 and Faro Focus which was used as the foundation of a Revit model of the existing building including structural, architectural and MEP components. The laser scan survey and model were carried out to a tight schedule and the point cloud data viewable using Leica’s Truview. The project is vast, by far the largest scan to BIM survey undertaken by the Mollenhauer Group. The as-built Revit model proved to be a vital part of the redesign and building management process.

Churchill Hotel, San Diego, CA, USA

The 7 story, 100 year old Churchill Hotel in San Diego has been vacant for many years and now has plans to be converted into housing by the San Diego Housing Commission. Studio E Architects commissioned Mollenhauer to perform a laser scan survey and Revit model of the derelict hotel.