A popular 190-room hotel in downtown Washington DC was set to undergo a major overhaul. Every room was to be updated, and the rooftop was to undergo a complete transformation, including a new bar or restaurant. In spite of considerable challenges, Our team was able to 3D laser scan the existing building and create a highly accurate Revit model which is now the basis for design and construction of the historic building’s latest iteration.
Process
The hotel was built in the former headquarters of Riggs National Bank, right in the heart of the nation’s capital. The structure was built in 1891 as a retail bank on the first floor with offices above. Features such as marble columns and brass doors make for a regal crash pad for visiting businessmen and tourists. At the time of the latest renovation, the building contained 190 guest rooms and suites, a fitness center, a pool, and two restaurants.
The focus was to document every room to provide architects and contractors with an accurate as-built model. The crew collaborated closely with management to gain access to and document 90% of the rooms over a one-week period for verification at this full-capacity hotel.
With experience working in historical buildings, our team expected the unexpected. The basement, lobby, and back of house contained numerous abnormalities.
Result
The detailed laser scans were processed by the modeling team and turned into a highly functional Revit model. With this model at their disposal, the architects and engineers working on the remodel will be able to access every inch of the site right from their computers or mobile devices. This helped to avoid mistakes or miscalculations that would normally lead to construction delays and lost revenue.