Overview

This stunning slice of Los Angeles history was set to undergo major restoration/renovation and needed detailed documentation of the ornate interior. With its arched ceilings decked out in handcrafted tiling, the renovation would require careful attention to detail, so Spatial Acuity laser scanned and modeled every majestic tile, floor to ceiling.

Process

Located in Downtown LA, the Dutch Chocolate Shop was a local landmark in the early 1900’s. Renowned for the elaborate tile murals and groined-vault ceiling by famed Pasadena artist Ernest Batchelder. The space is modeled after a German beer hall, while the murals depict everyday Dutch life.

Photo Credit: LA Curbed
Image Source

The more detailed the architecture, the more detailed the 3D laser scan and resulting as-built Revit model must be. With historical sites such as this, the architects want to renovate around the irreplaceable original features. In that case, accurate documentation of the site is a must.

Spatial Acuity’s 3D laser scanning team went to downtown LA to scope out and scan the former chocolate shop, which is on the first floor of the four-story building. Using the latest in laser scanning technology, the skilled technicians documented every facet of the ornate interior interior and used the data to compile a unified point cloud.

The point cloud captures the surfaces of the room in three dimensional space. You can see that it looks almost like a photograph, but the video below shows how it allows the client to move through and observe the space:

Photograph vs. 3D Point Cloud