Overview

Many years after its initial construction and after numerous additions, this large event and conference space on Texas Woman’s University (TWU) was set to undergo a more complete renovation. Closing the space during the remodel would mean lost revenue to the university. To ensure the remodel would go smoothly for a timely reopening, they brought in Spatial Acuity’s 3D laser scanning team to assess the current state of the structure.

 

Process

Hubbard Hall had been through many changes leading up to this major remodel. Starting as a dining hall, it most recently served as a high end wedding, event, and conference space with multiple ballrooms.

To expedite the schedule, a two-laser crew was deployed to Denton, Texas, a town within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Speed and accuracy were key, but so was ensuring the optimal benefit for the cost. Spatial Acuity worked with the client to determine the necessary level of detail (LOD) for specific regions of the scan. (See note below for more on LOD.)


 

By using the highest level of detail only where necessary––such as on the exterior and in specific rooms needing LOD 300-400––the laser scanning team could save time and money by scanning at the lower LOD 200 in the spaces where greater detail was not necessary. High detail LOD 400 scans were particularly important on the intricate facades and the exterior cast stone profiles were matched to the as-built.

The point cloud and resulting model were geo-referenced, meaning each point on the entire laser scan had real-world coordinates assigned to it.

 

Result

The final model gave the client an authoritative and incomparably accurate detailing of the space from top to bottom, inside and out.

twu laser scan to revit

You can see the laser scan was able to pick up on the unique design of the exterior profile:

 

Note on Level of Development (LOD): What Is It?

Level of Development (LOD) Specification is a reference that allows one to specify and articulate with a high level of clarity the content and reliability of Building Information Models (BIMs) at various stages in the design and construction process. LOD is expressed as a numeric value of 100-500.