Menemsha Survey Shines in Bellevue Hotel Project
The historic Bellevue Hotel in downtown Philadelphia was due for renovations but had no existing plans. Menemsha Survey was the solution.
Over the course of 10 weeks, we worked to build a virtual, interactive 3D model of the entire 665,000 square-foot, 22-story building. With just a three-person team, we were able to complete all field work within three weeks – an incredible feat for a building of this size that remained open during the entire survey. Our coordination and use of technology allowed the facility to be measured efficiently and effectively.
“If you were to do this in a more traditional manner, you might have to send a team of 10 people out to the field to accomplish the same thing in the same amount of time,” said Jason Tropp, Vice President of Architecture and Facility Services.
Menemsha’s expert survey work on the hotel built the solid foundation needed for the architects at Nelson Worldwide to launch from. We were committed to surveying the building perfectly so the architects never had to worry about anything but architecture, something that puts Menemsha Survey head and shoulders above others in the field.
“It allows the architects to really focus on what their expertise is – creating designs for new construction and the remodel of this facility,” Tropp said. “And it allows us to focus on our expertise, which is the documentation of the existing conditions.”
The process
The project was not straightforward. It required extremely detailed work and clear communication between all key contacts. We provided these necessities in addition to access to advanced technologies that few firms can offer.
At Bellevue, we deployed two types of technology: a traditional terrestrial tripod-mount point cloud scanner and a mobile point cloud scanner. We scanned all 22 of the floor plates with the mobile scanning equipment and all the vertical circulation with the traditional scanner. We then had to tie the individual floor plates together vertically to create one continuous point cloud of the building. Similarly, we had to scan the exterior of the building to tie back together with the interior. All three pieces were brought together through software processing.
“The technology’s pretty amazing,” Tropp said. “The software has come light years in the past five to eight years. So, we’re able to do much more with far less than we were ever able to do before.”
What does this mean for Menemsha?
The Bellevue Hotel survey project exemplifies Menemsha Survey’s success. We can complete projects on a quick timeline with little to no error. It shows our management and logistic strengths alongside our technical proficiency.
“Our approach is one that provides a quality product to architects and developers, as well as a quality partnership with confidence that we can give them what they need to base their work on,” Tropp said.
About Menemsha
Menemsha stands alone in an industry crowded with companies claiming they can provide multiple or turnkey services. As a vertically integrated company, we truly specialize in each service we provide – Survey, Design, Build. Sharing expertise among our divisions has meant we’ve become the best in the industry. It’s that simple.