Operated by The Central Power Plant (CPP) team, the CCP generates and processes steam, electricity, compressed air, and domestic hot water for the University of Michigan Central and Medical Campuses. The CPP is a combined cycle cogeneration power plant that includes seven steam boilers totaling 1,000,000+ pounds of steaming capacity. In connection with the University of Michigan’s transition towards more eco-friendly alternatives, U of M has undertaken multiple construction projects to reduce the carbon footprint of the University.
THE CHALLENGE
In the University of Michigan’s efforts to remove outdated infrastructure, a 3-story boiler was removed from one of the campuses buildings. This left a large hole in the structure that needed to be filled in to create walkable floors for storage and new energy options. To create these floors they needed to pour new concrete and erect steel beams, requiring steel detailing drawings. PMC was commissioned to provide these steel detailing drawings of the space to construction engineers. PMC facilitated the technical steel detailing drawings utilizing existing engineering drawings, point cloud data acquired by FARO Laser Scanners, SDS2, and reviewed with FARO WebShare.
Thanks to the measurements from the point cloud, PMC was able to identify several early-stage issues that provided cost and time savings for the project:
Alterations for missed piping runs in the design documents
Redesigning wall mounting to avoid poor demolition of previous concrete
Adjusting floor framing to avoid grinding abandoned plates from mating beam flanges
A fifteen-minute scan performed by the FARO Laser Scanner helped the PMC team make construction suggestions that saved days on the project.
THE SOLUTION
Chris Mounts, using a FARO Laser Scanner, took three laser scans of the site in under fifteen minutes. The scans revealed a simpler solution to the problem. The point cloud images of the site allowed the team to see that they did not have to grind the plates off and the beam placements could simply be shifted. Instead of having to employ a millwright to grind the metal plates off the beams, the team was able to make recommendations for alternatives. By adjusting where the new beams were to be installed, they were able to avoid utilizing a millwright therefore avoiding additional expenses and saving time.
PMC was able to suggest slight measurement changes to construction plans addressing the removal of a staircase. An inconveniently placed L-bracket, bolted to the wall and a damaged piece of concrete would have normally required smashing the concrete, adding mortar to smooth it out, days of labor, etc. The point clouds showed that by altering the placement of the floor by 4 inches, they could avoid additional construction to the site.
PMC laser scanned and provided annotation 3D model of a historic log barn.
Relocation of Historic Log Barn with Laser Scanning and 3D Revit Annotation Modeling
by Carrie Van Loon
PMC provided scanning and modeling services for a Dallas area historic log barn. The local municipality wanted the barn scanned before they disassembled it. The reassemble team wanted to be able to identify every log location, so they could reassemble it exactly like the original building.
Anna Texas released a bid for a historic barn to be relocated from its original location to a historic area that the town was creating.
PMC’s scanning team carefully scanned each area of the 900 square-foot barn. Each log was numbered to allow for accurate placement. The benefit of numbering each log was to give the reconstruction team a way to quickly reassemble the barn at its new location.
The Challenge
When the team had previously moved historic buildings, it found reassembling the building at a new location to be incredibly challenging and time-consuming. They produced the idea to not only create a 3D CAD model, but to have all the parts numbered, so the reconstruction team could quickly and accurately rebuild the structure at its new location. Accurate measurements of the structure and a way to number each log before the structure was disassembled were prerequisites to success. So, the reassembly team could quickly and accurately reconstruct the structure in its original form.Inserting asset management information in the record model is one of many steps in accomplishing digital twins. Even this basic indexing allows the end user to be proactive in facilities management, reducing the possibility of unexpected failures, safety issues and more.
The Solution
Number each log for quick identification in the delivered 3D annotation model.
It was agreed that the project was a bit limited in scope to truly benefit from a rigorous BIM and VDC standard. PMC offered resourceful, cost-effective solutions to satisfy major project deliverables without negatively impacting the project schedule. PMC’s responsibility for the technology portions of the project allowed our partner to fully focus on what they do best – renovating critical pump stations infrastructure.
The Benefit
The benefit was that this historic barn was successfully relocated to a new location and reconstructed exactly as it was originally built. Now the barn will be authentically preserved in its original form.
PMC laser scans and builds a 3D Revit digital twin of asset information model.
Asset Management Information with Laser Scanning and 3D Revit Modeling
by Emma Stasek
PMC was asked to participate in a pump station renovation in which asset and building life cycle management were high priority. Capturing post demolition conditions with terrestrial laser scanning assisted with the design process, and scanning final construction validated construction, graduating the design documents to as record drawingrelevant for management of the building life cycle. The record drawings feature asset data such as model information and serial numbers for major equipment, key information for maintenance and repair.
The Challenge
Our partner’s primary challenge was their lack of in-house capability to handle the BIM and asset management requirement in the specification. PMC picked up this part of the project on their behalf.
The Solution
It was agreed that the project was a bit limited in scope to truly benefit from a rigorous BIM and VDC standard. PMC offered resourceful, cost-effective solutions to satisfy major project deliverables without negatively impacting the project schedule. PMC’s responsibility for the technology portions of the project allowed our partner to fully focus on what they’re best at – renovating critical pump stations infrastructure.
Inserting asset management information in the record model is one of many steps in accomplishing digital twins. Even this basic indexing allows the end user to be proactive in facilities management, reducing the possibility of unexpected failures, safety issues and more.
PMC laser scans and builds a 3D Revit model of a synagogue for Interior Facades and tile replacement.
Façade replacement using Laser Scanning and 3D Revit Modeling
PMC was hired to worked with a construction company that had a project that needed to replace a unique Synagogue interior facades and tile replacement. The design of the façade was pieced together as a puzzle board in a very non-unformed unique design. During consulting with the contractor,our team laser scanned the location, and we took the data that we collected to model the complex walls using the program Revit. Our modeling team took all the precautions in the BIM Revit model to ensure that each tile was numbered and aligned, so when the new tiles arrived the client could replace them in the exact location needed by the clients’ requirements.
Pictured above is the exterior of the Park Synagogue located 27500 Shaker Blvd, Pepper Pike, OH 44124
The Challenge
The façade stands at a height of two stories tall, which made measuring manually an impossible and complicated task to complete. Without the use of our laser scanning team and the data collection to accurately document each tile placement and thickness, the job of replacing each of the tiles would become a difficult project.
The Solution
PMC’s laser scanning team went and scanned the interior façade of the Synagogue. The data collected from the laser scanning allowed our team to create a 3D Revit model with 2D floor plans and elevation sections of the interior walls and tiles. This allowed the contractor to digitally catalogue and recreate the new interior wall panels through an additional woodworking vendor for replacement tiles.
Detroit’s Historical landmark Fisher Building is one of the most recognizable buildings in the city. PMC’s team captured high detail information on the building façade.
History of Fisher Building, Detroit Michigan
The Fisher Building is a landmark skyscraper located on West Grand Boulevard in the heart of the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. The ornate 30-story building, completed in 1928, is one of the major works of architect Albert Kahn, and is designed in an Art Deco style, faced with limestone, granite, and several types of marble.
Once known as the Cathedral to Commerce the Fisher Building serves as one of the premiere remaining examples of large Art Deco style. Originally planned as a campus of 3 towers where the existing Fisher Building would flank a 60-story building the Great Depression would put an end to the construction.
The Challenge
The Fisher Building has and extremely complex façade. Over the history of the building the maintenance of the façades has not been well documented. After a change of ownership, PMC was approached to see how technology could be applied to evaluate the current state of the façades.
The Solution
There are multiple ways to remotely capture information with technology today. After discussions with the client PMC took two approaches for the Building. First, we flew multiple drone flights with a high resolution, commercial drone. Second, using a high precision Leica P-series scanners we capture ultra-high resolutionlaser scanning.
Quick Facts
Content
325,000 square feet of exterior marble
More than 40 kinds of marble from all over the world were used
In the University of Michigan’s efforts to remove outdated infrastructure, a 3-story boiler was removed from one of the campuses buildings. This left a large hole in the structure that needed to be filled in to create walkable floors for storage and new energy options. To create these floors they needed to pour new concrete and erect steel beams, requiring steel detailing drawings. PMC was commissioned to provide these steel detailing drawings of the space to construction engineers. PMC facilitated the technical steel detailing drawings utilizing existing engineering drawings, point cloud data acquired by FARO Laser Scanners, SDS2, and reviewed with FARO WebShare.
PMC 
The Solution