PROJECT EXPERIENCE:
School Without Walls High School, High Definition LIDAR Scan
Location: WASHINGTON, DC

Project Background: The School Without Walls High School was originally constructed in 1935 and the 47,000 square foot building stands on the George Washington University Campus in Northeast DC. Over the years the building had fallen into disrepair and the brick and limestone exterior provided visible evidence that the facility was in need of restoration.

Although the structural integrity of the building had been deemed sound by engineers there were settlement cracks at both the north and south end and the foundation of the building was poor. There were missing and broken pieces of slate on the roof and the roof drainage system was in unacceptable to non-functional condition which resulted in numerous leaks that penetrated the skin of the structure.

The interior of the school was in poor condition and there were visible signs of severe water damage to the plaster walls and ceiling which was apparent by the presence of peeling paint and mold.

The D.C. City Council and the George Washington University Board of Trustees approved a deal for $12 million to renovate and expand the school building in exchange for transfer of the school's rear parking lot property to the university.

Work Performed: In 2008, Turner Construction Company enlisted Rice Associates to complete a comprehensive exterior and partial interior scan for the purpose of developing an existing conditions plan of the structure. The product was used for planning and design efforts with the main goal being to ensure the building addition geometrically tied into the existing structure.

Rice Associates utilized its Leica ScanStation 2 combination high-speed laser and digital camera unit to capture raw data at the site. The system operator occupied three exterior and one interior control station to gather all necessary field information. The raw data was processed in the office utilizing Cyclone software and the resultant product was a 3-D AutoCAD drawing depicting detailed exterior features and a complete interior staircase and floor landing layout.