Worcester Art Museum
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The Worcester Art Museum is working to complete extensive renovations, upgrades, and repairs to the 125-year-old historic campus. The scope of work is immense, and through careful sequencing of projects, the Museum has remained open.
Consideration was given to hire an architect to measure the facility, but the client realized that traditional methods like tape measures, would be less effective than using advanced 3D laser scanning. For a high-profile project, they needed more precise technology.
With the most advanced 3D laser scanners, aerial drones, and decades of experience, the Existing Conditions team provided The Worcester Art Museum with a comprehensive interior and exterior 3D Revit model, 2D CAD drawings, and aerial drone photography, videography, and imagery to facilitate project planning.
The Worcester Art Museum is using the 3D Revit model provided by Existing Conditions to help establish design plans, understand complexities, and expedite renovations.
Case Study: Worcester Art Museum
"As the Worcester Art Museum began developing its master renovation plan, it was evident that a comprehensive 3D model was necessary to capture the complexity of the 125-year-old facility. Partnering with Existing Conditions to scan the facility and translate the data into a Revit model will assist the Museum in its strategic planning effort and support the design and engineering teams." -- Seth Wiseman OPM, Conform Lab
Renovations to The Worcester Art Museum
The Worcester Art Museum is renovating and upgrading the 125-year-old campus to create a better experience for their visitors.
Seth Wiseman, Partner at ConForm Lab, recommended Existing Conditions to the Museum as a solution to combat the issues the facility was facing with outdated and inaccurate 2D paper drawings.
After over 30 years of deferred maintenance, the Worcester Art Museum is seeking precise building layouts and measurements to guide extensive renovations, upgrades, and repairs, ensuring the transformation of its historic campus.
With the most advanced 3D laser scanners, aerial drones, and decades of experience, Existing Conditions provided the Conform team with a comprehensive interior and exterior 3D Revit model for designers and contractors to plan renovation and construction with precision.
History of the Worcester Art Museum
The Museum, located in central Massachusetts, has experienced limited maintenance and capital improvements since 2015 due to resource constraints. The current leadership team has successfully raised funds for renovations, upgrades, and repairs. This success has prompted them to explore different methods for documenting the current building conditions, including the architectural evolution of the Museum, which has undergone six building iterations since 1898. Multiple expansion campaigns in the 1920s, 1930s, late 1960s, and a final addition in 1983 have contributed to the Museum's architectural and historical complexity.
The Challenge
The campus’ history and evolution make this a distinctive project. As the campus has expanded over time, a sequence of building volumes has emerged, conforming to the sloping site and then offset as well. There is a series of elevators distributed across the site that do not operate but are all located on the same floor plates due to the different iterations.
The Museum’s architectural, structural, and MEP system updates were not documented during the building campaigns. The existing as-built drawings do not reflect the structural modifications and updates to electrical or plumbing systems.
The Worcester Art Museum required accurate as-built documentation to support their renovation efforts, focused on improving accessibility and sustainability, including:
- The Arms and Armor Galleries & The American Art Galleries were being completely redesigned
- The library was being relocated and modernized
- The Lancaster Street entrance was installing an elegant new staircase and revitalized landscape
- The Higgins Education Wing was planning numerous upgrades to sustainability and safety, including new energy-efficient windows and skylights to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions
- The building’s central elevator shaft was being widened, and a new system was being installed, upgrading accessibility to all four floors of the Museum
- The roof over the 1930s addition to the Museum was being replaced
- Areas of masonry on the original 1898 building were being restored
- Upgrades were being made to the Museum’s in-house Fuller Conservation Lab
When considering the need for existing conditions drawings, the Worcester Art Museum contemplated hiring a traditional architect to field measure the facility. However, they recognized that this approach may involve relying on traditional methods such as tape measures and it would not be as effective as using the latest 3D laser scanning equipment. For an extensive modernization project like this, they wanted digital documentation to support the architects, engineers, and contractors during project planning and execution.
The Solution
The existing conditions of The Worcester Art Museum were captured using 3D laser scanning and aerial drone technology to create a precise and comprehensive digital representation of the as-built environment.
The Museum team, led by Conform Labs, received an accurate, data-rich 3D Revit model to streamline facility management and renovation planning.
Deliverables
- 3D Revit Model: A detailed digital representation of the Museum’s interior and exterior helped to establish work plans, understand complexities, and apply data-driven solutions, such as installing new windows, upgrading air handling and climate control systems, and replacing an existing freight elevator with a code-compliant ADA elevator.
- Aerial Drone Photography & Videography: Captured site-wide data that provided valuable insights into the relationships between different parts of the building, especially when initiating tasks such as replacing roofs.
- Deformation Mapping Services: Assisted in evaluating roof topography to understand warranty requirements, roof slopes, and drainage systems.
Benefits
As the Worcester Art Museum progresses toward completing its renovation project over the next five years, Existing Conditions will remain a dedicated partner, providing ongoing support and expertise. The Museum will continue to receive accurate as-built data to:
- Update CAD Drawings: Without accurate documentation, unforeseen structural challenges or system mismatches may arise, increasing project expenses.
- Enhance Project Planning: Digital documentation supports architects, engineers, and contractors in their strategic planning efforts.
- Improve Facility Management: The 3D model provided Museum leadership with a powerful tool to streamline maintenance and renovations.
- Support for Accessibility Improvements: Enabled more efficient planning for ADA-compliant upgrades, including elevator replacements.
Where Does This Project Stand Now?
This multi-phase renovation project began in 2018 as part of a ten-year campaign and is set to conclude in 2028.
Wiseman and the Worcester Art Museum are utilizing cloud-based computing to share deliverables from Existing Conditions with their teams to aid in completing renovations.
While a significant portion of the capital works and fundraising is already in place, Wiseman and the Worcester Art Museum still have approximately 70% of the work left to complete within the next five years. As the Museum moves forward with this large-scale project, Existing Conditions will continue to support them.
About the Client
Seth W. Wiseman, Conform Lab
Fascinated with systems & systems thinking Seth W. Wiseman, Conform Lab of has worked in a variety of capacities within the building & design industry over the course of his career. Working & designing at various scales, Wiseman seeks to uncover a unique logic for each project. Moving through the design process, Wiseman leverages & refines this logic to inform design decision-making, detailing and development. This process, greatly steered through client input, creates a framework that informs and reinforces the design process.
Wiseman studied Building Science (BS) & Industrial Design (BS) at Appalachian State University & minored in Sustainable Development. After working in the architectural industry in NYC Wiseman completed a Master of Architecture degree at Rhode Island School of Design. Wiseman is founder Designwise LLC, an architectural design studio based in Boston.
Existing Conditions 3D Laser Scanning Services
Over the past 27 years, Existing Conditions has measured, documented, and modeled over 10,000 buildings across the United States, establishing ourselves as an industry leader in 3D laser scanning.
Architects trust us to deliver digital representations of the as-built environment with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency. Our dedicated Project Managers provide fast and accurate 3D laser scanning services and drone imagery services, and expert CAD and BIM technicians create custom, detailed deliverables, including point clouds, 2D CAD drawings, 3D BIM models, 3D mesh models, TruViews, and 3D virtual tours.
Our greatest reward remains delivering superior-quality scan-to-BIM work and knowing we played a vital role in our clients’ historical architecture and preservation projects.
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