marta five points station
Atlanta, GA
Year Built 1979
SF 300,000
Client
Perkins+Wills
Services
Building Documentation - Laser scanning and 3D modeling
Five Points is the largest and busiest metro station in Metro Atlanta. As the main transportation hub for MARTA, it acts as a transfer point for all rail lines. Measuring close to 300,000 SF, the station is composed of three levels with an additional plaza level at the surface. Uniquely, the façade of the old Eiseman Building is integrated into the station’s interior design.
As the building documentation professional, RCM partnered with Perkins+Will to develop a full, as-built model of the facility that would serve as the basis for future renovation projects.
The station’s open multi-level spaces were ideal for setting survey control and laser scanning, though they posed challenges in the modeling phase. Built elements are rarely plumb or orthogonal, making it difficult to develop a model where vertical elements would stack and linear elements would be orthogonal relative to the project orientation. To overcome this, we focused on analyzing the optimal orientation of the building at the beginning of the project. This allowed us to develop an accurate 3D model with more than 95% of its content drawn orthogonally.
Our team put a lot of effort into documenting the amazingly complicated sloped finish floors, splitting each floor at construction joints and material transitions. The slopes were accurately represented to match the as-built conditions and limit the interior slab edges, resulting in clean modeled floors that were easy to manage.
The structural elements were partially exposed and played an important role in the interior and exterior design of the station. Using only laser scan data, architectural drawings, and the expertise of our team’s structural engineer, RCM was able to model 90% of the structural elements despite the lack of structural record drawings,
Like many of our projects, the final model required a realistic appearance to support the client’s rendering and presentation needs. Every square foot was checked using live rendering software, allowing us to virtually walk through the building and catch any errors or omissions that were overlooked in the modeling process.
Key Characteristics
Seamless integration with client’s standards
The model included realistic materials
80% of the building modeled at LOD300
+/- 5/8” represented accuracy