A treasured landmark in the heart of downtown Dallas, The Joule is a five-star luxury hotel, designed and built in the richly elaborate neo-gothic style. The two-year long transformation involved multiple historic buildings, the existing Joule hotel, and new construction.

REM was selected by the Joule Hotel to create an as-built 3D digital model for their renovation and expansion project. Laser scanning and BIM software provided a powerful visualization tool needed to examine the structural integrity of the pre 1930’s construction. The 3D model also provided rapid, accurate documentation allowing the design team to develop and coordinate all elements of the project.

Challenges are always present when new construction conjoins existing structures. The Joule’s expansion and renovation was coordinated through three historic buildings, which included two other historic structures and a neighboring vacant lot, all encompassing nearly a city block. Expansion plans included new building construction designed to complement the Joule’s architectural style. Preserving the Joule’s rich heritage and elegance as depicted in the original marble, the tile flooring, and grand columns of the existing structure was a prime consideration.

Laser scanning revealed the status of the existing column’s structural integrity, enabling design teams to evaluate potential expansion loads for the new structure. REM’s unique PhotoReal™ modeling technology accurately and seamlessly blended the exterior structure together with the interior space to support confident design decisions.

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Jet-Lube is the recognized world leader in manufacturing industrial lubricants for a variety of commercial applications. When relocating their corporate headquarters and complex assembly facility from Houston to Dallas, Jet-Lube requested REM’s precision scanning and 3D modeling services. REM created a 3D model of the Houston plant, which accurately detailed the location of all equipment and piping in relation to the factory space. Known for accuracy, REM’s laser scanning service enabled design engineers to make precise spatial measurements, view the interaction of volumes, optimize workflow and efficiency, speed project completion, and reduce relocation cost.

Jet-Lube’s Houston plant had operated with exceptional production efficiency, but the large facility was aging, and streamlined consolidation was desirable. The newer Dallas facility was modern, yet smaller, and utilized a different operational structure. In considering factory redesign, Jet-Lube was faced with the question of whether to reposition the Houston facility in Dallas, maintaining its function as an individual unit within the Dallas plant, or rather, to intersperse the Houston plant’s pattern into the company’s new system in Dallas.

Solutions for this factory redesign were revealed with precise, detailed data provided by REM’s laser scanning expertise. Accuracy was critical in this project. Design engineers required correct information regarding the interconnection of the Houston plant’s specialized assembly equipment. Precise spatial measurements gathered from REM’s 3D model also showed whether the available space in the Dallas building was sufficient to accommodate the Houston facility’s equipment. Superimposing the scanned model of the Houston plant over the model of the Dallas plant provided essential data for design engineers to determine the most effective method for consolidating the two operations into the smaller Dallas building. REM’s 3D model accurately documented all elements of the Houston plant so that the Dallas plant could be reverse engineered with the equipment and layout of the Houston plant.

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