Challenge

The ex-Gaumont Cinema on Kings Road, Chelsea, is a historic building originally opened in 1934 as part of the Gaumont British cinema chain. Known for its Art Deco façade and ornate interiors, the cinema was a cultural landmark for decades before being repurposed for various uses, including residential, flexible retail space, large pub, independent 600 seat Chelsea cinema with improved disabled access, an improved Waitrose store, 47 new homes, high quality office space, and a rooftop bar providing panoramic views across Chelsea and beyond.

The historic façade of the original art-deco Gaumont Theatre building has been preserved and sensitively renovated, and the new interior sustainably crafted to the highest contemporary specifications – introducing the best of modern design in harmony with the heritage surroundings.

In celebration of the building’s past and in homage to the King’s Road’s creative heritage, it has been named ‘The Gaumont’.

The objective for Misura was to provide accurate and detailed 3D laser scanning surveys, as-built drawings, models, and imaging for the existing building before any future works could take place and the unit was handed over to the incoming tenant, and to establish a benchmark for further architectural modelling.

Approach

Prior to our onsite surveys commencing, we liaised with the clients and obtained proposed architectural work provided by the client’s architect, in order to familiarise with the building and establish the instrumentation required, an approximate survey time scale, and identify any potential hazard.

The site inspection commenced with establishing ground control points (GCPs) by placing distinct semi-permanent markers in GPS friendly areas throughout the site.

To conduct the survey of the building’s external facades and its internal spaces, we employed a 3D laser scanner. While the scanner’s built-in software captures data, we chose to connect an iPad via Bluetooth to access a wider range of settings. This approach enabled us to evaluate the quality and completeness of the data collection, ensuring that every aspect of the survey was thoroughly documented.

Outcome

By the conclusion of the survey, we capture a total of 200 million 3D points.

The data collected by the various teams was then integrated into a comprehensive 3D model by using Leica Cyclone, a leading registering software. The software helps to accurately review, analyse, align, consolidate, and register the data captured by each scanning location into a single point cloud, looking for either geo-referenced scan data or areas with overlapping details.

As always, the drawings then underwent a thorough review by our in-house quality control team before being supplied to our client.

By blending traditional surveying techniques with advanced laser scanning, our team ensured the successful delivery of the as-built measured survey of the ex-Gaumont Cinema, playing a critical role in allowing our client to access digital drawings for future space use analysis and ongoing management of the building.