Condemned Minnesota Hotel Using 3D Scanning to Transform into Housing

An old condemned hotel in Minnesota is getting some new life by using cutting edge technology to help transform it into housing.

The hotel was built in 1919, and has been vacant for years, but thanks to some 3D scanning technology, project planners are able to expedite the process of design and rehabilitation.

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AMI Consulting Engineers and the City of Cloquet are working on transforming the Solem Hotel into "18 modern and spacious apartments, along with a fitness room, storage, and communal space."

Using cutting-edge 3D scanning technology, the interior and the exterior of the building were captured, and using that data, the engineers are able to quickly and visually understand the building and make design choices when planning the apartment layouts.

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AMI Consulting Engineers shared some really cool photos of what the finished scans look like, and how they can help them optimize the space, minimize errors, simplify complex installations, and help future-proof the building.

Adaptive re-use architecture, AMI says, is "the process of repurposing buildings that have outlived their original purposes for different uses or functions while at the same time retaining their historic features."

The project was approved by the Cloquet City Council in April, and will not only provide some much-needed housing for the area, but they will fix major structural issues with the building, and remove environmental hazards like Asbestos.

According to Northern News Now, the building will be gutted to make room for the refurbishment, the project is expected to be completed next year.