Dusty’s Accuracy Enables Complex Architectural Elements for KHS&S

After 16 years of starts and stops, Fontainebleau on the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip was completed in late 2023 thanks in part to automated layout with Dusty Robotics and the precise work of KHS&S. The design-assist specialty building company worked with general contractor W.A. Richardson Builders to complete the low-rise exterior façades on the resort and casino, adding tens of millions of dollars to the contract value.

The KHS&S team hit the ground running, working quickly and efficiently to meet tight deadlines on complex project elements. Though contracted to complete a broad scope of work, the star of the show was the centerpiece of the Fontainebleau’s grand lobby–a 170-foot long by 30-foot-tall freestanding elliptical dome that is held together by its own weight and structure.

Layout on the centerpiece was complicated and needed to be performed quickly. KHS&S relied on Dusty Robotics’ FieldPrinter to get the job done. 

“The accuracy that Dusty can provide showed 10-fold on the dome. There’s no way we could have done any of that layout without Dusty. It would have taken at least 10 times longer to layout and label all of the necessary marks, and we just didn’t have the time.”

Jeremy Evans

KHS&S manager, construction design

Dusty Facilitates Engineering Ingenuity

The dome was constructed from the top down using 160 pre-engineered panels with unique complex geometrical shapes. Using traditional methods, layout of the dome would have been nearly impossible and taken at least one month to complete. The contractor turned to the precision, speed, and flexibility of Dusty to execute the layout of the dome, which reduced the layout schedule to just seven days. 

The building was a 15-year-old empty slab with existing structural steel that KHS&S used as reference points to create a grid, which served as the basis for a model that enabled multi-trade layout. The layout included reference points for 1,000 support elements. Dusty laid out 3,563 tick marks, which represented all points where metal studs meet steel framing–in just one week. 

“Comparing it to traditional layout, incorporating Dusty in the whole picture made it 10 times as fast,” says KHS&S Layout Foreman Brandon Domingo. “I tried comparing the numbers of using Dusty to doing traditional hand layout on my own, and Dusty would double me every time.”

KHS&S used Dusty to lay out steel support hangers and horizontal and vertical framing. The contractor shot lasers 40 feet up from the layout on the floor to the ceiling to indicate where the studs needed to be installed. 

Complexity Streamlined With Dusty

The layout included many complicated features, and trade professionals unfamiliar with Dusty were uncertain about the new technology. To make each trade’s layouts clear and easy to follow, KHS&S used different line styles and colors. For example, tube steel was laid out in cyan, horizontal framing in blue, and vertical framing in black. 

Through Dusty, the field team was able to take a complex sequence of linework and clearly depict what elements needed to be installed at various heights. For example, the KHS&S onsite team was provided with a color-coordinated key to denote different elements printed on the floor. 

Once layout was complete, it was time for install and for KHS&S to prove the value of Dusty to project partners. Because the dome was completed from the top down–starting at the center of the dome and moving up, out and then down the feature–installation was sequential, adding supports and installing drops, and then lifting the panels. All parts lined up perfectly and installation went smoothly and quickly. 

Everyone on site was impressed at Dusty’s ability to execute such a complicated project when coupled with a perfectly executed model. 

“Everyone on the jobsite was blown away during installation because it all lined up so perfectly. Dusty changed a lot of minds, proving that something so complex could go so smoothly,” Evans says. “The owners, general contractor, and other trades watching it take form were in awe.”

Dusty Leads to a Safer Jobsite

Completing layout prior to installation resulted in a safer jobsite. Layout was completed quickly when the floor was free from debris and building materials, reducing tripping hazards. Prework was completed when materials were on the ground, before they were lifted to the ceiling, taking strain off workers who otherwise would be working primarily overhead. 

“With Dusty, we have the ability to minimize the amount of time guys are in harm's way,” Evans says. “With a lot of overhead work going on, it makes everyone's work easier and it’s safer. It means less time for our guys on their hands and knees.”

Because the layout was 100% accurate to the model, all work was completed accurately, resulting in fewer trade workers reporting overuse injuries. 

Dusty Streamlines Layout

KHS&S now uses Dusty Robotics regularly, from complex projects like the Fontainebleau’s dome to more simple layout like schools and hotels that are architecturally more repetitive. 

“When I think back to some of the projects we did in the past, I wish we would have used Dusty because it would have saved us months off the schedule,” Evans says. “It’s unfortunate we didn't have Dusty on some of the bigger projects we did in the past, but I know we will use it on all the projects we can in the future.”

As a true promoter of better, more efficient construction, Evans recommends Dusty every chance he gets.

“I would suggest Dusty Robotics to anyone who needs quick, fast, and easy layout. You just need to put in the work upfront on the model, and the layout is easy.”

Jeremy Evans

KHS&S manager, construction design

KHS&S completed its contract work on Fontainebleau in time for the resort and casino’s grand opening in late 2023. After 16 years of construction starts and stops, the resort is breathing new life into the Las Vegas Strip, serving as a symbol of construction innovation thanks to technologies like Dusty Robotics and the expertise of contractors like KHS&S.