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CAD User<br />
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022<br />
VOL 35 NO 05<br />
WWW.CADUSER.COM<br />
Spotlight on Vectorworks <strong>2023</strong><br />
Imaginative designs take centre stage<br />
Archicad 26<br />
Graphisoft emphasise creativity and<br />
collaboration with latest release<br />
Tekla PowerFab<br />
Trimble explain how you can<br />
fabricate smarter<br />
Retrofit for purpose?<br />
Can we mitigate the energy crisis<br />
with a national retrofit plan?<br />
INDUSTRY NEWS • CASE STUDIES • HARDWARE & SOFTWARE FO<strong>CU</strong>S • PRODUCT REVIEWS • FEATURES
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CONTENTS<br />
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022<br />
CONTENTS<br />
KEEPING NEW ZEALAND ON TRACK 16<br />
How a visual cross-discipline collaboration<br />
solution from Revizto is enabling the efficient<br />
delivery of New Zealand's rail upgrade projects<br />
ARCHICAD 26 20<br />
Graphisoft's Archicad 26 focuses on giving<br />
architects and designers more freedom to<br />
create while avoiding tedious, unnecessary<br />
processes<br />
FABRICATE SMARTER 24<br />
Chris Gatehouse at Trimble UK explores the<br />
role a management information system (MIS)<br />
can play in the journey to net zero<br />
VECTORWORKS <strong>2023</strong> 26<br />
The latest Vectorworks BIM and CAD product<br />
line focuses on process automation, giving<br />
architects and designers more time to<br />
concentrate on designing<br />
NEWS.................................................INDUSTRY NEWS.......................................................................................................6<br />
• GOING DIGITAL AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED • 4D CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS MANAGEMENT<br />
INDUSTRY FO<strong>CU</strong>S.............................A FLUID SITUATION............................................................................................10<br />
• HIGHLIGHTING AND MITIGATING WATER DISTRIBUTION RISKS WITH BENTLEY'S OPENFLOWS WATERSIGHT<br />
AWARDS.............................................IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!........................................................................12<br />
• NOW's THE TIME TO VOTE FOR YOUR WINNERS IN THE 2022 CONSTRUCTION COMPUTING AWARDS<br />
INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................THE CONFUSING WORLD OF INSURANCE......................................................14<br />
• BY MAY WINFIELD, GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIGITAL RISK, BURO HAPPOLD<br />
CASE STUDY......................................RETROFIT FOR PURPOSE?...............................................................................18<br />
• CAN THE ENERGY CRISIS BE MITIGATED WITH A NATIONAL RETROFIT PLAN?<br />
INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................AIMING OFF-CENTRE.......................................................................................22<br />
• DAVID CHADWICK UNDERLINES THE ISSUES THAT HAVE TO BE CONFRONTED TO CREATE A VIABLE AIM SOLUTION<br />
INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................IS BIM DELIVERING THE BENEFITS?................................................................28<br />
• EDO<strong>CU</strong>MENTS EXPLAIN WHY BIM IS MORE THAN JUST A DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROCESS<br />
HARDWARE FO<strong>CU</strong>S..........................ALL TERRAIN PLOTTERS............................................,.....................................29<br />
• HP REVOLUTIONISES THE CONSTRUCTION LAYOUT PROCESS WITH HP SITEPRINT<br />
TECHNOLOGY FO<strong>CU</strong>S......................NET ZERO TARGETS - HAVE WE BEEN SIDETRACKED?................................30<br />
• HOW CAN BUILDING COMPANIES SUPPORT NET ZERO TARGETS?<br />
TRAINING MAP..................................AUTODESK TRAINING........................................................................................32<br />
• YOUR GUIDE TO AUTODESK TRAINING<br />
SOFTWARE FO<strong>CU</strong>S...........................A WORLD OF VISUALISATIONS AWAITS..........................................................34<br />
• AMUTRI DELIVER A QUICK AND SIMPLE ROUTE INTO 3D VISUALISATION AND IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 3
COMMENT<br />
Editor:<br />
David Chadwick<br />
(cad.user@btc.co.uk)<br />
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Mark Lyward<br />
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Christina Willis<br />
(christina.willis@btc.co.uk)<br />
Publisher:<br />
John Jageurs<br />
john.jageurs@btc.co.uk<br />
Published by Barrow &<br />
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or any resulting effects<br />
Comment<br />
Water, water, everywhere....<br />
by David Chadwick<br />
But not where you want it! It has been<br />
a year of extremes, not all of which<br />
can be attributed to the current<br />
situation in Ukraine, but certainly<br />
exacerbating the fallout from the region.<br />
As a harbinger of the future, the evolving<br />
catastrophic consequences of water<br />
mismanagement are beginning to be felt<br />
on a global basis, from massive droughts<br />
and water shortages in many countries,<br />
the depletion of water reserves in<br />
reservoirs, to unprecedented floods<br />
across the globe.<br />
In an attempt to fathom - no pun intended<br />
- the reasons why a world whose surface is<br />
71% water should start to present itself as<br />
a problem, we need to look at how it is<br />
distributed. Apparently 96.5% of that is salt<br />
water in the oceans, and only 3.5% is<br />
locked up in glaciers, ice caps (mostly at<br />
69%) and freshwater lakes. That's still a lot,<br />
as if you could flatten out the mountains<br />
and melt all the ice, sea levels would rise to<br />
an altitude of 2.7km!<br />
So why are we short of water and why,<br />
when it does rain, it absolutely pours? We<br />
saw the results of persistent drought in<br />
this country with the fields turning brown<br />
and crops withering. I particularly noticed<br />
the absence of cattle and sheep on the<br />
local fields and presumed they were<br />
eating the sileage from last year back on<br />
the farm and depleting their winter rations.<br />
The extremes in this country were mild,<br />
though, compared to the devastation<br />
occurring elsewhere.<br />
In the developed world, the drought and<br />
extreme heat is estimated to have cut<br />
production by around 20%, but due to the<br />
disparity between the extensive<br />
agricultural methods used in the<br />
developed world compared to third world<br />
countries, the impact is thought be less<br />
severe in the latter. It exacerbates,<br />
however, the decline in grain exports from<br />
the Ukrainian bread-basket.<br />
That is now. The future is less certain, but<br />
we do know that rising populations in the<br />
Third World and increasing urbanisation<br />
are going to make the current situation<br />
seem like a summer holiday compared to<br />
the climactic conditions we will face in the<br />
future. Water management is as significant<br />
a factor in managing the Earth's changing<br />
ecosystem as Net Zero Carbon and global<br />
warming, and current measures to<br />
improve its sourcing and control are<br />
merely the thin end of the wedge.<br />
One of the articles in this issue looks at<br />
the use of Bentley's OpenFlows<br />
WaterSight risk mitigation application to<br />
increase the efficiency of water distribution<br />
to households and businesses in given<br />
areas. It uses analytical tools to evaluate,<br />
simulate and control water networks<br />
based on digital twin-based data models.<br />
It could bring up to date the more<br />
traditional methods of management used<br />
by local water authorities in this country.<br />
The supply of water, though, is just one<br />
part of the equation. High temperatures<br />
that normally accompany droughts<br />
evaporate moisture from the soil and<br />
compact it so that subsequent storms<br />
merely run off violently flooding roads,<br />
towns and water courses and invariably<br />
wasted, instead of refreshing the soil and<br />
filling up depleted reservoirs.<br />
There has, naturally, been a great deal of<br />
comment on the drought, and the use of<br />
hosepipe and other bans on water usage<br />
to mitigate its effects. There has been<br />
precious little discussion, however, about<br />
the long-term possibilities of water<br />
shortage due to climate change and the<br />
steps needed to cope with them. Perhaps<br />
it's time for the water companies to stop<br />
counting their bonuses and step up their<br />
plans for real risk mitigation. I would be<br />
delighted to see Bentley's OpenFlows<br />
meet this challenge by extending its<br />
analytics to cover global events.<br />
4 <strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
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BERN 131 | COURTESY OF ATELIER 5
INDUSTRY news<br />
THE XYZ'S OF CONSTRUCTION REWORK<br />
Construction technology<br />
specialist XYZ Reality has<br />
released a new white paper:<br />
'Rethinking Rework: Exploring<br />
the causes of and solutions to<br />
construction's most expensive<br />
problem.' With some studies<br />
suggesting that as much as<br />
30% of construction work is<br />
actually rework, the research<br />
takes a deep dive into the fundamental<br />
issues caused by<br />
rework in construction and how<br />
the industry can eliminate them.<br />
One of the document's most<br />
significant findings is the actual<br />
scarcity of coherent data to<br />
measure the full cost implications<br />
of rework on construction<br />
projects. Due to factors like a<br />
lack of processes and tools to<br />
effectively measure rework<br />
costs, the true scale of rework's<br />
deleterious effect likely exceeds<br />
existing, estimated values. The<br />
report found that poor 'planning',<br />
'management' and 'communication'<br />
failures to be the<br />
primary factors leading to errors<br />
and, in turn, costly rework. This<br />
was closely followed by 'poor<br />
design', 'low quality of work',<br />
'inadequate skills' and 'bad<br />
material specification'.<br />
However, the report reveals<br />
there are also reasons to be<br />
optimistic, with existing and<br />
emerging systems and<br />
processes reducing the margin<br />
for error during design and<br />
build. For example, the document<br />
highlighted current industry-wide<br />
investments in collaboration<br />
and training programs,<br />
proving themselves as effective<br />
prevention methods. In fact, the<br />
research shows that training<br />
programmes can reduce<br />
rework costs by 11-22%.<br />
www.xyzreality.com<br />
NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR ASITE AND SMARTVIZ<br />
Asite has announced a new<br />
partnership with SmartViz,<br />
an intuitive digital twin platform<br />
that boosts the performance<br />
of assets, which will<br />
expand operational capabilities<br />
available to asset owners.<br />
It will also enable outcomedriven<br />
digital twins through<br />
real-time data and occupancy<br />
analytics, simulations, and<br />
visualisations for asset performance<br />
optimisation.<br />
Nathan Doughty, Asite CEO<br />
said: "We are incredibly excited<br />
about this new partnership with<br />
SmartViz and the world of<br />
opportunity it opens for us and<br />
the built environment as a<br />
whole. Digital twins are transforming<br />
the AECO industry and<br />
the world as we know it, ushering<br />
in new and exciting digital<br />
era. We are proud to be at the<br />
forefront of this technological<br />
advancement and reinforce our<br />
reputation as one of the industry's<br />
most forward-thinking and<br />
innovative service providers."<br />
www.asite.com<br />
GLIDER AWARDED G-CLOUD 13 CONTRACT<br />
Asset lifecycle software specialist<br />
Glider has been<br />
awarded the G-Cloud 13 contract<br />
from the Crown Commercial<br />
Service, following their prior<br />
appointment as a supplier on<br />
the G-Cloud 12 framework. The<br />
Information Management specialist<br />
has been awarded the<br />
G-Cloud 13 (RM 1557.13) contract<br />
and follows Glider's prior<br />
appointment as a supplier on<br />
the G-Cloud 12 network, where<br />
it gained contracts with highstatus<br />
clients including the<br />
MOD and the NHS.<br />
Bentley Systems has<br />
announced the finalists in<br />
the 2022 Going Digital Award<br />
in Infrastructure. The annual<br />
awards program honours the<br />
extraordinary work of Bentley<br />
software users advancing<br />
infrastructure design, construction,<br />
and operations<br />
throughout the world. Eleven<br />
independent jury panels<br />
selected the 36 finalists from<br />
over 300 nominations submitted<br />
by more than 180 organizations<br />
from 47 countries<br />
encompassing 12 categories.<br />
The winners will be revealed<br />
on November 15 during the<br />
2022 Going Digital Awards in<br />
Infrastructure celebrations in<br />
London at the Intercontinental<br />
Park Lane, in front of invited<br />
press members and industry<br />
The Crown Commercial Service,<br />
as the Contracting Authority,<br />
is putting in place a framework<br />
agreement designed to<br />
enable public sector customers<br />
in the UK to find and buy cloud<br />
computing services. It is<br />
intended to build upon the<br />
benefits of the previous G-<br />
Cloud framework, to provide<br />
access to multiple suppliers<br />
and cloud services, a quick<br />
and easy route to market, and<br />
access to the latest cloud technology<br />
and innovation.<br />
https://glidertech.com<br />
GOING DIGITAL AWARDS FINALISTS ARE HERE!<br />
executives.<br />
Nicholas Cumins, Bentley's<br />
chief operating officer, said,<br />
"After two years of hosting the<br />
event virtually, we are excited to<br />
reunite in person with the Going<br />
Digital Awards' finalists to celebrate<br />
their accomplishments<br />
along with press members and<br />
industry analysts. Bentley executives<br />
will share insights about<br />
digital advancements in infrastructure<br />
along with updates on<br />
Bentley applications and technology<br />
innovations."<br />
You'll find full details of this<br />
year's finalists at the link<br />
below, and the finalists presentations<br />
will be available for<br />
viewing on the same site from<br />
November 7:<br />
https://www.bentley.com/event<br />
s/going-digital-awards/finalists<br />
6<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
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INDUSTRY news<br />
4D CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS MANAGEMENT<br />
FARO has announced the 4D<br />
Construction Progress Management<br />
Solution, available on<br />
FARO's Sphere SaaS platform.<br />
Sphere provides a central location<br />
for users to capture, view,<br />
share and analyse reality capture<br />
data allowing construction<br />
and operation professionals to<br />
benefit from faster site updates,<br />
easier virtual collaboration and<br />
more reliable progress insights.<br />
The central component to the<br />
4D Construction Progress Management<br />
Solution is the Sphere<br />
Viewer, which leverages a combination<br />
of computer vision,<br />
photogrammetry and AI to create<br />
a comprehensive virtual jobsite.<br />
Developed by FARO's 360°<br />
reality capture and point cloud<br />
technology experts, the new<br />
viewer analyses point clouds<br />
and 360° photos in a unified<br />
environment, removing reality<br />
capture data silos and<br />
enabling faster analysis.<br />
The solution also includes<br />
VideoMode, which uses 360°<br />
videos to enable faster and<br />
easier site documentation,<br />
ProgressAI, which uses artificial<br />
intelligence to detect and<br />
report site progress, as well as<br />
a brand-new Robotics API.<br />
The new API allows robotic<br />
manufacturers to integrate and<br />
directly import reality captured<br />
data from robots straight into<br />
the virtual jobsite.<br />
The first robot to leverage the<br />
Robotics API will be Spot from<br />
Boston Dynamics.<br />
www.faro.com<br />
COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP FOR BRICSYS<br />
Bricsys has partnered with<br />
web application platform<br />
Cooperlink CONNECT. Bricsys<br />
24/7 users will now be able to<br />
automatically upload, record<br />
and archive documents in realtime<br />
from Microsoft SharePoint<br />
to Bricsys 24/7, reducing the<br />
time spent manually saving<br />
files and re-encoding metadata.<br />
This collaborative two-way<br />
integration provides a 100%<br />
digitised and automated coordination<br />
of information: from<br />
the classification and exchange<br />
of documents to the validation<br />
of technical sheets.<br />
Ideal for users working on<br />
large construction projects from<br />
design to handover of the asbuilt<br />
files, the platform enables<br />
better collaboration among<br />
contractors, owners, architects,<br />
and engineering teams thanks<br />
to uniform data accessible in<br />
one central place, which helps<br />
eliminates the risk of project<br />
fragmentation, miscommunication<br />
and costly errors.<br />
www.bricsys.com<br />
EPIC COLLABORATION FOR AUTODESK<br />
Autodesk has entered a<br />
strategic collaboration with<br />
Epic Games to accelerate<br />
immersive real-time (RT) experiences<br />
across industries, with<br />
an initial focus on architecture,<br />
engineering and construction.<br />
This joint effort aims to make<br />
immersive RT environments<br />
easily accessible to designers,<br />
engineers, and construction<br />
professionals, so they can<br />
deliver more innovative projects<br />
in less time.<br />
The first integrated offering<br />
will be Epic Games' Twinmotion<br />
for Autodesk Revit, delivering<br />
real-time rendering and<br />
storytelling. As Revit is used to<br />
design, document, and deliver<br />
building and infrastructure<br />
projects, Twinmotion complements<br />
the process by creating<br />
Shipping in Q4, the new<br />
NVIDIA RTX 6000 workstation<br />
GPU, based on its<br />
NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture,<br />
will offer 2-4x the performance<br />
of the previous-generation<br />
RTX A6000. Incorporating<br />
the latest generations of render,<br />
AI and shader technologies<br />
and 48GB of GPU memory,<br />
the RTX 6000 enables<br />
users to create incredibly<br />
detailed content, develop<br />
complex simulations and form<br />
the building blocks required to<br />
construct compelling and<br />
engaging virtual worlds.<br />
real-time visualisations for a<br />
fast, interactive design<br />
process. Autodesk intends to<br />
make Twinmotion for Revit<br />
available to all Revit customers<br />
as part of an upcoming<br />
release.<br />
"We know our customers are<br />
looking for more visualisation<br />
and collaboration experiences<br />
through extended reality," said<br />
Autodesk EVP of AEC Design,<br />
Amy Bunszel. "Together with<br />
Epic Games, we will expand<br />
on what’s possible. In immersive<br />
environments, designers<br />
can communicate to their project<br />
teams and clients with<br />
unparalleled realism how projects<br />
will look and feel upon<br />
completion for better decisionmaking<br />
and outcomes."<br />
www.autodesk.com<br />
NVIDIA'S NEW ADA LOVELACE RTX GPU ARRIVES<br />
"Neural graphics is driving<br />
the next wave of innovation in<br />
computer graphics and will<br />
change the way content is<br />
created and experienced,"<br />
said Bob Pette, vice president<br />
of professional visualisation at<br />
NVIDIA. "The NVIDIA RTX<br />
6000 is ready to power this<br />
new era for engineers,<br />
designers and scientists to<br />
meet the need for demanding<br />
content-creation, rendering,<br />
AI and simulation workloads<br />
that are required to build<br />
worlds in the metaverse."<br />
www.nvidia.com<br />
8<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
SOFTWAREfocus<br />
A fluid situation<br />
Highlighting and mitigating the risks in water distribution using digital twins is the focus of<br />
Bentley's OpenFlows WaterSight, writes David Chadwick<br />
There's nothing like a global calamity to<br />
focus one's mind on a situation. The<br />
problem is that nowadays, you can<br />
usually pick and choose which climatic<br />
disaster you are referring to. In this particular<br />
instance, it is the drought conditions that we<br />
have been experiencing throughout Europe,<br />
the United Kingdom, and which are<br />
especially hitting hard in the southwest<br />
region of the United States.<br />
The UK drought - the worst here since<br />
1976 - has led to calls for large-scale bans<br />
on water usage, but has also highlighted<br />
the performance of the country's utilities in<br />
dealing with the problem. For instance the<br />
fact that no new reservoirs have been built<br />
in the UK, or are even being contemplated,<br />
when we are predicting a greater<br />
frequency of such extreme weather events<br />
in the future.<br />
Like all major climatic eventualities,<br />
which are probably wired into the system<br />
for the foreseeable future, we are<br />
destined to be left tinkering on the edges<br />
and utilising the resources we do have in<br />
lessening their effect. And yet we have the<br />
technology to help. Bentley's OpenFlows<br />
WaterSight, for example, provides the<br />
means to dramatically improve the<br />
efficiency of the water supply from local<br />
water authorities to individual regions,<br />
reducing water loss and operating costs by<br />
up to 20% or more depending on the<br />
operational context, increasing network<br />
efficiency and reducing network<br />
interruptions by up to 25% or more (again<br />
this varies by context).<br />
SMART AND RESILIENT WATER<br />
SYSTEMS<br />
To effectively manage a safe and reliable<br />
water supply, utilities needs to control many<br />
parts; from pumps, tanks, system and<br />
boundary valves, coupled with pipe leaks<br />
and unpredictable main breaks and power<br />
outages. Failures can have cascading<br />
effects on the delivery of drinking water.<br />
As cities and populations grow and<br />
systems face aging infrastructure, climate<br />
change, and ever-shifting challenges,<br />
utilities are turning to data and digitally<br />
integrated systems to help them better<br />
design, operate and maintain these<br />
complex systems. This means measuring,<br />
capturing and storing more data than ever<br />
before. However, data gets locked into<br />
separate systems in separate departments,<br />
resulting in siloed data repositories that are<br />
vastly underutilised.<br />
The OpenFlows digital twin platform helps<br />
to solve this problem by combining asset<br />
data, GIS, historical data and performance<br />
results in a single view of the truth,<br />
facilitating enhanced analysis and<br />
improved decision making. It incorporates<br />
hydraulic structures, sensor data and IoT<br />
capabilities, numerical models, Power BI,<br />
alerts and work orders to calculate risks<br />
within a network, define its consequences,<br />
assess the performance and likely failure<br />
of individual elements, and compare risk<br />
with performance to produce effective<br />
action plans.<br />
DC Water, for example, distributes drinking<br />
water and collects and treats wastewater for<br />
more than 670,000 residents and 17.8<br />
million annual visitors in the District of<br />
Columbia. With an implemented digital twin,<br />
DC Water can more easily replicate the data<br />
from their enterprise systems in a managed<br />
cloud application, organise and scrub the<br />
data in near real-time and then configure<br />
operational applications to address key<br />
operational challenges. For example, they<br />
were able to understand pump and tank<br />
operational performance, automate nonrevenue<br />
water audits by month or by<br />
pressure zone, or analyse and mitigate<br />
operational events, such as pump<br />
shutdowns or pipe breaks, using a browserbased<br />
SCADA integrated hydraulic model.<br />
For many of Bentley's users, the<br />
foundation of the water distribution system<br />
digital twin is the hydraulic model, which<br />
allows for simulation and what-if scenarios.<br />
Using flexible and customisable rules,<br />
models can be applied within a single city<br />
authority, such as the Companhia Águas<br />
de Joinville in Brazil, with a total population<br />
of 600,000, according to Lucas Emanuel<br />
Martins, an engineer with the authority.<br />
The digital twin can help them prepare a<br />
contingency plan for seasonal droughts.<br />
The model can also be used by regional<br />
water authorities to compare data relating<br />
to water distribution across multiple<br />
datasets to simulate and optimise water<br />
flow and quality. Totally flexible in its datadriven<br />
approach, it can support the various<br />
stakeholders involved in a region's capital<br />
10<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
SOFTWAREfocus<br />
planning efforts (such as engineering,<br />
operations and management, IT and GIS,<br />
finance, and executive management). The<br />
software can easily be used to calculate the<br />
likelihood and consequence of failures and<br />
assess them together by creating and<br />
comparing different risk scenarios,<br />
combining risk with asset performance to<br />
drive high-quality decisions.<br />
WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE UK<br />
I was initially concerned that the scenario<br />
presented by Lucas in a Bentley podcast<br />
was not directly scaleable for the UK, which<br />
is divided into a number of different water<br />
utilities, each of which covers much larger<br />
geographic areas with greater populations.<br />
Having spoken to Wayne Arscott, Head of<br />
Leakage at Wessex Water, however, the<br />
same issues are being handled here, as<br />
they have been working with Wessex Water<br />
for the past 25 years, albeit with a more<br />
traditional network of hydraulic features<br />
rather than the digital twin environment in<br />
Joinville, Brazil.<br />
Wessex Water operates between 3,500 to<br />
4,000 water meters in discrete meter areas -<br />
roughly covering 800 houses or the<br />
equivalent industrial units, each logging<br />
data on water flows, demand, and<br />
leakages. The meters send back readings<br />
every 30 minutes or so. Wayne explained<br />
that most of the UK operates in a similar<br />
fashion. Balance readings are taken when<br />
there is the least demand on their network -<br />
usually 2.00 to 3.00 AM - although that has<br />
changed a bit during the drought as people<br />
have run sprinklers and domestic<br />
equipment overnight according to their<br />
personal requirements.<br />
The data that they extract is compared with<br />
similar models created over the years and<br />
held in calibrated models to differentiate<br />
when climatic conditions and water<br />
resources differ from normal or expected<br />
weather, susceptible to being modified<br />
following the results of the current drought.<br />
The current strategy, which is largely<br />
manual, is aimed at highlighting areas<br />
where leakages and equipment failures<br />
appear to be happening and to assign work<br />
teams to attend to them.<br />
Risk Prioritisation OpenFlows, which can<br />
either be used as an analytical tool by itself<br />
or together with WaterSight's complete<br />
water management solution, looks at the<br />
factors involved in its distribution. Two<br />
prime issues in water supply management<br />
are the likelihood of failure (LOF) provided<br />
by data on the network's component<br />
materials, age and estimated break rate,<br />
and the types of seals in the network, and<br />
the consequences of failure (COF), which<br />
looks at who will be affected at any point or<br />
area in the network, or the proximity of a<br />
leak, say, adjacent to a highway.<br />
Both the LOF and the COF are then<br />
combined to create risk scenarios, which<br />
are then assessed alongside asset<br />
performance data - looking at historical,<br />
current and predicted performance levels,<br />
providing the authorities with the data they<br />
need to develop viable action plans. The<br />
scenarios can be presented as simulations<br />
to look at what-if situations, perhaps<br />
allowing operators to look at the effects of<br />
closing down a section of the network in the<br />
event of a major leakage.<br />
The information is presented in a common<br />
and customisable dashboard, so that<br />
managers, operators and engineers have<br />
real-time access to the information at any<br />
time in any location. They can view the<br />
performance of every embedded piece of<br />
equipment in the hydraulic model, endowed<br />
with dedicated boundary conditions and<br />
performance templates that enable them to<br />
simulate and record water flow data.<br />
Sensors attached to components within the<br />
network provide the digital twin aspect of<br />
the software, enhanced further by the<br />
integration of a 3D model for added context.<br />
OPERATIONAL RESPONSES<br />
There is no mystery about its operation,<br />
which I have found to be common in both<br />
Brazil and the UK. If you can simulate a pipe<br />
break, you can identify which valves and<br />
which customers will be affected rather<br />
more easily by utilising the GIS data and<br />
digital twin features in Brazil than the more<br />
vulnerable systems used in most of the UK<br />
authorities. If valves are set to inoperable or<br />
a pump station is shut down, you can<br />
identify further which areas will be affected,<br />
or how the storage system and water flow<br />
will be affected.<br />
Like the UK, however, pinpointing leakages<br />
depends on anomaly detection and the<br />
comparison of flow rates against expected<br />
minimal flow rates, supplemented by boots<br />
on the ground. Each zone, even in Brazil, is<br />
comprised of hundreds of dwellings and<br />
water customers.<br />
The data that would trigger a response is<br />
displayed in OpenFlows WaterSight in a<br />
subwindow under a number of categories:<br />
Meter Failure, Burst, Leak, Flow Increase,<br />
Work Order and Zone Charge. To continue<br />
monitoring the network, any recorded<br />
anomalies are automatically excluded from<br />
the network pattern calculations.<br />
The availability of data from any number of<br />
sources allows operators to attach a cost of<br />
subsequent remedial work. It also<br />
contributes to a water audit, which<br />
calculates and displays the percentage of<br />
authorised and billed consumption,<br />
unbilled consumption, and apparent or real<br />
water losses.<br />
IMPROVING EFFICIENCIES<br />
Evaluating technical data for each pump<br />
allows them to be compared against their<br />
expectations or whether they have<br />
degraded more rapidly than expected and<br />
subsequently replaced, enhancing the<br />
efficiency of each zone. All of the data is<br />
available, together with KPIs using<br />
dashboards powered by embedded Power<br />
BI. Users are not limited to what WaterSight<br />
can display and can create reports to suit<br />
their own needs.<br />
RISK ASSESSMENTS<br />
Bentley's OpenFlows WaterSight is used<br />
to make risk assessments and identify<br />
assets due for replacement, calculate the<br />
likelihood of failure, and ultimately make<br />
decisions based on the data and the<br />
costs of remediation. It is a cloud-based<br />
system, accessible from any location and<br />
on any device, and is guaranteed to<br />
improve the efficiency of hydraulic models<br />
of any size, supplemented by data from a<br />
multitude of sources.<br />
Its relevance to the abnormal droughts we<br />
are currently experiencing cannot be<br />
overestimated, either by factoring in the<br />
elements that enable more efficient water<br />
management, or by prompting further<br />
expansion and monitoring of original water<br />
supplies. A couple of extra water reservoirs<br />
wouldn't go amiss in the UK either!<br />
www.bentley.com<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 11
AWARDS<br />
Sponsored by:<br />
Autumn is upon us once again, which<br />
means that now's the time to decide<br />
who you'll be voting for in the 2022<br />
Construction Computing Awards. 'The<br />
Hammer's are one of the highlights of the<br />
industry calendar and the trophies are<br />
coveted by the winners, who are<br />
determined by the online votes of our<br />
readers. Below you'll find a list of this year's<br />
finalists in the different categories that you<br />
can vote for on the awards webite. This is a<br />
great opportunity for you to support the<br />
software solutions and companies that you<br />
believe have made the most impact in the<br />
past year.<br />
Outstanding projects, new technologies<br />
and newcomers to the industry will once<br />
again be selected by our judging panel,<br />
and all will once again be revealed at the<br />
evening awards ceremony, which will be<br />
The Hammers 2022 - The finalists<br />
INNOVATION OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
4PS Construction Solutions - 4PS On Site App - The 4PS On Site App -<br />
Bringing the construction site and the office together<br />
3D Repo/Mission Room/eviFile - AEC Control Rooms - AEC Control Rooms<br />
Access Construction - Access Construction Workspace - Giving Construction<br />
the Freedom to do More<br />
Buildots - The Buildots Platform<br />
Coltraco Limited - Portascanner AIRTIGHT 520 - The World's First Ultrasonic<br />
Quantifier of Air Leaks in Buildings<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - ShireSystem Permit to Work - ShireSystem Permit to Work<br />
Esri UK - Site Scan for ArcGIS - Esri UK's Site Scan drone software<br />
GigBridge - GigBridge Recruitment Platform - GigBridge - The recruitment<br />
platform for construction companies<br />
Glider - gliderbim® - Gliderbim® collaborating with DIO<br />
Open ECX - eHub - Next Generation EDI by Open ECX<br />
RIB Software - iTWO costX - iTWO costX Embodied Carbon Calculations<br />
Steelray Software - Steelray Delay Analyzer - Steelray Delay Analyzer<br />
Symetri - Naviate - Enhancing design workflows to create a better, more<br />
sustainable future<br />
Trimble - Tekla PowerFab - Trimble Tekla PowerFab<br />
Vectorworks Inc. - VECC - Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator<br />
XYZ Reality - The Atom - Engineering-Grade Augmented Reality<br />
ONE TO WATCH COMPANY OF 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
ALICE Technologies - AI-powered construction optioneering software<br />
Amutri - CAD to photo-realistic 3D in one click<br />
Coltraco Limited - Coltraco Limited<br />
DiRoots Limited - DiRoots Limited<br />
Oktra - Oktra digitalises design and build using Autodesk Construction Cloud<br />
Symetri - Symetri joins forces with Microdesk & Bimfire Tools.<br />
BEST USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT<br />
2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
McAvoy and Graphisoft - Archicad - Seismic<br />
Glider - gliderbim® - Ministry of Justice, HMP Five Wells<br />
Symetri, Stepnell & University of Worcester - Revit, Archibus, Oculo, Solibri,<br />
Navisworks - The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Building at Univ. of Worcester<br />
with Stepnell & Symetri<br />
Trimble - Spot @BAM Nuttall - Spot<br />
BEST USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN AN INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
PROJECT 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Aecom - Revizto - A38 Derby junction & M54 M6 Link<br />
held in on November 10th at The Leonardo<br />
City Hotel, 8-14 Coopers Row, London<br />
EC3N 2BQ.<br />
The awards night offers a perfect<br />
opportunity to celebrate the industry’s<br />
success stories and catch up with old<br />
friends and industry colleagues, and<br />
pehaps make some new ones too. We<br />
hope to see you there!<br />
www.constructioncomputingawards.co.uk<br />
ALICE Technologies / Align JV - ALICE - Align and ALICE team up<br />
Asite - The Asite Platform - Transpennine Route Upgrade<br />
Fusion - Esri ArcGis - Connecting people in a large-scale multi-disciplinary<br />
project<br />
Trimble - Tekla Software - Stockingfield Footbridge<br />
BIM PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Glider - gliderbim® - Ministry of Justice, HMP Five Wells<br />
Jonathan Reeves Architects - Vectorworks Architect & Twinmotion - Water<br />
Edge Eco Home<br />
Symetri, Autodesk & Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust<br />
- Autodesk Construction Cloud - Harnessing data and technology to improve<br />
patient experience in Milton Keynes<br />
Trimble - Tekla and Trimble Connect - Newhurst EfW facility<br />
COLLABORATION PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
ALICE Technologies / Align JV - ALICE - Align and ALICE partnership<br />
Digital Construction Works - The Digital Construction Works Integrations<br />
Platform - Nashville Geodis Park<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - IconSystem - IHG builds reputation from the first brick<br />
using IconSytem<br />
Fusion - Esri ArcGis - Connecting people in a large-scale multi-disciplinary<br />
project<br />
Glider - gliderbim® - Ministry of Justice, HMP Five Wells<br />
Multiplex - Revizto - 65 Davies Lane<br />
Trimble - Tekla and Trimble Connect - Alexander Stadium redevelopment<br />
CLOUD TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
4PS Construction Solutions - 4PS Construct - 4PS Construct In the Cloud<br />
3D Repo with HOK - 3D Repo - Renovating Canada's Historic Parlimentary<br />
Complex<br />
Access Construction - Access Construction Workspace - Giving Construction<br />
the Freedom to do More<br />
Asite Solutions Ltd - The Asite Platform - The Asite Platform<br />
Digital Construction Works - The Digital Construction Works Integrations<br />
Platform - Nashville Geodis Park<br />
Glider - gliderbim® - Defence Infrastructure Organisation AIM CDE<br />
Open ECX - eHub - Next Generation EDI by Open ECX<br />
Payapps - Payapps - Collaborative Management of Supply Chain Valuations<br />
AR/VR PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Amutri - Amutri - 3D Visualisation -Amutri Rapid 3D Visualisation<br />
Real-Time-Rendering - Twinmotion - Forest Rooms<br />
Trimble - Trimble XR10 - KOREC / Mercury Engineering<br />
12<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
AWARDS<br />
XYZ Reality - The Atom - The Atom on mission critical projects<br />
Enscape / Keurk - Enscape VR - Biotope Project<br />
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Paperless Construction - Paperless - Eurovia<br />
Studio Partington - Vectorworks Architect - Golden Lane Estate<br />
Trimble - Tekla and Trimble Connect - King's Cross R8<br />
TEAM OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
3D Repo/Mission Room/evifile - AEC Control Rooms - AEC Control Rooms<br />
Cadventure - Professional Services - Project Information Management<br />
Services<br />
KOREC - Geospatial and Construction products - KOREC<br />
Smith Brothers Stores Ltd - www.sbsonline.net - Smith Brothers Marketing<br />
Team - Outstanding Contribution<br />
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
4PS Construction Solutions - 4PS Construct - 4PS Construct - the integrated<br />
and all-in-one construction ERP<br />
Asite Solutions Ltd - The Asite Platform - The Asite Platform<br />
Buildots - The Buildots Platform<br />
Novade - Novade - Novade<br />
DIGITAL HEALTH & SAFETY SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
3D Repo with AstraZenica - 3D Repo - Astrazenica: Visualising Construction<br />
Safety Risks<br />
Paperless Construction - Paperless - Eurovia<br />
Novade - Novade - Novade<br />
EDITORS CHOICE OF 2022<br />
Judged by Panel<br />
4PS<br />
Bentley Systems<br />
Buildots<br />
Glider<br />
NVIDIA<br />
Open ECX<br />
Revizto<br />
Solibri UK Ltd<br />
Trimble<br />
Esri UK<br />
XYZ Reality<br />
BIM SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
3D Repo - 3D Repo<br />
Autodesk - AEC Collection<br />
Bentley Systems - OpenBuildings Designer<br />
Bricsys - BricsCAD V22<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - Powerproject BIM<br />
Glider - gliderbim®<br />
Graphisoft - Archicad 26<br />
Rendra - StreamBIM<br />
Revizto - Revizto<br />
Solibri UK Ltd - Solibri Office<br />
Trimble - Trimble Connect<br />
Vectorworks Inc - Vectorworks Architect<br />
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Autodesk - AEC Collection<br />
Bentley Systems - OpenBuildings Designer<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - Framing<br />
Graphisoft - Archicad 26<br />
SketchUp - SketchUp<br />
Vectorworks Inc - Vectorworks Architect<br />
COLLABORATION SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
3D Repo - 3D Repo<br />
Asite Solutions Ltd - The Asite Platform<br />
Autodesk Construction Cloud - Autodesk Build<br />
Digital Construction Works - The Digital Construction Works Integrations<br />
Platform<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - Powerproject Vision<br />
Graphisoft - BIMcloud<br />
Newforma - Newforma Project Center<br />
RedSky - Project Connect<br />
Revizto - Revizto<br />
Trimble Viewpoint - Viewpoint for Projects<br />
DO<strong>CU</strong>MENT AND CONTENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - IconSystem<br />
Newforma - Newforma Project Center<br />
PlanRadar - PlanRadar<br />
RedSky - Project Connect<br />
Trimble Viewpoint - Viewpoint for Projects<br />
ERP SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Access Construction - Access Construction ERP<br />
Eque2 Ltd - EVision ERP<br />
IFS UK&I - IFS Cloud<br />
RedSky - Summit ERP<br />
Xpedeon - Xpedeon<br />
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Asite Solutions Ltd - The Asite Platform<br />
Bentley Systems - Synchro 4D<br />
Bluebeam - Bluebeam Revu<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - Powerproject<br />
PlanRadar - PlanRadar<br />
Safran Software Solutions AS - Safran Risk / Safran Project<br />
Trimble Viewpoint - Viewpoint for Projects<br />
CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Access Construction - EasyBuild<br />
CLiP IT Solutions - Construction Industry Accounts<br />
Eque2 Ltd - Construct for Sage<br />
Integrity Software - Evolution Mx<br />
RedSky - Summit<br />
ESTIMATION & VALUATION PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
Access Construction - Conquest Estimating<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - Bidcon<br />
Eque2 Ltd - EValuate Estimating<br />
Nomitech - CostOS<br />
RIB Software - iTWO costX<br />
Tekla - Tekla PowerFab<br />
CONSTRUCTION FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SUITE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Access Construction - EasyBuild ERP<br />
Eque2 Ltd - EVision ERP<br />
RedSky - Summit<br />
ASSET MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Bentley Systems - AssetWise<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - ShireSystem<br />
IFS UK&I - IFS Cloud<br />
Trimble - AgileAssets Structures Analyst<br />
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Autodesk - AEC Collection<br />
Bentley Systems - STAAD.Pro<br />
SCIA - SCIA Engineer<br />
StruSoft - FEM Design<br />
Tekla - Tekla Structural Designer 2022<br />
GIS/MAPPING PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Bentley Systems - OpenCities Map<br />
Blue Sky - Aerial Photography and Topographic Mapping<br />
Esri UK - Esri ArcGIS<br />
Hexagon - GeoMedia<br />
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Asite Solutions Ltd - Adoddle Field for Site<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - Site Progress Mobile<br />
Graphisoft - BIMx<br />
Novade - Novade<br />
Trimble Viewpoint - Viewpoint Field View<br />
CHANNEL PARTNER OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
Cadventure<br />
Graitec<br />
Jonathan Reeves CAD<br />
Korec Group<br />
Symetri<br />
CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
3D Repo - 3D Repo<br />
Access Construction - Access Construction Workspace<br />
Bentley Systems - OpenBuildings Designer<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - Powerproject<br />
Newforma - Newforma Project Center<br />
Open ECX - eHub<br />
Payapps - Payapps<br />
RedSky - Summit<br />
Revizto - Revizto<br />
RIB Software - iTWO costX<br />
Solibri UK Ltd - Solibri Office<br />
Trimble - Trimble Connect<br />
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
3D Repo - 3D Repo<br />
Access Construction - Access Construction Workspace<br />
Asite Solutions Ltd - The Asite Platform<br />
Autodesk Construction Cloud - Autodesk Build<br />
Bentley Systems - MicroStation<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd - Powerproject<br />
Glider - gliderbim®<br />
Graphisoft - Archicad 26<br />
Newforma - Newforma Project Center<br />
Open ECX - eHub<br />
RedSky - Project Connect<br />
Revizto - Revizto+<br />
Solibri UK Ltd - Solibri Office<br />
Symetri - Naviate<br />
Trimble - Trimble Connect<br />
COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2022<br />
3D Repo<br />
Access Construction<br />
Asite Solutions Ltd<br />
Autodesk<br />
Bentley Systems<br />
Elecosoft UK Ltd<br />
Graphisoft<br />
Newforma<br />
Open ECX<br />
RedSky<br />
Revizto<br />
Solibri Uk Ltd<br />
Symetri<br />
Trimble<br />
Vectorworks Inc<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 13
INDUSTRYcomment<br />
The confusing world of insurance<br />
By May Winfield, Global<br />
Director of Commercial, Legal<br />
and Digital Risks, Buro<br />
Happold<br />
We have, most likely, all seen<br />
insurance requirements<br />
inserted into our contracts,<br />
stipulating a party must hold certain<br />
levels of insurance limits for certain<br />
types of insurance policies. The<br />
question I will attempt to answer here is:<br />
Why does this matter? Perhaps a good<br />
place to start would be a baseline<br />
definition of Insurance. One of the<br />
leading professional texts in this area,<br />
Insurance Law for the Construction<br />
Industry (author: Hogarth, R)<br />
summarises as follows:<br />
One party (the 'Insurer') promises in<br />
return for a money consideration (the<br />
'premium') to pay either money or some<br />
corresponding benefit to, or for the<br />
benefit of, the other party (the 'Insured')<br />
upon the occurrence or one or more<br />
specified events.<br />
I spent more than a decade of my<br />
career acting for insurers, both in<br />
defending consultant and contractor<br />
insureds against claims, and<br />
investigating whether a claim/notified<br />
matter fell within cover of a policy<br />
(solicitors acting in this way are often<br />
referred to as 'coverage counsel'). The<br />
generally held (and somewhat<br />
pessimistic) belief that insurers are<br />
looking to reject as many notifications as<br />
possible to make money is simply not<br />
true. Insurance is an important safety net<br />
to protect us from the fact that none of us<br />
are perfect and, with the best will in the<br />
world, mistakes do happen. Its crucial<br />
role is to keep our industry turning<br />
without businesses folding, or becoming<br />
unviable due to incurring a liability that<br />
exceeds that business' assets.<br />
However, it should also not be seen as<br />
an open cheque book. Insurers<br />
undertake an, at times complex,<br />
balancing act between premiums<br />
charged and moneys spent on claims,<br />
14<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
INDUSTRYcomment<br />
settlements and proceedings - it has<br />
been a tough few years for the<br />
insurance market leading to insurers<br />
being more wary about the risks posed<br />
by our industry. Some insurers have<br />
gone so far as to pull out or at least pull<br />
back from their offerings within our<br />
industry. This can be seen most<br />
prominently in the area of insurance<br />
cover for 'fire and façade'-related<br />
services. Following the Grenfell tragedy<br />
and ongoing investigations insurance in<br />
this area is limited, with some smaller<br />
organisations unable to get insurance<br />
for such services at all.<br />
As an added complexity, insurance<br />
cover for such fire and façade design<br />
services is currently only available in the<br />
UK insurance market on an "aggregate"<br />
basis (discussed below) and at lower<br />
insurance limits than other categories of<br />
services due to the inevitable higher<br />
risks of claims involved. I have heard<br />
this trend is spreading to other regions.<br />
Therefore in contract negotiations,<br />
Parties really need to make sure they<br />
agree a fair and proportional, riskmitigated<br />
position. There is no point in a<br />
high limit being required that doesn't<br />
match available cover, as insurance<br />
cover that is overstretched and overpromised<br />
will surely cause more<br />
problems than it solves.<br />
An aspect that often causes confusion<br />
but is vital to understand - not least<br />
because it is a frequent bone of<br />
contention between contracting parties -<br />
is whether one's insurance is on an<br />
"aggregate" or "each and every claim"<br />
basis. Why is it so contentious? It<br />
fundamentally impacts how much one is<br />
covered by insurance. At its core<br />
simplicity (though there are more<br />
subtleties that I will not bore you with),<br />
an aggregate policy has one bucket of<br />
money (e.g. £5m) for all claims<br />
occurring during the policy period<br />
(which is generally one year), and an<br />
each and every claim policy has a<br />
bucket of a specified sum (e.g. up to<br />
£5m) for each claim received during the<br />
policy period.<br />
It is self-evident that there is a big<br />
difference between the two, given that<br />
an organisation will be faced with<br />
meeting any shortfall in a claim (and<br />
legal costs) personally once their<br />
insurance limits run out.<br />
As a side but related issue, when<br />
looking at insurance cover issues on a<br />
wider basis there can be a temptation to<br />
choose the cheapest premium option in<br />
order to save money, confident in the<br />
belief that large claims or problems are<br />
unlikely to occur. However, this is often<br />
a false economy.<br />
Like clients who choose the lowest<br />
priced tender whilst ignoring quality - or<br />
indeed choosing a cheap home or travel<br />
insurance for your personal activities -<br />
you could be at risk of having a policy<br />
that is simply not fit for your purposes or<br />
needs. This only becomes apparent<br />
when insurers politely decline your<br />
notification, pointing out it does not fall<br />
within the ambit of your selected policy<br />
or is excluded because you failed to fully<br />
and honestly disclose all relevant facts<br />
during your policy.<br />
So, let us come to the negotiation table<br />
with an open, collaborative mindset,<br />
seeking to agree insurance<br />
requirements that are reasonable for the<br />
project, and realistically achievable for<br />
the parties concerned. Also in doing so,<br />
taking the time to discuss one's<br />
business requirements with one's<br />
insurance broker and professional<br />
advisors to make sure everything fits<br />
seamlessly to minimise unhappy<br />
surprises in this area. This requires<br />
thinking about not only what your<br />
organisation is doing and needs now,<br />
but how your business intends to grow<br />
and shape in the coming year.<br />
One's insurance broker, combined with<br />
relevant professional advisors and<br />
internal team, are best placed to work<br />
together to be your champions and<br />
experts in this area. Conversely, making<br />
inflexible demands will simply lead to<br />
deadlock and grievance - which is<br />
certainly against the intentions of<br />
insurance in the first place.<br />
This article is for information purposes<br />
only and should not be taken as legal<br />
advice. Specialist professional advice<br />
should be obtained on any insurance<br />
and legal matters.<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 15
CASE study<br />
Keeping New Zealand on track<br />
How a visual cross-discipline collaboration solution is enabling the efficient delivery of New Zealand's<br />
rail upgrade projects<br />
New Zealand's rail transport system<br />
has connected people and goods<br />
around the country for more than<br />
150 years. KiwiRail is now in the midst of<br />
an exciting transformation on the back of<br />
Government investment of more than $4<br />
billion since 2017. This funding is enabling<br />
KiwiRail to deliver more than just physical<br />
assets, as the capital projects create an<br />
opportunity to also transform the way<br />
KiwiRail works.<br />
The New Zealand Government outlined<br />
its 10 year vision for rail through the NZ<br />
Rail Plan. This also represents a historic<br />
change in the way the rail network is<br />
planned and funded in New Zealand. In<br />
July 2021 the first Rail Network investment<br />
Programme (RNIP) came into effect,<br />
which sees Waka Kotahi NZ Transport<br />
Agency fund rail infrastructure from the<br />
National Land Transport Fund (NLTF),<br />
providing a long-term pipeline of<br />
infrastructure investment.<br />
KIWIRAIL LEVERAGES REVIZTO<br />
FOR ROI<br />
Running from 2020 to 2024, KiwiRail's Wiri<br />
to Quay Park (W2QP) project is one of a<br />
number of capital rail projects that is<br />
powered by Revizto. As KiwiRail revitalises<br />
the busy junctions of Westerfield and Wiri<br />
and builds a Third Main to separate slowmoving<br />
freight trains from faster commuter<br />
trains, Revizto acts as the key coordination<br />
tool that pulls the delivery team into a single<br />
source of truth collaborative environment.<br />
"Revizto is our golden thread on the<br />
project," according to Derek Jannings,<br />
KiwiRail's Digital Engineering Programme<br />
Manager. "It is used in both design and<br />
construction coordination meetings to<br />
resolve issues and provide visual context,<br />
driving conversations and enabling the<br />
W2QP team to solve complex issues prior<br />
to conducting work onsite."<br />
INCREASING BOTTOM LINE<br />
THROUGH EFFICIENCY<br />
As rail is a live environment, access to the<br />
network for complex infrastructure<br />
construction means that planned work<br />
needs to be completed within the agreed<br />
timeframes. KiwiRail has taken a bold<br />
approach to provide licensing for its supply<br />
chain who they are working with<br />
collaboratively to deliver projects. This<br />
means that everyone has access to<br />
Revizto on the project and 3D and 2D<br />
information is democratised. For KiwiRail,<br />
the cost of issues not being coordinated on<br />
site is significantly higher than providing<br />
licensing for Revizto.<br />
THE CHALLENGE AND THE<br />
SOLUTION<br />
Without a tool for collaboration, complex<br />
rail infrastructure projects can be<br />
challenging to deliver on time and on<br />
budget. There are a number of different<br />
stakeholders who support the delivery of<br />
KiwiRail projects, and this is often done<br />
using a range design authoring software<br />
for different disciplines. Before Revizto,<br />
KiwiRail listed the particular challenges<br />
they encountered from a technical<br />
perspective:<br />
Disjointed information located across<br />
multiple locations<br />
Designers or consultants using model<br />
authoring software specific to their<br />
discipline being unable to access<br />
other design models<br />
Multiple issue tracking registers<br />
(spreadsheets) on projects which had<br />
no connection to visual information<br />
Rich 3D information limited to<br />
specialised BIM practitioners<br />
16<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
CASEstudy<br />
THE SOLUTION<br />
KiwiRail's Digital Engineering<br />
transformational programme changes the<br />
way projects are being delivered and looks<br />
to leave the business with both physical<br />
assets and rich digital assets at the end of<br />
this watershed period of investment. A<br />
consistent approach to scaled<br />
collaboration environments across their<br />
portfolio is a key element to the delivery of<br />
these assets.<br />
Designs are now connected and<br />
coordinated in a single place and<br />
democratised information and 3D<br />
models are available for all - not just BIM<br />
specialists. Stakeholders can be<br />
brought into the Revizto environment to<br />
provide meaningful input into the<br />
design, and teams are more aligned<br />
and on the same page.<br />
NEXT-LEVEL COORDINATION<br />
WITH REVIZTO<br />
The scale of the W2QP project means there<br />
are a number of different workstreams at<br />
different stages in the lifecycle of a project.<br />
Due to tight completion timeframes the<br />
project has construction and design work<br />
happening at the same time. KiwiRail<br />
receives monthly as-built models and<br />
imports these into Revizto to coordinate<br />
with the proposed design models. This<br />
enables a next level of coordination for the<br />
project, further reducing the likelihood of<br />
issues needing to be resolved on site.<br />
REMOVING INTEROPERABILITY<br />
BARRIERS<br />
For KiwiRail and the W2QP project Revizto<br />
is more than just a platform for design<br />
information. It also manages as-built drone<br />
surveys, as-built models, existing<br />
underground services and rail specific track<br />
gauge clearance models, and Revizto is<br />
also able to host 3D models developed in<br />
bespoke rail specific sofware, such as<br />
overhead line models.<br />
Being able to bring 3D track clearance<br />
models into the platform allows the W2QP<br />
project to coordinate tight tolerances for<br />
overhead line and signal design at Wiri and<br />
Westfield junctions. These are the busiest<br />
junctions in New Zealand's rail network and<br />
therefore require a high level of accuracy<br />
when coordinating new assets.<br />
POWERFUL REVIZTO FEATURES<br />
FOR KIWIRAIL<br />
Mutiple Search Sets - Search sets in<br />
Revizto allow KiwiRail to democratise the<br />
large number of models and seign<br />
disciplnes on their projects, then make it<br />
available to a wider audience in one<br />
platform. Project teams who are not familiar<br />
with object trees are able to easily filter<br />
models through object properties or<br />
predefined areas, empowering KiwiRail with<br />
actionable insights.<br />
Custom Properties - Cusom Properties in<br />
Revizto is paramount to KiwiRail's success<br />
on W2QP. With an industry specific railway<br />
expertise comes the need for KiwiRail to<br />
think outside of the box with the traditional<br />
authoring tools and bring the specialist<br />
inputs of project stakeholders together<br />
through custom parameters in rail<br />
clearance models.<br />
Multi-stamping & Issue Tracking - Before<br />
Revizto, KiwiRail dealt with spreadsheetbased<br />
issue registers with no visual<br />
representation, resulting in ambiguity with<br />
team collaboration workflows. Issue<br />
Tracking solves this communications<br />
problem between KiwiRail's design and<br />
construction teams with predefined<br />
metadata, markup reviews, fault detection<br />
& data visualisations in granular detail.<br />
Favourites & Tooltips with Object-based<br />
Navigation - Access to quick, real-time<br />
data is immensely critical for the timesensitive<br />
project delivery of W2QP. KiwiRail<br />
utilises these two Revizto features to bring<br />
location-based data and visuals closer<br />
together as it switches between parallel<br />
workstreams to remove bottlenecks and<br />
zero in on the high-priority items in a<br />
compressed project timeline.<br />
"Revizto enables us to prioritise issues<br />
that need to be solved before schedule<br />
physical construction works," concluded<br />
Derek Jennings. "The teams work<br />
collaboratively to resolve all the issues in<br />
the digital world before construction<br />
begins: we are under huge time pressure,<br />
and there is no room for errors."<br />
www.revizto.com<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 17
INDUSTRYcomment<br />
Retrofit for purpose?<br />
Marek Suchocki, infrastructure engagement lead at Autodesk, suggests mitigating the energy crisis<br />
with a national retrofit plan<br />
Amidst recent figures warning<br />
that three quarters of<br />
households in the UK will face<br />
fuel poverty before January <strong>2023</strong>, it<br />
is clear that urgent action is<br />
required to to be taken to<br />
combat the energy crisis. To<br />
this effect, the new Prime<br />
Minister, Liz Truss, has<br />
promised a freeze on energy<br />
bills in order to mitigate the<br />
skyrocketing cost of gas<br />
and electricity for the end<br />
user. Some, however, have<br />
labelled this as merely a<br />
sticking plaster for a longerterm<br />
housing issue.<br />
Many within the industry<br />
have lobbied the Prime<br />
Minister to put in place a<br />
nationwide strategy for<br />
retrofitting, with a view to making<br />
homes more energy efficient to<br />
help combat the ongoing crisis<br />
and contribute towards long-term<br />
sustainability goals.<br />
Much of the UK's existing<br />
housing stock consists of<br />
older, inefficient homes,<br />
built before energy<br />
efficiency was a<br />
consideration.<br />
These homes can<br />
be extremely<br />
costly for<br />
owners and<br />
residents.<br />
Retrofitting will<br />
provide more<br />
efficient<br />
buildings that<br />
also improve the quality of life for<br />
residents; with accommodation that's<br />
warmer, weatherproof and more<br />
affordable.<br />
Making existing homes more<br />
sustainable will be critical for<br />
governments - and housing industries -<br />
to meet their sustainability targets. In the<br />
UK, 85% of the homes that we'll live in by<br />
2050 have already been built. Therefore,<br />
meeting the UK's goal of becoming a net<br />
zero economy by 2050 would require<br />
retrofitting one million houses a year for<br />
the next three decades.<br />
In order to ramp up retrofitting in the<br />
UK, the process needs to be quicker,<br />
more cost-effective, and less disruptive<br />
to residents, while also maintaining an<br />
excellent level of quality. Integrating<br />
modern technology within construction<br />
will be an important foundation of this,<br />
and there are many ways this can be<br />
done in practice.<br />
Firstly, major efficiencies can be<br />
unlocked by integrating digital as-built<br />
models into the planning process. A lack<br />
of accurate information can seriously<br />
jeopardise a retrofitting project,<br />
especially where the building is older<br />
and plans are outdated, incomplete or<br />
lacking in detail. Requiring digital<br />
handover comprising BIM, verified asset<br />
data records and preparing an Asset<br />
Information Model (AIM), for example,<br />
can grant owners the insight to plan the<br />
retrofit more effectively and sustainably.<br />
In a broader sense, putting in place<br />
modern methods of construction can help<br />
to make the retrofitting process quicker,<br />
less disruptive, and more repeatable at<br />
scale. Currently, projects can be<br />
18<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
INDUSTRYcomment<br />
piecemeal and short-term, with projects<br />
often awarded to the lowest bidder,<br />
inevitably resulting in low quality builds.<br />
With modern methods of construction,<br />
it doesn't have to be this way. In recent<br />
years, we've seen innovators like the<br />
Energiesprong Foundation taking a<br />
'whole-building' approach using<br />
prefabrication, constructing building<br />
façades in factories rather than tackling<br />
flaws one-by-one.<br />
Harnessing a data-driven approach will<br />
also help construction firms to make<br />
stronger business cases for major<br />
projects. Whether it's carbon emissions,<br />
air quality or impact on the local<br />
economy, measuring the full implications<br />
of retrofitting projects can be complex<br />
and imprecise. If this strategy is going to<br />
be rolled out at scale then collecting<br />
consistent, meaningful data must be the<br />
foundation. Making a data-driven<br />
approach the norm will help the<br />
government to formulate policy and<br />
allow owners to build a stronger<br />
business case for investment.<br />
Finally, ensuring a digital approach to<br />
construction will help to minimise errors<br />
and waste. Retrofit projects rely on<br />
accurate and up to date information, as<br />
errors can be both expensive to resolve<br />
and create an environmental impact.<br />
Implementing digital design and<br />
construction techniques will help teams<br />
get things right first time. Where records<br />
are poor or non-existent, new digital<br />
survey techniques including laser<br />
scanning and photogrammetry with<br />
drones rapidly create point cloud<br />
models of constructed assets. Scan-to-<br />
BIM techniques deliver an accurate<br />
model in a matter of hours to then<br />
leverage subsequent digital workflows.<br />
There will always be a balancing act to<br />
some extent when it comes to<br />
retrofitting, with any project having a<br />
whole host of benefits and costs to<br />
consider. If we continue to develop<br />
access to better data, modern methods<br />
of construction and a digital-first<br />
mindset, the UK has all the tools<br />
required to spark a retrofitting revolution<br />
that benefits everyone. The newly<br />
revised Construction Playbook from the<br />
UK Cabinet Office is further evidence<br />
that change in how the procure and<br />
supply side of industry operate is to be<br />
permanent, providing opportunities and<br />
improved expectations for all.<br />
www.autodesk.com<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 19
SOFTWAREreview<br />
Archicad 26<br />
Graphisoft releases the latest version of its architectural design application, Archicad 26, which<br />
focuses on giving architects and designers more freedom to create while avoiding tedious,<br />
unnecessary processes<br />
Graphisoft recently announced the<br />
release of Archicad 26, which<br />
comes with updates to its<br />
BIMcloud, BIMx, and DDScad solutions<br />
as well (we reviewed DDScad in our last<br />
issue). The new release focuses on<br />
automating design and documentation<br />
processes and collaboration workflows.<br />
Enhanced visualisation solutions will also<br />
enable architects and engineers to spend<br />
more time creating instead of<br />
concentrating on workflows.<br />
WHAT'S NEW IN ARCHICAD 26?<br />
With projects now comprising substantial<br />
amounts of data and multiple<br />
stakeholders, architects and designers<br />
are in danger of becoming more involved<br />
in processes and workflows than<br />
focusing on their creativity. Archicad 26<br />
revitalises their energies and helps them<br />
increase productivity with smoother<br />
design, documentation, and<br />
collaboration workflows.<br />
According to Zsolt Kerecsen, VP of<br />
Software Success at Graphisoft, the new<br />
"Adaptive Hybrid Framework" approach<br />
to software design has helped the<br />
company develop the features that<br />
Archicad users most frequently suggest<br />
and bring the technology to market faster.<br />
One of the foremost enhancements has<br />
been the adoption of an improved<br />
structured folder hierarchy which provides<br />
a more intuitive method of organising and<br />
overviewing attributes. If you are looking<br />
for an item in any of your Project Map,<br />
View Map, Layout Book or Publisher Sets,<br />
the new navigation search tool helps you<br />
find it straight away.<br />
Designers can also create custom<br />
parametric object libraries without<br />
scripting. Smart objects, such as doors<br />
and windows can be assembled using<br />
the Library Part Maker tool without having<br />
to learn GDL scripting, with graphical<br />
editing tools assisting the process. This<br />
advanced feature is only available for<br />
Graphisoft Forward subscribers, however.<br />
Introduced in the last release, the<br />
detailed parametric Kitchen Cabinet<br />
Library has also been improved following<br />
feedback from users, and now provides<br />
them with increased customisation<br />
capabilities whilst increasing compliancy<br />
with local design standards.<br />
Openings are, surprisingly, a very<br />
common feature in every project.<br />
Archicad 26 has a surface override<br />
option that enables users to visualise<br />
openings in even the most complex<br />
situations. These used to be handled with<br />
tedious and unnecessary workarounds.<br />
20<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
SOFTWAREreview<br />
The intuitive ability to apply radial<br />
stretches to curved elements like walls<br />
and beams with the "Copy" option, has<br />
now been extended to circles and ovals.<br />
FASTER AND MORE AC<strong>CU</strong>RATE<br />
DO<strong>CU</strong>MENTATION<br />
Subscribing to the same ethos to reduce<br />
unnecessary processes, Archicad 26 has<br />
introduced substantial enhancements to<br />
the documentation workflow. One of the<br />
main improvements had been to facilitate<br />
access to PDF documents, the most<br />
frequently used file format in the<br />
construction industry. Now, selected<br />
pages can be imported from a multipage<br />
PDF using PDF Page Import with a<br />
single click.<br />
The Autotext feature in Master Layout is<br />
an intelligent tool that keeps document<br />
related data in title blocks automatically<br />
accurate and up to date. This applies to<br />
the Master Layout Name, Width, Height,<br />
Size, and Layout numbers for subsets.<br />
Users can also find and add multiple<br />
rules to combinations at once without<br />
unnecessary scrolling.<br />
Graphic Overrides is a versatile and<br />
interesting tool that allows users to<br />
display elements in any model view<br />
according to a customised graphical<br />
definition, to easily communicate designs<br />
to other team members. You can create<br />
thematic drawings using associative<br />
3D/BIM content in a semi-automatic way<br />
without resorting to supplementary 2D<br />
CAD work or "idle" presentation drawings.<br />
VISUALISATION ENHANCEMENTS<br />
Clients now expect high quality<br />
visualisations of proposed projects, and<br />
Archicad enables its users to meet the<br />
challenge. To this end the Additional<br />
Surfaces Catalogue has been completely<br />
renewed with fresh surface content for<br />
Archicad 26. This enables designs to be<br />
presented with a more realistic look with<br />
new textures, without having to import<br />
them from third party libraries - although<br />
the feature is only available to Graphisoft<br />
Forward subscribers.<br />
Publishing 3D models has become<br />
easier as well, with an improved workflow<br />
and easier control over textures, file size<br />
and export time. BIMx Web Viewer and<br />
BIMx Desktop viewer give users better<br />
access to enhanced renders with on-thefly<br />
rendering, reflecting project<br />
orientation and a Camera View Cone in<br />
the 3D model.<br />
Users also get a free 1-year<br />
subscription to Enscape (with a 2-year<br />
commitment), enabling them to combine<br />
real-time rendering with virtual reality.<br />
More details about the capabilities this<br />
brings to Archicad 26 are available at<br />
enscape.graphisoft.com. Again, this is<br />
only available for Graphisoft Forward<br />
subscribers.<br />
COLLABORATION ON<br />
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS<br />
Integration is a key feature of the new<br />
release, exemplified by two important<br />
new features: improved structural<br />
analytical model workflows and out-ofthe-box<br />
energy and CO2 building<br />
material data aiming for Net Zero carbon<br />
emissions.<br />
In order to provide better collaboration<br />
between architects and structural<br />
engineers working on projects, Archicad<br />
26 enables multi-segmented analytical<br />
elements, such as beams and columns,<br />
to be more precisely represented in<br />
complex analytical models, facilitating<br />
the export of SAF (structural analysis<br />
format) files. Using it in conjunction with<br />
Automatic Line Load generation,<br />
structural engineers can access detailed<br />
and accurate information on the largest<br />
projects. Building life-cycle analysis can<br />
also be performed using CO2 building<br />
material data for sustainability reports.<br />
BIMCLOUD<br />
Throughout the pandemic Graphisoft has<br />
been proactive in supporting users who<br />
wanted to work remotely by allowing<br />
them to access their Archicad licence<br />
from home, improving access to<br />
Teamwork and by providing special<br />
BIMcloud SaaS usage rates - enabling<br />
remote access to the office infrastructure<br />
regardless of location - home, office or<br />
construction site - and software used.<br />
The solution has made practices think<br />
about the way they now work and<br />
Graphisoft has responded to the need<br />
for more flexible working.<br />
BIMcloud Software as a Service is now<br />
established as a fast, efficient, and<br />
affordable way of sharing projects with<br />
colleagues wherever they are. In fact,<br />
when you think about it, an architect<br />
working from a busy office probably<br />
collaborates more with globally based<br />
colleagues in multiple disciplines than<br />
they may do with the colleague sitting at<br />
the next desk who may be working on a<br />
different project. BIMcloud SaaS merely<br />
extends the diaspora.<br />
BIMCloud SaaS is also easy to use -<br />
and you pay for what you use, so the<br />
cost of using it can be proportionate to<br />
the project involved. Its storage<br />
capabilities have also been extended,<br />
with 100k+ file storage capacity.<br />
Improvements have also been made to<br />
project data security and the handling of<br />
document revisions.<br />
BIMX<br />
BIMx is Graphisoft's principal design<br />
collaboration and presentation tool and<br />
is available in formats to suit desktop,<br />
mobile devices and the Internet. Its<br />
simple and ubiquitous access facilities<br />
enable it to be widely used in design<br />
studios, client offices and construction<br />
sites, providing an immersive 3D<br />
experience on each of the platforms.<br />
The latest version provides an improved<br />
and more realistic look on mobile<br />
devices with support for cast shadows<br />
calculated on the fly in BIMx Mobile.<br />
Users can also benefit from some of the<br />
new customisation features using<br />
Archicad's texture export in BIMx<br />
Desktop Viewer. Accessing its potential is<br />
also made easier with a simpler<br />
Publisher workflow.<br />
The focus on design rather than<br />
process and the integration of<br />
disciplines, including DDScad for MEP<br />
solutions which we covered in our last<br />
issue, ensures that the release of<br />
Archicad 26 will be a significant one for<br />
both architects and engineers.<br />
Graphisoft can also be applauded for<br />
simplifying and streamlining some of the<br />
processes that can overwhelm<br />
applications even as they introduce new<br />
features and capabilities.<br />
www.graphisoft.co.uk<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 21
TECHNOLOGY focus<br />
AIMing off-centre<br />
Following on from the AIM discussion with Mervyn Richards in our last issue, David Chadwick<br />
underlines the issues that have to be confronted to create a viable AIM solution<br />
The secret to installing an effective<br />
asset information model (AIM) or<br />
computer aided facilities<br />
management (CAFM) solution to handle<br />
the day-to-day running of your premises<br />
lies in the second acronym. Before the<br />
computer can do its job, however, Asset<br />
Managers have to roll their sleeves up and<br />
work out exactly what they want, and why,<br />
prior to looking at some of the ready-made<br />
solutions on the market.<br />
It's a complex business running a building<br />
which is going to be around for<br />
considerably longer than it took to design<br />
and construct it. That means identifying the<br />
processes and the equipment that need to<br />
be maintained, the employees needed to<br />
do the work (along with their skills and work<br />
rates), running costs, the need for external<br />
contractors and maintenance schedules,<br />
contractual and legislation compliance, and<br />
much more. Then you need to ascertain<br />
what information you need to manage that<br />
process, and whether some of the software<br />
that you may already be using - such as<br />
CMMS (computerised maintenance<br />
management systems) can be integrated<br />
into a new CAFM.<br />
As we discussed in our last issue, much<br />
of the information that you need is already<br />
available in the project information<br />
management database - the PIM. The<br />
computer is there to assist you, but you<br />
need to know what information you want<br />
before you can use the PIM to help you<br />
create your AIM - or to specify the custom<br />
job that a chosen CAFM provider needs<br />
before they can help you set up your<br />
system. They can set the list of<br />
requirements that they need to operate<br />
your facility, but they rely on you to request<br />
purely the information you need.<br />
PIM VERSUS AIM<br />
Seems straightforward enough. The<br />
problem is that there is a huge amount of<br />
information available, and not all of what we<br />
need for the construction phase can be<br />
used for facility management as that has<br />
different priorities. Most articles online are<br />
from CAFM solution providers who<br />
promote the benefits and the downsides of<br />
not using one. I have found none that clarify<br />
how you extract and transfer the data that<br />
you need across to an AIM solution. It's a<br />
complex process for a single component.<br />
To give you an example, to install a CH<br />
boiler in a building an MEP company would<br />
specify the capacity and thermal output of<br />
the boiler, lay out the fuel pipes to feed it<br />
and the pipework leading from it to the<br />
radiators, etc. The construction 3D model is<br />
used to route the network through the<br />
building, avoiding immovable objects and<br />
other components, using tools like clash<br />
detection to do so. The documentation<br />
accompanying the boiler deals with<br />
equipment sizes, fitting instructions and the<br />
bolts, flanges and other bits and pieces<br />
needed to install it.<br />
An Asset Manager is not interested in<br />
most of that, but rather in commissioning<br />
and maintaining the boiler at specified<br />
intervals. In order to do so they need user<br />
manuals and diagrams to guide the<br />
maintenance team. They might also be<br />
interested in its output, as the data could<br />
form part of the building performance<br />
analysis as an aid to optimising energy<br />
usage and carbon emissions.<br />
If the boiler doesn't perform to spec, or is<br />
not powerful enough for its role, and a<br />
replacement has to be commissioned, then<br />
the task falls back to the original supplier or<br />
their replacement to consult their, probably,<br />
archived PIM to update the building model,<br />
which is then used subsequently to update<br />
the AIM data.<br />
Transferring data from a PIM to an AIM for<br />
every component that is included in an<br />
AMs maintenance schedule - heating,<br />
lighting, plumbing and other equipment - is<br />
a huge task, and can only be<br />
accomplished using some form of filtering<br />
and mapping of data from one to the other,<br />
enabling the whole process to be<br />
automated - which is where the computer<br />
comes in.<br />
This needs to be done by data migration<br />
specialists, experienced in identifying what<br />
needs to be transferred and in handling<br />
problematic data , so that they can build a<br />
data migration strategy to profile, map,<br />
clean and, if necessary, transform the data<br />
to ensure that it reaches the AIM solution<br />
22<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
TECHNOLOGY focus<br />
both accurately and intact.<br />
The building of the AIM will also be further<br />
complicated if a number of sensors are<br />
being used - perhaps to provide the<br />
facilities for a digital twin of the project, for<br />
example - creating a super CAFM that<br />
constantly monitors the IoT and updates<br />
the AIM database. But this is a facility that is<br />
not yet available, as it would require the<br />
data to be provided in different standards<br />
by different members of the supply chain.<br />
Would the information actually be in the<br />
PIM or would it be compiled once the<br />
sensors and their software solutions are<br />
installed on the AIM solution?<br />
THE IMPORTANCE OF AC<strong>CU</strong>RACY<br />
Having extracted what you need from the<br />
PIM, assembled it in a secure, single<br />
source cloud-based environment, instead<br />
of being stored in different locations, on<br />
separate document management systems,<br />
or even, indeed, on personal storage<br />
devices, it needs to be accessible in realtime<br />
to everyone in your team that needs to<br />
use that data, and not to treat cloud-based<br />
storage as just another storage device.<br />
Drawings, models, documents and<br />
schedules, etc. need to be quickly available<br />
and simple to find.<br />
Managing and updating the information<br />
held in the AIM is a priority for the Facilities<br />
Manager. Poor documentation practices<br />
will result in maintenance teams working on<br />
outdated and superseded information,<br />
impacting on the building's efficiency by<br />
extending downtime spent on repairs whilst<br />
maintenance engineers scramble to find up<br />
to date information. Much worse, it could<br />
create unnecessary compliance risks.<br />
Rules and procedures need to be put in<br />
place, and everyone must be made aware<br />
of the importance of updating documents,<br />
including small upgrades and whenever<br />
new equipment is introduced. The<br />
accuracy of the information is paramount.<br />
Originally it was intended that the<br />
information that was required for the AIM<br />
CAFM system was to be delivered using<br />
COBie. It was assumed that serial clients<br />
would already have a CAFM system in<br />
place and all they needed to do for their<br />
Asset information Requirement was to<br />
look at that CAFM system and extract a<br />
list of requirements.<br />
COBie is a major problem, however,<br />
because each client's Asset Manager,<br />
would have to compile their requirements<br />
and produce a project specific COBie<br />
template. A comment raised at a recent<br />
international group meeting suggested that<br />
you need to compile this very carefully so<br />
that you only buy the slice of pizza you<br />
need rather than buying the whole pizza.<br />
BUT WHO OWNS THE DATA?<br />
The Asset Manager might have control over<br />
the AIM and the information it contains, but<br />
the source of that data remains the<br />
intellectual property of the companies<br />
supplying it. It's not just a storage issue.<br />
The building model is the intellectual<br />
property of the originators of that<br />
information, which, because of its nature, is<br />
multidisciplined. If you want to add an<br />
extension to the building, it can't be done<br />
without reference to the original 3D models<br />
and whoever holds the data. The MEP<br />
system supplier, for instance, must ensure<br />
that the building and its contents comply<br />
with current building standards and<br />
regulations by informing the Asset Manager<br />
when new compliance requirements are<br />
put in place.<br />
The responsibility for handling information<br />
needs to be defined, and is everyone's<br />
responsibility, whether it concerns<br />
Government policies, methodologies,<br />
documentation standards, CAD<br />
applications and file formats templates,<br />
version control and, most importantly,<br />
checking and approval procedures for<br />
publishing up-to-date information.<br />
This may also require the renaming of the<br />
files to show ownership during the AIM<br />
period, with appropriate audit trails for new<br />
fire regulations, called the Golden Thread -<br />
as recommended by Hackitt's Building<br />
Safety Bill which introduces the concept as<br />
a tool to manage buildings as holistic<br />
systems. This allows people to use<br />
information to safely and effectively design,<br />
construct and operate their buildings<br />
across their lifecycle - even after ownership<br />
has changed hands.<br />
And we haven't even discussed<br />
standards, such as ISO 19650, BS EN ISO<br />
19650, BS EN ISO 19650, the National<br />
Annex or the BIM Framework, which<br />
suggests in the latest BIM 'mandate' that<br />
projects in the UK should be compliant with<br />
their guidance document. Or, indeed,<br />
whether they are even ISO compliant - or<br />
part of a global standard!<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 23
TECHNOLOGY focus<br />
Fabricate smarter with PowerFab<br />
When it comes to reducing the construction industry's environmental impact, a lot of attention rightfully<br />
falls on the initial design and engineering stages of a project. However, this isn't the only place where<br />
change is needed. Here, Chris Gatehouse at Trimble UK explores the role a management information<br />
system (MIS) can play in the journey to net zero<br />
It's a scary statistic that around 50% of a<br />
building's total embodied carbon is<br />
specified during Stage Two of the RIBA<br />
Plan of Works (PoW): Concept Design.<br />
While this is a significant amount, structural<br />
and civil engineers are already taking the<br />
steps needed to make a change at this<br />
construction phase; yet there still remains<br />
another 50% of embodied carbon to be<br />
considered. Every stage of the RIBA PoW<br />
generates carbon, making it everyone's<br />
responsibility to do their bit, make changes<br />
and work greener.<br />
Even at the Manufacturing and<br />
Construction stage (Stage 5 of the RIBA<br />
PoW), once the completed and approved<br />
3D model has been passed onto the<br />
fabricator, changing the way you work can<br />
still have an impact on lowering the<br />
structure's carbon emissions. Indeed, there<br />
is always more that can be done.<br />
One such way is to employ a<br />
management information system (MIS).<br />
While primarily developed to help improve<br />
efficiency and productivity levels,<br />
contributing to a more streamlined<br />
fabrication and manufacturing process, this<br />
tool can also lead to sustainability benefits.<br />
SMARTER FABRICATION =<br />
GREENER CONSTRUCTION<br />
Employed correctly, a digital MIS can be<br />
used throughout the entire fabrication<br />
workflow, right from the initial estimating and<br />
procurement stages through to the shop<br />
floor and beyond. Likewise, its capacity and<br />
potential for carbon savings can also be felt<br />
throughout the same workflow.<br />
Let us take the estimating and bidding<br />
stage, as an example. Here, the ability to<br />
make more informed and accurate<br />
estimates and bids not only helps to protect<br />
your all-important profit margin - critical<br />
during a time of material cost and<br />
availability volatility - but it can also<br />
contribute to an improved carbon footprint.<br />
A key part of this is being able to generate<br />
accurate material lists and quantities,<br />
ensuring that you are optimising your steel<br />
utilisation, reducing waste, and only<br />
ordering the steel you need and<br />
manufacturing the elements you need for<br />
the job in hand.<br />
By having a 3D model linked to your digital<br />
MIS, you can automatically generate<br />
quantity take-offs (QTOs) using the data<br />
contained within the completed model. As<br />
well as providing a more efficient process,<br />
this streamlined and integrated flow of data<br />
can offer the assurance that your QTO is<br />
optimised and accurate, reducing the<br />
likelihood of human error.<br />
The same benefits can also be felt at the<br />
procurement stage, ensuring effective stock<br />
control management. With everyone<br />
invested in and using the software,<br />
production managers can have an instant<br />
view of where every individual piece of steel<br />
currently is within the fabrication sequence.<br />
Not only this, but you can also instantly view<br />
the level of material stock you currently<br />
have, compared to what you need for<br />
upcoming jobs.<br />
With these enhanced levels of visibility and<br />
traceability, there is no need to manually<br />
walk around the factory or shop floor to<br />
check stock levels yourself - instead, all<br />
information is available digitally. As well as<br />
assisting from a monetary perspective,<br />
ensuring a smooth cash flow, you are also<br />
only ordering what you need.<br />
24<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
TECHNOLOGYfocus<br />
NO EXCESS MATERIALS = NO<br />
EXCESS CARBON<br />
South Durham Structures, a structural steel<br />
fabricator in the North East of England, is a<br />
great example of this, as Operations<br />
Director, Keith Corner, explained: "Since<br />
introducing a digital MIS into our workflow,<br />
the estimation stage is now a far faster and<br />
more automated process. Once we receive<br />
the IFC file from the engineer at the initial<br />
tender stage, we're able to import this<br />
directly into the software. Thanks to its<br />
emphasis on data integration and<br />
automation, we're then able to generate<br />
estimates and quantity take-offs directly<br />
from the IFC file - overall, a far easier,<br />
efficient and more accurate way of working.<br />
"We can also track stock levels with the<br />
live inventory, which is a real game<br />
changer. Easy to use and offering<br />
enhanced levels of visibility, we no longer<br />
have to manually and physically check<br />
what stock we already have, compared to<br />
what stock we need to purchase on every<br />
job. Instead, it's all automated, giving us a<br />
far better and more informed way to<br />
handle stock. We just import files from the<br />
drawing office and the digital system will<br />
do the rest!"<br />
Of course, another way to reduce carbon<br />
and be 'greener' is to improve accuracy<br />
levels. Whether caused by errors at the<br />
detailing stage or the inefficient transfer of<br />
information to fabricators and contractors,<br />
material wastage can be a major potential<br />
problem on any construction project. This<br />
could take the form of structural<br />
components being fabricated and<br />
delivered to site, only for contractors to<br />
then discover that they cannot be used,<br />
due to clashing with other sections.<br />
As well as the obvious delays this can<br />
cause to the project's overall delivery<br />
schedule, these errors and the subsequent<br />
rework and refabrication required to rectify<br />
them can also result in excess carbon<br />
being generated - emissions that could so<br />
easily be avoided entirely.<br />
Here, again, a digital MIS continues to<br />
deliver. Such software is not just for<br />
managers, it is for everyone within a<br />
fabrication business, including those on the<br />
shop or factory floor. Everyone can benefit<br />
from coordinated and easily accessible<br />
project data, especially at a time where<br />
labour shortages are an issue so many<br />
manufacturers are facing.<br />
Using a digital MIS and other technology,<br />
fabricators, welders and machine<br />
operators can view the corresponding 3D<br />
model and 2D drawings on a tablet, taking<br />
the model from the drawing office to the<br />
shop floor. As well as helping to speedily<br />
resolve any queries, having everyone<br />
connected to the central BIM model and<br />
its high levels of information can<br />
contribute to a more efficient and more<br />
accurate way of working.<br />
FEWER MISTAKES = LESS REWORK,<br />
WASTE, AND CARBON<br />
In fact, with digitisation present throughout<br />
the construction sequence, it's possible to<br />
achieve an 80% reduction in rework,<br />
resulting in significant carbon savings.<br />
Trimble's Tekla PowerFab is developed<br />
specifically for steel fabricators, offering<br />
truly connected steel fabrication<br />
management. A comprehensive software<br />
suite, it provides a systematic and<br />
collaborative approach, delivering a<br />
smooth, continuous and real-time flow of<br />
information on projects from start to finish.<br />
Connected and sustainable construction<br />
needs integrated data across the project<br />
lifecycle, with high levels of accuracy and<br />
coordination - all of which a management<br />
information system can provide. If<br />
construction is to green up its image, then<br />
it's clear that change is needed. By moving<br />
away from the paper-based approach to<br />
digital technology, fabricators can make a<br />
difference to the environment while also<br />
working smarter.<br />
For more information, please visit:<br />
www.tekla.com/uk<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 25
SOFTWARE focus<br />
Vectorworks <strong>2023</strong><br />
The latest Vectorworks BIM and CAD product line focuses on process automation, allowing architects<br />
and designers more time for designing<br />
It's not what you do, it's the way that you<br />
do it! This wasn’t the exact message that<br />
Vectorworks CEO Dr. Biplab Sarkar was<br />
trying to convey when he said that the<br />
focus of Vectorworks <strong>2023</strong> was on<br />
"Improving our software so that designers<br />
don't feel bogged down by the technology<br />
but instead find efficiencies that let them<br />
focus on imaginative and creative<br />
designs," but it somewhat captures the<br />
spirit of the new release.<br />
The raft of new tools and features in the<br />
latest release are designed to eradicate<br />
tedious processes and allow architects<br />
and designers to concentrate on highquality<br />
design, not just in this release but in<br />
future versions currently in the pipeline.<br />
This applies not just to Vectorworks<br />
Architect, but also to Landmark, Spotlight<br />
and Fundamentals.<br />
As evidence of their intent, the first new<br />
feature that has been highlighted is<br />
Graphic Legends, the creation of tables<br />
giving instant access to the range of tools<br />
used in every design process. It's a<br />
tiresome task remembering what all of the<br />
symbols used in a diagram are actually for,<br />
out of the thousands available, and to<br />
assemble these within a chart so that they<br />
can be made visible for other users of your<br />
designs or models. The Legend chart<br />
gives each component a standardised<br />
symbol with a label that describes it.<br />
The smartly designed Graphic Legends<br />
tool takes the hard work out of the<br />
process, taking over the manual process<br />
of creating graphic legends and<br />
automatically coordinating the resources<br />
used in a design and providing an easy<br />
editing and customisation process. It also<br />
eliminates inaccuracies prevalent in the<br />
manual process and ensures the accuracy<br />
of legends and drawing keys for<br />
documentation.<br />
This is all part of the significant updates<br />
that Vectorworks has made to all BIM<br />
workflows in the latest release, with core<br />
architectural tools re-engineered and<br />
modernised to make them more intuitive<br />
and accessible for inclusion in day-to-day<br />
documentation.<br />
One such example is the ability to create<br />
door and window objects in a more<br />
simplified way by drawing a line on a wall in<br />
2D or a rectangle on the face of a wall in 3D,<br />
both of which can be edited and resized<br />
parametrically by dragging handles or<br />
reshape tools. Creating multi-fold doors and<br />
windows is a complex modelling task, and<br />
has now been automated in Vectorworks<br />
<strong>2023</strong>. It now enables designers to specify<br />
the number of separate components or<br />
folding sashes and the software does the<br />
rest, without the designer having to resort to<br />
personal modelling.<br />
A new Elevation Benchmark tool will also<br />
save time in managing BIM models.<br />
Elevation Benchmarks can be linked to the<br />
models' storeys and levels, and can be<br />
created automatically with a set of default<br />
benchmarks that read the modeled<br />
objects elevations like 'Top of Slab' or 'Floor<br />
Finish,' significantly improving the speed of<br />
documenting your projects.<br />
DESIGN TOOL ENHANCEMENTS<br />
It's not all about workflow enhancements<br />
though. Besides making better use of data<br />
and resources for more precise BIM<br />
models and documentation, there are a<br />
number of specific design tools in the new<br />
release that improve modelling processes<br />
and visualisations. A new Offset Edge tool,<br />
for instance, provides improved 3D<br />
modeling by letting you offset edges and<br />
push/pull faces from both planar and nonplanar<br />
surfaces, providing faster modeling<br />
26<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
SOFTWAREfocus<br />
and aiding efficient design exploration. The<br />
Shaded Render Mode can now support an<br />
unlimited number of light sources,<br />
environmental lighting and object<br />
reflections to create a powerful and<br />
realistic rendering mode, which results in<br />
higher quality rendering and more realistic<br />
model representations.<br />
Explaining the importance of these two<br />
features, Dave Donley, Director of Product t<br />
Technology at Vectorworks said, "Working<br />
in 3D has never been better. Now you can<br />
see the model in high fidelity context with<br />
lighting and materials all in real-time.<br />
Changes to geometry, materials and<br />
lighting are instantaneous and the highquality<br />
rendering allows you to really<br />
understand what your design looks like.<br />
New Shaded Rendering is one of those<br />
features that once you try it, you will never<br />
want to go back."<br />
INTEROPERABILITY<br />
With collaboration on major projects<br />
almost obligatory, it is essential that the<br />
design tools of architects and engineers<br />
can talk to each other, and the obvious first<br />
point of call in this regard is Autodesk's<br />
Revit. Vectorworks is well up to the task,<br />
and the latest version includes new Revit<br />
file import options, giving users more<br />
flexibility when working with clients and<br />
consultants who use the software.<br />
The new tools support the translation of<br />
more Revit object types and provide better<br />
organisation of imported file data, making it<br />
easier to design a project within the context<br />
of existing information and to reference a<br />
Revit file directly for a more collaborative<br />
workflow. BIM collaboration is also<br />
enhanced with faster and more accurate<br />
access to BIM Collaboration Format (BCF)<br />
files. Incorporated as a separate web<br />
palette, the BCF Manager can be kept<br />
open to effortlessly manage model<br />
changes, including direct connections to<br />
cloud-based collaboration tools.<br />
BIM FOR LANDSCAPES<br />
The enhancements in Vectorworks <strong>2023</strong><br />
are not confined to Vectorworks Architect.<br />
Vectorworks Landmark <strong>2023</strong> adds<br />
capabilities that demonstrate the software's<br />
commitment to supporting BIM workflows,<br />
making it an essential component of total<br />
project development that you can achieve<br />
with Vectorworks. This includes major<br />
improvements to site grading with new site<br />
modifier modes that will handle more<br />
complex grading projects. The<br />
improvements also make it easier to<br />
design properly graded surfaces and<br />
provide better car and pedestrian<br />
accessibility, with easier control of contour<br />
drawing and editing.<br />
A significant part of Landmark comprises<br />
plant selection and layout. Partnered with<br />
Laubwerk, the latest release includes a<br />
new and extensive library of 3D plant<br />
geometry with a wide range of detail levels,<br />
seasonal changes and growth<br />
representations, complete with more<br />
accurate 3D plant representation and<br />
documentation.<br />
Of a more practical nature, though, you<br />
can't beat the ability to add hedges, fences<br />
and railing. Using selected paths, both<br />
examples can be run along marked<br />
lengths, and included in 3D visualisations.<br />
The Railing/Fences feature provides a<br />
variety of different types and enables<br />
landscape designers to create worksheets<br />
to record the types, sizes and quantities of<br />
fencing or railing being used, with full<br />
material reporting and quantity take-offs.<br />
Landscape design with full BIM<br />
capabilities and workflows is now an<br />
essential design feature for professional<br />
landscape architects and designers, and<br />
for architects wanting to incorporate<br />
multidisciplinary capabilities in their<br />
projects which involve building and site.<br />
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
Vectorworks is a major design tool for the<br />
entertainment industry, and for those<br />
creating stage shows, gigs and other<br />
theatrical and lighting structures.<br />
Vectorworks <strong>2023</strong> comes with further<br />
improvements to the Vectorworks suite of<br />
entertainment products.<br />
Upgrades to the Spotlight Cable tools, for<br />
instance, will make cable configuration<br />
faster and more intuitive, and you can now<br />
define the entry and exit of cables in a<br />
cable run. The new Property View tab in the<br />
Power Planning palette will allow for easier<br />
selection and editing of objects in a model.<br />
Additionally, updates to the cable path will<br />
allow reporting of all associated cables to<br />
a Data Tag for easier documentation.<br />
Vectorworks <strong>2023</strong> also brings<br />
significant workflow improvements to<br />
ConnectCAD, including a faster and<br />
more accurate way to create cable riser<br />
diagrams and reports with an easy new<br />
command, intuitive file organisation with<br />
an updated class structure, and the<br />
ability to specify device locations for<br />
more automated equipment lists.<br />
"Delivering these frequently requested<br />
improvements to the existing functionality<br />
in our entertainment products is sure to<br />
make the upgrade process for<br />
Vectorworks Spotlight users smoother than<br />
ever before," said Darick DeHart, Chief<br />
Product Officer at Vectorworks.<br />
For more information on all of the new<br />
features and enhancements in Vectorworks<br />
<strong>2023</strong>, including Braceworks, ConnectCAD,<br />
Vision and the new Home Screen, visit the<br />
Vectorworks website below.<br />
www.vectorworks.net<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 27
INDUSTRYcomment<br />
Is BIM delivering the benefits?<br />
BIM is more than a design and construction process, according to<br />
Edocuments, as its information handling capabilities can bring<br />
efficiencies to every aspect of a project<br />
Building Information Modelling, or<br />
BIM for short, is a process for<br />
creating and managing information<br />
on a construction project throughout its<br />
whole life cycle and it has been delivering<br />
cost and efficiency savings for many years,<br />
but is the industry really receiving all the<br />
benefits it deserves?<br />
BIM is not just a piece of software or<br />
simply something to do with 3D design. 3D<br />
models are often thought of as the heart of<br />
BIM, but it is more than that. It is a<br />
comprehensive process for creating,<br />
managing and using all of the data about a<br />
specific project. That process also includes<br />
all of the digital parameters.<br />
BIM has resulted in dramatic changes,<br />
according to Chelmsford based<br />
Edocuments, but there is still a huge gap in<br />
the way that Operation and Maintenance<br />
manuals (O&M) are created, with many<br />
construction companies and facilities<br />
managers still unaware that they could<br />
easily and economically integrate the<br />
delivery of this essential information within<br />
the BIM process itself.<br />
Without models and O&M information<br />
being delivered by a single process, the<br />
information user runs the risk of having<br />
unclear and incomprehensive information.<br />
Worse, the operation and running of the<br />
building could be at risk if the wrong set of<br />
data is used.<br />
In the most extreme example this could<br />
be dangerous, as critical data relating to<br />
safety of the building and its assets may be<br />
misleading. That said, many companies<br />
have identified the risk and to avoid costly<br />
errors are using a data driven platform for<br />
production of O&M manuals, health &<br />
safety files, building logbooks, 3D models<br />
and other essential handover information.<br />
According to Jamie Dupée, Chief<br />
Technical Officer for Edocuments, it is great<br />
news for organisations like theirs who have<br />
focused on this for the last 20 years and<br />
are market leaders in this key area.<br />
Their software platform has dramatically<br />
simplified the whole O&M process, but<br />
more importantly, it can be used effectively<br />
with other software platforms, using plugins<br />
with Autodesk tools such as BIM360<br />
and Revit together with a host of other<br />
applications such as CDEs and web<br />
portals, so that construction professionals<br />
can really benefit from the BIM process<br />
and these additional functions.<br />
There is no doubt that data is now more<br />
detailed and complicated and it has<br />
become increasingly clear that<br />
construction professionals, particularly<br />
those involved in the FM, Estates and BIM<br />
sectors, don't always have the skills or time<br />
to check information.<br />
Inputting and managing data should<br />
not be complex, and according to<br />
Edocuments we need to get to a point<br />
where information seamlessly flows from<br />
stage to stage across the industry.<br />
When this is achieved there will be huge<br />
time savings, data accuracy will<br />
increase and the industry will really reap<br />
the benefits of BIM.<br />
It is not going to happen overnight<br />
though. Construction professionals need<br />
easier processes and simpler tools to<br />
ensure that information management is as<br />
automated as possible, features which are<br />
provided by Edocuments.<br />
The benefits are there for all to see.<br />
Industry estimates suggest that BIM related<br />
projects deliver an 80% decrease in the<br />
time required to generate an expenditure<br />
quote; up to 40% reduction of unbudgeted<br />
project changes; potential savings<br />
amounting to up to 10% of the contract<br />
value and time savings of up to 7%.<br />
The BIM process is there to be exploited<br />
and used to meet the expectations of the<br />
modern construction industry. The benefits<br />
already exist and we are not taking full<br />
advantage of what is on offer - but<br />
hopefully we are getting closer.<br />
EDO<strong>CU</strong>MENTS<br />
Edocuments provides construction<br />
document management facilities to<br />
provide intelligent solutions to companies<br />
working in the built environment, and to<br />
assist them in managing data to ensure<br />
clients maximise the value of their<br />
information. Harnessing its BIM expertise,<br />
Edocuments delivers information using<br />
knowledge and technology to increase<br />
accuracy and maximise cost savings<br />
through process-driven data management.<br />
Edocuments' expertise also enables<br />
accurate and consistent handover<br />
information in every instance to meet or<br />
exceed requirements.<br />
www.edocuments.co.uk<br />
28<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
HARDWAREfocus<br />
All Terrain Plotters<br />
HP revolutionises the construction layout process with<br />
SitePrint, providing ten times the productivity of manual<br />
layout techniques<br />
Looking at the images of HP's SitePrint,<br />
I am reminded of the autonomous<br />
lawnmowers that most households<br />
appear to have when I visit friends in<br />
Austria. An immaculately kept lawn is an<br />
essential feature of the imposing dwellings<br />
that remain in families for generations.<br />
The impetus behind Hewlett-Packard's<br />
launch of the robotic SitePrint, however, has<br />
more to do with the lack of technical<br />
expertise and manpower available to layout<br />
complex construction sites with pinpoint<br />
accuracy - and in a fraction of the time that<br />
it is currently taking. It's being rolled out<br />
initially in America right at this moment in<br />
HP's Early Access programme, but it will<br />
obviously end up here as well, as we<br />
attempt to scale-up our construction<br />
programme.<br />
It's well known that the industry faces<br />
challenges in productivity and human<br />
resourcing with McKinsey, the globally<br />
renowned research company, stating that<br />
the construction sector has only seen a 1<br />
percent increase in productivity over the last<br />
two decades, compared to all other sectors.<br />
Precision printing has long been a feature<br />
of HP's Large Format Printing technology,<br />
used widely in the construction industry,<br />
and it is perhaps appropriate that the<br />
division is behind the new device.<br />
"Technology adoption and increased<br />
digitisation can help construction firms<br />
realise productivity gains," said Daniel<br />
Martínez, VP and General Manager, HP<br />
Large Format Printing. "HP has played a<br />
key role in bridging digital and physical<br />
worlds with print solutions for architects and<br />
engineers over the last thirty years. With HP<br />
SitePrint, we're making it faster and easier<br />
than ever for construction professionals to<br />
bring an idea to life on site, while also<br />
providing layout accuracy and reducing<br />
costs derived from reworks."<br />
AN AC<strong>CU</strong>RATE PLOT<br />
HP's SitePrint uses the latest technological<br />
tools to automate the site layout process.<br />
The main piece of equipment is a rugged<br />
and autonomous robotic device designed<br />
to operate in the conditions of the<br />
construction site. With a unique design, it is<br />
light and compact, very transportable, and<br />
encased in a hard carapace to weather a<br />
multitude of terrain and weather conditions.<br />
It uses Cloud tools to submit and prepare<br />
jobs to be printed, to manage the fleet -<br />
which suggests that the largest and most<br />
complex of sites might use more than one<br />
SitePrint to increase efficiency - and to<br />
track usage. The remote control devices<br />
are configfured and controlled by<br />
touchscreen tablets, and a portfolio of inks<br />
can be provided for different surfaces,<br />
environmental conditions, and durability<br />
requirements.<br />
Designed for autonomous operation,<br />
including obstacle avoidance, HP SitePrint<br />
can improve the productivity of the site<br />
layout process. It can print lines and<br />
complex objects with pinpoint accuracy<br />
and consistent repeatability. Marks can<br />
even be labelled using SitePrint's text<br />
printing capabilities which, while bringing<br />
additional digital data to the construction<br />
site, irrevocably identifies each mark,<br />
improving communication between<br />
construction professionals and the<br />
construction model.<br />
The device is already in use with early<br />
adopters. "The existing manual layout<br />
process can be slow and labor intensive.<br />
Despite being done by specialists, there is<br />
always the risk of human error, which can<br />
result in costly reworks," said Albert Zulps,<br />
Director of Emerging Technology at<br />
Skanska - a global construction and<br />
development company currently utilising<br />
HP SitePrint on two prominent US projects.<br />
"Layout experts are a scarce resource<br />
who add a lot of value in terms of<br />
planning and strategy, but often end up<br />
dedicating most of their time to manual<br />
execution. HP SitePrint lets us do more<br />
with less, helping reduce schedules<br />
thanks to a much faster layout process,<br />
and allowing senior operators to focus on<br />
other critical activities like quality control."<br />
A TEAM RESULT<br />
Traditional companies already involved in<br />
site positioning have assisted HP in<br />
developing the precise positioning and<br />
navigation capabilities of HP SitePrint on<br />
job sites, achieved by linking to a Robotic<br />
Total Station. HP and Leica Geosystems,<br />
part of Hexagon, have collaborated to<br />
integrate HP SitePrint with the Leica TS16<br />
and Leica iCON iCR80 Robotic Total<br />
Stations to provide high performance and<br />
a unique user experience.<br />
HP and Topcon are collaborating to<br />
integrate HP SitePrint with the Topcon<br />
Layout Navigator and GT Robotic Total<br />
Stations. As the technology evolves, HP<br />
will continue working to integrate HP<br />
SitePrint with other key solutions in the<br />
market.<br />
EARLY ACCESS PROGRAM<br />
Through over 80 pilot projects to date<br />
globally, HP SitePrint has been rigorously<br />
tested across multiple environments -<br />
including residential, parking, airport, and<br />
hospital projects. As part of the Early<br />
Access Program, HP SitePrint will be<br />
available to customers in North America<br />
starting in <strong>Sep</strong>tember 2022. The final<br />
product and wider commercial launch are<br />
planned for <strong>2023</strong>. Visit the website below<br />
or the HP Construction Services LinkedIn<br />
page for more.<br />
www.hp.com/SitePrint<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 29
TECHNOLOGYfocus<br />
Net zero targets - have we been sidetracked?<br />
How can building companies support net zero targets? Dan Allison, divisional director, Net Zero<br />
Buildings says that it time to act, and explains why it's so important for those who are building<br />
today to consider tomorrow to unlock sustainability challenges in the building sector<br />
With temperatures in the UK<br />
reaching an all-time high of 40.3°C<br />
in Lincolnshire on 18 July 2022,<br />
we're seeing the effects of the climate crisis<br />
first hand, which is highlighting the<br />
necessity to act - and act now. These<br />
increased temperatures can be seen as a<br />
direct impact of how much carbon is being<br />
released into the atmosphere as a result of<br />
our day-to-day lives.<br />
If nothing is to change then this won't be<br />
the last time we'll see weather this extreme,<br />
with experts predicting that heatwaves will<br />
soon become more frequent, intense and<br />
long-lasting. The unprecedented heatwave<br />
in the UK has unsurprisingly brought<br />
global warming to the front of our minds,<br />
as we've all started to consider - what can<br />
we do to help?<br />
THE UK'S SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS<br />
However, no one can say the UK has been<br />
ignoring the need for a sustainable future,<br />
with the government pledging net zero<br />
targets as a part of a 'Build Back Greener'<br />
campaign. The government's<br />
decarbonisation pathway includes various<br />
targets, most importantly the need to meet<br />
net zero by 2050. These targets include<br />
various aims specifically for the building<br />
sector, with an aim to reduce direct<br />
emissions from public sector buildings by<br />
75% by 2037 in order to make low carbon<br />
buildings affordable and achievable for all.<br />
Although the government has claimed<br />
they're supporting the UK to reach a net<br />
zero future, they were recently required<br />
by the High Court to outline exactly how<br />
these targets would be met - due to<br />
claims that the strategy lacked clarity and<br />
explanations.<br />
In addition, the government has stated<br />
that it will provide the industry with grants to<br />
support construction's shift to net zero.<br />
However, it's critical that change happens<br />
sooner rather than later to ensure that<br />
buildings installed today will be suitable for<br />
years to come.<br />
A BUILDING PROBLEM<br />
The UK Green Building Council has<br />
established that 40% of the UK's total<br />
carbon footprint comes from the built<br />
environment. Although we might expect<br />
the majority of this footprint to result from<br />
the building's running costs, half of the<br />
carbon footprint of a building currently<br />
comes from the construction process -<br />
rather than its functional operation. This<br />
demonstrates a need for the industry to<br />
adjust its practices and processes in<br />
order to support the move towards a net<br />
zero future.<br />
The manufacture of the materials that go<br />
into a new building creates embodied<br />
carbon, which is the carbon emissions<br />
that occur during the building's<br />
manufacture. Therefore, it's clear that it's<br />
not enough for buildings to be carbonneutral<br />
during their lifetime, and it's time<br />
for manufacturing processes to change in<br />
order to support the UK as they attempt to<br />
reach net zero targets.<br />
30<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
TECHNOLOGYfocus<br />
OVERCOMING BARRIERS<br />
The construction industry has long<br />
been aware of the need to think<br />
sustainably, but we could lead the way<br />
in achieving net zero. These are the<br />
barriers to be overcome:<br />
1. Current processes<br />
Current manufacturing processes need<br />
to modernise and reduce their carbon<br />
footprints, faster.<br />
Everything - every product, every<br />
process in every part of the<br />
construction supply chain - needs to<br />
be carbon-rated. As the old saying<br />
goes, 'what gets measured, gets done'.<br />
A consistent rating system focuses<br />
minds, such as shown with the energy<br />
efficiency rating of electrical<br />
appliances.<br />
The government has committed to<br />
doing its bit to support this by<br />
supporting new methods to lower<br />
lifecycle emissions. However, this is an<br />
expensive process and suppliers need<br />
that government support.<br />
2. Delaying carbon efficiency<br />
Too often, when planning a building,<br />
some believe net zero targets aren't an<br />
issue, as the date to hit net zero<br />
targets feels too distant. Although<br />
targets may seem a long way away, we<br />
need to act now to ensure that our<br />
buildings - which we hope will last until<br />
well past 2050 - are able to meet the<br />
net zero targets.<br />
MAKING A DIFFERENCE<br />
It's all about making a difference, and<br />
making that difference now - which is<br />
why it isn't enough to wait for the<br />
government to support the sector or to<br />
step back from our responsibility. It's<br />
about constantly challenging our carbon<br />
impact to ensure the spaces we're<br />
creating are as sustainable as possible.<br />
That's why we should be changing the<br />
way we design buildings and the<br />
processes that create them, to<br />
maximise their overall carbon<br />
efficiency. This could include low<br />
carbon design features, such as green<br />
roofs or walls, to sequester carbon<br />
dioxide as well as improving overall<br />
insulation and absorbing excess<br />
rainwater during the building's lifecycle.<br />
It's time for the industry to<br />
acknowledge that climate change is<br />
here and that it has to be addressed<br />
now. However, changing the lifecycle of<br />
a building isn't enough, if the<br />
processes that underpin its<br />
manufacture don't use sustainable<br />
methods to ensure that the building<br />
has minimal embodied carbon.<br />
LEAN AND GREEN PROCESSES<br />
With 400 million tonnes of materials<br />
being used by the UK construction<br />
industry every year, it's more important<br />
than ever to prioritise processes that<br />
minimise waste, within manufacturing<br />
systems that minimise energy and<br />
material waste. Lean manufacturing a<br />
building dramatically cuts the total<br />
waste generated in its construction<br />
(including its installation).<br />
Manufacturing a building offsite<br />
radically reduces its carbon footprint<br />
when compared with traditional bricks<br />
and mortar methods, and handily<br />
maximises the industry's productivity in<br />
the process.<br />
Lean manufacturing defines waste as<br />
anything that customers don't believe<br />
adds value and aren't willing to pay for.<br />
Lean is all about examining every<br />
process to improve your product<br />
quality and efficiency, whilst boosting<br />
sustainability. That means lean is your<br />
dream solution - a way for you to<br />
satisfy your customers and reduce<br />
costs as you support net zero targets.<br />
To support lean and green processes,<br />
offsite construction has been<br />
independently recognised by the UK<br />
Green Building Council as playing a<br />
key role in reducing the carbon<br />
footprint of the UK's development<br />
sector. Manufacturing buildings offsite<br />
is the way to bring about a step<br />
change in construction: not just<br />
sustainability but also reduced waste,<br />
easier maintenance, tighter<br />
programmes and quality control.<br />
With processes that are designed to<br />
be streamlined and efficient, the<br />
amount of waste that goes to landfill is<br />
massively reduced and energy use is<br />
much easier to control and reduce in<br />
the factory setting. Modular buildings<br />
are also designed to be reused and<br />
recycled rather than demolished,<br />
hugely reducing the amount of energy<br />
that's necessary to construct a new<br />
building in the future.<br />
NET ZERO BUILDINGS<br />
If you want to join our challenge to the<br />
construction industry to create<br />
sustainable spaces to support a better<br />
tomorrow for generations to come,<br />
today visit www.netzerobuildings.co.uk<br />
or get in touch on: 01638 596 155.<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022 31
YOUR GUIDE TO<br />
5<br />
7<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
21<br />
22<br />
23<br />
24 20 25 26<br />
27<br />
29<br />
SCOTLAND<br />
FIFE 1<br />
GlenCo Development<br />
Solutions<br />
Contact: Jack Meldrum<br />
Tel: 01592 223330<br />
Fax: 01592 223301<br />
jackm@glenco.org<br />
www.glenco.org<br />
ACMK<br />
ABERDEENSHIRE* 2<br />
Symetri Ltd.<br />
Tel: 0345 370 1500<br />
info@symetri.co.uk<br />
www.symetri.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
ABERDEEN 3<br />
30 28<br />
19<br />
15 11/16<br />
6<br />
13<br />
17<br />
9/10<br />
18<br />
12/14<br />
*Location guide<br />
not 100% accurate<br />
TMS CADcentre<br />
Contact: Craig Hamilton<br />
Tel: 01224 223321<br />
info@thom-micro.com<br />
www.tmscadcentre.com<br />
ACELHO<br />
IRELAND<br />
DUBLIN 5<br />
Paradigm Technology Ltd<br />
Contact: Des McGrane<br />
Tel: +353-1-2960155<br />
Fax: +353-1-2960080<br />
dmcgrane@paradigm.ie<br />
www.paradign.it<br />
ACMGKL<br />
SOUTHWEST<br />
NEWBURY 6<br />
RWTC Ltd<br />
Contact: Richard Willis<br />
Tel: 01488 689005<br />
Fax: 01635 32718<br />
richard@rwtc.co.uk<br />
www.rwtc.co.uk<br />
A M<br />
N.I<br />
BELFAST 7<br />
Pentagon Solutions Ltd<br />
Contact: Tony Dalton - Training<br />
Services Manager<br />
Tel: +44 (0) 2890 455 355<br />
Fax: +44 (0) 2890 456 355<br />
tony@pentagonsolutions.com<br />
www.pentagonsolutions.com<br />
ACDEGKL<br />
TRAINING COURSES OFFERED KEY:<br />
AUTOCAD AND LT:<br />
AUTOCAD P&ID TRAINING:<br />
AEC/BUILDING SOLUTIONS:<br />
3D MODELLING $ ANIMATION<br />
AUTOCAD ARCHITECTURE:<br />
FM DESKTOP:<br />
GIS/MAPPING:<br />
REVIT:<br />
VAULT FUNDAMENTALS<br />
AUTODESK VAULT FOR INVENTOR USERS<br />
A<br />
B<br />
C<br />
D<br />
E<br />
F<br />
G<br />
H<br />
I<br />
J<br />
VISUALISATION:<br />
AUTIDESK CIVIL:<br />
INVENTOR SERIES/MECHANICAL:<br />
NAVISWORKS TRAINING:<br />
PRODUCT UPDATE COURSES:<br />
INVENTOR PUBLISHER:<br />
GOOGLE SKETCHUP:<br />
CHARACTER ANIMATION:<br />
AUTODESK SIMULATION:<br />
FACTORY DESIGN SUITE:<br />
AUTOCAD ELECTRICAL:<br />
K<br />
L<br />
M<br />
N<br />
O<br />
P<br />
Q<br />
R<br />
S<br />
T<br />
X<br />
For further information about authorised CAD training or to advertise on these pages please contact:<br />
Josh Boulton on 01689 616 000 or email: josh.boulton@btc.co.uk
SOUTH/EAST<br />
HERTFORDSHIRE 9<br />
Computer Aided<br />
Business Systems Ltd<br />
Contact: Gillian Haynes<br />
Tel: 01707 258 338<br />
Fax: 01707 258 339<br />
training@cabs-cad.com<br />
A C D E K H<br />
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 10<br />
Causeway<br />
Technologies Ltd<br />
Contact: Sue Farnfield<br />
Tel: +44 (0)1628 552134<br />
Sue.Farnfield@causeway.com<br />
www.causeway.com<br />
A C D E K<br />
BERKSHIRE 11<br />
Cadpoint<br />
Contact: Clare Keston<br />
Tel: 01344 751300<br />
Fax: 01344 779700<br />
sales@cadpoint.co.uk<br />
www.cadpoint.co.uk<br />
A C D E K<br />
ENFIELD* 12<br />
TRAINING<br />
BERKSHIRE 16<br />
Mass Systems Ltd<br />
Contact: Luke Bolt<br />
Tel: 01344 304 000<br />
Fax: 01344 304 010<br />
info@mass-plc.com<br />
www.mass-plc.com<br />
A E F<br />
HAMPSHIRE 17<br />
Universal CAD Ltd<br />
Contact: Nick Lambden<br />
Tel: [44] 01256 352700<br />
Fax: [44] 01256 352927<br />
sales@universalcad.co.uk<br />
www.universalcad.co.uk<br />
A C M E K H<br />
MILTON KEYNES 18<br />
Graitec - Milton Keynes<br />
Contact: David Huke<br />
Tel: 01908 410026<br />
david.huke@graitec.co.uk<br />
www.graitec.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
CAMBRIDGE 19<br />
THE NORTH<br />
MANCHESTER* 20<br />
Symetri Ltd.<br />
Tel: 0345 370 1500<br />
info@symetri.co.uk<br />
www.symetri.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
NEWCASTLE* 21<br />
Symetri Ltd.<br />
Tel: 0345 370 1500<br />
info@symetri.co.uk<br />
www.symetri.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
YORKSHIRE 22<br />
Graitec Bradford<br />
Contact: Isobel Gillon<br />
Tel: 01274 532919<br />
training@graitec.co.uk<br />
www.graitec.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
NORTH EAST 23<br />
Graitec - Durham<br />
Contact: Isobel Gillon<br />
Tel: 0191 374 2020<br />
training@graitec.co.uk<br />
www.graitec.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
LANCASHIRE 24<br />
QUADRA SOLUTIONS<br />
Contact: Simon Dobson<br />
Tel: 01254 301 888<br />
Fax: 01254 301 323<br />
training@quadrasol.co.uk<br />
www.quadrasol.co.uk<br />
A C M K<br />
YORKSHIRE* 25<br />
Symetri Ltd.<br />
Tel: 0345 370 1500<br />
info@symetri.co.uk<br />
www.symetri.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
SOUTH YORKSHIRE 26<br />
THE JUICE GROUP LTD<br />
Contact: Sarah Thorpe<br />
Tel: 0800 018 1501<br />
Fax: 0114 275 5888<br />
training@thejuice.co.uk<br />
www.thejuicetraining.com<br />
A C D E K R<br />
Symetri Ltd.<br />
Tel: 0345 370 1500<br />
info@symetri.co.uk<br />
www.symetri.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
Symetri Ltd.<br />
Tel: 0345 370 1500<br />
info@symetri.co.uk<br />
www.symetri.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
SOUTHHAMPTON 13<br />
Riverside House, Brunel Road<br />
Southampton, Hants. SO40 3WX<br />
Contact: Isobel Gillon<br />
Tel: 02380 868 947<br />
training@graitec.co.uk<br />
www.graitec.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
CONTRAL LONDON* 14<br />
Symetri Ltd.<br />
Tel: 0345 370 1500<br />
info@symetri.co.uk<br />
www.symetri.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
OXFORDSHIRE 15<br />
MIDLANDS<br />
NOTTINGHAM 27<br />
MicroCAD - Nottingham<br />
Contact: Isobel Gillon<br />
Tel: 0115 969 1114<br />
training@graitec.co.uk<br />
www.graitec.co.uk<br />
ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX<br />
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 28<br />
AIT Spatial Ltd<br />
Contact: Philip Madeley<br />
Tel: 01933 303034<br />
Fax: 01933 303001<br />
training@aitspatial.co.uk<br />
www.aitspatial.co.uk<br />
A C D E F G K L<br />
BIRMINGHAM 29<br />
CHESHIRE 30<br />
Excelat CAD Ltd<br />
Contact: Vaughn Markey<br />
Tel: 0161 926 3609<br />
Fax: 0870 051 1537<br />
Vaughn.markey@ExcelatCAD.com<br />
www.ExcelatCAD.com<br />
B N<br />
Man and Machine<br />
Contact: Robert Kenny<br />
Tel: 01844 263700<br />
Fax: 01844 216761<br />
training@manandmachine.co.uk<br />
www.manandmachine.co.uk<br />
A D I J M N O P Q X<br />
Armada Autodesk<br />
Training Centre<br />
Contact: Steven Smith<br />
Tel: 01527 834783<br />
Fax: 01527 834785<br />
training@armadaonline.co.uk<br />
www.armadaonline.co.uk<br />
A D E M K H
SOFTWAREfocus<br />
A world of visualisations awaits<br />
Amutri deliver a quick and simple route into 3D visualisation and<br />
immersive technology for architects and interior designers<br />
The rapid creation of 3D<br />
visualisations using real-time<br />
rendering, which enable architects<br />
and their clients to run fly-throughs and<br />
otherwise interact with the model, has<br />
for some time been made possible by<br />
the introduction of Epic Games' Unreal<br />
Engine. Until now, however, the ability to<br />
take advantage of advanced processes<br />
and the latest rendering methods has<br />
relied on architects and engineers<br />
developing the techniques and<br />
particular rendering skills to utilise it, or<br />
outsourcing to a third-party.<br />
Amutri aim to knock that idea on its<br />
head. The company has introduced an<br />
intuitive application of the same name<br />
that gives designers a simple path to 3D<br />
visualisation. This allows them to<br />
present their designs to clients, who can<br />
then suggest changes, or to test the<br />
veracity of the model and then switch to<br />
the 3D model and make the changes,<br />
and immediately update the 3D<br />
visualisation to include any<br />
modifications. Real-time iterations also<br />
allow designers to experiment with<br />
model styles, materials, surface textures<br />
and colours.<br />
Amutri can be used with architectural<br />
design software and supports a number<br />
of common file formats - IFC, DWG, FBX<br />
and OBJ - utilising their BIM features to<br />
provide accurate representations of<br />
components, assigned materials,<br />
textures and other attributes. It has been<br />
designed to be as simple as possible to<br />
use, to encourage architects who have<br />
not previously used visualisation<br />
software to produce professional quality<br />
rendered 3D models.<br />
The application is still in its<br />
development phase, although the early<br />
access version has been trialled in<br />
several practices and the design<br />
department of a well-known contractor.<br />
Amutri's CEO, Michael Calver, explained<br />
that they are looking for feedback that<br />
could direct further development. Any<br />
company or architectural practice<br />
interested in developing their skills in the<br />
technology, or in encouraging Amutri to<br />
look at specific features they would like<br />
to see is encouraged to contact them.<br />
With a CAD and BIM background, the<br />
potential for further development is<br />
infinite, but much is already included.<br />
3D Visualisations can be created directly<br />
from either 2D elevations or the architect<br />
or designer's 3D model and work<br />
interactively. Selecting an object within<br />
the rendered image allows architects<br />
and interior designers to locate that<br />
component within the 3D model, make<br />
amendments, and then instantly<br />
visualise the results in the refreshed<br />
visualisation. Similarly updated 2D<br />
elevation drawings will update both the<br />
3D model (a standard BIM function) and<br />
the 3D visualisation.<br />
The 3D Visualisations can also be<br />
populated with BIM components such<br />
as furniture, lighting, windows and other<br />
interior design features, using standard<br />
object BIM libraries. To add to the<br />
realism of the rendered scene, you will<br />
soon be able to populate visualisations<br />
with other objects from additional<br />
industry resources, such as people,<br />
plants, landscaping and street furniture.<br />
This feature is one that has been widely<br />
requested by early users of Amutri and<br />
is scheduled for release later this year.<br />
Another feature requested by early<br />
users of Amutri and one that is on the<br />
2022 roadmap is the ability to use<br />
Unreal Engine to drive freeform<br />
walkthroughs, allowing users to set<br />
personal viewing heights even when<br />
climbing stairs, and to move through<br />
doorways and haptically avoid objects<br />
like tables and chairs. This feature will<br />
be particularly useful for visualising<br />
access problems for wheelchair users.<br />
For added realism the ability to<br />
geolocate models to provide accurate<br />
weather simulations, such as clouds,<br />
sun location, shadows and night-time<br />
effects, is also on the Amutri roadmap.<br />
Looking further ahead, and thanks to<br />
its BIM capabilities, Amutri will be able<br />
to provide some of the advanced<br />
visualisation features more commonly<br />
available in expensive and complex<br />
visualisation solutions, such as linking<br />
the 3D model to timelines to provide 4D<br />
construction simulations - depending on<br />
user feedback, of course.<br />
The aim of Amutri is to give architects<br />
and designers the means of showing<br />
clients exactly what their projects will<br />
look like. It is already proving popular<br />
with two of its clients who use the<br />
software, suitably populated with objects<br />
used within their specialist fields, for<br />
interior décor and airport seating.<br />
The choice of name, Amutri, is derived<br />
from the Sanskrit word Amutra, which<br />
means 'in the next world'. Amutri aims to<br />
encourage architects and interior<br />
designers to embrace the Metaverse.<br />
Whether you agree with Meta's aims or<br />
not, 3D visualisations and the digital<br />
simulation of reality is rapidly becoming<br />
a major requirement for designers.<br />
If you're interested in trying Amutri for<br />
yourself then you can sign up to the<br />
early access trial at the website below.<br />
https://www.amutri.com<br />
34<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022
VOTE NOW AT:<br />
www.constructioncomputingawards.co.uk<br />
Voting Closes 1st November<br />
The awards evening will take place on 10th<br />
November at The Leonardo City Hotel, 8-14<br />
Coopers Row, London EC3N 2BQ<br />
The Construction Computing Awards or "The Hammers" as they are<br />
affectionately known are back for 2022 and, as ever, we are looking to<br />
showcase and reward the technology, tools and solutions for the<br />
effective design, construction, maintenance and modification of<br />
commercial buildings, residential and social housing and civil engineering<br />
projects of all sizes.<br />
@CCMagAndAwards<br />
Awards Ceremony 10th November<br />
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TSG Center | Orcutt | Winslow Architects, US