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Construction<br />
Computing<br />
WWW.CONSTRUCTION-COMPUTING.COM<br />
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
VOL 19 NO 05<br />
Delivering power in style<br />
The Hydro Ness project is powered by<br />
Tekla's constructible BIM software<br />
A megabuild marvel in Mayfair<br />
McGee uses Asta Powerproject to make the<br />
'impossible' Mayfair Hotel megabuild a reality<br />
Leaning into learning<br />
Graphisoft Learn delivers an<br />
education in Archicad and BIM<br />
Constructability<br />
DBM Vircon transforms standard<br />
structural designer's production models<br />
@<strong>CC</strong>MagAndAwards
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CONTENTS<br />
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
CONTENTS<br />
A MEGABUILD MARVEL IN MAYFAIR 10<br />
Specialist engineering contractor, McGee, uses<br />
Asta Powerproject to make the 'impossible'<br />
Mayfair Hotel megabuild a reality<br />
LIMITLESS CREATIVITY 14<br />
Vectorworks 2024 introduces significant<br />
changes and enhancements to design<br />
workflows and other productivity tools, making<br />
them more efficient yet simpler to use<br />
DELIVERING POWER IN STYLE 22<br />
The Hydro Ness, an architecturally striking<br />
hydroelectric generation project, has been<br />
delivered using constructible BIM software<br />
CONSTRUCTABILITY 30<br />
DBM Vircon uses its design engineering<br />
experts and the latest technology to transform<br />
standard structural designer's production<br />
models into fully connected LOD 400 models.<br />
David Chadwick reports<br />
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS......................SUBCONTRACTOR RELATIONS........................................................................6<br />
• HOW THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH SUBCONTRACTORS<br />
NEWS.................................................INDUSTRY NEW.........................................................................................................9<br />
• UPSKILLING OUR FUTURE CIVIL ENGINEERS • CAN ESG STRATEGIES DRIVE INVESTMENT?<br />
INDUSTRY FOCUS.............................LEANING INTO LEARNING ..............................................................................16<br />
• GRAPHISOFT LEARN BRINGS ARCHITECTS UP TO A CERTIFIED LEVEL IN THEIR ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTIONS<br />
AWARDS............................................THE HAMMERS <strong>2023</strong>: THE FINALISTS...............................................................18<br />
• VOTING IS NOW OPEN TO DETERMINE THE WINNERS OF THE <strong>2023</strong> CONSTRUCTION COMPUTING AWARDS<br />
CONFERENCE PREVIEW...................THE FIRST NIMA VIRTUAL CONFERENCE.......................................................20<br />
• THE INAUGURAL NIMA VIRTUAL CONFERENCE IS ALL ABOUT DATA AND MEETING TODAY'S URGENT NEEDS<br />
CASE STUDY......................................RECOGNISED ON SITE.....................................................................................24<br />
• SARAH DARVILLE-DOWNS DISCUSSES HOW TAMDOWN REDUCED ADMIN BY ADOPTING BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY<br />
EXHIBITION PREVIEW........................THE SMART BUILDINGS SHOW <strong>2023</strong>..............................................................26<br />
• THE UK'S LEADING SMART BUILDINGS EVENT WILL SHOWCASE SMARTER BUILDING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE<br />
INDUSTRY FOCUS.............................WATER MANAGEMENT.....................................................................................28<br />
• HOW WATER UTILITIES CAN MITIGATE THE CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WATER INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
TRAINING MAP...................................AUTODESK TRAINING.......................................................................................32<br />
• YOUR GUIDE TO AUTODESK TRAINING<br />
CASE STUDY......................................THE SANDS OF TIME........................................................................................34<br />
• BLUESKY 3D IMAGERY BRINGS GLOBAL WARMING SEA LEVEL RISES TO LIFE<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 3
COMMENT<br />
Editor:<br />
David Chadwick<br />
(cad.user@btc.co.uk)<br />
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(mark.lyward@btc.co.uk)<br />
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Josh Boulton<br />
(josh.boulton@btc.co.uk)<br />
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(abby.penn@btc.co.uk)<br />
Design/Layout:<br />
Ian Collis<br />
ian.collis@btc.co.uk<br />
Circulation/Subscriptions:<br />
Christina Willis<br />
(christina.willis@btc.co.uk)<br />
Publisher:<br />
John Jageurs<br />
john.jageurs@btc.co.uk<br />
Published by Barrow &<br />
Thompkins Connexion Ltd.<br />
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Published 6 times a year.<br />
© 2022 Barrow & Thompkins<br />
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All rights reserved.<br />
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Articles published reflect the opinions of<br />
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that the contents of editorial and advertising<br />
are accurate, no responsibility can be<br />
accepted by the publisher for errors, misrepresentations<br />
or any resulting effects<br />
Comment<br />
Earth, fire and water<br />
by David Chadwick<br />
Forgive me for getting a bit biblical,<br />
but how many omens do you want?<br />
From earthquakes in Morocco, to<br />
record heat levels being recorded on a<br />
global basis followed by terrifying forest<br />
fires, alternating with devastating rains and<br />
catastrophic floods, and culminating in the<br />
terrible tragedy in Libya, when local dams<br />
burst, sweeping thousands of inhabitants<br />
of Derna out to sea, we appear to be in an<br />
upward spiral of climactic climate events.<br />
The consequences of climate change are<br />
not always so dramatic. Lengthy<br />
heatwaves cause prolonged droughts,<br />
crops struggle to survive and when the<br />
rains eventually arrive they are too<br />
powerful and sweep the arid regions<br />
clean. Global warming strips the polar<br />
regions of millennia of accumulated ice,<br />
and water levels rise slowly but inexorably<br />
and once fertile coastal regions are<br />
subsumed by the sea.<br />
The problem is we are both the culprits<br />
and the assuagers. I hesitate to use the<br />
word solution, as there are none, and we<br />
can merely attempt to mitigate the effects<br />
of climate change. Our growing<br />
dependence on IT to drive efficiencies in<br />
the construction industry and our attempts<br />
to introduce sustainable power generation<br />
are countered by the massive and<br />
increasing demand for processing<br />
capability to drive data centres running AI,<br />
bitcoin mining and cloud computing<br />
services. Many of the data centres using<br />
scarce water resources to cool the vast<br />
arrays of processors are based in hot<br />
urban environments, like California and the<br />
Southern regions of China and India, and<br />
alternative air conditioning systems<br />
consume massive amounts of electricity.<br />
The processing power of the data<br />
centres is required to handle the complex<br />
simulations that are quite clever at<br />
showing us where we are inexorably<br />
headed, but can also be used to fine-tune<br />
the construction of the environment we<br />
hope to live in.<br />
Trying to balance the books, then, so that<br />
we can continue to maintain the lifestyles<br />
we have grown accustomed to - and to<br />
support burgeoning population growth<br />
and urbanisation in the under-resourced<br />
Third World - the industry is using its<br />
technology to both educate people and to<br />
fight back against an inevitable fate.<br />
In this issue we are taking a closer look at<br />
water security. It's a vicious circle. The<br />
rising global temperatures are melting<br />
polar regions and altering oceanic<br />
currents, changing water temperatures<br />
and generating more extreme weather<br />
events. We cannot reverse the trend until<br />
we get things like carbon emissions under<br />
control. In the meantime we must ensure<br />
that the world's growing population have<br />
enough water to sustain them and grow<br />
their crops, and that we can handle an<br />
increasingly violent events that nature<br />
throws at us.<br />
To this end we have Bentley's Sandra<br />
DiMatteo explaining how the company's<br />
digital twin technology is being used to<br />
help municipal organisations in Brazil,<br />
China, America and the Netherlands to<br />
improve the efficiency of their water supply<br />
and management, suggesting a number of<br />
ways in which in which this can be<br />
achieved, One of the solutions is<br />
particularly poignant in the aftermath of the<br />
Libyan disaster, as it focuses on dam<br />
management.<br />
This is complemented by an article from<br />
Bluesky on the use of Lidar technology to<br />
measure rising sea levels. The company<br />
commissioned Sairo Studios, a creative<br />
agency specialising in content for AR, VR<br />
and Metaverse to create a 360-degree<br />
video educational film for students, 'Rising<br />
Tides: Climate Change in Morecambe<br />
Bay', which vividly brings the real impact of<br />
global warming to life.<br />
4 <strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
FASTER WORKFLOWS<br />
FROM START TO FINISH.<br />
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TECHNOLOGYfocus<br />
Subcontractor Relations<br />
Access Construction explain how the latest technology can be used to improve relationships with<br />
subcontractors<br />
Effective subcontractor<br />
relationships are essential for a<br />
successful and profitable<br />
construction business. This article<br />
discusses how construction technology<br />
can be used to maintain productive<br />
relationships with subcontractors.<br />
The current construction skills gap in<br />
the UK means that subcontractors can<br />
be selective about who they work with.<br />
They can afford to blacklist contractors<br />
with a reputation for poor<br />
communication, chaotic project<br />
management, or an inability to pay on<br />
time for good work.<br />
It is more vital than ever for contractors<br />
to build strong relationships with<br />
subcontractors, communicate effectively,<br />
and manage projects efficiently, and<br />
construction technology can help<br />
contractors avoid the common pitfalls<br />
that lead to soured relationships with<br />
their 'subbies'.<br />
PREQUALIFICATION<br />
QUESTIONNAIRES<br />
Before building relationships with<br />
subcontractors, it is important to<br />
prequalify them to ensure that they are<br />
a good fit for your business and your<br />
projects. This will save both you and<br />
your subcontractors time and effort.<br />
The prequalification process typically<br />
begins with a questionnaire that is sent<br />
to potential subcontractors before they<br />
are invited to tender. This questionnaire<br />
should cover the subcontractor's work<br />
history, positive references, relevant<br />
skills and qualifications, insurance and<br />
safety policies and availability.<br />
Bid management software such as<br />
Access ConQuest can help you write,<br />
send and track these prequalification<br />
questionnaires quickly, and track<br />
responses in a collaborative space so<br />
team members can quickly review<br />
responses. By prequalifying<br />
subcontractors, you can be confident<br />
that you are choosing the best partners<br />
for your projects. This will help you to<br />
build strong relationships and deliver<br />
successful projects.<br />
BID MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE<br />
Invitations to bid are often the first<br />
contact that subcontractors have with a<br />
contractor. It is important to make a<br />
good impression by presenting the<br />
invitations clearly and concisely. This<br />
should include:<br />
Being clear and honest about the<br />
scope of work involved<br />
Providing all relevant documentation,<br />
such as blueprints, specifications,<br />
and schedules<br />
Listing the essential criteria that the<br />
bids must meet<br />
Dividing the bid into expected phases<br />
of the project, which can help<br />
subcontractors produce more accurate<br />
bids<br />
There are a number of ways to<br />
intelligently manage subcontractor bids.<br />
One option is to use subcontractor bid<br />
management software, which can help<br />
contractors to send out and track bids<br />
more efficiently.<br />
CLOUD TECHNOLOGY<br />
COLLABORATION<br />
Poor or outdated technology can hinder<br />
collaboration with subcontractors,<br />
especially when it comes to<br />
communication and documentation.<br />
The construction industry is one of the<br />
least digitised industries in the UK, but<br />
digitising documents using cloud<br />
storage can help streamline<br />
communication processes.<br />
Cloud-stored documents can be<br />
easily accessed from anywhere, are<br />
safely backed up, and help keep<br />
records immaculate using digital audit<br />
trails. Cloud technology also includes<br />
software that can keep subcontractors<br />
informed of project changes in realtime.<br />
Construction management<br />
software can be used to keep all<br />
parties involved in a construction<br />
project up-to-date on the status of the<br />
building project.<br />
COMMUNICATION IS KEY<br />
As a contractor, it is important to be<br />
open and communicative with your<br />
subcontractors. This will help them to<br />
give updates, report snags, and share<br />
6<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
VISIBILITY<br />
CONTROL<br />
A<strong>CC</strong>URACY<br />
CONSTRUCTION ERP SOFTWARE<br />
From pre-construction to post construction<br />
Visibility is everything; trust<br />
our software to give you control<br />
and accuracy.<br />
Access construction management<br />
software enables you to accurately<br />
estimate contracts, manage your<br />
projects with clear visibility and<br />
control your costs.<br />
Access Construction ERP Software<br />
comprises award-winning Enterprise<br />
Resource Planning (ERP) EasyBuild and<br />
ConQuest Estimating can help you with:<br />
• ESTIMATING<br />
• SITE MANAGEMENT<br />
• A<strong>CC</strong>OUNTING<br />
• HR AND PAYROLL<br />
• TRAINING<br />
• COMPLIANCE<br />
• PROCUREMENT<br />
• HOSTING AND CYBER SECURITY<br />
WHY CHOOSE SOFTWARE<br />
FROM A<strong>CC</strong>ESS CONSTRUCTION?<br />
• Two core products written for the<br />
construction industry – ConQuest<br />
Estimating and EasyBuild ERP<br />
Software<br />
CONTACT US AND<br />
BOOK A DEMO TODAY<br />
Search: Access Construction<br />
• Bought alone or as an integrated<br />
package, we create the right solution<br />
for your company which can scale<br />
as you grow<br />
• Seamless implementation, with<br />
product training and dedicated<br />
customer support
TECHNOLOGYfocus<br />
any concerns they have about the<br />
project. It is also important to be<br />
proactive in your communication, and<br />
not wait for your subcontractors to<br />
contact you. Regular communication is<br />
essential for building strong<br />
relationships with your subcontractors,<br />
and it can help to prevent delays and<br />
cost overruns.<br />
It is best to have a single line of<br />
communication, such as email or<br />
project management software, so that<br />
everyone is on the same page.<br />
However, it is also important to be<br />
flexible and use other methods of<br />
communication, such as phone calls or<br />
in-person meetings, when needed.<br />
Quick responses to messages from<br />
your subcontractors will also help to<br />
build trust and rapport.<br />
By communicating effectively with your<br />
subcontractors, you can create a positive<br />
and productive working environment. This<br />
will help to ensure that your projects are<br />
completed on time and within<br />
budget.<br />
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
Coordinating subcontractor teams is a<br />
critical part of a construction project<br />
manager's job. It is important to regularly<br />
evaluate the coordination process to<br />
prevent projects from being derailed. Poor<br />
subcontractor coordination is a major<br />
contributing factor to project delays.<br />
With narrow profit margins in construction<br />
and poor subcontractor coordination being<br />
a major source of loss, it is worth investing<br />
in construction management software to<br />
help project managers plan and track<br />
subcontractor activity.<br />
Many construction management<br />
software solutions also allow<br />
subcontractors themselves to access<br />
and update the software. This gives<br />
project managers visibility into potential<br />
schedule conflicts, delays, and even the<br />
availability of equipment.<br />
TRACKING PROGRESS<br />
One of the best ways to track project<br />
progress is using construction<br />
management software. This software can<br />
track progress in real time, which helps<br />
contractors stay on top of the work and<br />
identify any potential problems early on<br />
by coordinating multiple data points.<br />
By using construction management<br />
software, project<br />
managers can improve their<br />
communication with subcontractors,<br />
identify areas where the project is falling<br />
behind, and make necessary<br />
adjustments to keep the project on track.<br />
This can help to improve relationships<br />
with subcontractors and ensure that<br />
projects are completed on time and<br />
within budget. It also helps construction<br />
teams to spot and correct snags quickly,<br />
and identify the best subcontractors to<br />
work with in the future.<br />
PAY SUBCONTRACTORS ON TIME<br />
Slow payments are a major problem in<br />
the construction industry, and can lead to<br />
larger issues from bad debt to<br />
insolvency. While slow payments are at<br />
times unavoidable, contractors with<br />
healthy cash flow should make it a<br />
priority to pay their subcontractors on<br />
time and in full. This is the best way to<br />
maintain a trusting and respectful<br />
relationship with subcontractors.<br />
Payments should only be withheld for<br />
poor quality work. Withholding pay for<br />
minor issues can damage the<br />
relationship with the subcontractor,<br />
and ultimately cost more than the<br />
mistakes made.<br />
Using financial management software,<br />
particularly that which has constructionspecific<br />
functionality such as CVR<br />
reporting, can help track both cash flow<br />
and payments on a construction<br />
scheme. Paying on time for good work<br />
shows a level of respect that will be<br />
reciprocated the next time the<br />
subcontractor is needed.<br />
Access Construction offers a suite of<br />
technology developed specifically for<br />
construction to help you manage your<br />
subcontractor relationships.<br />
Access ConQuest estimating software<br />
includes a bid management module<br />
which streamlines your processes and<br />
makes it easier for subcontractors to bid.<br />
Access COINS ERP is a wide-reaching<br />
piece of ERP software which helps<br />
construction project managers<br />
coordinate subcontractors and track<br />
project budgets.<br />
Search Access Construction to find<br />
out more.<br />
8<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
INDUSTRY news<br />
UPSKILLING OUR FUTURE CIVIL ENGINEERS<br />
Bentley Systems has<br />
announced the finalists of<br />
the <strong>2023</strong> Going Digital Awards<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. Twelve<br />
independent jury panels, representing<br />
12 award categories,<br />
selected the 36 finalists<br />
from over 300 nominations<br />
submitted by 235 organisations<br />
from 51 countries.<br />
Engineering consultancy<br />
Curtins and Symetri Europe<br />
have collaborated for the third<br />
consecutive year to deliver<br />
Curtins’ Civil Engineering and<br />
Sustainable Infrastructure<br />
Insight Programme, which aims<br />
to provide training for civil engineering<br />
students and equip<br />
them with skills for the future.<br />
Since 2020 the five-week summer<br />
programme has been contributing<br />
to the uptake of young<br />
people into civil engineering<br />
roles. Through exposure to the<br />
dynamic nature of civils and<br />
infrastructure projects, Curtins<br />
hopes the scheme will help to<br />
reduce the shortfall in civil engineering<br />
graduates in the long<br />
term, whilst improving skills in<br />
this specialism. Students from<br />
every university in the UK and<br />
Ireland undertaking a civil engineering<br />
course were invited to<br />
participate, resulting in the<br />
largest cohort to date.<br />
The students benefitted from<br />
exposure to real-life projects<br />
and tutoring, as well as leading<br />
software and training packages.<br />
Much of the content delivered<br />
across the five modules has<br />
pivoted around sustainability,<br />
with an emphasis on green<br />
infrastructure, carbon calculating<br />
and innovation. Topics also<br />
included digital delivery, master<br />
planning, BIM and the cornerstones<br />
of engineering: People,<br />
Place, Nature, and Variety.<br />
In addition to technical learning,<br />
non-technical modules<br />
were provided around career<br />
pathways, marketing, and interview<br />
skills. The programme is<br />
set to be repeated in 2024.<br />
www.curtins.com/careers<br />
GOING TO THE <strong>2023</strong> GOING DIGITAL AWARDS?<br />
Representatives from the<br />
finalists’ organisations will present<br />
their projects to a panel<br />
of independent judges to<br />
determine the winners and<br />
meet with global press and<br />
industry executives at the<br />
<strong>2023</strong> Year in Infrastructure and<br />
Going Digital Awards event,<br />
which will be held at the Marina<br />
Bay Sands in Singapore,<br />
<strong>Oct</strong>ober 11-12, <strong>2023</strong>.<br />
Full details on the <strong>2023</strong> finalists<br />
are available here:<br />
www.bentley.com/events/goin<br />
g-digital-awards/finalists<br />
CAN ESG STRATEGIES DRIVE INVESTMENT?<br />
PlanRadar has launched its<br />
latest whitepaper, ESG in<br />
the real estate industry, which<br />
primarily explores how ESG<br />
strategies are helping to drive<br />
investment within the construction<br />
industry across Europe,<br />
and the role digital tools play in<br />
securing future finance.<br />
From the outset, the White<br />
Paper highlights that Environmental,<br />
Social and Governance<br />
practices are more than just<br />
meeting regulatory guidelines,<br />
they offer sizeable business<br />
benefits. This could explain why<br />
52% of private equity investors<br />
implement ESG as a strategy<br />
to boost asset value, and half<br />
implement an investment policy<br />
that includes ESG specifically.<br />
The report draws on existing<br />
research from leading consultancies,<br />
including Deloitte,<br />
highlighting how ESG due diligence<br />
is making construction<br />
companies involved in low-carbon<br />
building and green property<br />
development attractive to<br />
investors. Recent estimations<br />
put global ESG assets at a<br />
value of more than $23 trillion.<br />
One of the report’s key findings<br />
is that property owners<br />
focused on achieving ESG<br />
goals often experience higher<br />
ROI, and goes on to suggest<br />
the quicker sustainability targets<br />
are met, the faster the<br />
return. This has placed growing<br />
emphasis on integrating<br />
ESG strategies into the technical<br />
due diligence of real estate<br />
assets to reap greater rewards,<br />
including understanding a<br />
building’s current condition<br />
and the potential cost of<br />
repairs and compliance with<br />
building regulations.<br />
However, the report also<br />
acknowledges that achieving<br />
this aim is no overnight fix<br />
since the integration process<br />
can be lengthy, relying on<br />
third-party expertise to evaluate<br />
data, compile reports and<br />
align objectives. It also comes<br />
at a substantial upfront cost,<br />
with evidence-based data,<br />
which shows processes and<br />
regulations have been correctly<br />
followed for safe and habitable<br />
buildings. ESG data collection<br />
and reporting is<br />
demanding, given the breadth<br />
of continuously emerging standards<br />
and regulations, coupled<br />
with maintaining robust<br />
records of project documentation,<br />
contracts, plans and protocols<br />
across fragmented project<br />
supply chains.<br />
ESG in the real estate industry<br />
with PlanRadar is available to<br />
download now as a free eBook:<br />
https://www.planradar.com/gb/<br />
ebooks/esg-in-the-real-estateindustry-with-planradar/<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 9
CASE study<br />
A megabuild marvel in Mayfair<br />
McGee uses Asta Powerproject<br />
to make the 'impossible' Mayfair<br />
Hotel megabuild a reality<br />
Specialist engineering contractor,<br />
McGee, used Asta Powerproject<br />
to sequence and manage a<br />
ground-breaking five-storey mega<br />
basement for Claridge's Hotel. The<br />
cutting-edge planning and project<br />
management software enabled<br />
McGee's project managers to<br />
implement pioneering techniques,<br />
mitigate structural risk, and coordinate<br />
material movements on an incredibly<br />
challenging site.<br />
The project, which received a Fleming<br />
Award and a Ground Engineering<br />
award and was the subject of a BBC<br />
television documentary, 'The Mayfair<br />
Hotel Megabuild', enabled Asta<br />
Powerproject to:<br />
Sequence the execution of a<br />
65,000-square-foot basement<br />
extension underneath a live hotel -<br />
something other engineering<br />
companies said was impossible<br />
Coordinate complex labour<br />
schedules involving regular<br />
building contractors and a team of<br />
mining contractors working around<br />
the clock<br />
Synchronise daily material<br />
deliveries from an offsite holding<br />
yard due to lack of storage space<br />
on-site<br />
Complete the five-storey mega<br />
basement six months ahead of<br />
schedule to critical and customer<br />
acclaim.<br />
A<strong>CC</strong>EPTING AN 'IMPOSSIBLE'<br />
ENGINEERING PROJECT<br />
McGee has a reputation for accepting<br />
ambitious projects - from complex<br />
demolition work to facilitate the UK's<br />
HS2 high-speed railway line to leading<br />
Phase 3 earthworks for the<br />
redevelopment of London's Battersea<br />
Power Station.<br />
But these projects seem<br />
straightforward compared to the<br />
trailblazing work that McGee completed<br />
for Claridge's Hotel in 2015/16 when<br />
they took on a job that no other<br />
engineering company thought was<br />
possible. Claridge's wanted to increase<br />
its capacity by 50%, adding a five-storey<br />
mega basement underneath the hotel to<br />
house two swimming pools, a spa, a<br />
state-of-the-art wine cellar, a kitchen,<br />
and laundry facilities.<br />
This plan was ambitious in itself, but<br />
another layer of complexity existed. The<br />
hotel needed to remain open<br />
throughout the build, and construction<br />
works could not disturb the first-class<br />
experience that Claridge's Hotel guests<br />
expect to receive.<br />
"Every other company invited to<br />
tender wanted to do a traditional<br />
project, but the client was adamant that<br />
they didn't want to close the hotel. But<br />
whenever someone says something<br />
can't be done, we say challenge<br />
accepted!", said Michelle Mackey,<br />
Project Engineer, McGee.<br />
10<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
CASEstudy<br />
SEQUENCING A PROGRAMME<br />
WITH PIONEERING TECHNIQUES<br />
The hotel's extension plans carried<br />
significant risks. The new mega<br />
basement was situated directly<br />
underneath Claridge's Art Deco<br />
extension, constructed in the 1920s on a<br />
single reinforced concrete slab. McGee's<br />
Project Director, Jim Mackey, developed<br />
a creative construction plan to be<br />
executed by Project Engineer Michelle<br />
Mackey (who is also Jim's daughter).<br />
"We did some trial works to determine<br />
what the existing building structure was<br />
made of and what was and wasn't<br />
possible, then Jim sat down with our<br />
technical department and put together a<br />
3D animation of the sequence."<br />
With the high-level sequence mapped<br />
out, Jim handed the project to Michelle,<br />
who needed to turn a static plan into<br />
something more dynamic. Michelle<br />
chose Asta Powerproject planning and<br />
project management software to rise to<br />
this challenge.<br />
"Asta Powerproject enabled me to put<br />
in the detail we needed and then roll the<br />
programme up, so we could still present<br />
a high-level view. We didn't need<br />
everyone to see tasks hour by hour, but<br />
going into that level of detail meant we<br />
could flag any potential issues early on."<br />
The Claridge's project was divided into<br />
multiple phases, starting with a team of<br />
miners hand-digging a network of<br />
tunnels directly underneath the hotel.<br />
They dug down 30 metres to create a<br />
series of shafts that would become the<br />
hotel's new foundations.<br />
Concrete was poured into the shafts to<br />
create the new foundations, and new<br />
columns were constructed from within<br />
the shafts for the existing hotel building<br />
to rest on. Then the team excavated 500<br />
cubic metres of earth from around the<br />
columns, using heavy machinery<br />
assembled underground, to construct<br />
the new five-story basement.<br />
"Once I set up the programme in Asta<br />
Powerproject and tested the first few<br />
lines, I felt confident that I could<br />
sequence the project from start to finish<br />
and there wouldn't be any errors,"<br />
Michelle added.<br />
MANAGING COMPLEX TIME AND<br />
MATERIAL SCHEDULES<br />
It wasn't just construction techniques<br />
that challenged McGee. Working on a<br />
landmark building in the middle of<br />
London also presented logistics<br />
challenges, as the excavation work<br />
involved removing 45,000 tonnes of clay<br />
through one hole just 2.5 metres wide.<br />
McGee could not store waste material<br />
on-site due to insufficient space.<br />
Instead, materials had to be moved to<br />
and from Claridge's daily from a nearby<br />
holding yard, with a single loading area<br />
on-site. Asta Powerproject delivered the<br />
precision planning needed to ensure<br />
materials were collected on schedule,<br />
preventing programme delays.<br />
"The Claridge's project was very<br />
complex by nature. We had one space<br />
to work in, and all our equipment and<br />
materials came in and out of one<br />
opening. Asta Powerproject allowed us<br />
to take just-in-time material planning to<br />
the extreme."<br />
The project also involved coordinating<br />
tradespeople working two different shift<br />
patterns. While standard building<br />
contractors worked Monday-Friday,<br />
8am-6pm, two teams of miners worked<br />
seven days in alternating 12-hour shifts.<br />
McGee used Asta Powerproject to<br />
coordinate site resources with material<br />
requirements, managing the pace of<br />
work to synchronise deliveries with their<br />
progress. "We never wanted to be in a<br />
situation where teams arrived for their<br />
shift and the materials that they needed<br />
weren't available. Or a situation where<br />
we couldn't get materials in fast enough.<br />
With Asta Powerproject, we could drop a<br />
line down the programme to monitor<br />
and adjust progress on a daily basis,"<br />
said Mackey.<br />
Some material deliveries were timecritical,<br />
like the thousands of tonnes of<br />
concrete needed for the basement<br />
columns. Michelle's team needed to<br />
ensure that mining work finished at a<br />
time when concrete could be delivered<br />
to fill each shaft as quickly as possible.<br />
"We used Asta Powerproject to<br />
coordinate both timings and logistics.<br />
For example, we couldn't have mining<br />
teams finishing on a Saturday night and<br />
then the base of each shaft being left<br />
open for 30 hours until the concrete<br />
could arrive."<br />
COORDINATING CONSTRUCTION IN<br />
THE PRESENCE OF PAYING GUESTS<br />
If project logistics weren't challenging<br />
enough, McGee also had to coordinate<br />
site activity around what was happening<br />
in the hotel. In addition to ensuring<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 11
CASE study<br />
overnight guests<br />
weren't disturbed,<br />
Claridge's hosted several<br />
high-profile events during<br />
construction, including the<br />
Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year<br />
Awards and the hotel's annual Christmas<br />
tree launch. To minimise disruption, frontof-house<br />
staff devised a traffic light<br />
scheme highlighting times of caution and<br />
complete silence. "When we were<br />
working directly below the existing<br />
building, the noise would reverberate up<br />
through the hotel, but we were able to<br />
sequence work in Asta Powerproject to<br />
ensure we met noise schedules."<br />
While initially, staff would block out whole<br />
days for important events, this impacted<br />
the progress of extension works. To avoid<br />
delays, the front-of-house team worked<br />
with McGee to determine times when<br />
work could continue (for example, during<br />
drinks receptions with a lot of background<br />
noise) versus critical silent points (such as<br />
wedding speeches).<br />
Asta Powerproject's detailed timelines<br />
meant Michelle and her team could work<br />
tasks around hotel activities to continue<br />
as effectively as possible while minimising<br />
the inconvenience to paying guests.<br />
A FIVE-STAR FINISH, DELIVERED<br />
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE<br />
With significant structural risks, out-ofthe-box<br />
techniques and the restrictions of<br />
a live hotel to contend with, a lot could<br />
have gone wrong with the construction of<br />
Claridge's Hotel mega basement. But<br />
meticulous planning and execution<br />
through Asta<br />
Powerproject ensured that McGee<br />
delivered the five-storey extension on<br />
time and to an exceptionally high<br />
standard. In fact, McGee delivered the<br />
agreed programme six months early, so<br />
Claridge's Hotel could expand the brief to<br />
add further elements.<br />
This incredibly ambitious project quickly<br />
captured the construction industry's<br />
attention, with the judges of the 2018<br />
Fleming Award stating that, "it really did<br />
stand out in terms of rigour, technical<br />
complexity and innovation that ran<br />
through the project from start to finish". It<br />
was also highly commended at the<br />
Ground Engineering Award in 2019, with<br />
one judge remarking that "the project was<br />
undertaken within extraordinary<br />
operational constraints and with<br />
exceptional human endeavour."<br />
Most importantly, the new mega<br />
basement has been very well received by<br />
Claridge's Hotel customers, who continue<br />
to leave five-star reviews.<br />
MAKING CONFIDENT CUSTOMER<br />
PROMISES<br />
Before embarking on the Claridge's Hotel<br />
project, Michelle described herself as a<br />
"nervous" Asta Powerproject user, but her<br />
confidence and expertise have grown<br />
since then. She has just completed an<br />
800-line programme for a new<br />
engineering project, and the<br />
development of her Asta Powerproject<br />
skills (and her colleagues' skills) have<br />
helped shape the way McGee plans and<br />
executes construction work.<br />
"Rather than creating an initial high-level<br />
programme and trying to figure out how<br />
long a project will take, we can now look<br />
at how long each task takes, and Asta<br />
Powerproject will give us the overall<br />
length of the programme. It's made us<br />
more confident in our promises to our<br />
clients." Moreover, Michelle sees the<br />
value programme management software<br />
can bring to site operations - particularly<br />
in cities, where lack of space makes<br />
logistics challenging.<br />
"Project management software isn't used<br />
enough at site level. We're not waiting for<br />
a planner who doesn't know the ins and<br />
outs of a project to do a weekly site visit.<br />
Because we have Asta Powerproject, we<br />
can share data and discuss the effect of<br />
doing one thing versus another in realtime.<br />
I think that's invaluable."<br />
The power behind successful projects:<br />
book a free demo to experience Asta<br />
Powerproject.<br />
12<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
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SOFTWARE focus<br />
Limitless creativity<br />
Among a number of new enhancements, Vectorworks 2024 introduces significant changes to design<br />
workflows and other productivity tools, making them more efficient yet simpler to use<br />
Doing more with less effort - isn't<br />
that everybody's aim?<br />
Vectorworks' latest iteration,<br />
Vectorworks 2024, shows us one way in<br />
which that could be achieved. Its<br />
release coincides with upcoming<br />
enhancements to other Vectorworks<br />
applications, besides Architect. They<br />
include Landmark, Spotlight, Design<br />
Suite and Fundamentals, along with<br />
2024 versions of ConnectCAD,<br />
Braceworks and Vision.<br />
According to Dr. Biplab Sarkar,<br />
Vectorworks CEO, "Vectorworks 2024<br />
represents a significant move forward<br />
in integrating our tools into specific<br />
design workflows. By taking a holistic<br />
and high-level approach, we work hard<br />
to ensure that our software aligns<br />
seamlessly with the natural processes<br />
of designers." Explaining how<br />
Vectorworks is aiming at enhancing<br />
users' workflows, he added, "from<br />
ideation to final execution, this latest<br />
version has been carefully crafted to<br />
ensure new tools and existing features<br />
work together harmoniously to diminish<br />
disruptions and enhance productivity."<br />
ENHANCED USER INTERFACE<br />
The updated and modernised user<br />
interface really epitomises the latest<br />
version and makes workflows more<br />
efficient and easier to customise. The<br />
reorganised View and Mode bars bring<br />
a wide range of tools to the forefront,<br />
allowing users to decide how to<br />
organise tools and shortcuts for easy<br />
access. Using the new pop-up view bar<br />
settings and quick preference options,<br />
they can also modify the placing and<br />
look of view bars. Customers can also<br />
choose between dark and light<br />
appearance for their overall interface<br />
for both Windows and macOS<br />
operating systems.<br />
Another massive productivity gain is<br />
the ability to save custom viewport<br />
settings as "styles", allowing users to<br />
save them in the Resources Manager,<br />
making them easily transferable<br />
between viewports on different sheets<br />
or project files. It enables them to reuse<br />
their favourite styles for different design<br />
or presentation scenarios and cuts out<br />
the tedium of replicating viewport<br />
settings and errors creeping in.<br />
With increased collaboration on larger<br />
and more complex projects, the ability<br />
to share real-time model data and<br />
modifications to a model has become<br />
more relevant, hence Vectorworks<br />
rebuilding its Project Sharing feature to<br />
ensure project data and geometry is<br />
always current in a project file. Project<br />
Sharing+ now tracks every change,<br />
every time. Shared project files,<br />
available to all authorised users to<br />
access the project data, will find<br />
changes to their working files (.vwxw)<br />
will reliably save to the shared project<br />
file (.vwxp). The improved update will<br />
substantially improve the reliability of<br />
shared 3D models regardless of its size.<br />
Besides being able to leverage<br />
preferred styles to speed up designs,<br />
the new version of Vectorworks<br />
provides users with high quality realtime<br />
rendering using the improvements<br />
to the Shaded rendering mode, which<br />
now include shadow casting and the<br />
addition of camera settings to allow<br />
users to define depth of field, exposure<br />
and bloom and other real-world<br />
camera-like effects.<br />
Improving BIM and other digital<br />
design workflows is another key aspect<br />
of Vectorworks 2024. Referencing data<br />
from native Excel files reduces manual<br />
steps which usually incorporate the risk<br />
of user input error, resulting in better<br />
connectivity to external data and a new<br />
avenue for designers to enhance their<br />
14<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
SOFTWAREfocus<br />
collaborative data capabilities.<br />
IMPROVED GEOMETRY FOR<br />
ARCHITECTS AND INTERIOR<br />
DESIGNERS<br />
Vectorworks 2024 includes more<br />
specific features for architects and<br />
interior designers. There is, for<br />
instance, improved geometry for<br />
thresholds and sills, providing a better<br />
fit with wall closures. Similarly, there<br />
are more options to control interior and<br />
exterior conditions, gaps around doors<br />
and windows for each side of the<br />
opening. Door handing has been<br />
standardised to allow for more detailed<br />
geometry and data supporting industry<br />
standards, and Materials can now be<br />
assigned to doors and windows, with<br />
greater accuracy and consistency in<br />
visual representation and reporting.<br />
I'm always amazed by the step-bystep<br />
enhancements to stair design and<br />
building access. The Railing tool now<br />
enables users to create new<br />
parametric handrails and guardrails<br />
from created from building objects,<br />
such as stairs, slabs and ramps, and<br />
more custom configurations. Interior<br />
designers will also be delighted with<br />
the ability to create parametric cabinet<br />
objects for interior projects. This is<br />
helped by a greater range of cabinet<br />
configurations and improved<br />
interactive placement.<br />
FENCING FOR LANDSCAPE<br />
ARCHITECTS<br />
Previewed in one of the recent<br />
updates, Vectorworks' new, automated,<br />
Fence tool has been lauded as a<br />
significant enhancement to<br />
Vectorworks Landmark. Besides being<br />
an easy-to-use and graphically very<br />
satisfying tool, it will save significant<br />
time while designing enclosed areas in<br />
both 2D and 3D. It has a bonus, too, in<br />
that it facilitates accurate material<br />
reporting as an additional BIM feature<br />
for landscape architects and garden<br />
designers. It also enables simplified<br />
creation of material schedules and<br />
specifications and can be optimised to<br />
create simplified or detailed<br />
representations.<br />
The Fence tool, naturally, includes<br />
integrated posts, gates and terrainconforming<br />
options, and will naturally<br />
follow the undulation of the terrain<br />
whether it is sloped or stepped.<br />
PUTTING THE SPOTLIGHT ON<br />
OTHER APPLICATIONS<br />
I must apologise for the simple pun,<br />
but Vectorworks Spotlight users will<br />
also benefit from the philosophy<br />
behind Vectorworks' new version. Used<br />
widely in the entertainment industry for<br />
designing and developing live events,<br />
the demand is for everyday quality and<br />
performance improvements to speed<br />
up and manage previously complex<br />
manual and repetitive tasks.<br />
Spotlight's Equipment Lists feature<br />
facilitates this by unifying the equipment<br />
and inventory tracking processes. It<br />
streamlines the preproduction process<br />
by providing the tools to plan and<br />
document all the equipment needed by<br />
a show or production.<br />
Workflows are also enhanced for A/V<br />
installation, where the upcoming<br />
ConnectCAD Reports Share command<br />
lets designers upload design data to<br />
Vectorworks Cloud Services as a<br />
configurable worksheet. It can then be<br />
viewed in a web browser on any<br />
device, ensuring that all project<br />
partners and installers are accessing<br />
the most up-to-date information.<br />
A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT<br />
PROCESS<br />
In addition to empowering designers<br />
with advanced automation and<br />
problem-solving capabilities,<br />
Vectorworks 2024 builds on the<br />
platform's long-standing commitment<br />
to deliver quality improvements. These<br />
will be developed further in future<br />
updates, and Vectorworks can be<br />
assured of frequent and useful future<br />
updates to their Vectorworks software.<br />
This was exemplified by Vectorworks'<br />
Chief Product Officer Darick DeHart,<br />
who said "continuing our tradition of<br />
excellence, Vectorworks 2024<br />
embodies our quality initiative,<br />
emphasising solutions to complex<br />
problems. We believe in the power of<br />
comprehensive workflows that address<br />
the challenges faced by designers and<br />
can't wait to share more on the exciting<br />
improvements in quality that await our<br />
users in the new version."<br />
The English language release of<br />
Vectorworks 2024 is now available to<br />
active Vectorworks Service Select<br />
members and subscription customers.<br />
vectorworks.net/2024<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 15
INDUSTRY focus<br />
Leaning into learning<br />
Graphisoft Learn is<br />
Graphisoft’s official knowhow<br />
and training programme<br />
for anyone interested in<br />
learning more about Archicad<br />
and BIM, whether they are<br />
designers, coordinators or a<br />
BIM Manager. David<br />
Chadwick reports<br />
Panteleimon Ioannidis, Director, Global<br />
Professional Services at Graphisoft<br />
How would you fare when presented<br />
with 20 questions to determine how<br />
much you know about the software<br />
you are currently using? Let me give you<br />
some examples: Which field/button would<br />
you use to add a new thermal block? You<br />
are provided with four possible answers<br />
numbered on the accompanying drawing.<br />
With more focus on the drawing than the<br />
design, how do you create pointers for<br />
dimension texts - with four possible<br />
solutions provided for you? The 20<br />
questions are drawn from a large bank, so<br />
running the test a second time won't raise<br />
the same questions.<br />
Graphisoft is serious about its Learn<br />
programme. It began running it online<br />
seven years ago and it has since<br />
developed into a comprehensive set of<br />
learning programmes that can be aimed at<br />
individual Archicad users or dedicated<br />
groups, like a single practice, with a<br />
programme researched and based on the<br />
client's industry niche. It also creates<br />
training courses ranging from basic BIM<br />
levels teaching architects, trainees and<br />
students the rudiments of BIM through to<br />
BIM Authoring, Coordination, and<br />
Management.<br />
I spoke to Panteleimon Ioannidis, Director,<br />
Global Professional Services at Graphisoft,<br />
who runs the 40-strong team that<br />
developed and helps run Graphisoft Learn,<br />
about the motivations and philosophy<br />
behind the programme. He explained that<br />
it was always Graphisoft's goal to offer a<br />
vendor-based training programme,<br />
initially starting with classroom-based<br />
courses. Still, with the growth of online<br />
sessions, accelerated by COVID-19,<br />
these have naturally expanded into<br />
a full range of online sessions.<br />
Graphisoft wanted to do<br />
something more though, explained<br />
Panteleimon. Instead of just putting<br />
somebody in front of a screen and<br />
running through a company<br />
PowerPoint, they wanted to make it<br />
more relevant to their users, offering a<br />
range of options to suit their requirements,<br />
age, experience, and need, or otherwise,<br />
for human interaction. A flexible programme<br />
was developed to cover all issues.<br />
FROM MICROLEARNING TO BIM<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
It can all start with Microlearning or<br />
Foundation training, which are very snappy<br />
topics with short training curves. There is<br />
no restriction on the topics being covered,<br />
but the website or short course-based<br />
sessions provide either what you need to<br />
know about a product or a sample to<br />
encourage you to dig deeper.<br />
The next, advanced, level, provides users<br />
with the ability to use the tools more<br />
efficiently, covering most of the topics in<br />
greater detail. From there, students can go<br />
on to expert training, where the focus is<br />
more on strategies which is more useful for<br />
project architects or BIM Managers. The<br />
whole development process is flexible,<br />
allowing users to progress at their level.<br />
Each of these courses can be<br />
approached independently, but putting<br />
them all together gives students the ability<br />
to create workflows, which demystifies the<br />
whole process of building and managing a<br />
project, and where BIM workflows sit within<br />
your BIM Authoring tool.<br />
BIM AUTHOR, COORDINATOR<br />
AND MANAGER<br />
Three simple programmes that crystallise<br />
roles within an architectural practice.<br />
Graphisoft wanted the training programme<br />
to reflect the needs of a practice. Pantelis<br />
used his previous role as a BIM manager in<br />
one of the large practices in London as his<br />
blueprint. He explained that an architect's<br />
role could be defined in three stages -<br />
creating the model, coordinating the<br />
model, or managing a project and the<br />
whole office. He aimed to ensure that the<br />
training programme reflected people's<br />
needs, enabling them to relate to<br />
Graphisoft's architectural solutions.<br />
The BIM Author module, he said, focuses<br />
16<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
INDUSTRY focus<br />
on creating a 3D model and adding<br />
documentation, handling design options,<br />
visualising the model, and preparing it for<br />
submission to planning authorities.<br />
The BIM Coordinator segment focuses on<br />
internal and external coordination,<br />
preparing a model to share within the team<br />
and with other disciplines. It also looks at<br />
quality assurance issues and making sure<br />
that others can read your model in<br />
whatever software they are using.<br />
BIM Manager looks at a project<br />
strategically in the context of current<br />
international standards, starting from ISO<br />
19 650, the first international standard for<br />
BIM. In this segment, Pantelis explained,<br />
they teach the theory of ISO, how they<br />
are set up, and what the requirements<br />
are. The programme shows how these<br />
can be applied in practice and used<br />
within Archicad, moving from project<br />
setup to communications coordination<br />
with other disciplines.<br />
COURSES AND CERTIFICATIONS<br />
I asked how the courses are presented to<br />
individuals or whole practices. Pantelis said<br />
that Graphisoft offers levels to suit all users,<br />
from individual courses that people can use<br />
at their own pace to online or face-to-face<br />
sessions or, if requested, to a whole<br />
architectural practice.<br />
The most popular are those that are<br />
global, which usually are attended online by<br />
40 to 50 users, with a similar number of<br />
sessions available annually. The<br />
programmes are structured to allow people<br />
to start at different times, include<br />
specialised demos to cover specific<br />
topics, allow interaction with other<br />
students or with the trainers, and have an<br />
online forum. Pantelis said one of the<br />
beauties of this type of programme is that<br />
it brings together people from different<br />
countries, where they can see how the<br />
whole building design topic is approached<br />
in different geographies.<br />
Each of the above modules - BIM Author,<br />
BIM Coordinator, and BIM Manager -<br />
provide attendees with full certification<br />
upon successfully completing the courses.<br />
Setting up a training programme for a<br />
practice is different. It becomes a bespoke<br />
programme where, initially, a Business<br />
Review is conducted, establishing the<br />
needs, current skill levels, and resources of<br />
the practice, building up a programme<br />
based on their requirements or future<br />
aspirations. The consultant running the<br />
programme becomes more closely<br />
involved with the practice, providing full<br />
support, clinic sessions, and face-to-face<br />
reviews looking at the workflows involved.<br />
Such a programme is, of course, charged<br />
at a rate to suite the practice, based on the<br />
numbers of individuals involved in each of<br />
the segments involved in the course. It is<br />
not available globally, but in areas where<br />
Graphisoft offices are situated, such as the<br />
UK, US, Italy, Hungary and Singapore. In<br />
some countries this might be set up by<br />
local distributors. The costs cover the<br />
development of an implementation plan<br />
and its execution.<br />
THE GRAPHISOFT TEAM<br />
Pantelis currently has 40 or so people<br />
working on the Learn programme,<br />
selected from people who have worked in<br />
the industry either as modellers,<br />
coordinators or BIM managers,<br />
supplemented by others who have come<br />
through Graphisoft's pipeline, working at<br />
Graphisoft on the technical support side,<br />
learning what issues people have while<br />
working on Archicad and other software.<br />
It's a mixture of different experiences,<br />
Pantelis explained.<br />
And then there are the students. Aiming<br />
at the next generation of architects,<br />
Graphisoft has run student programmes<br />
or set up localised user groups within<br />
universities to introduce students to the<br />
software and offer a range of free<br />
solutions to encourage its uptake.<br />
One exciting aspect of this, Pantelis<br />
explained, is that broader use of<br />
Graphisoft's BIMcloud has introduced a<br />
growing number of students to Archicad<br />
together with Graphisoft's collaboration<br />
solution. ''We are finding an amazing<br />
number of students working on their<br />
University projects, designing them with<br />
Archicad and starting collaborating on<br />
them at home using BIMcloud.''<br />
There is plenty of additional information<br />
online about Graphisoft training, including<br />
sample files that Archicad customers have<br />
downloaded, which are freely available,<br />
set at different levels, and which other<br />
Archicad users can freely explore.<br />
https://learn.graphisoft.com<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 17
AWARDS<br />
Sponsored by:<br />
The Construction Industry is stirring<br />
itself again following a couple of years<br />
spent locked down. The two months<br />
up to November are packed with industry<br />
exhibitions, conferences and regional<br />
activities, and The Hammers this November<br />
are another exciting date for your diary too,<br />
where we will find out who the winners in the<br />
Construction Computing Awards are.<br />
Voted for by yourselves along with the<br />
categories that are judged by our panel, the<br />
list of finalists below represent the finest in<br />
the industry - the best and latest<br />
technologies, outstanding projects and<br />
exciting newcomers, all of whom have<br />
made a significant impact in the industry<br />
over the last year - and much more.<br />
Voting is now open, and you have until the<br />
1st November to select your favourites. All<br />
will once again be revealed at the<br />
The Hammers <strong>2023</strong> - The finalists<br />
INNOVATION OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
4PS - Construction Solutions Ltd - 4PS Graphical Resource Planning (GRP)<br />
Bentley Systems - Bridge and Dam Monitoring Solution, powered by iTwin<br />
Buildots - Buildots<br />
BuildMyTalent - The career platform for construction professionals<br />
Causeway Technologies - A credible, verifiable, efficient, and scalable way to<br />
measure and report on Scope 3<br />
emissions<br />
Elecosoft - Asta Powerproject V17<br />
Esri UK - Esri ArcGIS Reality<br />
Fulcro - FULmax VR Hub delivers Projects better, quicker and for less<br />
hsbcad - IFC Importer from hsbDesign for AutoCAD<br />
Inoapps Limited - Inoapps MyContractor Experience<br />
National Green Specification Ltd - Green Retrofit Calculator Design and<br />
Decision Tool<br />
Newforma - Newforma Konekt<br />
Vectorworks - Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator<br />
Zutec - Zutec: The platform to support Part L photographic evidence<br />
ONE TO WATCH COMPANY <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
AV Unibrak - The one to watch - AV Unibrak<br />
BuildMyTalent - The career platform for construction professionals<br />
hsbcad - The one to watch company - hsbcad<br />
IDEA STATICA UK - IDEA STATICA: Revolutionizing Structural Design of Steel<br />
Connections<br />
Inevitech - Powering a new way of working for AEC organisations with<br />
Inevidesk<br />
innDex - Building the Future: The innDex Story<br />
Inoapps Limited - Inoapps Construction Cloud<br />
Newforma - Newforma Konekt - Embracing interconnectedness and<br />
collaboration<br />
NextMinute - Construction Managment Software<br />
Paperless Construction - The Digital Shift: Redefining Safety Across 1000<br />
Paperless Projects<br />
DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Elecosoft with McGee - Asta Powerproject - McGee uses Asta Powerproject<br />
to make the 'impossible' Mayfair<br />
Hotel Megabuild a reality<br />
Glider Technology - gliderbim - 40 Leadenhall Street<br />
innDex - The innDex and Procore Integration - Cocoa Works<br />
Trimble - Tekla Structures Trimble Connect Viewpoint Field View - Connecting<br />
Britain's Biggest Nuclear Power<br />
Station<br />
Hammers Awards ceremony, which will be<br />
held in central London at the Leonardo City<br />
Hotel, Coopers Row on November 9th.<br />
The awards evening will once again offer<br />
the perfect opportunity to celebrate the<br />
industry's success stories and catch up<br />
with old friends and industry colleagues in<br />
an entertaining and convivial atmosphere.<br />
We hope to see you there!<br />
www.constructioncomputingawards.co.uk<br />
BIM PROJECT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
DBM Vircon - Digital Engineering Services - Queens Wharf, Brisbane<br />
Glider Technology - gliderbim - 40 Leadenhall Street<br />
Jonathan Reeves Architects - Vectorworks Architect - The Gym and Leisure<br />
Annex<br />
The BIM Engineers - Autodesk Revit, Navisworks, AutoCAD, Solibri, Addins<br />
for Revit - Dublin Airport Central<br />
Trimble with William Hare - Tekla Structures, Tekla Structural Designer, Tekla<br />
Model Sharing, Trimble Connect -<br />
Battersea Power Station<br />
COLLABORATION PROJECT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
ALICE Technologies and SCS - ALICE Technologies - AI-Powered<br />
Construction Optioneering Solutions<br />
Cadventure - EKFB with Cadventure and Laminar<br />
Chetwoods - New collaborative use of technology - A Circular Lifestyle<br />
DBM Vircon with AECOM - Digital Engineering Services - Hong Kong<br />
International Airport<br />
Elecosoft with VolkerFitzpatrick - Asta Powerproject - VolkerFitzpatrick<br />
improves productivity and adds value<br />
by planning programmes with Powerproject<br />
EDF - Esri ArcGIS - Improving collaboration at Hinkley Point C<br />
Glider Technology - gliderbim - 40 Leadenhall Street<br />
innDex and Procore - The innDex and Procore Integration - Cocoa Works<br />
RIB Software and RUND - RIB CostX Cloud Solution - CostX Collaboration at<br />
RUND<br />
Trimble Viewpoint, Balfour Beatty, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust<br />
- Viewpoint for Projects -<br />
Connecting Multiple Stakeholders on a High Profile Hospital Build<br />
CLOUD BASED TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
4PS Construction Solutions Ltd - 4PS Construct - 4PS Construct<br />
Access Construction - Access COINS ERP - The Access COINS<br />
Construction Cloud<br />
AssetTagz - The AssetTagz platform - Transforming the management,<br />
performance, safety, security and<br />
commercial value of active site assets in construction.<br />
hsbcad - hsbShare 3.0 - hsbcad's hsbShare for onsite assembly<br />
Newforma - Newforma Konekt - Embracing interconnectedness and<br />
collaboration.<br />
OpenSpace with Wates Group - OpenSpace Capture - Wellington Place<br />
Payapps - Payapps - Streamlining Construction Applications for Payment<br />
RIB Software - CostX Cloud - The CostX Cloud Solution<br />
Symetri & Norse Consulting - Cloud licensing, CQFlexMon, Autodesk's BIM<br />
Collaborate - The Cloud<br />
18<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
AWARDS<br />
Transformation Experience at Norse Consulting<br />
AR/VR PROJECT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Bentley Systems - iLab - ITER Nuclear Fusion Project<br />
Jonathan Reeves Architects & Ground Designs - Vectorworks & Twinmotion -<br />
Cresta Care Village<br />
Fulcro - VR CAVE - The Great Ormond Street Hospital Cancer Centre<br />
XYZ Reality with Mace - Atom - Advancing Data Centre Construction with<br />
Engineering Grade AR<br />
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Causeway Technologies - The Scope 3 Initiative - A credible, verifiable,<br />
efficient, and scalable way to measure<br />
and report on Scope 3 emissions<br />
Atkins - Esri ArcGIS - Meeting biodiversity net gain legislation<br />
Trimble - Membership of Responsible Steel<br />
Zutec - Part L Photographic Evidence - Zutec: The platform to support Part L<br />
photographic evidence<br />
TEAM OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Cadventure - Cadventure Collaboration Community<br />
innDex - The innDex App<br />
Symetri & Scottish Power Energy Network - Symetri & Scottish Power Energy<br />
Network<br />
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Access Construction - Access COINS ERP - Access COINS Construction<br />
Management Software<br />
4PS Construction Solutions Ltd - 4PS Construct - 4PS Construct<br />
Elecosoft with MiCim Ltd - Asta BIM, Asta Powerproject, Asta Vision - MiCiM<br />
Ltd reduces project planning and<br />
reporting time by 20% using Asta solutions<br />
Inoapps Limited - Inoapps Outturn Planning - Inoapps Outturn Planning<br />
NextMinute - NextMinute Construction Management Software - NextMinute<br />
Construction Management<br />
Software<br />
THE HUMAN FACTOR IN FOCUS AWARD <strong>2023</strong><br />
Judged by Panel<br />
Causeway Technologies - Donseed - A biometric solution for Tamdown<br />
Paperless Construction - Paperless Construction App - The Digital Shift:<br />
Redefining Safety Across 1000 Paperless Projects<br />
Symetri & Scottish Power Energy Network - Maximising the BIM Opportunity -<br />
Symetri's Unique Training<br />
Approach for Scottish Power Energy Networks<br />
BIM PRODUCT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Autodesk - AEC Collection<br />
Bentley Systems - OpenBuildings Designer<br />
Elecosoft - Asta 4D<br />
Graphisoft - Archicad<br />
Newforma - Newforma Konekt<br />
Rendra AS - StreamBIM<br />
Trimble - Stabicad<br />
Vectorworks - Vectorworks Architect<br />
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Bentley Systems - OpenBuildings Designer<br />
Elecosoft - Framing<br />
Graphisoft - Archicad<br />
hsbcad - hsbDesign for Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD<br />
Trimble - SketchUp<br />
Vectorworks - Vectorworks Architect<br />
COLLABORATION PRODUCT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Bentley Systems - ProjectWise<br />
Elecosoft - Asta Vision<br />
Graphisoft - BIMcloud SaaS<br />
Inoapps Limited - Inoapps Construction Cloud<br />
Payapps - Payapps<br />
RedSky - Project Connect<br />
Revizto - Revizto<br />
Trimble - Viewpoint for Projects<br />
DOCUMENT AND CONTENT PRODUCT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Bentley Systems - BCDE<br />
Elecosoft - IconSystem<br />
Newforma - Newforma Project Center<br />
PlanRadar - PlanRadar<br />
RedSky - Project Connect<br />
Trimble - Viewpoint for Projects<br />
ERP SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Access Construction - Access COINS ERP<br />
Eque2 Ltd - EVision ERP<br />
IFS UK&I - IFS Cloud<br />
Inoapps Limited - Inoapps Outturn Planning Cloud<br />
RedSky - RedSky ERP<br />
Xpedeon - Xpedeon<br />
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Bentley Systems - SYNCHRO Construction<br />
Elecosoft - Asta Powerproject<br />
Newforma - Newforma Project Center<br />
RIB Software - Candy<br />
Trimble - Viewpoint for Projects<br />
CONSTRUCTION A<strong>CC</strong>OUNTING PRODUCT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Access Construction - Access COINS ERP<br />
Eque2 Ltd - Construct<br />
Integrity Software - Evolution Mx<br />
RedSky - Summit<br />
RIB Software - RIB BuildSmart<br />
ESTIMATION AND VALUATION PRODUCT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Access Construction - Access ConQuest<br />
Eque2 Ltd - EValuate<br />
esti-mate - esti-mate<br />
RedSky - Summit<br />
RIB Software - CostX<br />
ASSET MANAGEMENT PRODUCT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Access Construction - Access COINS ERP<br />
Bentley Systems - AssetWise<br />
Causeway Technologies - Causeway Alloy<br />
Elecosoft - ShireSystem<br />
Glider Technolgy - gliderbim<br />
IFS UK&I - IFS Cloud<br />
Trimble - AgileAssets<br />
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING APPLICATION OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Autodesk - AEC Collection<br />
Bentley Systems - STAAD.Pro<br />
IDEA STATICA UK - IDEA STATICA<br />
SCIA - SCIA Engineer<br />
Trimble - Tekla Structural Designer<br />
GEOSPATIAL PRODUCT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
1Spatial - 1Integrate<br />
BlueSky - MetroVista<br />
Esri UK - Esri ArcGIS<br />
Hexagon - GeoMedia<br />
Trimble - Trimble Catalyst<br />
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
AssetTagz - The AssetTagz platform<br />
Graphisoft - BIMx<br />
Newforma - Newforma Konekt<br />
Revizto - Phone App<br />
Symetri - Oculo<br />
Trimble - Viewpoint Field View<br />
CHANNEL PARTNER OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Building Point UK & Ireland<br />
Cadventure Ltd<br />
Graitec<br />
Jonathan Reeves CAD<br />
Symetri<br />
CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Access Construction - Access COINS<br />
Bentley Systems - SYNCHRO Construction<br />
Buildots - Buildots<br />
IFS UK&I - IFS Cloud<br />
Inoapps Limited - Inoapps Outturn Planning Cloud<br />
Newforma - Newforma Konekt<br />
OpenSpace - OpenSpace Capture<br />
Payapps - Payapps<br />
Trimble - Trimble Connect<br />
Zutec - Part L Photographic Evidence<br />
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Access Construction - Access COINS ERP<br />
Bentley Systems - SYNCHRO<br />
Elecosoft - Asta Connect<br />
Esri UK - Esri ArcGIS<br />
Graphisoft - Archicad<br />
IFS UK&I - IFS Cloud<br />
Newforma - Newforma Project Center<br />
Revizto - Phone App<br />
Trimble - Trimble X9<br />
Vectorworks - Vectorworks Architect<br />
XYZ Reality - Atom<br />
Zutec - Part L Photographic Evidence<br />
COMPANY OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong><br />
Access Construction<br />
Bentley Systems<br />
Cadventure<br />
Elecosoft<br />
Eque2 Ltd<br />
Esri UK<br />
Graphisoft<br />
Newforma<br />
Payapps<br />
Revizto<br />
Symetri<br />
Trimble<br />
Vectorworks<br />
EDITOR'S CHOICE OF <strong>2023</strong><br />
Chosen by the Editor of Construction Computing Magazine<br />
ALICE Technologies<br />
Autodesk<br />
Bentley Systems<br />
Buildots<br />
DBM Vircon<br />
Elecosoft<br />
Payapps<br />
PlanRadar<br />
Revizto<br />
SimScale<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 19
CONFERENCEpreview<br />
The first nima Virtual Conference<br />
It's all about data and meeting today's urgent needs. This is what nima will be talking about at its very<br />
first Virtual Conference in November<br />
Since rebranding from the UK BIM<br />
Alliance in <strong>Oct</strong>ober 2022, nima's<br />
mission has been to help the<br />
construction industry embrace the<br />
management of data across the whole<br />
lifecycle of the built environment. It<br />
actively engages with key decisionmakers<br />
and practitioners across<br />
government and industry to drive best<br />
practice and data-driven decisions to<br />
bring about better outcomes.<br />
After more than a decade of BIM progress,<br />
government and industry discussion is no<br />
longer just about BIM - often seen as a<br />
purely technological change - but about<br />
wider information management challenges.<br />
These include building safety, climate<br />
change and using data to deliver better,<br />
more valuable outcomes across the life<br />
cycles of built and managed assets.<br />
In parallel, a side-effect of the COVID-19<br />
pandemic has been to encourage wider<br />
acceptance and use of online<br />
environments to maintain and improve<br />
communication, with corresponding<br />
benefits in terms of reduced travel and CO2<br />
emissions and more efficient and flexible<br />
working practices.<br />
GOING VIRTUAL<br />
Accordingly, as part of its relaunch, nima<br />
wanted to refresh how it engaged with<br />
people on information management issues.<br />
That's why it has launched its inaugural<br />
nima Virtual Conference <strong>2023</strong> for Thursday<br />
2 November.<br />
nima has so much to say and wanted to<br />
gather the AEC community in one place,<br />
with no constraints on how many can join,<br />
to share knowledge, best practice and<br />
future actions. It will take place in an<br />
environment where everyone can ask as<br />
many questions as they need to enable a<br />
better understanding of how to unlock the<br />
value of data.<br />
The conference will offer live keynote talks<br />
and panel discussions on topics shaping<br />
the industry, with nima promising exclusive<br />
content, with actionable take-aways. This is<br />
not just another conference, it is a unique<br />
opportunity to witness first-hand success<br />
stories from those winning with data. And<br />
content from the day will remain shareable<br />
for 12 months beyond the conference,<br />
providing an invaluable resource to industry.<br />
nima chair, Anne Kemp said "The nima<br />
Virtual Conference will bring together<br />
inspirational strategists and real-world<br />
practitioners, to help turn theory into<br />
practice. The value lies in how data is<br />
used rather than simply how much data<br />
is available."<br />
The nima Virtual Conference will be held in<br />
an immersive environment, where the<br />
audience, speakers and exhibitors interact<br />
through a virtual platform. There will be four<br />
keynote speakers and four practical<br />
learning sessions, all focused on unlocking<br />
the value of data and how to use data to<br />
20<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
CONFERENCEpreview<br />
meet today's urgent information<br />
management needs.<br />
FOUR CONTENT STREAMS<br />
The four content streams will cover<br />
building safety and the 'Golden Thread',<br />
residential and social housing, diversity of<br />
thought, and technology, innovation and<br />
artificial intelligence (AI) - and not<br />
excluding ChatGPT!<br />
The keynote speaker for the building<br />
safety stream will be Dame Judith Hackitt,<br />
author of the Building a Safer Future<br />
Report which was produced as a result of<br />
the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Dame Judith<br />
will look at the Building Safety Act,<br />
compliance challenges for building owners<br />
and how best to approach delivery on the<br />
requirements of the Act - all in accordance<br />
with the appropriate use of technology.<br />
Leading the diversity of thought stream<br />
will be Dr Mark McBride Wright MBE,<br />
founder and managing director of<br />
EqualEngineers. When people with<br />
different backgrounds and experiences<br />
work together, they bring unique<br />
perspectives and allow a wider, more<br />
expansive thought process. Diversity of<br />
thought ensures better thinking, better<br />
choices and better outcomes. Mark will<br />
explore what this thinking really looks<br />
like and how to apply it to the<br />
construction industry.<br />
For the social housing stream, Charlotte<br />
Bates of Expert Citizens CIC, will talk about<br />
why we need to provide and manage<br />
"good" social housing, the pitfalls and<br />
challenges linked to mismanagement and<br />
how efficient use of data could help to<br />
overcome such challenges. Plus this<br />
stream will focus on how to identify the<br />
needs of the residents through people and<br />
data management.<br />
The final stream will concentrate on the<br />
critical element of technology, how<br />
technology is driving construction and<br />
what is the digital dream. The digital dream<br />
keynote will be delivered by Dr Jennifer<br />
Schooling OBE, director of the Cambridge<br />
Centre for Smart Infrastructure and<br />
Construction (CSIC), at the University of<br />
Cambridge and former chair of the<br />
Research Strategy Advisory Group and<br />
director of the Centre for Smart<br />
Infrastructure and Construction at the<br />
Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB).<br />
Following each keynote talk, there will be<br />
a panel discussion continuing the<br />
conversation and looking at how each of<br />
the four critical areas are supported by<br />
data and information management. In the<br />
virtual environment, there will also be six<br />
networking rooms, each with their own<br />
topic area for insight, predictions and realworld<br />
projects that will demonstration the<br />
digital progression of the built environment.<br />
LOOKING FORWARD<br />
While planning its Virtual Conference, nima<br />
has been reviewing how it can both<br />
maintain and expand ongoing<br />
development of best practices in datadriven<br />
information management.<br />
Engagement with individuals, communities<br />
and with industry-leading organisations is<br />
critical here.<br />
The conference will reflect the ongoing<br />
involvement in nima of hundreds of<br />
individual volunteers, some of them also<br />
active in buildingSMART UK & Ireland<br />
(nima is the UK and Ireland chapter of<br />
buildingSMART International) and in the<br />
continued upkeep of the free guidance<br />
and resources in the UK BIM Framework.<br />
This forward-thinking event will also give a<br />
platform for exhibitors and sponsors -<br />
many of whom are existing nima patrons,<br />
including over 20 technology providers - to<br />
showcase their progress in the digital built<br />
environment in support of better<br />
information management, particularly in<br />
areas such as building safety and<br />
sustainability.<br />
ABOUT NIMA<br />
nima is, however, also looking to expand.<br />
It particularly wants to attract new patrons<br />
and for other businesses - clients,<br />
contractors, consultants, manufacturers,<br />
facilities managers and other supply chain<br />
members - to join with nima in advancing<br />
the industry's digital capabilities and<br />
whole-life information best practices.<br />
It also aims to extend the reach of its<br />
network of communities, which spans<br />
groups in areas such as rail, healthcare<br />
and education estates, housing<br />
associations, building safety, academia<br />
and facilities management, to name a few.<br />
And it also has a growing affiliates network,<br />
already bringing together over 20<br />
professional and trade associations, to<br />
help coordinate consistent messaging and<br />
approaches to information management<br />
across industry.<br />
In short, nima's first Virtual Conference will<br />
mark its first year in its new guise and will<br />
celebrate the expansion beyond BIM to<br />
include information management concepts<br />
such as AI, robotics, Internet of Things,<br />
smart buildings and digital twins, and it will<br />
help to deliver its mission: "to inspire,<br />
influence, connect and support everyone<br />
active in the built environment and enable<br />
them to better manage information vital to<br />
the needs of our times."<br />
ATTENDING THE FREE NIMA VIRTUAL<br />
CONFERENCE<br />
Registration is free for the nima Virtual<br />
Conference and you can find out more here:<br />
https://wearenima.im/events-calendar/nimavirtual-conference-<strong>2023</strong>/<br />
nima - formerly the UK BIM Alliance - is leading efforts to embed digital ways<br />
of working into how we deliver tomorrow's buildings and infrastructure.<br />
<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> will mark the first anniversary of the rebranding of the UK BIM<br />
Alliance to 'nima' - a volunteer-led organisation, originally founded in 2016.<br />
The name nima is also the Greek word for 'thread' and is not an abbreviation.<br />
It was selected to help give the body an identity, sense of purpose and a set<br />
of behaviours that are better aligned with current and anticipated future UK<br />
thinking about what we used to call 'digital construction'.<br />
The new name reflects an ongoing evolution. nima supports the purposeful<br />
use of information across the whole built environment, from the inception<br />
stages of projects, through design and construction, and then - most<br />
importantly - to support for efficient operation, maintenance and use of<br />
assets through to their end of life.<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 21
CASE study<br />
Delivering power in style<br />
The Hydro Ness, an<br />
architecturally striking<br />
hydroelectric generation<br />
project, has been delivered<br />
using constructible BIM<br />
software from Tekla<br />
Featuring a striking canopy<br />
structure, the River Ness<br />
Hydroelectric generation project<br />
is both a geometrically complex build<br />
and also a key part of the local<br />
infrastructure. With a project as<br />
intricate as this requiring a high level of<br />
attention to detail, Trimble's<br />
constructible BIM software was a key<br />
part of bringing the artistic vision to life.<br />
Located on the banks of the River<br />
Ness in Scotland, the Hydro Ness - as<br />
its name suggests - is a hydroelectric<br />
generation project, designed to<br />
generate a clean source of energy for<br />
the Highland Council. The structure<br />
itself houses a 93 kW hydroelectric<br />
power twin turbine, which will generate<br />
an estimated 550,000 kWh every year.<br />
To suit the location, an architecturally<br />
striking steel canopy structure was<br />
designed to house the generators,<br />
with the initial design concept created<br />
by local artist Claire Maclean, before<br />
being developed further by Inverness<br />
architect, Les Hutt. Working on behalf<br />
of project developer and main<br />
contractor, Hydro NI - Bradley &<br />
Company JV, the canopy geometry<br />
definition, structural design, detailing,<br />
and fabrication model development<br />
was completed by Hasson<br />
Engineering Solutions.<br />
The roof canopy design was inspired<br />
by the shape of a diving salmon, a fish<br />
commonly found in the River Ness. As<br />
such, some form of texture was<br />
needed to create the illusion of<br />
'scales'. It was decided to achieve this<br />
through the use of thousands of<br />
circular perforations and polished<br />
swirls in the 386 faceted stainless steel<br />
cladding panels that made up the<br />
canopy structure.<br />
Speaking about the project, Michael<br />
Hasson, Director at Hasson<br />
Engineering Solutions, said: "The<br />
Hydro Ness project had a high<br />
architectural value, requiring an<br />
integrated approach to the structural<br />
22<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
CASEstudy<br />
and architectural design. Geometrically<br />
complex, the roof canopy structure<br />
curved on different axes. For us, it was<br />
all about finding the balance between<br />
being respectful of Claire's original<br />
design concept and delivering a highimpact<br />
look, worthy of its location<br />
beside the banks of the beautiful River<br />
Ness; all while being capable of safe<br />
and efficient fabrication and erection -<br />
quite the challenge!"<br />
When it came to detailing each of the<br />
unique faceted cladding panels and<br />
the thousands of perforations that were<br />
required to achieve the design brief, it<br />
became clear that this would have<br />
been an extremely time-consuming<br />
process, if done manually.<br />
Michael explained further: "As a<br />
result, we decided that it would be a<br />
more efficient use of our time and<br />
resources to create custom<br />
components within the Tekla Structures<br />
software, specifically written to<br />
automate the definition and execution<br />
of countless perforations in the<br />
cladding panels. This was a process of<br />
using a defined algorithm to consider,<br />
analyse and interrogate each facet and<br />
proportions with a rule set; allowing for<br />
parametric definition of the<br />
perforations and full control of their<br />
size, number, and distribution within<br />
every panel.<br />
"This unsurprisingly saved us a huge<br />
amount of time. The Tekla Structures<br />
software really is limitless in terms of<br />
its geometric capabilities - while it's<br />
great for routine detailing jobs, the<br />
software is very powerful indeed when<br />
you need to go up a few gears."<br />
BIM software was also fundamental to<br />
the success of the detailing and<br />
fabrication of the steel frame and<br />
stainless steel cladding panels, with<br />
four major openings and the roof<br />
canopy's curved form all having to be<br />
rationalised in Tekla Structures. The<br />
complex geometry was achieved by<br />
modelling the curved 'ribs' on a curved<br />
grid pattern, with each unique prismshaped<br />
cladding panel then fixing to<br />
the primary roof structure. The ability to<br />
define blended circular and elliptical<br />
forms was absolutely essential, thanks<br />
to the geometric capabilities of the 3D<br />
modelling software.<br />
Given the complexity of the Hydro<br />
Ness project, it was important that<br />
there was a high level of<br />
communication maintained between all<br />
parties involved at all times.<br />
Michael explained: "Trimble Connect is<br />
a software tool that's going from<br />
strength-to-strength and is ideal for<br />
facilitating effective coordination and<br />
collaboration. No matter where<br />
everyone was, it was as if we were all in<br />
the same room together. More<br />
specifically, as an engineer and detailer,<br />
the transparency enabled by the<br />
software is especially powerful. It made<br />
it possible for me to easily and visually<br />
present all my reasoning and the<br />
decision-making process behind each<br />
choice, as well as showing a great level<br />
of detail - right down to the individual<br />
fixings and fabrication details.<br />
"At the end of the day, someone has<br />
to fabricate the structure that we've<br />
designed and engineered, and so<br />
communicating and providing a clear<br />
design intent is critical. As engineers,<br />
we have to take and deliver true<br />
responsibility in giving fabricators a<br />
finished product. Tekla Structures<br />
enables you to create and deliver a<br />
fabrication-ready model; a model that<br />
the fabricator can then work off of with<br />
minimal further input or tweaking."<br />
Michael concluded: "When it comes<br />
to architecturally and geometrically<br />
complex projects, such as the Hydro<br />
Ness, BIM is essential. You are able to<br />
clearly express your design intent in a<br />
visual and highly detailed manner, as<br />
well as demonstrate the buildability of<br />
the structure. Not having to wrestle<br />
with 2D drawings to achieve such a<br />
complex 3D form, and making use of<br />
parametric capabilities and custom<br />
components, frees up more of your<br />
time and thinking for other things;<br />
being able to focus more on how to<br />
make the structure as easy as possible<br />
to fabricate and as safe as possible to<br />
erect on site."<br />
The Hydro Ness is now completed<br />
and is generating clean energy for the<br />
Highland Council, as well as providing<br />
a striking architectural landmark for<br />
the region. The project has won<br />
numerous awards, including Small<br />
Project in the UK Tekla Awards, Small<br />
Project of the Year in the British<br />
Construction Industry Awards (BCIA<br />
2022), Scottish Highlands & Islands<br />
Renewable Energy Award for Best<br />
Onshore Renewable Energy Project<br />
2022 and was also commended with a<br />
Merit at the Structural Steel Design<br />
Awards 2022<br />
www.tekla.com/uk<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 23
CASEstudy<br />
Recognised on site<br />
Sarah Darville-Downs, Finance Director at Tamdown, discusses how Tamdown reduced admin by<br />
adopting biometric technology<br />
An innovative facial recognition<br />
tool has helped infrastructure and<br />
groundworks provider Tamdown<br />
to significantly reduce administration<br />
time on its sites. The business has been<br />
using Causeway Donseed - a cloudbased<br />
biometric labour management<br />
solution from Causeway Technologies -<br />
since spring 2021. It was one of the first<br />
customers to benefit from the facial<br />
recognition functionality within the<br />
platform and now holds over 800<br />
active records across direct<br />
labour, agency labour and<br />
subcontractors.<br />
KEEPING TRACK<br />
Tamdown works on<br />
around 40 sites in the<br />
UK at any one time,<br />
and as a result of<br />
using a mix of staff<br />
and subcontractors,<br />
they were finding it<br />
challenging to keep<br />
track.<br />
"We use lots of<br />
agency staff, and<br />
we had some<br />
concerns that we<br />
might miss<br />
something," Sarah<br />
said. "For example,<br />
what if someone had<br />
been red carded on<br />
one site and then<br />
turned up to start<br />
working on<br />
another?"<br />
Sarah and her<br />
team wanted to<br />
update their<br />
processes. She<br />
said: "We<br />
decided we needed to find a more<br />
accurate way of recording workers and<br />
their hours. "We were relying on a mix<br />
of paper-based reports and timesheets,<br />
spreadsheets, and manual checks,<br />
which wasn't robust enough. We<br />
realised that something needed to<br />
change so that we could better<br />
manage our site teams."<br />
FINDING THE RIGHT SOLUTION<br />
Tamdown started by auditing the<br />
available labour management tools on<br />
the market and asking their supply<br />
chain for advice. One of their main<br />
criteria was to find a supplier that<br />
would work closely with them. Sarah<br />
said: "It was important to choose a<br />
provider with a good track record of<br />
helping companies introduce new<br />
software. We shortlisted Causeway<br />
Technologies because we already used<br />
their estimating tool and our experience<br />
had been positive When you are buying<br />
new technology, you don't want your<br />
company to be a guinea pig. You want<br />
to know that it has been used<br />
elsewhere successfully - you need a<br />
stable product that is supported by a<br />
good aftersales process."<br />
Causeway's Donseed software<br />
solution helps contractors gather data<br />
about who has visited a site, how long<br />
they have worked for, and what their<br />
credentials are. It can be used via a<br />
shared tablet or via an app installed on<br />
personal devices. As a biometric<br />
solution, it offers more security than<br />
other methods because it is linked to a<br />
user's unique profile.<br />
Causeway helped to develop the<br />
business case with Sarah and offered<br />
Tamdown a one-month trial - something<br />
that she said made a big difference.<br />
24<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
CASEstudy<br />
She added: "The trial was an<br />
opportunity to stress test both the app<br />
and the hardware. Allowing people to<br />
feel the kit and see it in use was an<br />
important part of convincing the site<br />
managers and senior team to embrace<br />
the change."<br />
AN AUTOMATED EXPERIENCE<br />
One of the main benefits of the<br />
software has been the automatic alerts<br />
and dashboard reporting. "Because<br />
information is in real-time, we have a<br />
much better view of what is happening<br />
on site and can remain agile,"<br />
explained Sarah.<br />
"For example, we can now identify<br />
quickly whether we're overspending on<br />
site, and if a site slows down we can<br />
easily assess what labour we've got<br />
and how we can move things around<br />
to speed things back up again.<br />
"We can access the right information<br />
in a timely manner and inform the<br />
construction and commercial teams<br />
what their labour costs are for each<br />
day. This enables them to really drill<br />
down into the detail and review their<br />
workforce costs and numbers. We also<br />
get new starter alerts the moment they<br />
are added to the system. It means that<br />
payroll can set them up straight away<br />
without having to wait for paperwork -<br />
speeding things up significantly.<br />
"We have removed a large manual<br />
element of our processes, freeing up<br />
time and reducing the potential for<br />
data input errors. It has significantly<br />
sped up the payroll process and<br />
alleviated pressure on those<br />
responsible for it, saving a day's worth<br />
of time having to input the information<br />
manually. There are inevitably always<br />
some tweaks that have to be made<br />
manually, say if someone forgets to sign<br />
out, for example, but the information is<br />
gathered and updated automatically.<br />
"That gives our team at head office<br />
capacity for more strategic tasks. And<br />
on site, our managers can spend more<br />
time managing projects, building<br />
relationships with their teams, and<br />
ensuring that quality standards are met."<br />
An additional benefit of Causeway<br />
Donseed is that it can also be used to<br />
manage training and accreditation. As<br />
Sarah explained: "Our training records<br />
had information stored across multiple<br />
spreadsheets. We had to manually<br />
check our records to see which<br />
courses and accreditations were<br />
expiring, but this is now automated,<br />
making it easier to book courses as<br />
and when required.<br />
"You can upload the relevant<br />
documents and certificates to people's<br />
profiles too, keeping everything in one<br />
place. This helps with workforce<br />
planning and is one less thing for site<br />
managers to worry about, as the<br />
software does it for them."<br />
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR<br />
OTHER FIRMS<br />
When asked what recommendations<br />
she would give to other companies like<br />
Tamdown when trying to digitise their<br />
processes, Sarah said she would<br />
encourage them to take advantage of<br />
all the expertise available to them from<br />
their chosen provider.<br />
"The training and ongoing support<br />
we've had from Causeway have been<br />
invaluable to us as we've adapted to a<br />
new way of working," she said. "Being<br />
such an early adopter of this<br />
technology meant there were inevitably<br />
some minor hiccups we had to iron out<br />
in the initial stages, but the Causeway<br />
team was always on hand to help us<br />
navigate these."<br />
ACHIEVING COMPANY BUY-IN<br />
In terms of securing buy-in from all<br />
levels of the organisation, Sarah said it<br />
hasn't always been a smooth journey,<br />
particularly in terms of cultures and<br />
dealing with lots of different site<br />
managers with different opinions.<br />
But now, her colleagues can see that<br />
her and her team want to work<br />
alongside them, not against them. She<br />
said: "We've had some great feedback,<br />
particularly from people that joined<br />
Tamdown from a more traditional<br />
construction company. They have<br />
given praise in terms of how we're<br />
pushing to move towards that real-time<br />
reporting and that reduction in<br />
administration - allowing our site<br />
managers to do what they do best and<br />
not be in an office dealing with<br />
paperwork all the time.<br />
"It can be hard to implement new<br />
systems, as people can<br />
understandably have doubts; change<br />
can be scary, but I think the key thing<br />
is to be confident in pushing through<br />
that cultural barrier."<br />
www.causeway.com<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 25
EXHIBITION preview<br />
Smart Buildings Show <strong>2023</strong><br />
The UK's leading smart buildings event will showcase smarter buildings for a sustainable future<br />
Taking place at ExCeL London on<br />
18th - 19th <strong>Oct</strong>ober, the Smart<br />
Buildings Show <strong>2023</strong> will connect<br />
visitors to the latest information and<br />
technology in the smart buildings industry.<br />
WHY VISIT?<br />
As the UK races to meet its net zero<br />
targets numerous industries are under<br />
the spotlight to ensure they are doing<br />
what is required to create a greener<br />
future for our planet. It is no secret that<br />
the building and construction sector<br />
accounts for a high proportion of<br />
carbon dioxide emissions, meaning<br />
plans for any new building project are<br />
scrutinised heavily to assess its<br />
environmental impact and its<br />
sustainability. It is here that smart<br />
technology and smart buildings have a<br />
crucial role to play.<br />
This is the ideal event for you to get<br />
the information that you need to make<br />
your buildings more economic and<br />
functional. Taking part will be<br />
companies and forward thinkers<br />
demonstrating the latest technologies<br />
and you will be able to share their<br />
experience, and that of other<br />
organisations. You will get to see what's<br />
new in the industry and bring yourself<br />
up to date with the latest innovations<br />
and ideas. You will also get the<br />
opportunity to learn from case studies<br />
from companies with similar situations<br />
and concerns to yours.<br />
You should also be able to catch up<br />
with your current suppliers and to meet<br />
new ones, or to find new partners and<br />
business opportunities, and to network<br />
with your peers from other<br />
organisations. And it's also a way of<br />
saving money by visiting the exhibition<br />
of leading vendors and having the<br />
opportunity to evaluate their solutions.<br />
SUSTAINABILITY<br />
Of all the key issues facing the industry,<br />
Sustainability always appears at the top<br />
of the agenda. Many companies are<br />
simply paying lip service to the<br />
concept, however, perhaps because of<br />
the perceived cost, the difficulties<br />
associated with its implementation, or a<br />
misconception of its definition and role.<br />
So, what exactly is sustainability?<br />
The accepted definition is that<br />
sustainability consists of fulfilling the<br />
needs of current generations without<br />
compromising those of future ones,<br />
while ensuring a balance between<br />
economic growth, environmental care<br />
and social wellbeing. Put more simply,<br />
we need to safeguard the environment<br />
for the future without unduly<br />
jeopardising current needs.<br />
Adopting more sustainable practices<br />
within the industry is becoming more<br />
urgent, but at a recent Smart Buildings<br />
Magazine panel debate it was clear<br />
that whilst sustainability is a goal from<br />
whichever perspective you are looking<br />
at it, the means of getting there are not<br />
clear at all.<br />
The organisers of the Smart Buildings<br />
Show <strong>2023</strong> believe that buildings can<br />
deliver services that make occupants<br />
productive at the lowest cost and<br />
environmental impact over a building's<br />
lifecycle. To do this requires adding<br />
intelligence from the design phase<br />
through to the end of the building's<br />
useful life. Smart buildings use<br />
information technology during their<br />
operation to connect subsystems,<br />
which typically operate independently,<br />
so that these systems can share<br />
information to optimise total building<br />
performance.<br />
Being able to proactively monitor and<br />
regulate the performance of a building<br />
and its facilities during seasonal<br />
weather conditions, fluctuating<br />
occupancy and other factors enables<br />
owners to save on energy costs and<br />
reduce CO2 emissions whist improving<br />
26<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
EXHIBITION preview<br />
the comfort and experience of its<br />
occupants.<br />
Event Director Ian Garmeson said:<br />
"The biggest names leading the way in<br />
smart technology will be joining us at<br />
this year's Smart Buildings Show and it<br />
promises to be another exciting and<br />
highly informative event. Whether it's<br />
knowledge of a new piece of<br />
technology or some useful advice from<br />
industry experts, you'll find it at Smart<br />
Buildings Show <strong>2023</strong>."<br />
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME<br />
Give yourself plenty of time to attend<br />
the event as it will be hosting a busy<br />
conference programme, providing a<br />
vast range of thought-provoking<br />
thought-leadership sessions, industry<br />
updates and panel discussions, across<br />
four theatres, covering Management, a<br />
Controls & Networks Theatre, an<br />
Energy Management Theatre, and a<br />
Residential Developers Theatre.<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
This theatre will look at how a smart<br />
building is managed, and will include<br />
facilities management, software,<br />
security, sector analysis and market<br />
information, integration of data and its<br />
analysis and other services.<br />
CONTROLS & NETWORKS<br />
THEATRE<br />
A treat for technology enthusiasts, as<br />
this theatre will look at the wide range<br />
of physical devices being deployed in<br />
smart buildings including building<br />
controls, energy efficiency monitors,<br />
BEMS, sensors, wireless devices,<br />
networking and last, but not least,<br />
lighting - although we've come a long<br />
way from 'will the last one to leave<br />
please switch off the light'!<br />
ENERGY MANAGEMENT THEATRE<br />
The Energy Management Theatre looks<br />
at the importance of the data collected<br />
by smart devices and shows how it can<br />
be used to reduce costs, emissions or<br />
as a planning tool to map out a<br />
sustainable future, working towards a<br />
net zero world.<br />
RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPERS<br />
THEATRE<br />
From installers of multi-technology<br />
solutions on large new build projects to<br />
local installers of dedicated smart<br />
devices, the Residential Developers<br />
Theatre is the one to attend, as it will<br />
bring together integrators, resellers and<br />
manufacturers. They will be able to<br />
answer all the key questions and show<br />
the benefits of being a player in this<br />
fast-growing sector.<br />
EXPERT SPEAKERS<br />
Among the representatives from<br />
leading manufacturers and<br />
organisations involved in developing<br />
smart buildings who will be hosting<br />
sessions covering all aspects of smart<br />
building technologies are: Mitie, the<br />
UK's leading Facilitiies Management<br />
Company; Tridium Inc, a leading<br />
developer of Open Automation<br />
Systems; Lutron and Helvar for lighting<br />
and intelligent lighting controls;<br />
Schneider Electric and Siemens for<br />
Electronic Components and Intelligent<br />
Device manufacturing, and Beckhoff,<br />
experts in Automation Technology.<br />
Accompanying them will be KNX,<br />
developers of the open standard EN<br />
50090, ISO/IEC 14543 for commercial<br />
and residential building automation and<br />
CEDIA, the Global Association for<br />
Smart Home Technology.<br />
The Smart Building Show <strong>2023</strong> show<br />
is FREE to attend and registration is<br />
now open at the event website, below.<br />
https://smartbuildingsshow.com<br />
MORE INFO<br />
Smart Buildings Show will cover all<br />
key aspects of creating and<br />
managing an intelligent building,<br />
including;<br />
Building automation systems<br />
Health & safety<br />
Energy efficiency<br />
Lighting and controls<br />
Security<br />
HVAC<br />
Smart meters and monitoring<br />
Networks and wireless<br />
Software<br />
Services and support<br />
Building automation and design<br />
BEMs<br />
Regulations and consultancy<br />
Workplace and wellbeing<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 27
INDUSTRYfocus<br />
Water management<br />
Sandra DiMatteo, marketing director for water infrastructure at<br />
Bentley Systems, outlines five ways that water utilities can mitigate<br />
the consequences of climate change on a city's water infrastructure<br />
After decades of warning signs that<br />
climate change is happening, most<br />
people are now admitting it's real,<br />
and it is not pretty. Droughts are getting<br />
dryer, and floods wetter and more<br />
frequent. Water resources organisations<br />
are struggling to manage ongoing crises<br />
and prepare for future events. While you<br />
cannot do much to significantly alter<br />
climate change, you can help your city to<br />
prepare to deal with the consequences<br />
and be more resilient.<br />
Infrastructure remains one of the least<br />
technologically advanced sectors in the<br />
entire economy but has the potential to<br />
help achieve sustainability and resilience<br />
goals against climate change, as well as<br />
improve the efficiency, safety, and quality<br />
of water infrastructure projects. Using new<br />
technologies, leading utilities are<br />
advancing the infrastructure on which<br />
society depends. Here are five things that<br />
water utilities can do now to mitigate the<br />
consequences of climate change on your<br />
city's water infrastructure:<br />
1. Develop a contingency plan for<br />
droughts. Seasonal droughts are<br />
worsening each year. Amid demands to<br />
optimise water resources, you strive to<br />
maintain quality service and clean water<br />
supply to your community. A strategic<br />
hydraulic modelling project is required to<br />
understand how the supply system works<br />
and how to proactively address<br />
distribution network issues.<br />
Develop a water contingency plan to<br />
reduce water production on the fragile<br />
resource during dry periods. With<br />
advanced simulations you can create a<br />
digital twin of your water distribution and<br />
supply system - a digital representation<br />
that accurately reflects the physical<br />
network in operation.<br />
Bentley's open modelling application can<br />
provide a crucial feedback loop between<br />
operations and engineering teams,<br />
allowing both teams to decide on optimal<br />
solutions, providing a quick response with<br />
minimal impact to customers and<br />
ensuring a sustainable water supply.<br />
Joinville, Brazil is a city that experiences<br />
seasonal droughts, but recently years has<br />
experienced some of the worst droughts<br />
in 30 years. Access to water is critical for<br />
the community. A hydraulic model and a<br />
digital twin helped Companhia Águas de<br />
Joinville evaluate how well, or not, the<br />
system was working.<br />
2. Reduce nonrevenue water losses<br />
Water scarcity could affect more than half<br />
of the world's population by 2025. With a<br />
few simple steps, organisations gain<br />
better visibility of water distribution network<br />
assets, reduce waste, and save millions of<br />
gallons of water annually.<br />
Leveraging a digital twin of the network<br />
helps you find and fix leaks faster and<br />
extend the operating life of infrastructure. It<br />
also saves maintenance resources using<br />
remote monitoring capabilities with fewer<br />
site visits and reduced fuel and labour<br />
costs. Water digital twins bring together<br />
SCADA, GIS, hydraulic modelling, and<br />
28<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
INDUSTRYfocus<br />
customer information into a connected<br />
data environment to deliver cost-effective<br />
operations and maintenance strategies in<br />
real time, allowing engineering and<br />
operations to collaborate more effectively.<br />
With a cloud-based digital twin, real-time<br />
simulations of network events - pipe<br />
breaks, pump shutdowns, valve<br />
operations, water flows, etc. - clarify their<br />
impact on service levels. Supplemented<br />
by the system's sensor data, boundary<br />
conditions, billing, and hydraulic modelling<br />
information, a digital twin continuously<br />
monitors all infrastructure assets. In<br />
addition, utilities can gain visibility into<br />
present, historic, and forecasted analyses<br />
of assets to uncover leaks in the network<br />
before they turn into a problem.<br />
In Washington DC a digital twin helped to<br />
reduce operational and capital<br />
expenditures and reduce nonrevenue<br />
water loss. With the sheer size of DC<br />
Water's network, the dynamic nature of<br />
operational unknowns or physical<br />
unknowns can have a cascading effect on<br />
the delivery of reliable drinking water in a<br />
safe and resilient fashion.<br />
3. Conduct flood risk assessments to<br />
mitigate effects from climate events on<br />
urban drainage systems.<br />
When flooding poses risks to residents,<br />
property and infrastructure, hydraulic<br />
simulations can increase the resilience of<br />
urban drainage systems. Powerful tools<br />
for flood modelling and hydraulic analysis<br />
of overflowing stormwater systems help<br />
you prepare for new challenges in water<br />
retention. Comprehensive visualisations<br />
facilitate more informed decisions,<br />
assuring service levels and improving a<br />
stormwater collection network.<br />
Automated condition assessments use<br />
machine learning to improve and tag<br />
defect detection and accelerate<br />
inspection work. Integration with digital<br />
twins makes this a systematic process<br />
that provides a federated source of<br />
actionable insights, including sewer<br />
condition assessment results. It puts<br />
valuable analytics at the fingertips of<br />
operations and maintenance to help them<br />
proactively mitigate the impact on flows<br />
based on forecasted weather patterns.<br />
In problem areas where flows are not<br />
effectively contained, digital tools help<br />
engineers determine the extent of<br />
overflows and root causes of the<br />
problem. Paired with design algorithms<br />
that engineers have trusted for decades<br />
digital twins can help prioritise and fix<br />
systems faced by increasing extreme<br />
weather events.<br />
In 2020, significant flooding along the<br />
Yangtze River killed 141 people and<br />
displaced 38 million more. For the city of<br />
Jiujiang, the disaster was the latest in a<br />
string of overflow and waterlogging<br />
incidents caused by accelerated<br />
urbanisation. To prepare for future flooding<br />
events and minimise disruption to city life,<br />
China Three Gorges Corporation directed<br />
Shanghai Investigation, Design &<br />
Research Institute (SIDRI) to create a<br />
hydraulic analysis system to simulate a<br />
variety of water conditions in the city.<br />
This would need to display detailed data,<br />
plan flood control tasks, and pinpoint<br />
emergency events, with frequently<br />
updated hydraulic data, shortening the<br />
time to dispatch emergency services.<br />
Predicting potential waterlogging helps<br />
officials to identify and address critical<br />
drainage problems in advance, which<br />
overlain with real-time data allows the city<br />
to respond rapidly to flooding.<br />
4. Prepare for rapid response with dam<br />
safety monitoring.<br />
Dam failures can be catastrophic (as we<br />
have witnessed in Libya). Dam owners<br />
and inspectors must implement tools that<br />
reduce such risks to people and the<br />
environment. Unplanned rainfall wreaks<br />
havoc with water resources, leaving<br />
residents vulnerable to water supply<br />
disruption or worse.<br />
Dam safety programs supported by<br />
state-of-the-art monitoring systems are<br />
imperative to reduce risk imposed by<br />
storms. A self-sustaining dam safety<br />
monitoring system uses a network of<br />
sensors to monitor conditions including<br />
rainfall, pore pressure, deformation,<br />
reservoir lake level, supported by other<br />
metrics, such as groundwater, flow,<br />
seepage, and slope stability during and<br />
after construction, or even rainfall and<br />
weather monitoring, to provide automated<br />
site-specific insight into the performance of<br />
the dam and the water distribution system.<br />
In the case of Hurricane Ida, such data in<br />
the affected area was used to establish<br />
alerts on rapidly deteriorating conditions<br />
that nearly reached overtopping that<br />
triggered notifications autonomously sent<br />
to key engineers and authorities. A dam<br />
safety engineer on duty at the time alerted<br />
affected counties to conduct evacuations<br />
when multiple dam sites lost power.<br />
5. Reduce carbon footprint and aim for<br />
net zero.<br />
One way to become carbon neutral by<br />
2030 is to reduce energy consumption<br />
and carbon emissions. Energy use at a<br />
water or wastewater utility can be as much<br />
as 50% of the organisation's total<br />
electricity consumption, and second only<br />
to labour costs.<br />
Water utilities, surprisingly, are major<br />
users of electricity. It's a controllable<br />
operational expenditure. and a perfect<br />
target for minimising your environmental<br />
impact. Digitising the water supply<br />
network and implementing smart, energyefficient<br />
pumping operations can help to<br />
achieve sustainability without impacting<br />
service quality for customers. Hydraulic<br />
models can be used to promote better<br />
efficiencies in pumping systems, lower<br />
fuel needs and reduce electricity usage.<br />
You can automate on/off pump switches<br />
using a digital model, calibrated and<br />
simulated to accurately represent the<br />
water supply operations in real time.<br />
Evides supplies the Netherlands' city of<br />
Rotterdam with clean and safe drinking<br />
water. They coupled the hydraulic model<br />
with an optimisation algorithm which,<br />
using dynamic control scripting to test<br />
and evaluate energy costs, activates the<br />
on/off switch points of the pumping<br />
stations for 110 million cubic meters of<br />
pumped water. This saved 33% in energy<br />
costs and reduced their carbon dioxide<br />
footprint by 942 tons.<br />
ADVANCING UTILITIES<br />
Leading utilities are advancing their<br />
digitisation to achieve sustainability and<br />
resilience goals against climate change<br />
and improve the efficiency, safety, and<br />
quality of water supplies. Through new<br />
methods and new technologies, you can<br />
mitigate the consequences of climate<br />
change on your city's water infrastructure.<br />
www.bentley.com<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 29
INDUSTRY focus<br />
Constructability<br />
DBM Vircon uses its design engineering experts and the latest technology to transform standard<br />
structural designer's production models into fully connected LOD 400 models. David Chadwick reports<br />
The most common refrain in the<br />
construction industry, whether you<br />
are involved in a major<br />
infrastructure project or a small-scale<br />
housing development, is to get your<br />
planning done early and to involve all<br />
stakeholders in the process. A simple<br />
statement of the obvious, but the ability<br />
to explore all aspects of a project and<br />
identify potential issues early on and then<br />
take steps to mitigate or eliminate their<br />
effect pays massive dividends in the long<br />
run, and improves the ability to keep<br />
projects on schedule and within budget.<br />
Whilst it may be a basic truism in<br />
planning, for many reasons contractors<br />
often pay lip service to the principle and<br />
go for the most cost-effective or<br />
cheapest options - and generally suffer<br />
the consequences. In fact, as DBM<br />
Vircon suggest, early connected models<br />
can result in more accurate and detailed<br />
designs for bidding, can tighten and<br />
reduce bids by up to 5% to 10%, and can<br />
reduce costs of steel by up to 10% due to<br />
accurate procurement and reduced<br />
waste. The cost savings may even<br />
continue after contracts are awarded, as<br />
projects move forward and RFIs and<br />
other expensive interruptions to the<br />
schedule are eliminated.<br />
I spoke to Andrew Bellerby of DBM<br />
Vircon about the importance of effective<br />
pre-planning on both major infrastructure<br />
projects and commercial developments,<br />
the problems that arise from inadequate<br />
planning, and how his company's<br />
expertise has been used to eradicate<br />
them. A global construction company<br />
headquartered in Australia, DBM Vircon<br />
provides professional expertise and<br />
guidance on using the latest<br />
technological advances in digital<br />
engineering to assist clients and<br />
contractors through all stages of a<br />
project, from concept design to<br />
completion and operation. The company<br />
supplements its technical expertise with<br />
visualisations, virtual and augmented<br />
reality tools, and asset model<br />
maintenance to facilitate a client's<br />
involvement in the process, clarify<br />
complex details and to enhance the<br />
creative aspects.<br />
Pre-construction planning is just one<br />
element among several digital<br />
engineering modules which the company<br />
offers. It addresses the common problem<br />
that Design-Bid-Build projects come up<br />
against, based, as they are, on 'value<br />
engineering', which is described as 'a<br />
systematic, organised approach to<br />
providing necessary functions in a<br />
project at the lowest cost, promoting the<br />
substitution of materials and methods<br />
with less expensive alternatives, without<br />
sacrificing functionality'.<br />
With tight budgets and cash shortages,<br />
the rising cost of materials and shortage<br />
of experienced labour, the natural<br />
inclination of companies is to pare costs<br />
and resource requirements to a<br />
minimum. The obvious corollary to that<br />
is that essential elements of the project<br />
are overlooked.<br />
WILL IT WORK?<br />
The most obvious of these, Andrew<br />
suggested, is 'constructability'. Is the<br />
structure capable of being fabricated and<br />
erected as the architect and the structural<br />
designer envisage? Pre-construction<br />
planning allows stakeholders to focus on<br />
design development, using DBM Vircon's<br />
integrated design-detailing to ensure that<br />
the proposed structure, or steelworks,<br />
can be easily fabricated and erected with<br />
as little wasted material as possible.<br />
The pre-planning process enables<br />
project managers to pinpoint the small<br />
details that are frequently overlooked<br />
during standard planning meetings, such<br />
as the clearances required to install<br />
30<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
INDUSTRYfocus<br />
equipment, handle tools and set up<br />
welding operations, and even the need<br />
for temporary structures to facilitate<br />
construction or the use of hired<br />
equipment. If not addressed early, any of<br />
these may prove to be costly, or<br />
impossible, to rectify during actual<br />
construction.<br />
Assessing the constructability of<br />
steelwork during the design process is<br />
not always possible, though, either<br />
through time constraints or lack of<br />
technical knowledge on the behalf of the<br />
structural detailer. It is for this reason<br />
that DBM Vircon has been brought in on<br />
many large and complex projects to<br />
provide construction insights that<br />
contractors and designers are<br />
themselves unable to provide. Their<br />
Design Assist service is designed to give<br />
all project stakeholders a clear and<br />
unified understanding of the design<br />
intent, and to modify early-stage designs<br />
to achieve optimal results.<br />
The Level of Detail (LOD) required for<br />
this is beyond the LOD 3 (or LOD 200<br />
using US AIA definition) typically<br />
provided by the structural designer's<br />
engineering models, providing positions,<br />
sizes, orientations etc of steelwork which<br />
may be developed to around 80%<br />
completeness. Collaboration with DBM<br />
Vircon allows their experienced<br />
engineering team to progress the design<br />
further, aiming for a full LOD 5 (or LOD<br />
400) connected model which includes<br />
additional information to fulfil the tasks<br />
outlined above, but also to incorporate<br />
ancillary data and further functions like<br />
building schedules and costs for 4D and<br />
5D simulations, lock in and keep track of<br />
material prices and suppliers, and<br />
expedite procurement.<br />
DIGITAL ENGINEERING<br />
With a comprehensive amount of<br />
information available, DBM Vircon can<br />
leverage the data to provide a full digital<br />
engineering solution - a Design-Build-<br />
Manage lifecycle which takes the initial<br />
concept design through to facilities<br />
management. The whole process is<br />
supported using digital project<br />
management including 4D and 5D<br />
simulations, digital twins which serve to<br />
provide Serviced Asset Information<br />
Management (SAIM), 3D Visualisations<br />
and Virtual and Augmented Reality. They<br />
can even set up animations to build<br />
complex models using CG from the<br />
ground up, and gamification tools and<br />
visuals to explore designs in a gaming<br />
environment, either for training or<br />
education purposes.<br />
Digital Project Management is a<br />
practical solution based on DBM<br />
Vircon's agnostic software and<br />
centralised data-mapping. It allows the<br />
entire project team to collaborate,<br />
breaking down data silos and enhancing<br />
decision making. The 3D modelling and<br />
structural design applications that the<br />
company focuses on are familiar to all,<br />
and include Tekla, Prosteel, Revit, Plant<br />
3D and Navisworks.<br />
The company's expertise, developed as<br />
creators and curators of foundational<br />
datasets and years of experience gained<br />
through supporting clients on multibillion-dollar<br />
projects from specification<br />
and procurement, forms the basis of its<br />
Digital Engineering Advisory. This has<br />
helped the company deliver projects for<br />
clients and transform their AEC or asset<br />
information management processes.<br />
It has also enabled the DBM Vircon<br />
Digital Engineering team to integrate<br />
design data and associated information<br />
from multiple systems and context data<br />
from virtual and augmented reality<br />
solutions to create digital twin platforms.<br />
DBM VIRCON<br />
DBM Vircon is a truly global enterprise,<br />
with offices in Australia, the United<br />
States, Canada, India, the Philippines<br />
and Oxford in the UK, where Andrew<br />
Bellerby is based. As a global company,<br />
most of the projects that the company is<br />
involved use the company's experts<br />
wherever they are based and whenever<br />
they are required, allowing for a 24 hour<br />
working output.<br />
Although Steelworks have been used<br />
as a principal example here, the<br />
company has a wealth of experience in<br />
reinforced concrete, bridges and<br />
industrial design, the energy market,<br />
transportation, healthcare and cultural,<br />
commercial and residential projects.<br />
www.dbmvircon.com<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong> 31
YOUR GUIDE TO<br />
5<br />
7<br />
3<br />
1<br />
2<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 />
Larbert 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 />
7 Central Park Avenue<br />
Central Park<br />
Larbert<br />
FK5 4RX<br />
Tel: 01324 550 760<br />
info@tms-scotland.com<br />
www.tms-scotland.com/autodesk<br />
ACELHNO<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
CASEstudy<br />
The sands of time<br />
Bluesky 3D imagery brings global warming sea level rises to life<br />
There is nowhere in the UK with a<br />
more dramatic coastline than<br />
Morecambe Bay with its vast<br />
stretches of pristine sands, as treacherous<br />
as they are beautiful. The tides sweep in<br />
rapidly, cutting off cockle gatherers and<br />
anyone else daring enough to hike out to<br />
its windswept margins. It’s an apt place<br />
then to measure our changing climate<br />
patterns, and to then use that data to<br />
illustrate the dramatic impact of global<br />
warming on the UK’s coastline.<br />
The younger generation are no doubt<br />
acutely aware of the impact of global<br />
warming, as they will bear the brunt of it<br />
during their lifetimes. Attempting to stem<br />
climate change may seem futile without<br />
significant modifications to human<br />
behaviour, but the first steps in any<br />
mitigation of its effects lies in<br />
understanding its causes and progress.<br />
Hence the recent educational film<br />
commissioned by Bluesky for<br />
Morecambe students.<br />
Sairo Studios, a creative agency<br />
specialising in content for AR, VR and<br />
Metaverse, was asked to produce a film<br />
from high resolution aerial photography<br />
and 3D mapping, put together by UK<br />
aerial survey and mapping company<br />
Bluesky International, to illustrate the<br />
impact of global warming on rising sea<br />
levels. Working with Lancaster and<br />
Morecambe College, Sairo Studios<br />
produced an educational film, 'Rising<br />
Tides Climate Change in Morecambe<br />
Bay', which demonstrates the effect of<br />
predicted sea level rises from different<br />
perspectives. The 360-degree video is<br />
being shown in the College's immersive<br />
Igloo theatre.<br />
"We worked with Lancaster and<br />
Morecambe College to create a localised<br />
education piece exploring the impact of<br />
climate change," commented James<br />
Ascroft, co-founder and CEO of Sairo<br />
Studios. "We utilised large-scale<br />
photogrammetry models from Bluesky,<br />
which we imported into Unreal Engine to<br />
design and build weather simulations.<br />
This was then exported as a 360 video the<br />
students could immerse themselves in."<br />
The Bluesky data package used by Sairo<br />
to create the Rising Tides output included<br />
high-resolution, 5cm map accurate aerial<br />
photography covering the whole of<br />
Morecambe, including the famous Stone<br />
Jetty. Bluesky also supplied highly<br />
detailed LiDAR (Light Detection and<br />
Ranging captured by aircraft mounted<br />
lasers) data to provide geographically<br />
accurate 3D terrain data. The Bluesky<br />
data was complemented with drone<br />
imagery captured by Christians Survey<br />
and Inspection Solutions and terrestrial<br />
scans of smaller objects.<br />
Ralph Coleman, Chief Commercial<br />
Officer at Bluesky, said, "Geospatial<br />
solutions are a valuable tool in the fight<br />
against climate change. Our geospatial<br />
datasets provide accurate visual<br />
indicators of the situation, past and<br />
present, helping us to see patterns for the<br />
future. It helps inform decisions, shape<br />
policy and, importantly, affect change.<br />
Projects like this video from Sairo provide<br />
credible predictions on the devastation<br />
that we could be facing, and this will help<br />
us make change now and work to reduce<br />
the future impact of issues like flooding."<br />
In order to create the most photorealistic<br />
output, Sairo used Unreal Engine to<br />
render the source data. Plugins were<br />
required to simulate the desired output in<br />
terms of water (rising tide levels and flood<br />
water), green infrastructure, specifically<br />
trees, and the 360-degree experience.<br />
Sairo also applied the Scan Cloud<br />
platform to increase its computational<br />
power required to render the experience.<br />
Rather than just a simulated digital<br />
environment demonstrating water level<br />
rises, the Sairo team also worked with<br />
TAB Music to score the track, Joshua<br />
Haworth who contributed Foley<br />
(everyday) sound effects and Jon Carter<br />
from the RSPB who narrated the film. The<br />
360-degree video has already been<br />
viewed by hundreds of students in the<br />
North West region as well as local<br />
stakeholders and businesses.<br />
What are the next steps? Deeper<br />
understanding of the issue involved and<br />
their impact on the UK coastline will strike<br />
more than a few chords among the<br />
students who have been involved in the<br />
immersive sessions and, armed with an<br />
intimate knowledge of the region and its<br />
dangerous undercurrents, they may<br />
choose to become more involved in the<br />
construction industry, and its attempts to<br />
model a sustainable future for us all.<br />
SAIRO STUDIOS<br />
Sairo Studios is a leading creative agency<br />
specialising in immersive technologies. It<br />
focuses on creating immersive content in<br />
innovative ways, helping to build bridges<br />
between businesses and the new the<br />
digital realities in which they exist within<br />
Web 3.0, Sairo has worked with the<br />
Department for Education and the Home<br />
Office as well as Ribble Valley Borough<br />
Council, Blackburn Museum and Art<br />
Gallery and the Prince's Trust.<br />
https://bluesky-world.com<br />
34<br />
<strong>Sep</strong>tember/<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2023</strong>
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