No matter the size of the project, architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms experience similar challenges. Owners are demanding more aggressive project timelines for lower costs, while many are requesting BIM-compliant deliverables and digital twins to manage the lifecycle of the project. As profit margins tighten and overage penalties increase, there is more pressure to manage spending carefully. Accurate accounting of materials and waste is crucial, but the manual process of tracking is time-consuming and error-prone. These recurring problems, coupled with the industry-wide move to BIM and digitalization, can create five challenges for engineering firms:
Engineering firms can overcome these challenges with the strategic deployment of a building information modeling (BIM) solution such as Allplan. These case studies describe how customers have been successful with BIM.
Omani Dry Docks: The timeline for these two 1,350-foot dry docks in Duqm Port (Figure 1) to service supertankers was 3 months for design and 36 months for construction, leaving no room for complications or delays. “We had to create thousands of drawings for all the structures — all in a very short period of time,” explains the senior manager of the service provider for software support on the project. The 3D model created a general arrangement design and reinforcement detail that drove subsequent designs and schedules. Efficient workflows and smooth coordination avoided duplicate data entry and redundancy. Automatically updated derivations, such as floor plans, views, sections, quantities, and schedules, helped keep the project on time. “We delivered all the documents on time and error-free. Allplan is simply the best solution when it comes to 3D reinforcement detailing.” (Figure 2). READ MORE ABOUT OMANI DRY DOCKS…
A2 Freeway: A seven-mile, 40-year-old stretch of road between Stansstad and Beckenried, Switzerland, was redeveloped in six phases to limit entrance and exit closures. “The repair work must be carried out within a short space of time, among traffic, and in very tight spaces on site,” said the managing director of the company, commissioned to supervise the first and second stages of construction. The firm used an Allplan tool to navigate the difficulties of each phase of the project, which facilitated greater ease in execution. READ MORE ABOUT THE A2 FREEWAY…
Centre Pompidou-Metz: This art museum in Metz, France, featured a floating design of concrete, steel, and wood that looked incredible on paper. During the planning stage, it became obvious that it was too risky to execute the original design because of the possibility of uncontrollable deformations between the construction elements. A rework was required. Allplan Engineering enabled all engineers, wherever they were based, to work on plans from one 3D model — no transfers or hand-offs required. That was crucial on this project, which involved 45,000 surface elements, 15,000 wire elements, 346 foundation points, 240 load cases and 600 load combinations (Figure 3). Computer-aided design (CAD) users could create a spatial model with floor plans, isometrics, views, and sections; and changes to the reinforcing body were automatically transferred to all plans and lists. READ MORE ABOUT THE CENTRE POMPIDOU…
Airbus Production Hall: The two-bay structure — 400 feet wide with five reinforced concrete towers — in Stade, Germany, presented serious logistical hurdles. The building needed to accommodate a crane and a shuttle system to handle large components and had to be modular to allow customized set-ups. “All working drawings are derived directly from the building model, thus avoiding discrepancies between the design and implementation plans,” explains an architect with SHI Planungsgesellschaft mbH, the urban planning, structural and civil engineering company that designed the hall. Using Allplan, “we can constantly keep track of all the data in one central location, which saves us from the error-prone and time-consuming task of maintaining parallel sets of data.” READ MORE ABOUT THE AIRBUS PRODUCTION HALL…
Duqm Port Project: The team constructing 2,700 feet of dry dockage in Oman was led out of Korea and staffed with workers from different countries who didn’t have a shared language. Allplan Engineering bridged the communication gap. The 2D PDF documents conveyed standard layouts and explanatory isometric or exploded views, and the 3D model was used to show all the required information directly and consistently, according to a senior manager at the service provider. The spatial representation ensured that error-free designs translated into error-free construction. Using a common structure model also made revision management easier. Whenever engineers made adjustments and modifications to the model, an updated set of design documents and schedules were automatically generated, limiting delays. READ MORE ABOUT THE DUQM PORT PROJECT…
Gotthard Base Tunnel: Building the longest rail tunnel in the world would take 25 years, at least a dozen trades and 2,600 people. “A multitude of programs in an extremely wide range of versions were used in the project. We created a total of around 120 different block layouts and over 1,000 layouts for both sections of the base tunnel,” notes the civil engineer and project manager for GBT Nord, which worked on two sections in Erstfeld and Amsteg, Switzerland (Figure 4). “It was important that the layouts could be exchanged in perfect quality and without data losses. With Allplan Engineering, there were no problems with that. The fact that the data transfer worked so well was a significant success factor for us.” READ MORE ABOUT THE GOTTHARD BASE TUNNEL…
Stuttgart 21: The new underground through-station in Stuttgart comprises a highly sophisticated shell roof, supported by 28 geometrically complex chalice-shaped columns in a masterpiece of modern architecture. The intricate structure of anticlastic curved surfaces can be mathematically described as free form, since there are no mathematical regularities that describe it. Despite all apparent freedom, however, this shape is by no means arbitrary, but rather follows the course of forces in a highly efficient manner and implements the requirements of a wide-span and light-flooded station concourse in a material-optimized way. Without the use of powerful BIM software and production processes specially developed for the project, the implementation of the building would be impossible. “Allplan Bimplus is an essential component of the newly developed digital work processes, without which it would not be possible to produce the very sophisticated roof construction,” commented the overall project manager for Stuttgart 21. READ MORE ABOUT STUTTGART 21…
Consulting Center of Rabobank: Inspired by a snake ready to strike, this structure in Roermond, Netherlands features a seven-story tower that extends diagonally from a two-story base. Nothing on the building is at right angles, which forced engineers to develop a unique load transfer. They also had to ensure dimensional accuracy of the precast parts and assembly drawings and determine the correct assembly sequence. “We immediately saw that this project could not be carried out in the traditional way. With a basic model in 3D in Allplan, we were able to complete this complex task successfully,” says the project engineer for van der Werf en Nass. READ MORE ABOUT THE CONSULTING CENTER…
Zurich Zoo Elephant House: Majestic creatures such as elephants deserve an equally majestic home. This house includes complex geometric features and an unusual roof with spans of more than 280 feet — something that had never been built before. The roof’s leaf-like design includes superimposed grid-like rays. There are no timber columns or other interior supporting elements. “Thanks to Allplan Engineering, we are able to design and realize challenging projects much quicker and eliminate errors,” commented the consulting engineer at WaltGalmarini. READ MORE ABOUT THE ZURICH ZOO…
Orchidea Tower: Constructing a 19-story building in earthquake-prone Bucharest, Romania, required engineers to design a three-story subterranean “stiff box” to stabilize the over-ground structure of steel, concrete-filled steel pipes, and reinforced concrete girders. Component objects and data were transferred from Allplan to the calculation system SCIA Engineer, optimized and then transferred back to Allplan. “Where conventional project design only uses lines, circles and dots, 3D modeling of structures and reinforcement in Allplan provided us with a much better understanding of the building, and reveals design errors very early on,” stated Inginerie Structurala srl. READ MORE ABOUT ORCHIDEA TOWER…
Working more effectively and efficiently, you can improve margins and be more competitive. As these case studies show, Allplan modeling technology empowers your team to overcome issues and challenges with ease.
Allplan is a leading vendor of OpenBIM solutions for structural and civil engineers, building contractors, project managers, and BIM managers. Our software enables the integration of 3D into pre-existing 2D workflows and allows different disciplines and trades to collaborate in a streamlined, efficient manner.
A key subsidiary of the Nemetschek Group, Allplan solutions are used by over 240,000 engineers, contractors, and AEC professionals in 52 countries. (Other Nemetschek brands in the US include Bluebeam, RISA, SDS/2, and Vectorworks). We are leading the initiative to digitalize the AEC industry, support IFC standards, and enable the holistic design, construction, and management of buildings, structures, and bridges.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in AECbytes sponsored articles are those of the sponsor and do not represent or reflect the views of AECbytes.
