CC Jan-Feb 2022

Construction 

Computing 

WWW.CONSTRUCTION-COMPUTING.COM 

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 

VOL 18 NO 01 

A woven façade 

GDP Architects use Vectorworks to produce 

another iconic building for Malaysia 

Futurebuild 2022 

Leading the way to net zero 

Common data 

environments 

Making the most 

of a CDE 

4D planning 

Adding timelines to 3D models to 

simulate a project's lifecycle 

Jobs for the old boys? 

Where will we find our future 

construction professionals? 

@CCMagAndAwards

MODEL 

CHECKING 

FOR 

QUALITY. 

Use Solibri Model Checker to guarantee the quality 

on your construction projects. As the industry moves 

on from clash detection and geometry checks our 

solution offers: 

• Second Generation Clash Detection 

• Model version comparison and reporting 

• COBie validation and export 

• Instant and visual BIM data mining 

• Customisable and user defined rulesets 

• Supports collaborative workflows 

• And much more... 

TRIAL 

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TRIAL AT SOLIBRI.COM 

AND START SAVING TIME & MONEY RIGHT AWAY.

CONTENTS 

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 

CONTENTS 

REAL-TIME RENDERS 16 

The latest release of Enscape, version 3.2, 

offers dynamic real-time visualisation and 

streamlined workflows for architects and 

designers, writes David Chadwick 

A WOVEN FAÇADE 18 

David Chadwick looks at how Vectorworks 

Architect enabled GDP Architects to add 

another iconic building to the skyline in Kuala 

Lumpur, Malaysia 

MAKING THE MOST OF A CDE 20 

Nassim Saoud, Director EMEA at Trimble 

Consulting explains why common data 

environments help construction teams 

increase collaboration and reduce risk 

FUTUREBUILD 2022 30 

Taking place from March 1 to 3, Futurebuild 

2022 will connect specifiers, decision makers 

and disruptors with major brands and start-ups 

from across the built environment 

NEWS.................................................INDUSTRY NEWS.......................................................................................................6 

• BANGLADESH HOSPITAL WINS TOP RIBA PRIZE • MIXED-REALITY FOR CONSTRUCTION LAYOUT 

INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................JOBS FOR THE OLD BOYS?...............................................................................10 

• WHERE IS THE NEXT GENERATION OF SKILLED CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS GOING TO COME FROM? 

INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION DRIVES NET-ZERO SUCCESS...................12 

• BY MARK COATES, INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY, BENTLEY SYSTEMS 

INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................ADAPT OR FAIL..................................................................................................14 

• EQUE2 ISSUE A WARNING FOR COMPANIES TO TAKE TIGHTER CONTROL OVER THEIR OPERATIONS 

SOFTWARE FOCUS...........................UPDATE 2, TAKE 2.............................................................................................22 

• WE CONTINUE OUR LOOK AT THE NEW FEATURES IN GRAPHISOFT’S LATEST UPDATE 

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS......................4D PLANNING....................................................................................................24 

• DAVID SIMPSON AT ELECOSOFT EXPLAINS THE BENEFITS OF 4D PLANNING TO DAVID CHADWICK 

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS......................HARNESSING THE ATOM.................................................................................26 

• XYZ REALITY LAUNCHES A TRANSFORMATIONAL AUGMENTED REALITY HEADSET - THE ATOM 

INDUSTRY FOCUS..............................GOING UP: THE FUTURE OF SKYSCRAPERS.................................................27 

• NIFTYLIFT HIGHLIGHT FOUR ENGINEERING MARVELS TO LOOK OUT FOR - OR RATHER LOOK UP TO 

INDUSTRY FOCUS.............................SAFETY FIRST....................................................................................................28 

• AUTODESK EXPLAIN HOW COMPANIES SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE FORTHCOMING BUILDING SAFETY BILL 

TRAINING MAP...................................AUTODESK TRAINING.........................................................................................32 

• YOUR GUIDE TO AUTODESK TRAINING 

CASE STUDY......................................RAPID 3D SCANS...............................................................................................34 

• TRIMBLE LASER SCANNING DELIVERS HIGH-PRECISION SURVEYS FOR A HISTORIC CHURCH RESTORATION 

January/February 2022 3

COMMENT 

Editor: 

David Chadwick 

(cad.user@btc.co.uk) 

News Editor: 

Mark Lyward 

(mark.lyward@btc.co.uk) 

Advertising Sales: 

Josh Boulton 

(josh.boulton@btc.co.uk) 

Production Manager: 

Abby Penn 

(abby.penn@btc.co.uk) 

Design/Layout: 

Ian Collis 

ian.collis@btc.co.uk 

Circulation/Subscriptions: 

Christina Willis 

(christina.willis@btc.co.uk) 

Publisher: 

John Jageurs 

john.jageurs@btc.co.uk 

Published by Barrow & 

Thompkins Connexion Ltd. 

35 Station Square, Petts Wood, 

Kent BR5 1LZ 

Tel: +44 (0) 1689 616 000 

Fax: +44 (0) 1689 82 66 22 

SUBSCRIPTIONS: 

UK £35/year, £60/two years, 

£80/three years; 

Europe: 

£48/year, £85 two years, 

£127/three years; 

R.O.W. £62/year 

£115/two years, £168/three years. 

Single copies can be bought for £8.50 

(includes postage & packaging). 

Published 6 times a year. 

© 2022 Barrow & Thompkins 

Connexion Ltd. 

All rights reserved. 

No part of the magazine may be 

reproduced, without prior consent 

in writing, from the publisher 

For more magazines from BTC, please visit: 

www.btc.co.uk 

Articles published reflect the opinions of 

the authors and are not necessarily those 

of the publisher or his employees. While 

every reasonable effort is made to ensure 

that the contents of editorial and advertising 

are accurate, no responsibility can be 

accepted by the publisher for errors, misrepresentations 

or any resulting effects 

Comment 

Left behind? 

by David Chadwick 

I'm afraid I have to apologise for 

pandering to stereotypes by giving a 

friend a birthday card recently which 

featured a Private Eye cartoon depicting a 

bar at a Builders Annual Conference 

surrounded by a lot of beer drinking 

workers all showing a 'builder's bum'. I am 

quite sure none of you have to refer to 

Google to know out what I mean. 

It came to mind when putting together the 

Access Group article in this issue, which 

contains some shocking figures about the 

skills shortage in the industry and the lack of 

young people entering the profession to 

replace the large numbers rapidly 

approaching retirement age. Apparently 

only 3% of young people in the 18-24 age 

group have expressed any interest in joining 

the construction industry - far too few to 

replace a declining workforce or to address 

the growing demands on the industry. 

The article puts forward the main issues 

that have to be addressed, and the need to 

educate both the leaders and the young to 

stem the decline. I leave you to read the 

article but I am, perhaps, at liberty to look 

at the issue from a broader perspective. 

A quick look online soon brings up a 

couple of views from potential recruits who 

view the profession as a manual labour job 

for those who don't have the ability to get 

into university, a low paid profession which 

only needs low skills, which appear to 

consist mainly of bricklaying and plumbing. 

Today's youth are tech savvy and worldly 

wise. With total access to social media 

they are both well informed and equally 

well misinformed, and currently that 

doesn't include much real information 

about the actual prospects in the 

construction industry. 

That includes the whole gamut of climate 

change, CO2 emissions, greenhouse 

gasses and so on and, being young, they 

are full of zeal and idealism and equate the 

construction industry, with its continuing 

reliance on outdated and environmentally 

harmful technologies, as the bad guys in 

all this. Their concerns are magnified by 

the media which broadcasts their views, 

continues to depict workers in the industry 

unfavourably and publishes Private Eye 

cartoons to turn the screw another couple 

of degrees. 

In reality, the construction industry is in 

the frontline of the battle to build a 

sustainable environment. Its architects, 

engineers and on-site workers are 

committed to building living and working 

environments and an infrastructure without 

harming the planet further, for both our 

own need and the wellbeing of our children 

and the rest of the planet. To do so we 

need to leverage all of the latest 

technologies and tools, but more than this 

we need to get across to millennials that 

the industry consists of a wide range of 

opportunities, looking for creative solutions 

to problems that affect the whole planet. 

We need to go beyond the 'apprentice' 

culture - a frame of mind probably fostered 

and maintained by the current training 

schemes set up years ago and run as they 

have been for decades - and persuade the 

young that careers can be found on and 

offsite that are both well paid and offer the 

clout of respected professionals. 

Failure to address this issue in a creative 

and forceful manner will result in a 

massively enfeebled industry, incapable 

of building the future that we need and 

deserve - as the figures in the Access 

Group's article illustrate. It's a strong call 

to action! 

4 January/February 2022

DESIGN WITHOUT LIMITS 

The best-in-class BIM solution that lets you 

collaborate seamlessly with the freedom you 

need to design anything you want. 

Start your free trial at VECTORWORKS.NET/2022 

ASIAN INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED BANKS | COURTESY OF GDP ARCHITECTS SDN BHD AND ADAPTUS DESIGN SYSTEM SDN BHD

INDUSTRY news 

BANGLADESH HOSPITAL WINS TOP RIBA PRIZE 

The Royal Institute of British 

Architects (RIBA) has 

named Friendship Hospital in 

Bangladesh designed by 

Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA 

as winner of the RIBA International 

Prize 2021, the global 

accolade for design excellence 

and social impact. 

The remote community hospital 

was commissioned by the 

NGO, Friendship, and provides 

a medical lifeline for thousands 

of people from Satkhira, an 

area of the coast that was 

heavily affected by a major 

cyclone in 2007. The hospital 

was described by the Grand 

Jury as embodying an "architecture 

of humanity" and as an 

"exemplar of innovative architecture 

that addresses critical 

global issues - unequal access 

to healthcare and the crushing 

impact of climate breakdown 

on vulnerable communities." 

Situated in the southern 

region of Bangladesh, the project 

faced demanding environmental 

conditions due to rising 

sea levels impacted by climate 

change. Saltwater has 

encroached inland, forcing all 

adjoining agricultural lands to 

be converted into shrimp cultivation 

ponds. The innovative 

design looks to respond to 

these conditions by incorporating 

a canal that collects rainwater 

- an essential resource 

and tool to prevent waterlogging 

as the saline groundwater 

is unusable for most practical 

purposes and draining is 

needed from increasingly 

incessant rains. This water 

channel also helps with microclimatic 

cooling in the increasingly 

hot summers. 

The design creates an uplifting 

and inviting experience for 

visitors, patients and healthcare 

professionals and a 

peaceful environment consistent 

with health and healing. 

Architect Kashef Chowdhury 

said: "In a sublimely important 

moment, RIBA and the jurors 

have identified a project from 

the global periphery to bring to 

the centre of architectural discourse 

and be the subject of 

one of the most important 

global awards. I am encouraged 

that this may inspire 

more of us to commit, not in 

spite of, but because of limitations 

of resources and means, 

to an architecture of care both 

for humanity and for nature, to 

rise collectively to the urgencies 

that we face today on a 

planetary scale." 

www.architecture.com 

COUNTING THE COST OF BIODIVERSITY 

Built on the Bentley iTwin 

platform, EarthCam 4D 

from EarthCam enables virtual 

design and construction (VDC) 

teams to overlay and synch 

live imagery with their digital 

twins. An intuitive timeline 

allows users to scroll backward 

and forward in time to 

view live imagery in relation to 

their 4D models. 

EarthCam 4D augments 

Bentley Systems' SYNCHRO 

The National Federation of 

Builders (NFB) is urging that 

AI should be harnessed to work 

out biodiversity net gain for 

sites of 50 homes or less. The 

call follows the government's 

consultation on restoring ecological 

loss during housing 

construction and delivering a 

ten per cent boost on biodiversity 

post-development. 

NFB head of housing and 

planning Rico Wojtulewicz said: 

"On small sites of up to 50 

homes, we need an automated 

calculation process which takes 

into account local species and 

accepts onsite solutions, such 

as building in biodiversity to the 

fabric of buildings, site design 

and even gardens, where a 

management plan is attached." 

The trade body has said this 

would reduce costs, prevent 

delays, and enable environmental 

assessments to be 

done coherently. The government 

wants developers to use 

Defra's biodiversity metric to 

produce a plan on biodiversity 

net gain to submit to councils 

when applying for planning 

permission. The NFB believes 

this could add tens of thousands 

of pounds to smaller 

development costs, and has 

collaborated with environmental 

consultants Joe's Blooms to 

use an automated system for 

small sites. Mr Wojtulewicz said 

the current proposals for creating 

onsite habitats such as 

trees and ponds should also 

include design features that 

add to biodiversity. 

The consultation closes on the 

5th April with the new regulations 

expected to be incorporated in 

planning policy by end of 2023. 

www.builders.org.uk 

EARTHCAM 4D BRINGS DITIGAL TWINS TO LIFE 

4D models with high-resolution 

photos from multiple cameras 

throughout the jobsite, 

overlaid in precise alignment. 

Viewers can zoom in and out, 

and the associated live 

images remain synched. 

Unique transparency/opacity 

and model colour adjustments 

enable new and powerful ways 

to compare and contrast models 

with reality over time. 

www.earthcam.net 

6 

January/February 2022

INDUSTRY news 

MIXED-REALITY FOR CONSTRUCTION LAYOUT 

Trimble has announced an 

innovative mixed-reality 

solution for construction layout 

with the introduction of the 

FieldLink MR app. Built on the 

powerful Trimble Connect collaboration 

platform, Trimble 

FieldLink MR offers a completely 

new way to perform construction 

layout, enabling professionals 

to quickly navigate to tasks 

on the jobsite - getting more 

done in less time. The app runs 

on the Trimble XR10 with 

HoloLens 2, a hardhat-integrated 

mixed-reality device. 

With Trimble FieldLink MR, 

field crews can easily visualise 

construction data without relying 

on a handheld controller for 

step-by-step navigation to 

locate each point. Visual cues 

presented through the mixedreality 

hardhat naturally lead 

workers directly to each point 

for them to physically lay out 

pertinent information on the 

construction site. Attracting and 

retaining skilled workers 

remains a key challenge for 

many contractors, reducing the 

complexity of layout in the field 

will be essential to enable less 

experienced staff to deliver 

quality work the first time. 

"Trimble's FieldLink solution 

enables users to precisely position 

digital construction information 

in the physical world. Field- 

Link MR is an extension of this 

application, which seamlessly 

integrates cutting edge mixedreality 

technology to help construction 

professionals be more 

effective on site," said Martin 

Holmgren, general manager for 

Trimble'sBuilding Construction 

Field Solutions Division. 

fieldtech.trimble.com/en/ 

products/layout 

MACHINE LEARNING FOR CO2 CALCULATIONS 

Quebec Wood Export 

Bureau, a Canadian nonprofit 

organisation promoting 

the use and export of timber, 

has created a Machine Learning 

tool, CarbonFixer, to pre-calculate 

the CO2 impact of choices 

in early-phase building designs. 

The tool has been developed 

with Brainpool.ai, a global AI 

consultancy, with the objective 

of helping the building sector to 

decarbonise by showing the 

CO2 impact of traditional concrete 

and steel in comparative 

scenarios with wood and biosourced 

building materials. 

Building with wood consumes 

much less energy than 

using concrete or steel, emitting 

just 14% and 10% of the 

relative CO2. Between 15% 

and 28% of new homes built in 

the UK annually use timber 

frame construction. 

www.quebecwoodexport.com 

FILLING A BIM GAP WITH SANDWICH PANELS 

AGACAD is filling a gap in 

the market for BIM tools 

with its new Sandwich Panels 

solution for Autodesk Revit 

users. The solution makes it 

easy to create multi-purpose 

buildings with shell structures 

made of insulated panels in a 

unified BIM project environment. 

Consisting of a core of insulating 

material between sheet 

metal skins, sandwich panels 

are a great lightweight, cost-efficient 

and customisable material 

for low-energy buildings, and 

NBS has partnered with 

Quiet Mark to empower 

architects to specify 'acoustics 

first', by providing a shortcut 

for specifiers to source 

responsible products. Since 

2020, lockdowns and WFH 

policies have brought to light 

the importance of noise reduction 

in the environment, and 

the new partnership aims to 

support the Responsible- 

Sourcing Movement as the 

industry further prioritises 

health and wellbeing. 

NBS and Quiet Mark are now 

joining forces to make Quiet 

Mark certified products easily 

accessible to equip architects 

and specifiers. The new partnership 

will enable the 3,600+ 

practices that use NBS to create 

specifications to easily find 

Quiet Mark certified products 

and materials. The aim is to 

have become a basic building 

material for 21st-century industrial 

and business structures. 

The suite greatly enhances 

workflows by allowing Revit 

users to create a database of 

configurations for varying wall 

and roof types. Specific ways to 

detail and distribute panels can 

be saved and reused any time. 

Once modeling is complete, 

the user can simply click Frame 

to auto-generate panels and 

additional elements. 

https://agacad.com 

PARTNERSHIP FOR WELLBEING IN BUILDINGS 

elevate the aural design of 

buildings, optimising the overall 

level of acoustic comfort for 

occupants. To do this it is necessary 

to curate a selection of 

the quietest products and 

acoustic improving materials 

from the outset of a building 

specification. Sound from 

sources such as heating, ventilation, 

and air conditioning 

appliances hinders productivity 

and wellness. 

In addition to airborne noise 

sources, impact noise from 

traffic, adjacent activity or 

mechanical vibration can create 

very uncomfortable environments 

long-term. Acoustic 

plasters, lighting products and 

low-noise hand dryers are 

some of the Quiet Mark certified 

products that will be easily 

identifiable on NBS Source. 

www.thenbs.com 

8 


Six times a year 

just isn’t enough! 

Construction Computing is now available in e-Newsletter 

form every single month 

Construction Computing is no longer just a print magazine it’s also online – the Construction Computing eNewsletter goes out to over 

15,000 readers every month, featuring all the best content from the print edition and much more: 

• Up to the minute news stories 

• Interviews 

• Opinions and views from the industry 

• Case studies 

• White papers and other useful downloads 

• Product reviews 

To make sure you aren’t missing out, register now at: 

http://www.btc.co.uk/newsletter/register.html

INDUSTRYfocus 

Jobs for the old boys? 

Where is the next generation of skilled construction professionals going to come from? The 

Access Group has some suggestions 

The Construction Industry Training 

Board (CITB) announced a couple 

of years ago that we are short of 

about a quarter of a million construction 

workers in the industry. Figures from 

YouGov from about the same time said 

that a mere 3% of youngsters between 

the ages of 18 and 24 are looking to the 

construction industry as a profession. 

And at the Office of National Statistics 

(ONS) they say that 20% of the 

construction workforce are over the age 

of 50, and that figure rises to 58% when 

you add in the 29-45 age group. 

These are terrifying numbers for any 

profession, and if we are to meet the 

demands for increased housebuilding, 

upgrading our road and rail 

infrastructure, and the move to a 

carbon free economy with all that it 

entails, we need to address this 

particular issue urgently. 

Okay, so the figures might be 

exacerbated by the fluidity of the 165,000 

workers from the EU and other migrants 

whose 10% of the total workforce have 

been the backbone of the industry during 

the current skills shortage, but Brexit 

regulations have seen this number 

reduce considerably, and they also 

constituted a large proportion of the 

younger workforce. The end result is that 

20% of the jobs available within in the 

industry can't be filled because of a lack 

of people with the skills to do the job. 

So why are young people so disinclined 

to enter the profession, and how can we 

deal with that? The most widely held 

belief is that the industry is slow to adapt 

to modern ideas, such as employing 

sustainable technologies, or engaging 

with digitisation, and is still heavily 

dependent on paper-based systems, and 

that the work is viewed as a physically 

demanding 'outside' job. We need to 

change this urgently and educate and 

inform both industry leaders and 

potential recruits to the industry of their 

responsibilities and opportunities. 

The crunch falls on the leaders, though, 

and if they are not up to the job they 

should look outside the industry and 

bring in experts and motivators from 

other industries that have successfully 

addressed similar problems. 

INDUSTRY TARGETS 

The Access Group has identified four 

targets that should be in everybody's 

sights if we are to reverse this 

workforce shortage: 

Education 

Construction software 

Recruitment, training, health and safety 

Offsite construction 

EDUCATION IS THE KEY 

The industry is going through the most 

exciting phases of its existence. The skills 

that we need to cope with an evolving 

planet and its declining resources, a 

changing workforce, a move towards a 

zero-carbon technology and a switch to 

an electrified infrastructure demand the 

latest technologies. 

At the same time, we have developed 

the ability to design and simulate 

projects in 4D, 5D and beyond, create 

stunning visualisations of buildings, and 

carry the accumulated information 

through to monitor and manage a 

buildings performance throughout its 

whole lifespan. 

The construction industry is designing 

and building the future for every 

generation and every country - who 

would not want to be a part of that? 

The emphasis has to be on getting that 

message across in schools, colleges 

and universities. But you can probably 

spot the flaw in this proposal. In an 

industry heavily dominated by older 

workers, and with a shortfall in boots on 

the ground, the people entrusted in 

getting the message across are the 

ones stepping back from the building 

site and passing on their outgrown 

experience to the next generation. 

CHANGING CONSTRUCTION 

TECHNOLOGIES 

If you can't get the skills - deskill the job! 

That is essentially what happens when 

you use offsite and modular building. It 

facilitates better quality control as the 

components come off the production 

line and downgrades the skills of the 

on-site worker to something 

10 


INDUSTRYfocus 

approaching those required to 

assemble an IKEA wardrobe. The fine 

detail and fancy brickwork, the plumbing 

and electrical systems would remain the 

province of City & Guild or NVQ 

qualified craftsmen. 

The third suggestion is that more 

opportunities should also be made 

available to women, who constitute just 

12.5% of the workforce, according to the 

GMB - just 5.4% of whom are BAME. 

Increased digitisation of software 

throughout the business, the use of 

modern plant technologies and more 

diverse representation in your company 

will attract more women into roles that 

extend to the highest levels in 

leadership, project management, 

accounting, HR, training, and design. 

FACILITATING CHANGE 

The Access Group are highly aware of 

these issues and attempt to address 

them within the various modules of their 

construction industry software. As an 

enterprise resource planning (ERP) 

practitioner, the evolving nature of the 

industry drives their strategies and 

prompts them to configure solutions that 

fit their customers' requirements, from 

pricing in the move to alternative 

construction technologies, to balancing 

the evolving skill levels of human 

resources available for a project. 

That also means dealing with all of the 

paraphernalia of recruitment and 

training within the industry. The 

increased role of Health & Safety within 

the industry is long overdue, with its 

reputation for the greatest number of 

industrial injuries. Training schemes are 

also available for the operation of plant 

and machinery, lorry driving, 

warehousing, and scaffolding, all 

backed by CITB Approved Training 

Organisations. 

Keeping track of all of these and 

updating them with changes and 

inclusions to the regulations are part 

and parcel of their resource 

management tools, and The Access 

Group regularly advise customers of 

changes that might affect them. 

This is in addition to the many trades 

and professions that are involved in the 

construction industry. Just take a look at 

Able Skills Training Courses 

(Ableskills.co.uk) who run a wide range 

of City & Guilds and NVQ qualification 

courses - completion of which needs to 

be recorded in appropriate files and 

used to assess job suitability and, of 

course, payment levels. 

OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION 

Modular construction and offsite 

fabrication enable contractors to 

concentrate on the construction of 

building components in a structured 

and controlled environment, where 

methods of construction and quality 

levels can be fully monitored and 

corrected, if necessary. 

Such factories are perfect environments 

for the development of construction skills 

in those entering the profession, and are 

perhaps a gentler introduction to the 

processes than a windswept building 

site on a bit of sloping Lancashire 

moorland. It also allows builders to 

experiment with new techniques and 

technologies and to siphon out 

imperfections in building methods. 

Offsite fabrication is also entering the 

mainstream with some large-scale 

builders creating their own facilities to 

handle their modular building methods. 

These are perfect introductions to the 

industry where apprentices can gain 

their spurs before widening their 

experiences on the building site. 

As part of its ERP solution, the Access 

Group can incorporate the demands of 

offsite fabrication within its construction 

accounting software, allowing factory 

production to be assigned to separate 

projects, as appropriate. Employees on 

such sites will also be accommodated 

within the full legal requirements of a 

normal building site. 

Motivating potential recruits for the 

profession doesn't just rely on showing 

them what a great future there could be 

within a critically important and forwardlooking 

profession, but that the backup 

and personal security that key members 

in the profession provide is second to 

none. In 15 years' time the majority of 

the current Construction workforce will 

be retiring. This won't just affect your 

company, but the entire profession. 

There will be few replacements unless 

you make it happen. 

Search for Access Construction to see 

how they can support your business 

with construction software. 

www.theaccessgroup.com/construction 


INDUSTRY comment 

How technology collaboration is 

driving Net-Zero Carbon success 

By Mark Coates, International Director of Public Policy and 

Advocacy, Bentley Systems 

The UK will not achieve its 2050 

carbon emissions targets if it 

continues to follow the current 

stuttering path. Picking off the low 

hanging fruit - LED lighting, promoting 

electric cars, or changing energy provider 

- will be insufficient. 

The built environment seems a natural 

place to start, an industry that contributes 

to around 40% of global carbon emissions. 

Typically, over 80% of the emissions are 

found within the operational phase of a 

building's lifecycle, and the remaining 20% 

are split across design and build phase 

and the decommission/end-of-life phase. 

If we take the example of a hospital from 

an operational perspective, many 

different asset fields contribute to its 

overall carbon footprint. They include 

catering, waste management, cleaning, 

transport, heating/cooling, lighting, 

fridges, and medical equipment, which 

are spread across the physical hospital 

footprint of buildings, wings, floors, 

rooms, and theatres. 

In the case of the NHS, it is estimated 

that over 60% of its carbon footprint is 

within Scope 3: supply chain and partners. 

Although carbon emission figures may 

differ for other organisations, trends are 

generally similar, so our area of focus 

should be clear: the operational phase. We 

must also focus on ensuring that primary 

assets and services, as well as their supply 

chain, are appropriately measured, 

managed, controlled, and improved. 

DATA, DATA, AND MORE DATA 

All too often, static and active data from 

disjointed processes and disparate 

unconnected solutions are kept in silos or 

not maintained throughout the whole 

lifecycle. This disconnect prevents data 

from being used for continuous 

improvement. 

For new build capital projects, static data 

is usually held in CAD, BIM, CDEs 

(common data environments), and asset 

management (CAFM, CMMS) solutions. 

Active data usually comes from sources 

such as IoT sensing, BMS, and SCADA 

solutions, predominately found once the 

asset is in use in the operational phase. 

But the importance of interoperability, or 

at the very least defining a migration 

roadmap to more modern systems better 

suited to an interoperable environment, 

must be stressed. Gap analysis can help 

us better understand incumbent 

technology, people and processes, 

helping deploy and integrate a suitable 

smart building environment. 

Only when these projects are supported 

by an ecosystem of Subject Matter Experts 

(SMEs) for disciplines that share the same 

vision and objective of an interoperable 

environment generating reusable data for 

the client's desired business outcomes 

can we hope to achieve Net-Zero Carbon 

(NZC) outcomes. 

Sharing and merging data from different 

solutions is critical. For example, why heat 

and light a room if it's not being used? This 

scenario requires static data, such as 

room, dimensions, and location, and 

active data such as temperature, energy 

consumption, and occupancy. The positive 

impact on NZC targets would be extremely 

significant if owner-operators and 

engineering, architecture, and construction 

(AEC) partners adopted open 

interoperable solutions to ensure shared, 

non-siloed data can be used to achieve 

desired business outcomes such as NZC. 

Why do solutions need to work together? 

Simply put, data-driven decision-making 

opens up countless possibilities to reduce 

a carbon footprint, but we can't get there 

by working as an island. We need to bring 

together static and active data to form part 

of smart sustainability algorithms targeted 

to reduce direct and indirect emissions. 

The right questions of who, why, when, 

and how assets and locations are being 

used must be asked and applied to 

merged data sources to obtain insights 

12 


INDUSTRYcomment 

Overview of GHC protocol scopes and emissions across the value chain 

Technology collaboration of ecopartners supporting NZC and economic sustainability 

and drive actions and continuous 

improvement. 

Simon Roberts, managing director at 

Mercateo UK & Ireland, said: "The digitally 

integrated approach we have developed 

with SRO and our eco-partners is a 

potential game changer for sustainability 

within the built environment. Through 

proper use of data collected and exploited 

throughout the whole asset lifecycle, we 

can now bring together smart asset 

management and e-procurement solutions 

to automate the supply chain process from 

'need identified' using IoT on the asset, 

through to ordering parts from selected 

sustainable suppliers, to managing the 

maintenance work-orders." 

COLLABORATION AND SKILLSETS 

But as different software and subject 

matter experts are needed throughout an 

asset's lifecycle, bringing together different 

companies and their respective 

software/hardware and services and 

accessing their data can prove 

challenging. Skillsets from traditional AEC 

organisations are often only found in one 

domain, such as design or build-and, do 

not widen to consider the much larger 

operational impacts that a true smart 

sustainable building must conform to. 

Addressing interoperability using open 

standards of key solutions used across the 

whole asset lifecycle will ensure that data is 

not lost or duplicated. It will also ensure 

that data can be augmented and shared 

as the project moves through the design, 

build, and operational phases. 

Using an ecosystem of organisations, 

each specialising in the different solutions 

needed across the whole asset lifecycle 

of a built environment project, ensures 

modular open interoperable solutions and 

helps the client avoid the risk of falling 

into closed, proprietary solutions where 

they risk vendor lock-in. Interoperability 

enables "best in class" solutions that can 

be easily swapped in or out if deemed no 

longer fit for purpose. This approach also 

supports economic sustainability, as it 

allows multiple organisations to 

participate and contribute. 

The good news is that there are 

organisations undertaking this approach. 

Amanda Gomersall, General Manager of 

Corporate Services and Real Estate at 

Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust, says: "The 

design and build capital project team, 

E&FM, and other internal stakeholders are 

working collaboratively and feeding into a 

roadmap that will bring together data from 

new build and legacy systems, within three 

to five years. By having access to the right 

data and information, we can attain 

optimal efficiencies, which will help us 

achieve our Net-Zero targets and become 

carbon neutral by 2040." 

Professor Chris Gorse, Leeds Beckett 

University, agrees: "The integration of 

digital assets and resources throughout 

the whole asset lifecycle is essential. The 

luxury of assuming buildings operate as 

designed is insufficient. The lack of 

consistent and recognised metrics is 

prohibiting clients to invest due to inability 

to justify or prove business cases. As 

such, Leeds Beckett University will be 

creating an 'exemplar' environment 

capable of identifying, measuring and 

promoting opportunities and innovation in 

CO2 emission reductions and clinical 

healthcare outcomes." 

ACHIEVING NET-ZERO 

Achieving Net-Zero emissions targets is 

going to be challenging for all asset 

intensive organisations. There is no silver 

bullet or easy fix, and the owner-operators 

and wider AEC industry need to take leaps 

and bounds or else fail for their 

organisations and the planet. 

But innovation isn't just about technology. 

It's also about how technology, people, 

and processes are applied to a problem. 

There are certain areas in which a change 

in mindset is needed to support these 

leaps and bounds - from collaboration and 

an insufficient digital skillset, to early 

operations engagement and the 

interoperability of solutions producing nonsiloed 

data. 

NZC goals by 2050 are perfectly feasible. 

We have all the necessary technology and 

other pieces of the puzzle available to us. 

Collaboration, ensuring interoperability 

across the whole asset lifecycle, and 

stopping Design-to-Handover-type thinking 

will be key in reaching these targets. 

www.bentley.com 



Adapt or fail 

As Eque2's construction specific applications move to the cloud, its 

CEO, Justin Moule, provides a stark warning for companies that 

don't adapt to the need for tighter control over their operations 

In the drive to promote digitisation within 

the construction industry, Eque2 is 

moving its core products to the cloud. 

The industry is renowned for being behind 

the curve when it comes to modernisation, 

but the current turbulence within the market 

is forcing companies to adopt more up-todate 

business management systems that 

will enable them to weather the current 

storm and then to thrive in the future. 

Eque2, the Maidenhead based company, 

formerly launched in 1994 as Sage 

Construction, until an MBO in 2014, has 

made its Construct for Sage Accounts 

(SME solution) and EVision Microsoft 

Business Central (Enterprise ERP) solutions 

available to customers on the cloud. 

Both Construct for Sage and EVision 

provide industry-specific functionality 

which fully integrate with widely used and 

trusted accounting packages such as 

Sage, or in the case of EVision, with 

Microsoft's comprehensive business 

management software. It's a popular 

combination, as Eque2 claim that its 

customers want to gain the benefits of 

industry-specific functionality that is in the 

cloud, enables access to real-time data 

from any hardware device with an Internet 

connection, and doesn't require them to 

moving away from their tried and trusted 

Sage or Microsoft solutions. 

Justin Moule, CEO of Eque2 believes that 

the complexity of the demands in the 

market post-Brexit and Covid, has led 

many in the construction sector to realise 

the benefit of real time management 

information. "Everyone is talking about 

material shortages and supply chain 

issues but there are many other factors at 

play. Escalating labour, material and 

delivery charges, for instance, are all 

having a detrimental effect on the 

profitability of projects and highlight just 

one of the reasons why having accurate 

data is so valuable. 

"Although our software can't solve the root 

issues, it can help companies manage 

their finances, estimating and contract 

management much more efficiently. By 

being able to access information on any 

device, at any time, from anywhere, it puts 

them back in control and prevents that 

heart-stopping moment when unexpected 

bills start arriving after a job has been 

quoted, completed and invoiced. 

"Crucially, it can also identify unprofitable 

jobs early on so they are able to take 

remedial action before things escalate out 

of control. Our estimating software 

interfaces with Laxton's pricing information 

and is continually updated, which 

customers really value." 

THOSE WHO DON'T ADAPT WILL FAIL 

Moule expounded further on his view, 

saying that Eque2 is on target to double 

turnover and customer numbers over the 

next three years as contractors make the 

switch to tech-enabled business 

management systems. He also believes 

that cashflow and margin control are the 

biggest cause of concern post-Covid, 

adding that banks and investors are 

insisting on improved financial information 

and greater transparency, which is why 

adoption of technology is accelerating at 

such a pace. 

In order to deal with increased demand 

he does not rule out acquiring another 

business, and has recently overseen a 

major strategic reorganisation at Eque2. 

As well as moving some of its products to 

the cloud and allowing businesses the 

flexibility of accessing their information from 

anywhere on any device, the company has 

also introduced monthly subscriptions so 

that customers avoid the expense of 

upfront capital outlay on software. 

Moule, however, has a stark warning for 

those companies still reluctant to embrace 

digitalisation: "We've been around a long 

time. We live and breathe construction so 

we know what works and how to bring real 

value to our customers. That said, there 

are over 65,000 contractors in the UK that 

could benefit from an industry-specific ERP 

system - but staggeringly only around 10 

per cent of them have one. In this 

increasingly digitalised world, businesses 

that continue to use paper-based systems 

and manual administration to run their 

operations will be at a significant 

disadvantage." 

Eque2 is a fast growing company, adding 

over 250 customers every year to its 3000 

UK customer base. The company places 

significant resource and investment in 

customer retention and satisfaction 

activities which include UK telephone 

based support, a dedicated customer 

onboarding team, online knowledge bases 

for all products and hundreds of years 

industry experience across the business, 

and proactive account management. 

CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING 

SOFTWARE FOR SMES 

Eque2's construction-specific application, 

Construct for Sage, provides an integrated 

construction accounting and commercial 

management solution for SME contactor. It 

allows clients to manage all aspects of 

14 



their operations, including job costing, 

quotations, CIS, subcontractor 

management and applications, retentions 

and valuations, and works directly with 

Sage 50, Sage 200 and Sage Business 

Cloud Accounting, including Sage Payroll. 

For management purposes, Construct 

for Sage provides a series of customisable 

budget templates, and an easy to use 

Excel-based reporting tool for contracts, 

work in progress, cost and revenue 

budgets and actuals, and active profit 

figures. The data for each is processed 

automatically from information gathered 

on each project, using cost codes to set 

up and track jobs based on real-time 

progress. For example: Budgets v 

Ordered v Delivered/Accrued v Actuals v 

Cost to Complete. 

Contract for Sage facilitates compliance 

with HMRC and personnel requirements for 

the automatic payment of CIS, insurance 

and CSCS tracking. It can also be used to 

monitor performance ratings and manage 

subcontracted orders, applications, invoice 

matching, cumulative tracking and selfbilling 

payment certificates. 

MOBILE APPS 

Eque2's mobile apps provide the critical 

link between on-site construction activity 

and back-office accounting for both 

Construct for Sage and EVision customers. 

Besides inputting delivery notes and 

updating timesheets with data which is 

automatically transferred to payroll, mobile 

apps allow purchase orders to be made, 

authorised on-site and tracked through to 

delivery and subsequently invoiced. From 

an employees point of view, they can look 

at their contracts at any time to get a view 

of key information regarding a contracts 

financial position. 

ESTIMATING AND MAINTENANCE 

Eque2's industry-leading estimating 

software, EValuate, integrates with both 

Construct for Sage and EVision to provide 

a solution for managing projects from initial 

estimate through to final accounts. 

Construct further integrates with 

ServiceStream to allow businesses to log, 

schedule work, send out jobs to an 

engineer, and proactively manage field 

service management tasks. It enables 

companies to track the performance of 

subcontractors and reporting costs and 

profit margins of each stage of building 

projects, with fast CVR reporting to 

manage orders and compare the value of 

work completed against actual costs. 

EVISION ERP AND HOUSEBUILDING 

Eque2's EVision construction ERP solution 

creates a scalable, end-to-end industryspecific 

solution. It's aimed at large to 

enterprise companies, enabling them to 

manage the entire construction and 

contracting lifecycle, from initial bid 

through to site final account. 

For housebuilders, Eque2 provide a 

dedicated housebuilding solution used 

by national and regional housebuilders 

and property developers. The software 

allows companies to manage the four 

key areas of the house build process: 

from Land Appraisal, through Build and 

Sales to Customer Care. These can be 

used standalone or integrated with 

EVision to creates an end-to-end 

finance and operational management 

tool with housebuilding-specific 

functionality at its core. 

EVision adds construction-specific 

functionality to Microsoft's Dynamics 365 

Business Central's widely used 

applications - Outlook, Excel, Word, 

SharePoint, PowerApps and Power BI - to 

record, track and analyse core business 

and financial information. It introduces 

cumulative billing and payment routines 

with retention accounting for compliance 

with industry standards. 

Users can export data into Excel 

templates and create customised 

SharePoint views to allow multiple ways to 

interact with EVision, or collaborate within 

the company or with subcontractors and 

suppliers using tools such as OneNote 

and Teams. Its Three-tier Architecture 

enables integration with any third-party 

application through Web Services and 

other best of breed solutions. 

EVision includes a Multi-level Work 

Breakdown Structure (WBS) to provide 

better management of project costs and 

visibility of costs at different levels, and 

Cost Value Reconciliation reporting. 

EVision also includes full management of 

owned plant for lifecycle costing, enabling 

it to be charged to projects/contracts and 

integrated with MiraclePay - a more 

comprehensive payroll solution owned by 

Eque2 and based on Dynamics 365 

Business Central. 

AHEAD IN THE CLOUD 

Eque2's recent announcement about 

moving its products to the cloud 

underscores the need for tighter control of 

information within organisations and 

eliminates the bad practice of multiple 

systems and silos and the manual 

transference of data between each. It also 

provides a real-time management solution 

available from any location and from any 

connected device. It's the way of the future 

- and something the industry as a whole 

needs to adapt to. 

www.eque2-construction.co.uk 


INDUSTRY focus 

Real-time renders 

Enscape 3.2 offers dynamic real-time visualisation and streamlined workflows for architects and 

designers, writes David Chadwick 

Iremember a comment from an 

architect I was chatting to at Digital 

Construction Week who said that 

Enscape was an essential item within 

their architectural toolset. He added that 

he couldn't envisage now not being able 

to make changes to an architectural 

design, and then immediately switch to 

Enscape to see what the changes looked 

like in real-time. 

We've come a long way from the days 

when you had to swap out your 3D 

model to a render farm to produce a 

lifelike visualisation, and while you can 

now handle it all on your own 

workstation, there is still a disconnect 

between the design and the 

visualisation process. Current 

applications also tend to focus on 

different markets for the results - to 

produce stunning visualisations of 

static scenes with precise 

representations of surfaces, materials 

and reflections, or to create realistic 

walkthroughs and interactive scenes. 

Both types demand considerable 

computing power and tend to be set up 

post design, with the 3D model having 

to be exported and set up before it can 

be rendered. 

Enscape, on the other hand, focuses 

on providing real-time visualisation, 3D 

rendering and virtual reality scenarios 

for architects, engineers and other 

design professionals in the AEC 

industry, with fast and easy immersive 

transformations of BIM and CAD 

models. It integrates with the design 

application - currently Revit, SketchUp, 

Archicad, Vectorworks and Rhino - and 

enables users to see creations evolve 

as they work on designs. Users can 

also invite clients to get involved in the 

design process. 

ENSCAPE 3.2 

Enscape has recently released Version 

3.2, which enables architects and 

designers to produce even more vivid 

real-time visualisations, and to 

streamline the design workflow. It also 

introduces a new asset placement tool 

that is used to populate scenes for 

additional effect, to render multiple 

panoramas, and to manage data 

uploading and the sharing of links. It 

also comes with a library of green 

building assets and materials to satisfy 

the growing demand for sustainable 

architecture. 

DYNAMIC ASSET PLACEMENT 

As Enscape and the modelling software 

are linked, everything that is added to 

the model is instantly available in the 

rendered image - and vice versa. Not a 

problem when the assets you want to 

load are to be found in either the 

applications or Enscape's asset 

libraries. Once they are placed in a 

scene, they can be rotated, scaled and 

moved, depending on the modelling 

software, with changes synched back 

to the project. 

Dynamic Asset Placement can also be 

used to populate scenes with multiple 

objects - trees, cars and people - 

directly inside Enscape, in order to 

create realistic panoramas. 

PANORAMA ENHANCEMENTS 

With Batch Panoramas, users can 

create scenes in Mono or Stereo from a 

3D project, which can be shared by 

saving as a file and emailing it to a 

client. You can also upload single or 

multiple panoramas to the cloud where 

they can be saved as a gallery, or 

accessed on suitable devices using QR 

codes. Once again it's all done within 

the Enscape application - you don't 

need to access external apps to 

generate them. 

Once a link has been established, or a 

QR code assigned, Enscape can 

upload the new scenarios each time 

changes are made, without viewers 

having to re-enter links or codes. 

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE 

Architects and clients are getting 

serious about sustainable design, and 

you can ruin a good pitch if you 

populate a zero carbon building 

concept with a totally unsuitable 

16 


INDUSTRYfocus 

planting scheme, or carbon intensive 

materials. To this end Enscape have 

included over 150 green building 

assets in the latest version, including 

trees, plants and flowers. Some larger 

assets are also available, such as wind 

turbines, electric power stations, 

electric vehicles, drones and a scooter. 

This will obviously be increased 

according to demand and reflect 

changing energy supply, and evolving 

methods of transport. 

Similarly, Enscape has added 25 or 

so green building materials, such as 

organic bricks, bamboo fence, 

recycled plastic, a straw wall, hay 

plastic, solar modules, printed 

concrete, clay plaster, solar roof tiles, 

wood materials and rammed earth. If 

you are not familiar with all of these yet 

then you soon will be! 

It's not just eco materials that have 

been added, as there are 30 new 

frequently requested materials now 

available, such as wallpaper, tiles, 

marble, granite, leather, plaster and 

rubber tar - and around 50 new people 

models have been added to the 

population too. 

UPLOAD MANAGEMENT 

Enscape's previous Upload feature 

didn't match the intuitive usability of 

the rest of the software and so has 

been redesigned in the latest version, 

with the UI now providing a better and 

easier to use workflow. This will group 

uploads by type and project. The 

function indicators have also been 

improved. 

RAY TRACING 

I have always found ray tracing to be a 

fascinating subject. It involves 

following the path of light of rays from 

a natural or artificial light source as 

they bounce off all of the material 

surfaces within a building - some more 

reflective than others - the attributes 

reflected (no pun intended) in the 

material properties of each. It's 

obviously highly compute intensive and 

the number of 'bounces' of the rays 

depends on the processing power 

allocated to it. 

Ray tracing is also used to create 

shadow and lighting effects, and they 

too are processor dependent. In 

Enscape 3.2, with its enhanced realtime 

processing capabilities, shadow 

sharpness and accuracy has been 

improved by extending ray-traced sun 

shadows to videos and real-time 

walkthroughs. To understand the 

complexity of doing this, imagine the 

shadows being created as you move 

around the building and view sections 

from different angles - the necessary 

ray tracing calculations being updated 

as you move. 

Dedicated GPUs can handle the 

calculations easily, with additional 

performance available from AMD GPUs 

which use Vulkan ray tracing. 

NO TRAINING REQUIRED 

Turning architects 3D models into fully 

rendered images used to be left to 

dedicated individuals who had 

mastered the earlier technologies. That 

is now a thing of the past as Enscape, 

fully integrated with leading 

applications, doesn't require any 

special expertise or training, and is 

available from the moment you switch 

your workstation on. 

That's probably why it has become a 

staple extension of design software. By 

using Enscape, you also gain access 

to a community of remarkable users 

whose forum provides an open space 

to discuss requests and best practices 

with support from technology 

development teams. 

"Real-time visualisation is more than 

just a beautiful rendering. It is now an 

essential and critical part of any design 

process, providing important data to 

make design decisions and 

communicate them to key 

stakeholders," said Petr Mitev, VP, 

Visualisation Product Group at 

Enscape. "With each product update, 

we add new features and improve 

existing features and functionality to 

help more architects and designers 

quickly and easily visualise and 

communicate their designs in real time. 

Enscape 3.2 is another step forward in 

truly integrating the design and 

visualisation workflows into one." 

ABOUT ENSCAPE 

Enscape software is compatible with 

Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad, and 

Vectorworks and is used by renowned 

architecture firms in over 150 

countries. Headquartered in Karlsruhe, 

Germany, the company also has an 

office in New York. 

www.enscape3d.com 


CASE study 

A woven façade 

David Chadwick looks at how Vectorworks Architect enabled GDP Architects to add another iconic 

building to the Kuala Lumpur skyline 

Having run a case study in our last 

issue about a makeover for a 

campervan using Vectorworks, I 

thought it would be a good idea to 

include another case study in this issue 

which lies at the other end of the scale - 

the design of a fabulous corporate 

headquarters for a banking organisation 

in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The case 

study was released at the same time as 

Vectorworks 2022 to illustrate what the 

software is all about - a design tool for 

architects and planners that can be used 

by individual architects and the smallest 

of practices through to companies 

handling large and prestigious projects 

with no limitations. 

The Asian Institute of Chartered 

Bankers Building (AICB), which 

won Building of the Year 2021 - 

Public and Institutional (Gold) 

at the 2021 PAM Malaysia 

Awards, was designed by 

GDP Architects using 

Vectorworks Architect. 

The design of the 

building centres 

around a façade 

that's nothing 

short of 

captivating. 

Its 

overlapping panels are based on 

songket fabric weaving, a pattern that 

belongs to the Malay world. 

Kuala Lumpur is no stranger to iconic 

buildings. It's the home of the Petronas 

Towers, the twin towers 

which were the tallest 

skyscrapers in the 

world from 1998- 

2004. They have 

recently been 

joined by 

Merdeka 

118, which 

with its 

118 

stories, standing at 678.9 metres is now 

the second tallest tower in the world (by 

virtue of its 150m spire). The AICB 

building isn't aspiring to join such lofty 

company, but through its design and use 

of Malaysian inspired detailing it is set to 

firmly establish itself in Malaysian 

iconography. 

SONGKET FABRIC WEAVING 

The songket-inspired pattern used in the 

AICB building links commerce and 

culture tastefully and unabashedly, a nod 

to the idea that commercial buildings 

must respect the regions where they're 

built. It would've been easy to design any 

old pattern for the façade, but GDP 

Architects not only understand the 

distinct footprint left behind by such a 

substantial building - they embrace it. 

The pattern can be seen throughout the 

façade, so much so that the firm labels 

the diamonds an overall motif for the 

project. The aluminum diamonds serve 

both form and function. In tropical Kuala 

Lumpur, they redirect rainfall off the 

building to preserve it from natural wear 

as well as invite natural light into the 

building. 

The AICB building is built on a 3.16-acre 

site, with a gross area of. 514,359 sq. ft. 

and net area of 325,621 sq. ft. It consists 

of two separate areas - an office complex 

which stands 12 stories high and a 6 

storey training center. 

SELECTING MATERIALS 

The architects focused on the building's 

presence in the Kuala Lumpur skyline. 

The 12-story tower is made of glass and 

aluminum, offering both elegance and 

lasting durability. Other material 

selections include sandstone in the 

training podium and solid aluminum 

panels in the auditorium. The architects 

selected warmer-toned materials for 

street level to appeal to passersby. 

18 


CASEstudy 

ADDRESSING SITE CONSTRAINTS 

The architects had to design around the 

fact that the site faces KTM trainlines and 

a major car traffic artery, which introduce 

noise disturbances to the scheme. The 

building form is slightly inclined to reduce 

sound from these sources, and pocket 

gardens and vertical greens line the 

building to further absorb noise. 

1 BUILDING, 11 AGENCIES 

The building is home to 11 different 

agencies, which was a vital design 

consideration for the architects. There 

needed to be areas that encourage 

collaboration as well as rooms for each 

agency to operate independently. This 

explains the inclusion of several 'breakout 

rooms', pictured above, which take a 

stylistic approach to sequestered offices. 

DESIGN WITHOUT LIMITS 

As the project selected to showcase what 

the latest release of Vectorworks is all 

about, the AICB building demonstrates 

completely that it's the product of a very 

sophisticated design process. 

The project team consisted of 19 

people: six project managers, six 

architects, three associates, two interior 

designers, and two people focused on 3D 

and organisation. That's a lot of people to 

coordinate for one project. 

According to GDP Architects' CEO Kamil 

Merican, roughly 90% of the practice uses 

Vectorworks. The software helps GDP 

from early concept phases all the way to 

implementation. They incorporate 

Grasshopper and Rhino into their 

workflow as well for specific design 

needs; this geometry is then carried over 

into the Vectorworks design hub. "The 

tools of Vectorworks are simpler and 

easier to handle, and in terms of 

graphics, it's much better than other BIM 

software," according to Merican. 

GDP worked with several consultants 

including C&S, M&E, and landscape 

architects. Although the landscaping 

could have been done using Vectorworks' 

own landscaping tools, most of the 

consultants they worked with used 

AutoCAD. Even so, Merican reports that 

the file exchange process was painless - 

it simply involved importing or exporting 

DWG files to and from Vectorworks. 

Designing iconic buildings is easier 

when you don't have to battle with the 

software. Vectorworks proves itself time 

after time, providing intuitive design tools 

that can handle all aspects of a design, 

from concept and pattern building to 

freeform modelling, supported by 

comprehensive materials and 

components libraries, and totally 

configurable within a BIM workflow. 

MALAYSIA 

I spent some time in Malaysia a couple of 

years ago, staying with friends on the top 

floor of a condo overlooking Georgetown 

in Penang, and the mainland. Urban 

development in the whole country is as 

much upward as outward, but the 

highlight of my stay was the Chinese New 

Year celebrations where we were able to 

watch the fireworks below us. Georgetown 

isn't part of Malaysia's urban development, 

and has some great street art on show to 

rival any of Banksy's. 

www.vectorworks.net 


TECHNOLOGYfocus 

Making the most of a CDE 

Nassim Saoud, Director EMEA at Trimble Consulting explains why common data environments 

help construction teams increase collaboration and reduce risk 

Major construction projects come 

with major data challenges. Large 

infrastructure projects are no 

exception - not only is there the sheer 

volume of data to gather, but there are also 

many different teams each using their own 

technology tools, most of which won't 

communicate seamlessly. As a result, 

manual data sharing is common, taking up 

valuable time and resources, and leading 

to errors and omissions that trigger design 

changes and rework. 

A common data environment (CDE), 

providing a unified view and single source 

of truth about each project, can help 

mitigate the challenges of growing 

sustainability pressures, tighter budget 

constraints, and labour shortages. 

Centralised and consolidated project 

information can be the catalyst that helps 

minimise rework and RFIs, use materials 

and equipment more efficiently and reduce 

overall project risk. 

Using a CDE also enables digital project 

delivery, which is used to produce models 

for visualisation, collect 3D survey 

data, create contract 

plansheets, 

record as-built data, and develop 

digital twins. Having a data-rich, accurate 

representation of a project enables project 

stakeholders to monitor construction 

progress and manage resources more 

effectively. Post-construction, digital twins 

provide owners with insight into the design 

and construction decisions behind the 

asset. Sensors continually record 

information on utilisation, weather and 

more, which is fed back into the digital 

twin. With this comprehensive data 

collected throughout the lifecycle of the 

asset, owners can simplify and optimise 

maintenance and operations. 

Ideally cloud-based platforms, the most 

advanced CDE's are accessible from a 

range of devices, including computers, 

mobile phones, tablets, and even 

machines in the field. Project stakeholders 

can access BIM models, GIS data, 

contract documents, estimates, work 

plans and reports from anywhere, as well 

as granular data like installation details and 

materials specifications. 

A CDE can also play a vital role in 

achieving better outcomes with BIM. 

Currently, most AEC firms use BIM 

primarily for design, leaving much of the 

potential value for improving project 

delivery unused, with teams still operating 

in silos. BIM can help stakeholders share 

information across construction 

disciplines. They can leverage the model 

to capture and retrieve data throughout all 

phases of the project, not just design. BIM 

becomes a shared source of truth for the 

various design professionals, engineers, 

contractors, specialists, and owner 

stakeholders involved in the project. 

With a CDE adding centralised access to 

accurate project data, multidisciplinary 

teams improve collaboration further, reduce 

waste and rework, and can share data with 

owners to inform ongoing management 

and maintenance projects. A CDE provides 

a shared, centralised, and federated view 

through a Master Assembly, bringing all 

disciplines together, and enabling custom 

and tailored data consummation for each 

project role, offering the ability to switch 

between macro views and very detailed 

micro views. 

FIVE WAYS TO MAXIMISE THE 

VALUE OF A CDE 

A CDE is a powerful platform, but it has to 

be set up and used consistently to truly 

20 



reap its benefits. By implementing the 

following best practices, teams can 

leverage their CDE to reduce errors, waste, 

and miscommunication. 

1. Make the Right Data Accessible at the 

Right Time 

With all project data centralised, it's 

important to prevent the confusion that can 

arise from sharing project data too early or 

too late in the process. Ideally, the CDE 

allows for project managers to segment 

users into groups and control which 

information those groups can access, 

when, and how they can interact with it. 

2. Streamline Workflows with Automation 

Using a solution that supports application 

programming interfaces (APIs) allows for 

connecting the CDE with a wide variety of 

systems now and in the future, such as 

ERP systems and document management 

tools. That connectivity can then be used 

to improve accuracy and efficiency. For 

example, an automated workflow between 

the CDE and ERP could trigger payments 

to surveyors when official documentation is 

uploaded and shared through the CDE. 

3. Ensure Data Integrity with One-to-One 

Mapping 

With multiple systems from various 

technology providers feeding and 

extracting data from the CDE, there is a 

risk of data integrity loss. The right CDE will 

maintain the quality of the data, no matter 

which programmes various stakeholders 

use. It will offer one-to-one data mapping, 

which is the process of matching fields 

between systems without stripping or 

editing data. 

4. Prevent Data Clutter 

During the implementation process it is key 

that the CDE supports the data being 

captured in a way most useful to the teams 

involved, by for instance using customised 

and standardised fields and attributes to 

provide guardrails for the information that 

users can enter, ultimately preventing data 

overload, reducing errors and visual clutter. 

5. Use a CDE that Supports Open 

Standards 

A CDE that treats all data from various 

sources equally facilitates the sharing 

and exchange of data. Support for open 

standards also eliminates the risks that 

come with manual data entry and poor 

data integrity and facilitates information 

sharing between any tool without losing 

or corrupting data. 

SELECTING THE RIGHT CDE 

Teams working on building construction 

projects of all kinds use Trimble Connect 

as their BIM-centric CDE, plus much 

more. In addition to integrating with a 

variety of Trimble products and third 

party applications, Connect allows all 

users to view project information and 

data-rich models in real time. 

Stakeholders can also assign and review 

tasks, monitor activity, and automate 

versioning so users always know they're 

viewing the latest documents. These 

features set the foundation for the 

Constructible Process, an approach that 

connects all phases and trades of a 

project to reduce risk. 

The more complex a construction 

project is, the bigger the need for a CDE 

that enables teams to send and receive 

data bidirectionally, view and interact 

with project models, and improve their 

data analysis capabilities. A CDE like 

Trimble Quadri is specifically geared 

towards linear infrastructure projects that 

combine BIM and GIS capabilities. It 

also enables the bidirectional flow of 

data directly between the model and 

internal systems. It is object- and 

process-based, with all information 

being appended to the model, which is 

updated continuously throughout the 

project - meaning there are no versions 

to manage. By using a task-based 

approach, the CDE enables teams to 

manage their entire BIM execution plan 

within the system. 

With data flowing openly, Quadri acts 

as an automated data aggregator. 

Machine control information, surveying 

data, and photogrammetry information is 

constantly being fed back into the 

system, automating the collection of 

data used to create a digital as-built. The 

as-built data can also be used in the 

operational phase of the asset when 

maintenance and repairs are needed. 

HIGH SPEED RAIL ASSET DATA 

CENTRALLY MANAGED 

Last December, SNCF Réseau, the French 

Railway Authority, announced that it had 

selected an integrated solution of Trimble 

Connect and Quadri to serve as the central 

system within its Enterprise Common Data 

Environment for the next three years. 

Pierre-Etienne Gautier, director of SNCF 

Réseau BIM and Digital Continuity 

Programme stated that an open CDE was 

instrumental in SNCF Réseau's strategic 

roadmap to create a digital twin of its 

infrastructure. Enriching the digital twins 

consistently through a secure open CDE, 

SNCF can maintain its infrastructure to the 

highest standards during its entire lifecycle. 

SNCF manages the largest high-speed 

rail in Europe at over 30,000 kilometers 

along with a large portfolio of greenfield 

(network extension) and brownfield 

(network modernisation) projects. The 

enterprise adoption of the CDE ensures 

digital continuity across all design, 

construction, operation & maintenance 

phases. SNCF Réseau is one of the 

organisations adopting a combined 

solution to address building construction 

(Connect) and linear infrastructure projects 

(Quadri). These systems federate all 

company data into one consolidated and 

integrated system, SNCF's CDE. Under the 

new three-year contract, SNCF Réseau will 

cover the entire project lifecycle - from 

design and construction to operations and 

maintenance - within its IT environment. 

As SNCF is constantly expanding and 

updating its infrastructure, having a 

common data environment that supports 

collaborative model development for all 

digital assets is seen as instrumental in 

working efficiently and effectively, 

according to Judicaël Dehotin, deputy 

director of SNCF Réseau BIM Programme. 

Using CDEs to review and manage a 

project provides great value throughout a 

project's lifecycle, the model and data 

playing an increasing role in long-term 

investment planning. 

Focusing on CDEs helps users - 

architects, engineers, contractors and 

others - implement best practices, and 

leverage the data to achieve truly 

transformational process improvements. 

www.trimble.com 


SOFTWAREfocus 

Update 2, Take 2 

What else is new in Archicad 25 Update 2? We continue our look at the latest features of Graphisoft's 

most recent update 

It's only fair that our look at Archicad 25 

comes in two installments as Graphisoft 

have adopted a similar approach with 

the software, releasing Update 2 a couple 

of months after the release of Archicad 25. 

In the last issue we covered two of the 

most important new additions - the 

integration of Maxon's Redshift for 

enhancing the software's rendering 

capabilities, and the introduction of the 

Forward Agreement for Archicad users. 

Here we’ll be looking at the 

enhancements to Archicad's design and 

documentation capabilities and its 

collaboration tools, with enhanced 

usability, navigation, and accurate quantity 

take-offs. The latest release further 

empowers Archicad users to create great 

architecture from early concept designs 

through to construction documents. 

COLLABORATION 

Although Archicad can be used to take 

projects from conception to completion, 

the complexity and diversity of larger 

projects necessarily entails working with 

multiple partners, many of whom use 

alternative design software. Accordingly, in 

order to facilitate open collaboration, 

Archicad supports more than 40 export 

and import formats, including DWG, PDF, 

XLS, and SAF, as well as the 

manufacturer-independent and industrystandards 

IFC and BCF. 

Even the most open of these, IFC, needs 

a bit of extra tweaking to ensure that 

architects and engineers are sharing the 

most accurate model data, so the latest 

release includes a streamlined export 

process for them. 

The collaboration function has been 

improved when working with engineers 

using Revit MEP software. Support for 

Revit file formats up to 2021 is now built 

into Archicad, and you can import RFA as 

a native Archicad Object and create MEP 

equipment from Revit Family files or export 

a 3D model as Revit 3D geometry and 

hotlink a 3D RVT model. Archicad now 

handles Revit's Discipline filter as well, so 

that when you hotlink a Revit file what you 

see in Revit is what you get in Archicad. 

As a result you can reuse previous 

project files when migrating from Revit to 

Archicad, thanks to the RFA & RVT 

geometry exchange functionality. This is 

available out-of-the-box with Archicad 25, 

with support for Autodesk Revit 2021. 

As well as sharing data, it's imperative 

that all project members and stakeholders 

are working on the same bit of real estate - 

and they can ensure this by using 

Archicad's Native Survey Point. This 

enables architects to set and lock the 

project's survey point and use it to 

coordinate subsequent plans regardless 

of the software they're using. 

Hotlink modules allow the contents of 

external files to be inserted into repetitive 

features in an Archicad model - such as 

the contents of a hotel bedroom or office. 

Rooms can be placed as Hotlink modules, 

and either modified individually or all of 

them in one step by modifying the source 

file. The process is now easier than ever 

as models can now populated with 

information directly from Excel. 

ARCHICAD 25'S STRUCTURAL 

ANALYSIS 

FRILO, like Graphisoft, belongs to the 

Nemetschek family of companies. The 

company's software is used for structural 

engineering calculations for reinforced 

concrete, roof and timber structures, 

foundations and soil analysis, as well as 

standard steel analysis. Update 2 allows 

users to Integrate structural models within 

Archicad 25 and switch between Archicad 

and FRILO with a single click, ensuring 

bilateral and up-to-date information 

sharing with structural engineers. 

When opening an engineer's SAF model, 

Archicad 25 recognises and displays load 

data on all model views - floorplans, 

sections and elevations - which can be 

used by engineers to view and compare 

load cases when checking updated 

models. 

22 


SOFTWAREfocus 

The software provides Generation Rules 

which automate much of the process in 

structural analytical models and ensures 

that modifications like Offset Adjustments, 

Connection Range and Streamlined 

Structural Supports, are synchronised 

between the analytical and the physical 

models. 

DESIGN UPDATES 

Archicad 25 Update 2 includes the 

Overlap check as an experimental feature, 

available as a Technology Preview. It 

detects partial linear overlaps - the 

detection of pairs of overlapping elements 

which are highlighted - and can be 

corrected before documentation. It 

enables architects to deliver more 

accurate and error-free models, although 

the feature can only currently be used for 

straight lines and not curved. Archicad 25 

already checks for duplicate and fully 

overlapping linear elements. 

STAIR DESIGN 

Stair design always appear to come with 

fresh enhancements. In the latest update 

the stair design set of tools can be used to 

comply with those local standards which 

stipulate the length of a stair's walking line 

- an imaginary sloping line parallel to the 

slope of the stairs and touching the nosing 

of all treads. It usually lies about 40cm 

from the centre of the handrail. Users can 

define the walking line using a new 

calculation algorithm, although the existing 

Along Arc geometry method is suitable for 

most designs and can still be used. 

Turning Point - Asymmetric Going, 

another new feature, is used to define a 

new stair winder option. This automatic 

calculation can be used to distribute the 

extra landing length equally from the 

landing start, middle, or end. This is 

especially useful when adapting an 

existing staircase to a changing design 

environment. 

DESIGN PRESENTATION 

First of all, the component library has been 

updated, with 39 new contemporary 

furnishings - modular kitchen cabinets, 

sofas, clothes hangers, curtains, coat 

racks, tables, chairs, mattresses, and grills 

- now part of the default Archicad library, 

which has now amassed over 1,300 

parametric objects. 

Update 2 also allows users to add lifelike 

detail to designs, such as displaying 

surface textures directly in section and 

elevation views without the need for postprocessing 

software, or incorporating 

other artistic details, like using soft 

shadows to add contours and depth to 

surfaces. Users can also overlay textures 

with the pattern fill of their choice. 

NEW GRAPHIC OVERRIDE OPTIONS 

It's not about amassing information - it's 

about using what you have available, and 

a couple of the update features contribute 

to that, such as the extension to Graphic 

Overrides, zone labels and cost estimates 

You can highlight any element in a model 

with custom colours or contours to 

highlight different parts of a building, for 

example to display all walls to be 

plastered in blue, or to show all elements 

which have specific acoustic or fire 

ratings. They can be used to group zones 

together as well to show, for instance, 

unheated areas in a building. New 

controls in Graphic Overrides include 

custom RGB colour for both Surface and 

Fill Background Pen overrides; surface 

transparency; and on/off display of 

contours on cut and uncut surfaces in 

model views. 

In addition, you can document zonespecific 

data on project views 

automatically and precisely with the new 

Zone Labels - without manual 

workarounds - and use Smart Dimensions 

to enjoy more reactive placement of 

dimensions that adjust themselves 

according to the visibility of the objects' 

node they reference. 

Cost estimations are available with 

greater accuracy thanks to enhancements 

in component listing and calculation 

methods. Users can calculate 

components' "conditional" area and 

volume, in addition to net and gross 

values, or set up rules and conditions to fit 

specific local requirements. This includes 

the ability to get accurate quantity 

estimates with customisable polygonal 

openings - the details that come with MEP 

elements - which can now display MEP 

related information on MEP 

documentation workflows. 

Shesh Gorur, Vice President for Product 

Success, Graphisoft, outlined the 

company's approach to software 

development. "At Graphisoft, we believe 

that the software must adapt to the 

architect and not the other way around," 

he said. "The tool must be flexible enough 

to accommodate creativity while 

complying with local standards and 

regulations. Graphisoft's focus is to 

provide precision tools that make our 

products more flexible and intuitive. You 

work on the design, and the process runs 

in the background," he emphasised. 

www.graphisoft.com 



4D Planning 

4D planning is the process of applying time plans to 

3D models, while the output is a visual simulation of a 

construction project, writes David Chadwick 

Iwas looking through the wrong end of 

the telescope when I spoke to David 

Simpson, Global Product Manager at 

Elecosoft, about 4D planning recently. I 

was focused on the project management 

side of the business - the use of 

consolidated data to provide the 

information that Project Managers need to 

make strategic decisions. Whilst this is an 

obvious benefit, 4D planning leverages 

the mass of finer detail contained within 

the BIM model to highlight the day-to-day 

activities on site, and to recognise and 

deal with issues as they occur. 

The most effective way of doing this is to 

use an all-encompassing 4D planning tool 

that can support the creation of scheduled 

timings, activate the components of the 

3D model to visually simulate the 

scheduled sequence, and capture 

progress on-site. This as-built data can 

then be used to compare scheduled 

progress against the original plan. This is 

only achievable if the Project Managers 

have detailed information on every 

element of construction related activity on 

the site, and the commencement and 

completion of each task. 

This, of course, is made simpler with 

Elecosoft's Site Progress Mobile, the 

application that keeps on-site managers 

and personnel fully briefed on their daily 

tasks, providing a two-way 

communication to iron out local 

difficulties, requirements and requests, 

and to sign off tasks when they are 

completed. 

Properly administered 4D planning has 

huge benefits. If tasks in a particular trade 

fall behind schedule, it becomes 

immediately apparent within the 

simulation model what other activities will 

be jeopardised and which other trades will 

be affected. Steps can either be taken to 

alleviate the problem, or to utilise the 

software's 'what if' capabilities to explore 

some alternative strategies to get the 

project back on schedule. 

Back to the telescope - I assumed that 

considerable effort would be needed to 

set up 4D planning scenarios, but much 

of the hard graft has already been done. 

The data to run 4D planning already 

exists. The 4D planning process is reliant 

on the architect's 3D construction BIM 

model, and the daily task allocation for 

each of the trades involved is standard 

operating procedure, with the resource 

scheduler in each category defining the 

human resources, activities and materials 

to be used for each task, specifying its 

duration and enabling its completion to be 

signalled back for inclusion within the 

single construction model. 

There are still some construction 

activities that have to be added to the 

architect's model, and these relate to 

temporary works, the use of construction 

plant, the supply of building components 

and material and their temporary 

disposition on the building site. I did a tour 

of the Hinckley Point construction site 

recently, and the most prominent features 

were the mass of cranes on-site and the 

seemingly haphazard storage of materials 

waiting to be picked up and used. 

I am assured that with 4D planning each 

separate and temporary piece of 

equipment, and stored components, can 

be modelled and included within a 4D 

model, and used as required. Cranes, for 

instance, would need their arc of 

operation and height limitations to be 

included as an attribute, as would the time 

needed to erect and dismantle them after 

they have completed their role. 

VIRTUAL LEGO OR A VITAL TOOL? 

Watching a building simulation on screen is 

certainly fascinating and very impressive for 

potential clients, but beyond seeing how 

physical progress during its construction 

matches that of the simulated model, what 

other benefits does 4D planning provide? 

Probably the first that comes to mind is the 

most obvious - educating the stakeholder. 

As David explained to me, using the 4D 

model to communicate with the stakeholder 

improves and reduces waste throughout 

the entire building lifecycle. What is more, 

the further upstream 4D is embedded 

within the value chain the greater the 

returns. For instance, it gives stakeholders 

the opportunity to ask questions and factor 

in productivity issues, using the 4D model 

as a problem solver and layering in other 

factors like cost, facilities management and 

environmental concerns and simulating 

their effect on the whole project timeline. 

Adopting this approach facilitates a lean 

methodology, refining and cutting 

unnecessary costs in the tendering process 

and producing more accurate figures. 

Because the whole lifecycle process is 

centered around BIM, 4D planning 

supports Common Data Environment 

(CDE) continuity during the construction 

phase of a project and its handover and 

subsequent occupation and management. 

The biggest benefit, though, is that it 

provides a focus for site issues, using the 

information provided by on-site trades and 

their employees using Elecosoft's Site 

Progress Mobile. The commencement, 

progress and completion of every activity is 

recorded and therefore capable of being 

simulated in the 4D model. Should the 

project fall behind schedule, it will be picked 

up in the model, but more importantly, its 

impact on related activities will also be 

24 



picked up and highlighted. This is the 

common function of critical path analysis 

within Powerproject and other project 

management applications, but on major 

projects the complexity of each section of a 

project and the interaction between trades 

prevents both detailed analysis and the 

ability to look beyond the issue and 

examine various 'what if' scenarios to 

address the problems. 

The 4D simulation model, however, can be 

examined in detail, and parties involved can 

visually inspect issues that arise, ascertain 

the costs in terms of time lost and extra 

costs incurred by carrying the simulations 

forward and assessing alternative courses. 

Constructive communication can be carried 

out in real-time, whether they are on-site 

meetings or online video meetings. 

ADOPTION OF 4D PLANNING 

4D planning has been a topic of interest for 

a number of years, but it is only now that its 

adoption has become more widespread. 

Based on BIM, it is quite probable, said 

David Simpson, that it is only recently that 

companies have developed the right 

mindset to leverage its greater possibilities, 

and the industry has been more focused on 

other issues - such as the prevalence of low 

margins throughout, and skill shortages 

within the workforce. 

On the skill shortage, I asked how the 

construction industry could plug the gap? 

This, suggested David, is what an industry 

going through digital transformation is all 

about: identifying challenges, adopting 

processes and technologies that solve 

problems and then, in the context of skills 

shortages, attracting talent by marketing the 

exciting cutting-edge industry we live and 

breathe. That is what 4D planning is 

enabling. Furthermore, the growing trend 

towards modular building and off-site 

fabrication is ideally suited to the 

technology, using building simulations to 

incorporate building components, put 

together in a controlled and quality 

inspected factory, to be delivered to the site 

and erected by semi-skilled fitters, rather 

than fully skilled artisans. 

This is a perfect introduction to the 

upcoming release of Elecosoft's 

Powerproject BIM, where time can be 

applied to bring your project to life even 

further through automation. 

AUTOMATION IN 4D PLANNING 

Powerproject BIM automation takes the 3D 

model from the architect to create a first 

pass schedule in Powerproject, reducing 

process duplication and waste by 

automating the schedules, creating work 

breakdown structures and code libraries 

and drawing and linking tasks for critical 

path analysis, all of which can be done in 

minutes, and then layering in the contexts 

required, assigning codes, calendars and 

resources and costs, all based on existing 

company templates. 

The schedule can then be refined to 

accommodate particular features, to take in 

local weather conditions during the 

construction period, or to facilitate a design 

change, perhaps using steel instead of 

wooden components, or cater for an 

expected shortage or cost increase in 

materials. Having created a custom schedule 

for one project, it can be saved and used for 

similar projects thereafter - a handy feature 

that becomes even more valuable with the 

growing trend for modular building. 

RISK MITIGATION 

Based on Powerproject, we mustn't lose 

sight of the powerful project management 

features in the software whilst we play 

around with the 4D simulation. It comes 

with a built-in risk analysis tool that analyses 

relationships between schedules and 

budgets, identifying tasks most likely to 

cause delays or overruns, and assesses 

the likelihood of a project finishing on a 

particular date, or running over budget. Use 

4D planning, then, as part of a complete 

management portfolio, one that 

incorporates a variety of perspectives into 

the successful completion of a project. 

www.elecosoft.com/bim 



Harnessing The Atom 

XYZ Reality launches a transformational Augmented Reality headset - The Atom 

Transformational is the new buzzword 

to describe a big technological 

advance or improvement, and has 

been aptly used to describe XYZ Reality's 

new AR headset for construction, The 

Atom. XYZ Reality is the UK construction 

technology start-up behind HoloSite, the 

world's first Engineering-Grade Augmented 

Reality Platform, which they have recently 

followed with the worldwide commercial 

launch of The Atom, the most accurate AR 

headset for construction. 

It is a landmark announcement for XYZ 

Reality. It was encouraged by the success 

of HoloSite to the market, and a successful 

£20 million Series A funding round in June 

to widen access to the augmented reality 

technology globally, aiming to eliminate 2D 

in its entirety and bring an industry in 

decline back to life. It enables construction 

workers around the world to build from 

holograms and make a huge dent on the 

77% of megaprojects that overrun globally. 

Using AR construction workers can view 

and position design models on site to 

5mm accuracy and make real-time 

decisions in the field. The ground-breaking 

technology also significantly eliminates 

errors out of tolerance and reduces the 

time taken from set-out to build. 

Now, on track for 300 percent growth in 

2022, the launch places XYZ Reality on its 

trajectory to significantly increase its global 

market share and puts it well on track to 

becoming a market-leading ConTech 

company. The strategic move responds to 

a sharp increase in take-up from 

megaproject asset owners and general 

contractors who have already observed 

the power of XYZ Reality's Engineering- 

Grade AR technology. 

Over the last two years during its 

restricted commercial programme, XYZ 

Reality has deployed this technology to 

projects valued at over £1.5 billion, working 

with selected customers on data centres, 

pharmaceutical facilities and airports. This 

collaboration with some of the biggest 

names in the construction sector not only 

refined its proprietary technology, but 

proved XYZ Reality's proposition as a 

leading, construction-dedicated 

technology provider. 

The new announcement brings XYZ 

Reality's full, transformative potential to 

market to deliver instant, operational 

results for the whole industry. Coinciding 

with the launch, the company is cementing 

its global aims with the establishment of a 

US headquarters, bringing its cuttingedge, 

powerful technology directly to a 

large and technologically advanced market 

of contractors and stakeholders, 

supporting the delivery of the largest 

projects on the American continent. 

Named the UK's third hottest start-up and 

one of the top three construction 

technology firms, XYZ Reality is focused on 

making the lives of all construction workers 

easier by democratising the skillset, 

boosting productivity and closing the skills 

gap with Assisted Reality - their term - 

existing only to enhance the role of the 

construction worker. 

THE ATOM 

XYZ Reality describes The Atom as the 

most accurate AR tool for construction 

currently available. Combining a safetycertified 

hard hat, augmented reality 

displays and the in-built computing power 

of HoloSite, the device positions BIM onsite 

to millimetre accuracy. This Engineering- 

Grade tool makes the entire construction 

journey safer, smarter and more efficient, 

reducing waste, derisking processes and 

delivering bottom line benefits for 

contractor and asset owner alike. 

Commenting on the release, XYZ Reality 

Founder & CEO David Mitchell said, 

"Technology is transforming the way the 

construction industry operates, enabling 

contractors to deliver higher quality more 

efficiently. Since inception, we have seen a 

greater understanding of the potential of 

AR to achieve better outcomes and 

improve margins. This commercial launch 

is a definitive proof point of our product's 

value and the substantial appetite for it 

across the industry, particularly on mission 

critical projects where the highest levels of 

accuracy are required." 

He continues, "Our entry into North 

America was spearheaded by current 

partners who are bringing us to the allimportant 

territory. The market presents an 

exciting growth opportunity and is now 

supported with The Atom, which has been 

designed to show just how easy it is to 

work with our technology on-site. As XYZ 

Reality continues to grow, and we 

introduce new audiences to our powerful 

proposition, we will show how Engineering- 

Grade AR is an essential tool to delivering 

the highest quality, best outcomes for 

construction professionals." 

"We've been working with XYZ Reality 

since the beginning and have already 

been impressed with how their powerful 

AR technology has been able to 

significantly increase efficiency and 

improve quality across multiple mission 

critical projects," said Coral Butler, Group 

Head of Digitally 

enabled Lean Project Delivery, PM Group, 

an early adopter of XYZ Reality's HoloSite. 

"The Atom has taken it to the next level. 

What's so important is that The Atom has 

been developed by construction, for 

construction. David and the team have an 

acute understanding about the challenges 

and pressures on-site and the frustrations 

presented by the validation process. This 

Engineering tool is essential for project 

management, one which delivers benefits 

from planner through to asset owner." 

You can find out more about the 

commercial launch of The Atom and book 

a demonstration of the new headset at the 

website below. 

www.xyzreality.com 

26 


INDUSTRYfocus 

Going up: the future of skyscrapers 

Niftylift, worldwide suppliers of high lift platforms, highlight four engineering marvels to look out for - 

or rather up to 

The world is full of engineering 

marvels that test the limits of 

architectural innovation. For 

example, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest 

skyscraper to have ever been built. The 

structure, which stands 829.8 metres tall, 

continues to represent contemporary 

advancements in engineering. So how will 

we attempt to overcome this milestone 

and build the next tallest tower? 

Whether you're a construction manager 

seeking inspiration or an architectural 

enthusiast, the buildings currently being 

forged are eye-wateringly enormous. But 

are they enough to cast a shadow over 

the Burj Khalifa? 

JEDDAH TOWER (JEDDAH, SAUDI 

ARABIA) 

The first building on our list of future 

skyscrapers is set to be the beacon of 

Saudi Arabia. Jeddah Tower is on its way 

to becoming the tallest building in the 

world. The structure is predicted to be a 

staggering 1,000 metres high, over 170 

metres taller than the Burj Khalifa. The 

building will have 167 floors full of exciting 

amenities, from luxury apartments to 

restaurants. 

Although the Jeddah Tower has been on 

the radar for a long time, we can't expect 

to see the finished product for the 

foreseeable future. Construction began in 

2013 but has come to a halt due to the 

COVID-19 pandemic. However, this 

doesn't stop experts and novices alike 

from looking forward to a future with this 

masterpiece in it. 

MERDEKA PNB 118 (KUALA 

LUMPUR, MALAYSIA) 

As well as Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, 

Malaysia is building a skyscraper that will 

change the perceptions of architectural 

boundaries for generations to come. 

Merdeka PNB 118 may seem like an 

obscure name for a building, but upon 

seeing the futuristic designs for this 

skyscraper, you might begin to think it is a 

good match. 

Merdeka PNB 118 is exactly 678.9 

metres high. The tip of the building, which 

reaches into the clouds, is over 100 

metres taller than the Empire State 

Building in New York. The building will be 

utilised in a number of ways, providing 

Malaysia with hotels, offices, residential 

homes, and much more. The skyscraper, 

which also halted construction during the 

pandemic, is set to be fully built in 2022. 

HEXI YUZUI TOWER A (NANJING, 

CHINA) 

Next on our list of up-and-coming marvels 

is HeXi Yuzui Tower in China. The 

skyscraper is forecast to be a monumental 

500 metres tall and one of the highest of 

its kind in Nanjing. A viewing tower will sit 

atop the huge structure and give people a 

bird's-eye view of its surroundings. This 

will attract visitors from across the world 

once construction finishes in 2025. 

There will be many other buildings 

surrounding it, including a 100-metre 

office tower, an 86-metre residential tower, 

and much more. A project this big will 

require the latest in construction 

equipment and technology, from the best 

aerial work platforms to the latest 

structural engineering software. Does this 

building have the potential to shape the 

future of construction? 

SUZHOU ZHONGNAN CENTER 

(SUZHOU, CHINA) 

China is teeming with impressive 

construction projects. In addition to HeXi 

Yuzui Tower, the Suzhou Zhongnan Center 

is attracting attention from around the 

world. The building is predicted to finish 

construction in 2026 and will be 500 

metres tall. This contradicts original plans 

to build a tower that was 729 metres tall, 

no doubt due to restrictions on high-rise 

construction throughout China. 

These are four examples of skyscrapers 

being built as we speak. There are many 

more in the pipeline, but these are the 

tallest on our radar. Whether the structures 

are to be used as public buildings, 

residential housing, or luxury hotels, 

people around the globe will travel to see 

these engineering marvels for themselves. 

Which would you like to visit first. 

www.niftylift.com/uk 


INDUSTRY focus 

Safety first 

Marek Suchocki at Autodesk explains how companies should 

prepare for the forthcomng Building Safety Bill 

The Building Safety Bill is fastapproaching 

the UK construction 

sector, and promises widespread 

change. The government is aiming to 

"overhaul regulations, creating lasting 

generational change and setting out a 

clear pathway on how residential 

buildings should be constructed, 

maintained and made safe." 

Although the Fire Safety Act is now in 

place, the Building Safety Bill is still being 

finalised and it may be difficult to know how 

to get ready. So, what are the headlines 

from the bill - and what should owners and 

construction firms do today? 

Here's a summary of the Building Safety Bill 

and six key takeaways for UK businesses. 

1. Get ready for change - because it will 

impact everyone 

First of all, it's important to acknowledge 

that there are gaps in the practical 

guidance out there for construction 

companies. Right now, the details are 

being worked out and it's hard to see 

exactly how organisations will consistently 

meet the requirements. 

But nonetheless, it's vital that all 

construction businesses get ready for 

change. From owners to individual 

subcontractors and suppliers, the 

Building Safety Bill will place new 

obligations on every collaborator in the 

supply chain. 

This isn't just for tier one contractors; 

everyone will have to buy in, and there will 

be a strong legislative push to enforce the 

changes. Irrespective of your size and 

scale, understanding what's around the 

corner and starting to get ready is critical. 

2. Prepare for a mental shift about 

project information 

The principle of the golden thread of 

information will require everyone in the 

supply chain to maintain a record of 

every project. It's not just about handing 

over documents at the end of the 

project, or even uploading project files 

onto the cloud. 

Everyone from designers to contractors 

will need to maintain a local electronic 

audit trail, rather than relying on clients to 

hold the data. Choosing data platforms 

that easily integrate with others will be 

important, to ensure that data records 

can be slotted together. 

That's not to say that everyone will need 

to use advanced modelling tools, but 

internal records will be critical - 

particularly in the event that something 

goes wrong in the future. It might not be 

as disastrous as a fire, but the 

identification of a faulty or dangerous 

component that needs to be removed 

from other builds is essential. 

Again, this applies to all companies - no 

matter your size or scale. Small suppliers 

will need to revisit how they collect and 

store project information, just like 

everyone else. And positively, this also 

offers the chance of process 

improvements within businesses, from 

improved efficiency to quality control. 

3. The onus will be on owners, so know 

what to ask for 

Arguably owners face the biggest 

challenge from the Building Safety Bill, 

especially if they aren't already on a 

digital transformation journey. It will be 

28 


INDUSTRYfocus 

critical to have systems in place to 

receive, and then manage and 

maintain, project data throughout the 

operational life of an asset. 

That can't be racks of drawings or 

folders of paper stuck in a cupboard. 

Owners will need to consider the best 

way to structure information - for 

example, in a common data 

environment - to ensure that it's as easy 

to manage and access as possible. 

Owners should work to set out their 

information requirements, so that they 

know what to ask for at the start of 

each project. Again, this richer dataset 

can offer other benefits for owners, 

such as more efficient asset 

management and more straightforward 

refurbishments in the future. 

4. Prepare for skills shortages by 

investing in people 

We will need to see a skillset shift 

across the construction industry to 

meet these new regulatory demands. 

Arguably, right now the sector suffers 

from an on-demand approach to 

specialist skills, with businesses 

waiting until there's a problem to go 

and find someone who can solve it. 

The issue with the obligations being 

imposed through the Building Safety 

Bill is that there simply aren't that many 

people with the skills and availability to 

help. It might not be normal practice to 

spend funds on training at very 

traditional organisations; nonetheless, 

businesses will absolutely need to 

invest in staff to prepare for the 

potential avalanche of demand. 

This is a definite change of approach. 

Companies will need to plan differently, 

while owners will need to recognise that 

the cheapest approach won't always be 

acceptable. But without more digitally 

confident staff, businesses won't be 

able to cope with the demands - and 

the uncertainties - inherent in any new 

legislation of this kind. 

5. Existing technology can be used in 

creative ways, but interoperability is 

critical 

Although we'll see a step change in 

information management, companies 

won't need to build Revit models to 

track every component. There are 

actually lots of different ways of 

meeting the regulations, sometimes 

using existing technology in new and 

creative ways. 

For example, Oculo has developed a 

system that uses camera footage to 

record on-site processes, like 

installations or subsequent inspections. 

The video record is timestamped to 

show progress over a project, and can 

then be linked with model-based 

information sets to create a detailed 

dataset or reviewed with other 

snapshots to show progress or 

changes over time. 

However, the way that we connect 

these different technologies and 

approaches together will be critical, to 

ensure data can be transferred and 

collated seamlessly. At the company 

level, choosing open data platforms will 

help to ensure interoperability with 

other systems. 

At a national level, there are a number 

of working groups developing an 

information management framework, 

such as the National Digital Twin 

Programme and the Government and 

Industry Interoperability Group (GIIG). 

All of this will not only support the 

golden thread of information on 

projects, but help the industry as a 

whole to create more consistent data 

and deliver better outcomes. 

6. Embrace the positives - this could be 

a turning point for quality and 

sustainability 

Meeting new legislation always seems 

like a bit of a headache. But it's 

important to recognise that these are 

extremely positive developments 

overall. It's not only about trying our 

utmost to avoid another horrific incident 

like the Grenfell Fire, but cascading 

information across the industry, to 

enable us to fix things that might be 

faulty or at risk. 

Access to more detailed digital 

information can also help construction 

businesses ensure the quality of their 

work - while increasing efficiency and 

highlighting ways to boost productivity 

across the organisation. 

Similarly, with a record of the materials 

used in each asset, owners can move 

towards the circular economy: 

designing buildings that can be 

dismantled, reused or repurposed, to 

massively improve the sustainability of 

the built environment. 

Finally, it might seem that businesses are 

facing multiple changes in tandem right 

now, from the BIM Mandate Initiative to the 

Construction Playbook and digital twin 

initiatives. But arguably, the UK is much 

more joined up in its strategy than 

anywhere else in the world. 

There's a clear link between aspiration and 

execution - and by meeting these 

demands, companies will be helping to 

create a safer, greener and more productive 

sector. That is a huge advantage. 

www.autodesk.com 


EXHIBITIONS 

Futurebuild 2022: leading the way to net zero 

Futurebuild, the event that's championed a sustainable built environment for the past 16 years, will 

take place from March 1 to 3. Futurebuild 2022 will connect specifiers, decision makers and 

disruptors with major brands and start-ups from across the built environment 

In the aftermath of the COP26 

conference, Futurebuild, previously 

Ecobuild, will be perfectly timed to 

focus on the key issues and actions 

needed to work towards net zero. The 

focus is no longer about ambition - it is 

about delivery. As the only event to 

attract 20,000+ senior professionals 

from right across the built environment, 

Futurebuild is the perfect opportunity for 

the industry to meet and collaborate, to 

achieve the transformational change 

needed if the built environment is going 

to reach net zero by 2050. 

As the home of innovation, Futurebuild 

2022 will be organised into six sections: 

Buildings sponsored by Procore; 

Offsite, Interiors, Resourceful Materials 

sponsored by Covestro; Energy 

sponsored by Kensa and Critical 

Infrastructure sponsored by ACO. 

By switching to more innovative and 

greener materials in construction and 

improving efficiency, lifetime emissions 

for buildings can be slashed by 44 per 

cent by 2050. The Digital Impact section, 

for example, will offer a spotlight for 

digital construction and emerging 

technologies. The seminar sessions will 

explore ways that digitalisation is 

shaping the future of the 

construction 

industry and enabling the UK's recent 

net zero carbon targets move from an 

ambitious statement towards a reality. 

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 

Sponsored by Construction Innovation 

Hub, Futurebuild 2022's conference 

programme will explore some of the 

key questions and issues around 

closing the gap between net zero 

ambition and delivery. It invites panels 

of industry experts to share their 

experiences on a range of topics, from 

embodied carbon to investing in 

education, skills and diversity and 

digitalising the built environment. 

The first day of the conference 

programme will focus on ambitions 

beyond COP26 and will include a panel 

discussion about resource efficiency in 

a circular, post-Brexit economy. The 

circular economy needs to be at the 

heart of all decisions in the built 

environment to use fewer of the 

planet's finite and depleting 

resources. This session, chaired by 

Professor David 

Greenfield, 

Managing Director, Soenecs and RAEng 

Visiting Professor of Circular Economy, 

University of Brighton, explores three 

key areas where thinking circular, 

especially during the design phase, can 

have a significant impact: water, 

materials and waste. 

Leading partner in the Offsite section, 

the Advanced Industrialised Methods 

for the Construction of Homes (AIMCH) 

will present at the offsite stage about 

the key outcomes from its three-year 

project, which supports the construction 

industry industrialising offsite solutions. 

Mark Farmer, chair of AIMCH will 

discuss how AIMCH is transforming 

how we build homes and share its 

outcomes and learnings to educate the 

industry. AIMCH focuses on how 

prototyping, future factory planning, 

technology and standardisation using 

CAD can help tackle industry 

challenges, such as skills shortages, an 

ageing workforce and low affordability. 

30 


EXHIBITIONS 

SPOTLIGHTS 

The event will also feature six 

spotlights: Digital Impact sponsored by 

Glider; Whole House Retrofit in 

partnership with the Retrofit Academy; 

Circular Materials in partnership with 

540 World; District Energy in 

partnership with UKDEA; Future 

Installer in partnership with MCS and 

Intelligent Buildings in partnership with 

KNX. These spotlights will include a 

mixture of presentations, discussions 

and practical demonstrations that will 

cover the fundamental issues facing 

professionals in the built environment. 

The Digital Impact Spotlight area will 

help inform people in the industry 

about digital construction and 

emerging technologies that are 

enabling the construction industry to 

digitalise and help businesses stay 

ahead of digitalisation curve. The 

speaker programme will feature digital 

leaders, pioneers and game changers 

as well as stories from those who are 

achieving outstanding results with 

digital technologies and what 

processes they follow to achieve this. 

EXHIBITORS 

As the construction industry becomes 

more digitalised, the use of digital 

construction software is becoming 

more widely used. At this year's event, 

Futurebuild will see a few of innovative 

CAD software specialists exhibit at the 

event. MagiCAD Construction Solutions 

provides construction software that 

allows its customers to carry out 

mechanical, electrical and plumbing 

designs with fully integrated 

engineering calculations for Revit and 

AutoCAD. Its users benefit from intuitive 

and less time-consuming 

quantification, costing and building 

construction processes. 

Bricsys, an engineering design 

software specialist, will also be 

exhibiting at Futurebuild. Bricsys 

develops innovative CAD software for 

2D drafting, 3D modelling, building 

information modelling and mechanical 

design. Its intuitive software is 

optimised to improve design, 

construction and manufacturing 

workflows, helping its customers to be 

more efficient, in less time, helping 

them to reduce overall costs. 

Attendees can also visit Nunya Digital, 

who specialises in realistic animation 

and renderings of 3D assets. Its 

customers can request 3D 

walkthroughs, virtual reality and virtual 

tours of buildings, so customers can 

interact and explore the design before 

it is built. Nunya Digital produce 

internal and external photorealistic CGI 

models of properties, allowing its 

customers to explore different exteriors 

and easily see the visual impact it will 

have. By producing a virtual design, 

architects can reduce the chance of 

customers changing their design 

decisions once construction begins 

and reduce costs. 

COLLABORATION IS KEY 

The curated event will showcase over 

250 leading brands, the companies 

who are developing the most innovative 

technologies, products and solutions. 

Visitors can participate in the 

Innovation Trail, which highlights the 

event's innovation partners. The 

winners of the Big Innovation Pitch, a 

competition that celebrates new 

approaches to the biggest challenges 

facing the industry, will also be 

announced during the event. 

By bringing together individuals and 

companies from all areas of the built 

environment we can accelerate 

innovation and provide everyone with 

access to the products and processes 

needed to deliver change. 

"Now it is more important than ever to 

meet in person and do business face to 

face because our exhibitors and 

attendees are all working towards a 

common goal - achieving net zero" 

explains Martin Hurn, event director at 

Futurebuild. "To ensure we can deliver a 

sustainable future we've curated an 

event that cultivates cross-sector 

collaboration, addresses key industry 

issues and inspires transformational 

change." 

"Futurebuild will be the essential 

platform to exhibit existing, or launch 

new, disruptive technologies for the 

sustainable built environment to our 

audience of buyers and specifiers. For 

example, in our Futurebuild 2020 

report, 75 per cent of attendees stated 

that they attend the event to source or 

purchase the latest innovations in their 

field," continued Hurn. 

If you're interested in visiting 

Futurebuild 2022 and exploring the 

most innovative products and solutions 

in the built environment, register for 

your place here. 


YOUR GUIDE TO 

5 

7 

2 

4 1 3 

21 

22 

23 

24 20 25 26 

27 

29 

SCOTLAND 

FIFE 1 

GlenCo Development 

Solutions 

Contact: Jack Meldrum 

Tel: 01592 223330 

Fax: 01592 223301 

jackm@glenco.org 

www.glenco.org 

ACMK 

ABERDEENSHIRE 2 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 

info@symetri.co.uk 

www.symetri.co.uk 

ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX 

ABERDEEN 3 

LARBERT 4 

TMS CADcentre 

Contact: Craig Hamilton 

Tel: 01324-550760 

info@thom-micro.com 

www.tmscadcentre.com 

ACELHO 

30 28 

19 

10/18 

15 11/16 

6 

13 

17 

8 

12/14 

*Location guide 

not 100% accurate 

TMS CADcentre 

Contact: Craig Hamilton 

Tel: 01224 223321 

info@thom-micro.com 

www.tmscadcentre.com 

ACELHO 

IRELAND 

DUBLIN 5 

Paradigm Technology Ltd 

Contact: Des McGrane 

Tel: +353-1-2960155 

Fax: +353-1-2960080 

dmcgrane@paradigm.ie 

www.paradign.it 

ACMGKL 

SOUTHWEST 

NEWBURY 6 

RWTC Ltd 

Contact: Richard Willis 

Tel: 01488 689005 

Fax: 01635 32718 

richard@rwtc.co.uk 

www.rwtc.co.uk 

A M 

N.I 

BELFAST 7 

Pentagon Solutions Ltd 

Contact: Tony Dalton - Training 

Services Manager 

Tel: +44 (0) 2890 455 355 

Fax: +44 (0) 2890 456 355 

tony@pentagonsolutions.com 

www.pentagonsolutions.com 

ACDEGKL 

TRAINING COURSES OFFERED KEY: 

AUTOCAD AND LT: 

AUTOCAD P&ID TRAINING: 

AEC/BUILDING SOLUTIONS: 

3D MODELLING $ ANIMATION 

AUTOCAD ARCHITECTURE: 

FM DESKTOP: 

GIS/MAPPING: 

REVIT: 

VAULT FUNDAMENTALS 

AUTODESK VAULT FOR INVENTOR USERS 

A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

G 

H 

I 

J 

VISUALISATION: 

AUTIDESK CIVIL: 

INVENTOR SERIES/MECHANICAL: 

NAVISWORKS TRAINING: 

PRODUCT UPDATE COURSES: 

INVENTOR PUBLISHER: 

GOOGLE SKETCHUP: 

CHARACTER ANIMATION: 

AUTODESK SIMULATION: 

FACTORY DESIGN SUITE: 

AUTOCAD ELECTRICAL: 

K 

L 

M 

N 

O 

P 

Q 

R 

S 

T 

X 

For further information about authorised CAD training or to advertise on these pages please contact: 

Josh Boulton on 01689 616 000 or email: josh.boulton@btc.co.uk

SOUTH/EAST 

GUILDFORD 8 

Blue Graphics Ltd 

Contact: Matt Allen 

Tel: 01483 467 200 

Fax: 01483 467 201 

matta@bluegfx.com 

www.bluegfx.com 

ADRK 

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 10 

Causeway 

Technologies Ltd 

Contact: Sue Farnfield 

Tel: +44 (0)1628 552134 

Sue.Farnfield@causeway.com 

www.causeway.com 

A C D E K 

BERKSHIRE 11 

Cadpoint 

Contact: Clare Keston 

Tel: 01344 751300 

Fax: 01344 779700 

sales@cadpoint.co.uk 

www.cadpoint.co.uk 

A C D E K 

ENFIELD 12 

TRAINING 

BERKSHIRE 16 

Mass Systems Ltd 

Contact: Luke Bolt 

Tel: 01344 304 000 

Fax: 01344 304 010 

info@mass-plc.com 

www.mass-plc.com 

A E F 

HAMPSHIRE 17 

Universal CAD Ltd 

Contact: Nick Lambden 

Tel: [44] 01256 352700 

Fax: [44] 01256 352927 

sales@universalcad.co.uk 

www.universalcad.co.uk 

A C M E K H 

MILTON KEYNES 18 

Graitec - Milton Keynes 

Contact: David Huke 

Tel: 01908 410026 

david.huke@graitec.co.uk 

www.graitec.co.uk 


CAMBRIDGE 19 

THE NORTH 

MANCHESTER 20 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




NEWCASTLE 21 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




YORKSHIRE 22 

Graitec Bradford 

Contact: Isobel Gillon 

Tel: 01274 532919 

training@graitec.co.uk 



NORTH EAST 23 

Graitec - Durham 


Tel: 0191 374 2020 




LANCASHIRE 24 

QUADRA SOLUTIONS 

Contact: Simon Dobson 

Tel: 01254 301 888 

Fax: 01254 301 323 

training@quadrasol.co.uk 

www.quadrasol.co.uk 

A C M K 

YORKSHIRE 25 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




SOUTH YORKSHIRE 26 

THE JUICE GROUP LTD 

Contact: Sarah Thorpe 

Tel: 0800 018 1501 

Fax: 0114 275 5888 

training@thejuice.co.uk 

www.thejuicetraining.com 

A C D E K R 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




SOUTHHAMPTON 13 

Riverside House, Brunel Road 

Southampton, Hants. SO40 3WX 


Tel: 02380 868 947 




CENTRAL LONDON 14 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




OXFORDSHIRE 15 

MIDLANDS 

NOTTINGHAM 27 

MicroCAD - Nottingham 


Tel: 0115 969 1114 




NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 28 

AIT Spatial Ltd 

Contact: Philip Madeley 

Tel: 01933 303034 

Fax: 01933 303001 

training@aitspatial.co.uk 

www.aitspatial.co.uk 

A C D E F G K L 

CHESHIRE 30 

Excelat CAD Ltd 

Contact: Vaughn Markey 

Tel: 0161 926 3609 

Fax: 0870 051 1537 

Vaughn.markey@ExcelatCAD.com 

www.ExcelatCAD.com 

B N 

BIRMINGHAM 29 

Man and Machine 

Contact: Robert Kenny 

Tel: 01844 263700 

Fax: 01844 216761 

training@manandmachine.co.uk 

www.manandmachine.co.uk 

A D I J M N O P Q X 

Armada Autodesk 

Training Centre 

Contact: Steven Smith 

Tel: 01527 834783 

Fax: 01527 834785 

training@armadaonline.co.uk 

www.armadaonline.co.uk 

A D E M K H

CASEstudy 

Rapid 3D scans 

Trimble laser scanning technology delivers high-precision surveys for a historic church restoration 

In 2021 a team of geospatial mapping 

specialists visited the 900-year-old 

Newcastle Cathedral Church of St 

Nicholas. The company, Gridmark 

Survey, was there to use a new state-ofthe-art 

3D laser scanning technology in 

the restoration of the cathedral. They 

would assist Historic Property Restoration 

and Classic Masonry with site 

engineering. Gridmark would provide 

dimensional marking of the groundworks 

and paving to the new outdoor terrace in 

the Cathedral churchyard. 

The firm was using the new Trimble X7 

laser scanning system, a high-precision, 

rapid-fast modern laser scanner, which 

captures millimeter-accurate reality data. 

Gridmark collaborated with KOREC 

Group, the UK Trimble distributor who 

provided the technology. The Trimble X7 

3D laser scanner is integrated with 

Trimble's Perspective software and 

specifically designed for in-field control 

and registration. 

"We knew we could revolutionise how 

the stonework was inspected and 

measured and show that we could speed 

up the process by more accurately 

measuring the masonry without 

scaffolding and additional labor," said 

Christopher Mooney, managing director 

and senior surveyor with Gridmark 

Survey. Safety was also important to 

Gridmark but the X7's remote sensing 

capability eliminated the need for safety 

training, saving valuable worker time. 

The scanning team consisted of two 

surveyors on site for three days. During that 

time, they captured details of the building's 

14th-century interior. "We collected 104 

laser scans and 3.7 billion measurable 

points," Mooney said. "There were three or 

four rooms not accessible, or it would have 

been 110 scans and 4 billion points." 

In some places, pollution had eaten 

away much of the stonework. With the X7 

they could zoom in on an area and 

provide details of the damage 

immediately. "One window was extremely 

deteriorated on the outside but beautiful 

inside so you could see how it was 

supposed to look," Mooney said. "That 

level of detail captured by the scanner 

was phenomenal. 

"It would take a stonemason six weeks 

to inspect and measure what we 

scanned in three days with the Trimble X7 

scanner," Mooney added. 

Gridmark also had access to the 

Cathedral's Lantern Tower, a climb of 162 

steps. They set up the scanner and 

captured 360-degree scans from the 

tower, the roof and the adjacent buildings. 

Each time they moved to a new position, 

the X7 automatically leveled and 

calibrated itself and the Perspective 

software automatically registered each 

scan, allowing them to review everything 

in 3D before moving on. 

Once the scanning was complete, 

Gridmark imported the data into Trimble 

RealWorks® software to create a 3D 

capacity for making a point cloud as well 

as a scaled digital model of the 

Cathedral. Creating a 3D representation 

of the Cathedral ensured that the detail 

and design was preserved forever. 

"The scanner is so quick. The user 

interface is very intuitive, and we like the 

high-sensitivity mode that allows us to 

capture difficult surfaces. We also like the 

ability to flip between different scans to 

see more detail," added Mooney. 

"We were blown away by the data we 

downloaded at the end of the day," he 

noted. "Trimble RealWorks has the 

capability to make point clouds look very 

much like real life. We ended up with 

data so rich it was hard to know what to 

choose to share with the client. What 

was most important, though, was that we 

had absolute confidence in the results. 

We knew that 900 years of heritage had 

been safeguarded." 

www.Trimble.com 

34 


SAVE THE DATE 

10TH NOVEMBER 2022 

www.constructioncomputingawards.co.uk 

@CCMagAndAwards

Duke Ellington School of the Arts 

Architect: cox graae + spack architects / LBA Joint Venture 

Photo © Chris Ambridge 

ARCHICAD 25 

BUILT TOGETHER WITH OUR COMMUNITY 

GREAT DESIGN 

IN EVERY DETAIL. 

Packed with improvements to the tools you love most. 

Developed with your ideas to bring you the best version yet 

- better design, visualization and collaboration. 

Learn more about Archicad 25 on graphisoft.com 

or call 01895 527590

CC Jan-Feb 2022

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?