CC May-Jun 2022

Construction 

Computing 

WWW.CONSTRUCTION-COMPUTING.COM 

MAY/JUNE 2022 

VOL 18 NO 03 

Enscape 3.3 

Site Context places Enscape 

models in real environments 

Late payments 

What's the real impact - 

and how can you tackle it? 

BricsCAD BIM 

Bricsys delivers AI-assisted BIM 

Vectorworks Embodied 

Carbon Calculator 

Counting the cost of carbon 

emissions in design 

ALICE's adventures 

overground 

ArtificiaL Intelligence Construction 

Engineering for complex projects 

@CCMagAndAwards

Duke Ellington School of the Arts 

Architect: cox graae + spack architects / LBA Joint Venture 

Photo © Chris Ambridge 

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CONTENTS 

MAY/JUNE 2022 

CONTENTS 

A HEALTHY OUTLOOK FOR BIM 12 

3D Repo models can now be used to furnish 

all of the non-CAD trained specialists on a 

project with federated data relating to their 

specific needs 

COUNTING THE COST OF CARBON 16 

The Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator 

(VECC) has been designed to help architects 

and engineers reduce carbon emissions on 

their projects 

ALICE TECHNOLOGIES 18 

ALICE (ArtificiaL Intelligence Construction 

Engineering) is being used to supplement the 

'optioneering' of planners and project managers 

working on the most complex projects 

ENCAPSULATING ENSCAPE 24 

The latest version of Enscape adds new 

features requested by the Enscape community, 

including Site Context, which surrounds your 

rendered models with the local infrastructure 

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

• HERITAGE SKILLS TRAINING TO MARK PLATINUM JUBILEE • RESCAN VIEWER BASED ON ITWIN PLATFORM 

INDUSTRY FOCUS.............................LATE PAYMENTS.................................................................................................10 

• WHAT IS THE REAL IMPACT OF LATE PAYMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, AND HOW CAN YOU TACKLE IT? 

CASE STUDY......................................H2PORTO...........................................................................................................14 

• HOW OPORTO WATER UTILITY DEVELOPED ITS TECH PLATFORM FOR URBAN WATER CYCLE MANAGEMENT 

CASE STUDY.....................................MAKING A MARK ON BIRMINGHAM’S MULTICULTURAL LANDSCAPE..........20 

• ARCHICAD PROVES INSTRUMENTAL IN CREATING A MODERN TAKE ON ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE 

INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................AHEAD IN THE CLOUD......................................................................................22 

• THE CONUNDRUM BETWEEN OWNERSHIP AND RISK WHEN USING CLOUD SERVICES 

SOFTWARE FOCUS...........................AI-ASSISTED BIM...............................................................................................26 

• BRICSCAD ULTIMATE USES AI TO AUTOMATICALLY PRODUCE LOD 200 BIM FROM CONCEPT MASSING MODELS 

CASE STUDY......................................PAPERLESS CONSTRUCTION...........................................................................28 

• HOW THE PAPERLESS CONSTRUCTION APP WAS UTILISED ON THE VAUXHALL BRIDGE REFURBISHMENT PROJECT 

INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................PLAYING CATCH-UP..........................................................................................30 

• HOW TO ENSURE MIINIMAL DISRUPTION WHEN INTRODUCING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO A CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS 

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

• YOUR GUIDE TO AUTODESK TRAINING 

CASE STUDY......................................TAKING COMMAND WITH DIGITAL TWINS........................................................34 

• IES WORK WITH ORKNEY ISLANDS COUNCIL TO CREATE A BESPOKE DIGITAL TWIN COMMAND CENTRE 

May/June 2022 3

COMMENT 

Editor: 

David Chadwick 

(cad.user@btc.co.uk) 

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Comment 

How artificial is intelligence? 

by David Chadwick 

We attach the term AI to just about 

everything that involves a bit of 

high-powered computing these 

days, which probably debases the process 

for most of us. Throw in some complex 

algorithms to handle a problem deemed too 

complicated for the unaided human brain to 

handle and you end up with an application 

which is happily described as AI driven. 

It's a fascinating subject. Intelligence, that 

is. Human intelligence is not that much 

different to machine intelligence. We start 

out in life with a clean slate and absorb 

experiences when we interact with real life 

and learn to integrate ourselves into society. 

We apply these lessons as we evolve and 

grow older, and maybe learning a little bit 

more as we do so - or not. These are the 

human algorithms that constitute our 

character or behaviour. 

So-called artificial intelligence works by the 

same rules, but the capacity to interact with 

a machine's surroundings is governed by 

the algorithms that direct its behaviour, 

supplemented by the data fed into its 

system by external processors, sensors and 

associated applications. A common 

example would be the control of an 

autonomous vehicle, which would normally 

be described as an AI process, but which is 

in fact no more than machine learning. 

Given the power and performance of 

current computers, the limits of machine 

learning are only bound by the ability of 

human beings to compile the algorithms 

that drive them. (That's going to stretch a 

couple minds when they attempt to develop 

algorithms to leverage the power of 

quantum computers). 

At what point, therefore, is machine 

learning superseded by artificial intelligence - 

and should we, at that point, discard the 

term and call it 'autonomous intelligence' 

instead? Is this where the software outgrows 

its reliance on algorithms developed by 

humans and begins to make decisions 

based on its own calculations and research? 

I was tempted to consider the level of 

intelligence, artificial or otherwise, by talking 

to the two companies that feature the 

technology in this issue - Bricsys and ALICE 

Technologies. The Bricsys article looks at 

the benefits that AI has brought to the 

development of its architectural design 

software and the creation of fully articulated 

BIM models from basic 3D models. 

BricsCAD BIM uses AI techniques to 

automatically upgrade the properties of 

components in a model to attain BIM Levels 

of Development. 

In the early stages of its development, the 

software was given the task of 'learning' 

what buildings consist of - roofs, walls, 

windows, etc. - and how they interacted. 

After many iterations a series of steps were 

developed and applied in BriscCAD BIM. 

Using the techniques enables one 

command, BIMify, to attach properties to 

building elements on their way to becoming 

full BIM components. A couple of other 

unique routines within BricsCAD BIM 

leverage the model components aided by 

the software's other modelling tools to 

complete the process. 

ALICE Technologies uses AI at a different 

level. Preplanning for bidding or developing 

construction schedules on major projects is 

incredibly complex and involves a wide 

range of options that must be considered - 

way beyond the capabilities of planners or 

project managers. The job has been divided 

between human beings who build the 

'recipes' that define the options, and the 

computer that performs the huge numbers 

of calculations involved, using algorithms to 

compare the millions of options that have 

been specified and quantified, producing 

schedules and materials usage that satisfies 

the submitted criteria. 

In both cases, the AI element was used to 

supplement the human input. What level of 

intelligence would you ascribe to each? 

4 May/June 2022

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INDUSTRY news 

HERITAGE SKILLS TRAINING TO MARK JUBILEE 

The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum 

Jubilee Commonwealth 

Heritage Skills Training 

Programme - the largest ever 

Commonwealth heritage project 

- has been launched by 

the Hamish Ogston Foundation 

and the Commonwealth 

Heritage Forum. The charities 

have been granted the rare 

honour of naming the five-year 

programme in honour of the 

Sovereign, thus recognising 

Her Majesty's seventy years of 

service to the peoples of the 

Commonwealth. 

The programme, which was 

launched at Marlborough 

House, home of the Commonwealth 

Secretariat, in the presence 

of Baroness Scotland, 

the Commonwealth Secretary- 

General, will help Commonwealth 

countries to develop 

the range of specialist skills 

needed to protect valuable 

heritage sites. Over an initial 

five-year period, the programme 

will build capacity 

across the Commonwealth by 

training up to 600 people in a 

wide range of heritage skills 

from stonemasonry and joinery 

to mud brick and thatch. 

Through targeted on-site 

training projects, it will help to 

secure the future of up to 

twenty important, but threatened 

buildings and places 

across the Commonwealth. 

With £4.5m in funding provided 

by the Hamish Ogston 

Foundation, the Commonwealth 

Heritage Skills programme 

will be delivered by 

both UK and international partners, 

including The Prince's 

Foundation, the World Monuments 

Fund India and an international 

network of educational 

institutions. 

One of the first initiatives will 

be bursaries at The Prince's 

Foundation Summer School 

enabling trainees from different 

Commonwealth countries to 

develop their knowledge and 

understanding of traditional 

architecture, design and building 

techniques, and how these 

can be applied in the 21st 

century to repair and conserve 

historic buildings at risk. Other 

opportunities will include MA 

scholarships at The Prince's 

Foundation School of Traditional 

Arts, Commonwealth 

training fellowships and online 

courses covering up to twenty 

core heritage skills. 

The initial focus will be on the 

Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent 

with countries including 

Antigua and Barbuda, 

Jamaica, Barbados and India 

benefiting in the first tranche of 

projects supported. 

www.commonwealthheritage.org 

CAUSEWAY TECHNOLOGIES ACQUIRES YOTTA 

Causeway Technologies 

has acquired Yotta, a 

global provider of connected 

asset management software 

and services, from AIM-listed 

Oxford Metrics plc. Yotta 

serves over 200 customers 

worldwide, providing software 

to assist in the management 

of more than 35 million physical 

assets and related services, 

including highways, 

street lighting and waste management.The 

acquisition 

marks another vital step on 

Causeway's journey to digitise 

XMAP, the municipal GIS, 

now includes ratings of 

property energy performance to 

help local authorities tackle climate 

change, improve housing 

standards and ensure private 

landlords comply with legislation. 

The Energy Performance 

Certificate (EPC) data layer, 

which uses a rating system 

similar to that used on new 

appliances, will also allow tenants 

and house buyers to make 

informed decisions helping 

them reduce household carbon 

emissions and respond to the 

escalating cost of living crisis. 

EPCs show how energy efficient 

a building is ranging from 

A (very efficient) to G (inefficient) 

and are a legal requirement 

when a property is built, 

sold or rented. In addition to a 

colour coded visualisation of 

the processes that underpin 

the construction and maintenance 

of infrastructure assets. 

Phil Brown, chief executive of 

Causeway, said: "Process and 

data integration is essential for 

all local authority contracts 

executed by contractors. With 

our new combined offering, 

data will flow seamlessly 

between local authorities and 

their contractors in one single 

end-to-end solution, ensuring 

the needs of all stakeholders 

are met without compromise." 

www.causeway.com 

NEW ENERGY PERFORMANCE DATA FOR XMAP 

current ratings, the XMAP EPC 

layer contains enhanced analysis 

including generalised ratings 

and the potential for 

improvement. Using XMAP 

users can also find out when a 

certificate was issued and possible 

enhancements that could 

be made to the property to 

improve its rating. 

Bath and North East Somerset 

Council is one of the first 

to embrace this resource. 

"There is a legal minimum 

standard that domestic private 

rented properties must meet 

so, using XMAP and the new 

EPC layer, we can identify 

properties that fall below this 

standard and work to support 

landlords to make improvements," 

commented Martin 

Laker, GIS Manager. 

xmap.geoxphere.com 

6 

May/June 2022

Financial & Project Accounting Software 

'Built for Construction by Construction' 

WHO WE HELP 

CONTRACTORS HOUSEBUILDERS SERVICE & 

MAINTENANCE

INDUSTRY news 

NBS FINDS GREEN FUTURE STUCK ON AMBER 

NBS recently surveyed 

over 600 construction 

professionals on the sustainability 

of building projects in 

recent years. Surprisingly, 

considering the built environment 

is responsible for a 

quarter of the UK's carbon 

emissions, green achievements 

have gone backwards 

over the past decade, with 

only one in three construction 

professionals hitting ecofriendly 

targets on their projects, 

whereas ten years ago 

it was around half. 

One in five construction professionals 

never measure or 

report sustainability metrics 

on their projects. Related to 

this, more than half of respondents 

haven't worked on a 

net-zero project in the past 

year, and only 4% have only 

worked on net-zero projects. 

This findings may be 

explained by over half of professionals 

saying that key 

barriers to sustainability are 

lack of client demand and the 

perceived higher financial 

costs of sustainable projects. 

Around four in ten say there's 

a lack of clear government 

direction/regulation and a 

similar number say that 

greener products are more 

likely to be value engineered 

out at the contracting stage. 

When asked about drivers 

for green projects, almost 

nine in ten construction professionals 

said personal values, 

followed by half saying 

leading by example. Around a 

quarter of those surveyed 

said client demand, company 

policy and legislation had driven 

sustainable work. 

Not unexpectedly, professionals 

are frustrated, with 

three quarters saying they're 

personally upset that they're 

unable to make more of an 

impact. A major consideration 

is that 80% of the buildings 

likely to be around in 2050 

are already built, and so it 

should be expected that a 

focus would be on de-carbonising 

existing buildings. 

The findings also show that 

light refurbishment projects 

are less likely to achieve sustainability 

than new builds. 

Nine out of ten surveyed said 

they thought there should be 

more Government help to 

support existing buildings 

become net-zero. The move 

to cut VAT to 0% on energy 

saving materials is one such 

move, but it should be noted 

that new build projects are 

zero VAT rated, while refurbishments 

are not. 

The Sustainable Futures study 

is available to download at: 

www.thenbs.com/sustainablefutures-report-2022/ 

SWATCHBOX PLATFORM LAUNCHES IN THE UK 

Using proprietary technology 

built by a team of architects 

and designers, Swatchbox 

addresses a common 

challenge faced by building 

professionals around the country: 

sourcing material samples 

from product manufacturers. 

The platform serves as an 

intermediary that stores product 

samples from top brands 

in its own fulfillment centers in 

order to provide automatic 

next-day shipping throughout 

the entire United Kingdom. 

Swatchbox Pro, the platform's 

intuitive web interface and 

mobile application, then 

equips professionals to 

browse samples, organize 

them into custom palettes, and 

Rescan has released the 

REscan Viewer, a spatial 

communication tool that provides 

a fully immersive site 

visit and revisit experience 

from a distance for property 

professionals. REscan rapidly 

digitises and annotates large 

indoor spaces from a human 

point of view. Its 3D digital 

copies provide remote 

access to distant locations, 

enhance professional workflows, 

and facilitate machine 

understanding of the world. 

request them to be delivered in 

a single Swatchbox for free the 

next day. Combining multiple 

sample requests into one box 

is able to dramatically reduce 

the carbon footprint of a 

designer's sample workflow. 

Additionally, every Swatchbox 

ships with instructions to sustainably 

return and recycle any 

materials no longer needed. 

Included in the launch of the 

new platform are product samples 

from the most notable 

brands in building materials, 

including Ibstock, Koskisen, 

Interface, PPG Architectural 

Coatings, Roca, Durasein, 

Lapitec, Envirobuild, Barrisol, 

and more. 

www.swatchbox.com/pro 

RESCAN VIEWER BASED ON ITWIN PLATFORM 

Powered by the Bentley 

iTwin platform, REscan Viewer 

enables users to check projects 

in the design and asbuilt 

phases on their mobile 

devices, share 3D walkable 

environments with colleagues, 

and discover, measure and 

annotate built and CAD 

spaces from first person and 

birds-eye views. 

"We are thrilled to join the 

Powered by iTwin program 

and to have the REscan Viewer 

featured within the iTwin 

ecosystem," said Robert Herman, 

CEO and co-founder of 

REscan. "For us as a startup, 

it gives a big boost to further 

reach out to commercial and 

government players and contribute 

to the ongoing developments 

of the digital twin 

era. We believe that with 

Bentley Systems, we will 

greatly contribute to making 

digital twins part of our daily 

workflow and multiply our outreach 

to new customers." 

www.rescan360.com 

8 


INDUSTRYfocus 

Late payments: what's the real impact and how can you tackle it? 

David Chadwick looks at the challenge of late payments within the construction industry, with 

reference to a blog post by Carol Massay, Head of Access Construction 

An anecdote first, but very relevant. A 

couple of years ago we moved into 

a house that needed total 

renovation - rewiring, new gas boiler and 

associated plumbing, new kitchen and 

bathroom, a wall knocking down, and total 

redecoration - all in a short timescale. That 

meant up to five trades working shoulder 

to shoulder, and planning that allowed 

them to work almost simultaneously. We 

had the best local builder and they tuned 

up when we needed them because, they 

said, we paid regularly and on time. My 

wife handled Capex and the project 

management, not me. 

The moral of this is that in an industry that 

is rife with late payments - domestic as well 

as commercial - those workers at the end 

of the chain and suppliers will take their 

best endeavours to those who keep the 

cashflow on stream. 

Failure to do so compounds the issue. 

Keep your supplier waiting and they will 

deliver the materials that are in short supply 

to a contractor with a better payment. If the 

goods are delayed you may have to lay off 

one of your trades and hope they come up 

with a later slot for when the materials 

arrive. Associated work can't start and the 

overall project starts to slip, leaving the 

builder with the prospect of penalties for a 

delayed completion. 

In this article we will take a look at how this 

is impacting the industry and how there's 

construction technologies in the market that 

can transform the way you work. 

INCREASE IN OLDER DEBT 

In an industry that traditionally flies by the 

seat of its pants - or rather operates on 

slender margins - cashflow is the most 

critical element in its success or failure. 

That it is failing to be handled efficiently is 

evidenced by figures released recently by 

Experian, which indicate that insolvency 

rates in the industry are rising, as are 

County Court Judgments (CCJs), with 

monthly average insolvencies in 2022 

being 30% higher than pre-Covid figures in 

2019. In fact the number of CCJs incurred 

during the first 4 months of 2022 has 

already exceeded 50% of 2021's total. 

Experian's figures show a significant 

increase in businesses requiring Trade 

Credit over the last couple of years, but 

with a larger proportion of them showing a 

120-240 day delinquency in arrears. 

Delinquencies may have increased but the 

overall value has reduced slightly, 

indicating collections activity may have 

increased in this sector - hence the 

increased number of insolvencies and 

CCJs. With another disproportionate 

increase in the value of 30 to 90 day debt, 

Experian say that it is essential that 

contractors improve their risk assessment 

for new and existing customers by refining 

and improving their data intelligence. 

NAILING LATE PAYMENTS 

And it's only going to get worse. With 

inflation rising hugely, increasing material 

shortages at higher prices, skilled labour 

shortages and the fallout from the 

pandemic, it's going to be a tough year 

for companies that don't have control of 

their costs and liabilities. That 

responsibility falls entirely into the laps of 

the leading contractors. Like my anecdote 

at the top, they are paid by their clients on 

delivery - stage payments assessed by 

quantity surveyors who tot up the amount 

of work completed. 

If the project is behind schedule, or 

over-budget, the responsibility for 

covering up the shortfall lies with the 

contractor who provided the original 

tender to secure the contract. 

When the contractor starts to experience 

financial difficulties, it's the smaller 

subcontractors, SMEs and suppliers 

further down the chain who suffer too. One 

of the largest private sector firms in the 

South West, Midas, with projects from 

Penzance to Taunton, called in the 

administrators in January, going from a 

reported turnover of just under 300 million 

pounds, and with 500 employees, 

potentially causing the loss of twice that 

number of jobs. A Midas spokesperson 

cited all the above reasons for the 

collapse, explaining it all as ''cost inflation''. 

Should stakeholders, owners or clients 

come up with the extra cash to bail out the 

contractors? Only if you are working on 

prestigious and sensitive Government 

10 


INDUSTRYfocus 

projects like HS2. The rest are financiers, 

who, like CJ at Sunshine Desserts, 'Didn't 

get where I am today by bailing out my 

contractors' (credit to The Fall and Rise of 

Reginald Perrin). 

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT 

Carol Massay, Head of Access 

Construction, suggested I look at the issue 

of late payments within the construction 

Industry. Much of the background that she 

provided came from one of her blog posts, 

relating to an IC Commissioned review, 

produced by Andrew McNaughton, chair 

of the Review Steering Group, which 

looked at an increase in the number of 

high-profile infrastructure projects suffering 

from severe delays and spiraling costs. 

The review pointed out that delivering 

complex infrastructure projects is 

becoming increasingly difficult as 

companies remain reliant on antiquated 

systems and processes. The report says 

that, in order to handle the mass of 

requirements for projects with many 

stakeholders, limited budgets, rapidly 

rising costs and remote or dispersed 

locations means, the speed of digital 

transformation within the industry must be 

increased to keep pace with demand. 

Exacerbating the process further, 

contractors - not owners or clients - have 

to ensure that projects are increasingly 

compliant with both H&S and 

sustainability issues. 

To be able to deliver such complex 

systems, and to bring together physical 

assets, technology and digital 

information, we now have a maturing 

Building Information Modelling 

system or a Digital Twin. Either of 

these can ensure an 

improvement in the delivery 

and operation of a project, 

the report says, but the 

processes are 

largely in the hands 

of traditionally 

trained 

engineers and 

builders who continue to use established 

construction methods. This can lead to 

projects being needlessly delivered 

beyond schedule and over budget. 

You can see we are in a loop here. Lose a 

bit of time here and raise some costs 

elsewhere and the effects ripple right 

through the project, and those in the most 

precarious situations fall out of the loop. 

Here's another corollary as well, as Midas 

may have discovered - you can't shore up 

one of your jobs by leeching funds from a 

more profitable project. 

Late payments, are symptomatic of a 

company that is unable to balance its costs 

against its liabilities, or to discern and react 

to escalating costs within the industry. 

THE BUSINESS HEALTH 

DASHBOARD 

Balancing such costs has now become 

somewhat more straightforward, as The 

Access Group has partnered with Experian 

to launch the Business Health Dashboard. 

The addition to The Access Group's 

construction 

management 

software is 

designed 

to help 

construction companies better assess 

credit exposure and the risks associated 

with outstanding debts. Users are now 

able to combine internal customer and 

supplier data with Experian's credit risk 

data to optimise credit terms. 

The intuitive dashboard provides an 

accurate picture of outstanding debt and 

associated payment risk within their supply 

chain in one single view, enabling 

construction firms to make more informed 

decisions about the strength, performance 

and creditworthiness of both new and 

existing customers and suppliers. 

Whilst being primarily designed to help the 

entire construction cycle run more efficiently, 

the dashboard also allows construction 

teams to identify where productivity could 

be improved on site, further reducing risk 

and boosting profit margins. 

It's also worth remembering that skilled 

construction workers don't just disappear 

when the company they work for fails to 

pay them on time or goes bust - instead 

they join other, rival companies or start up 

again with a different partner or workforce. 

The work is still there and the skills are still 

there; they just won't be available to 

businesses that fail to deliver. 

To find our more search: Access 

Construction: 

www.theaccessgroup.co.uk 


SOFTWAREfocus 

A healthy approach to BIM 

3D Repo models can now be used to furnish all of the non-CAD trained specialists on a project with 

federated data relating to their specific needs 

We tend to lose sight of the fact 

that BIM is a specialist tool, 

and that many of the people 

who need to obtain information about a 

project are not architects or engineers. 

3D Repo put the ratio at about 2% who 

know what BIM is and how to use it 

and 98% who need help establishing 

what they are looking at and 

understanding the difference between 

things like a model and a federation. 

To this end 3D Repo has improved 

the usability of its 3D visualisation 

application, aimed at helping clients 

and owners, potential occupants, 

health & safety workers and others to 

extract the information they need. With 

no expertise in CAD, managers and 

their employees can communicate and 

access live BIM data throughout a 

project's design, delivery and 

operation, raising issues that have no 

immediate impact on the design or 

construction, but may relate to safety 

on site, material delivery and storage, 

the siting of temporary structures and 

other concerns. 

Project principals certainly fall within 

the latter category. Unconcerned with 

the minutiae of the design and 

construction methods, they may 

suggest modifications to a design to 

accommodate changing requirements, 

or they may wish to link the model to 

business analytics and dashboards, to 

enable them to visually monitor a 

project's progress. 

Focusing more on the actual needs 

of its users, 3D Repo's model now 

operates at a project level, giving 

users access to federated data more 

specific to their work, using the 3D 

model as a means to that end. This 

means that it can provide direct 

access to health & safety issues, 

specific construction requirements or, 

for the clients and owners, 3D lookaheads 

enabling them to monitor 

progress on the overall project, all 

regardless of what software the 

underlying CAD application used to 

create the model, or the construction 

methods, resource schedules and 

supply chains that it relies on. 

They might not possess any CAD 

skills, nor even be aware of which 

revision level of the model they are 

looking at, but they will be able to view 

and comment on areas of concern 

within the design or the progress of 

the project. This enables them to spot 

design issues or warning signs of 

imminent problems, enabling them to 

take timely action to mitigate or 

alleviate current or imminent problems 

and, if necessary, involve colleagues 

and other disciplines in the process. 

This is easily done without having to 

get involved with the CAD model, 

12 


SOFTWAREfocus 

setting up model views or engaging in 

a series of email exchanges. To 

suggest a design modification, a client 

simply has to select the same view of 

the model and send it to the architect 

via a link with a unique URL. This is 

opened by the architect together with 

the data they need to make the 

changes. If the model has been 

developed within Revit, which has a 

3D Repo plugin, a two-way 

communication is established which 

enables the architects to be returned 

to update the model without the need 

for any email correspondence. 

The model can also be linked to 

business intelligence tools like 

Microsoft Power Bi, or accessed via 

custom-built dashboards to extract 

and view live project data. The 

platform has already helped hundreds 

of 3D Repo clients track progress and 

make informed decisions to deliver 

projects on time, managing and 

mitigating health & safety hazards and 

risks, and includes tools like Presenter 

Mode, which displays 3D Repo models 

in large format which can then be 

projected on to a wall to allow multiple 

people to easily view and work 

together on project issues. It can also 

be used to engage clients prior to 

construction, providing instant 

feedback and helping to improve 

general construction collaboration. 

SAFETIBASE 

To provide an example of the use of 

federated information within a 3D 

Repo model, a prominent 

pharmaceutical company with a major 

presence in the UK needed to provide 

its thousands of employees with a safe 

and efficient environment for ongoing 

research, development and 

manufacture. Because of the nature of 

its work, stringent rules regarding 

sterile environments and climate 

control govern the research and 

manufacturing processes - the site 

conducts between 60 and 100 projects 

each year - which are not easily 

conveyed during design meetings with 

architects and engineers. 

Because of the critical nature of the 

medicines and the conditions that they 

need to be manufactured and stored 

in, it is essential that any project works 

undertaken do not affect drug output 

and other business activities of the 

company, including building works. 

The company needed to add an 

extension to an archive and quality 

assurance building, where samples of 

medicines are kept in a secure and 

environmentally controlled area and 

where regular testing is carried out to 

ensure ongoing safety and 

compliance. With health & safety 

integral to all construction projects the 

company already has a thorough 

safety risk management process in 

place, which provides a detailed risk 

register which includes typical risk 

elements such as working with live 

services; excavation; asbestos; 

confined space; working at height etc. 

The pharmaceutical company is also 

a sponsoring member of the 

Construction Clients' Leadership 

Group, becoming involved in the 

Discovering Safety programme in late 

2019.The programme, run by Lloyd's 

Register Foundation and supported by 

the Health & Safety Executive, aims to 

improve safety by using data more 

efficiently. One element of the 

programme is to create a detailed risk 

and risk treatment library for 

construction projects with a view to 

improving construction risk 

management and safety throughout 

the industry. 

Running Discovering Safety in 

tandem with its established protocols 

to determine what additional benefits 

the new processes can offer, and to 

test the new processes and software, 

the team at the pharmaceutical 

company imported the usual risks and 

hazards into the 3D Repo SafetiBase 

platform and looked at them in more 

detail. They then worked through them 

together to check they hadn't left 

anything out. 

To use SafetiBase it was necessary to 

develop a 3D model of the building 

which enabled a number of changes to 

its design to be made early on, with 

SafetiBase providing a fuller view of 

the model - especially for potential 

users not accustomed to reading 2D 

drawings. As the data accompanying 

the model was federated to include 

recognised safety issues, the clients 

immediately spotted that the storage 

racking was too high. 

The extension involved creating five 

separate chambers to store the 

samples which need to be maintained 

at different temperatures. In the 

original plans, the plant for climate 

control was designed to be located at 

roof level. However, with the help of 

the 3D model, the team saw that this 

was going to cause a number of 

potential risks around working at 

height and the model was suitably 

modified and installed on the ground 

floor. Up to 40 risks were found on the 

project which wouldn't have been 

identified without recourse to 

SafetiBase. 

IMPROVED PROJECT 

COMMUNICATION 

SafetiBase enabled the company to 

bring project stakeholders into the 

process, helping them understand the 

risks and to understand the process 

and where any potential delays could 

come from. Communications with the 

client team and the team that will look 

after the facility once it's complete has 

also been improved - especially as 

they are able to walk through the 

project and make changes to designs 

early on. 

Because SafetiBase is stored in the 

cloud, all those working on the project 

can access it at the same time. With 

more people working remotely, using 

SafetiBase as part of project meetings 

and sharing it via Teams or Zoom 

eased collaboration with the wider 

team. Despite it taking some time to 

set everything up using SafetiBase and 

to bring everybody onboard, the 

pharmaceutical company found it was 

worth the initial time and effort spent - 

and that potential users should start 

as early as possible in the project, in 

order to get the full benefits of the 

Discovering Safety approach. 

www.3drepo.com 


CASEstudy 

H2PORTO 

Oporto Water Utility develops a technology platform for integrated management of its urban water cycle 

Águas do Porto (Oporto Water Utility 

- AdP) is responsible for the 

sustainable and integrated 

management of the entire urban water 

cycle of the city of Oporto, Portugal, 

including water supply, wastewater 

drainage and treatment, stormwater 

drainage, surface waters, and coastal 

bathing water quality. AdP is one of the 

largest Portuguese companies in the 

sector with over 150,000 clients serving 

around 500,000 people. The company 

delivers an average of 45,490 cubic 

meters of water to the population daily 

and collects approximately the same 

amount for treatment. 

The density and complexity of the 

hydraulic infrastructure and water 

resources in Oporto drive the need for 

the integrated management of the urban 

water cycle, while also raising 

challenges in the integration of the vast 

number of existing systems throughout 

the company. To integrate the data 

gathered simultaneously from a wide 

range of systems and sources, spread 

over dozens of individual software 

systems, AdP decided to develop the 

"Technology Platform for the Integrated 

Water Management of the Urban Water 

Cycle - H2PORTO." 

The goal of H2PORTO is to promote a 

culture of innovation and Smart Water 

Management for the efficient usage of 

existing resources. H2PORTO integrates 

territorial information via geographic 

information systems (GIS), video 

surveillance of infrastructures, numerical 

modeling, remote data acquisition, and 

public reporting with the following firm 

objectives: (i) integration of all 

information from the different systems 

(water supply, wastewater, stormwater, 

natural channels and coastal areas); (ii) 

uniformisation of all data acquired 

through remote sensors; (iii) real-time 

display of all data in user-friendly 

dashboards; (iv) integration of online and 

offline numerical models for all systems; 

(v) modules for automatic alerts and 

warnings (based on data acquisition and 

numerical models); (vi) reporting and 

data mining; (vii) and publishing selected 

information for the general public. 

The implementation of H2PORTO was 

acquired by AdP through an 

international public tender, which has 

been won by the consortium of 

Aqualogus, Bentley Systems, and A20. 

The contract has a duration of five years, 

including 14 months for initial 

implementation and maintenance. 

H2PORTO IN THE SCOPE OF 

SMART CITIES 

The overarching goal of the Oporto water 

utility was to achieve the holistic 

management of the water cycle in a smart 

city context. The organisation sought to 

do this by developing an integrated 

solution for predictive operational 

analytics to help predict performance, 

identify failures early, and prescribe 

actions based on asset information. An 

online platform was built, combining all 

the data sources (GIS, real-time network 

sensors, household meters, SCADA, 

laboratory, billing, work orders and 

logistics, etc.), and integrating them to 

produce business intelligence in the form 

of indicators and dashboards. Added 

modeling ability to forecast network 

behavior for the entire urban water cycle 

(from precipitation to bathing waters) is 

beneficial as well. 

Bentley Systems was responsible for 

the implementation of the modeling and 

predictive capabilities of the project. 

Bentley software produced a digital twin 

model of the city's water supply, 

wastewater, stormwater, and bathing 

water systems, to forecast flooding and 

water quality issues, thereby improving 

city response and resilience. 

14 


CASEstudy 

H20PORTO: REFRESHING RESULTS 

Águas do Porto improved the entire urban water cycle in the city of Porto, 

Portugal by commissioning a smart water management platform (digital twin) 

called H2PORTO based on Bentley applications. By unifying the data produced 

by formerly siloed systems, AdP has improved the accuracy of the data 

produced from sensor readings to nearly 99%. 

What was the outcome? 

Water service interruptions fell by 22.9% 

Number of sewer collapses decreased by 54% 

Repairs for pipe burst and sewer and service connections improved by 8.3% 

and 45.5% 

Volume of non-revenue water dropped by 3.5% 

Integration of real-time data and producing information available to teams in 

the field produced operational gains of 23% 

Remote access to H2PORTO allowed technicians to update digital twin 

information while in the field, resulting in operational gains of 23% 

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES 

Oporto water utility has been incrementing 

multiple layers of big data collection and 

generation over the last several years. 

Most of the time the data has been 

managed by isolated or noninteroperable 

user interfaces, which reduces productivity 

and makes it harder to achieve efficient 

data management. Moreover, the isolated 

management of all those available 

datasets reduces the possibility of 

generating added-value integrated 

analysis and forecasts. 

The main challenge in the implementation 

of the system was the city water cycle 

scale, which requires detailed resolution for 

many models and domains, including 

meteorology, water supply, sewer, and 

storm drainage. The city water scale also 

required the ability to consume large 

amounts of data from real-time sensors 

and consumers' telemetry and billing. 

The Implementation of H2PORTO AdP 

and the consultants from Bentley were 

responsible for the design, configuration, 

implementation, and automation of all the 

modeling and predictive capabilities. All 

predictive models automatically generate 

daily forecasts and publish the results in the 

project platform. Bentley developed further 

online services for on-demand online 

simulation analysis of network changes due 

to pipe burst, valve closure, and pumping 

stations' shutoff scenarios (e.g. run model 

with changes, compare with base solution, 

and return effected pipes and consumers). 

The main implementation points: 

Twenty-two DMA models (entire 

Oporto city) 

Three meteorological models in a 

nesting approach to have highresolution 

meteorology forecast at 1- 

kilometer scale (e.g. precipitation 

driving factor for drainage and wind 

patterns in coastal areas) 

Combined sewer and storm model 

for the sea front part of the city (1/3 

of the city where infrastructure data 

was reliable) 

Estuary, coastal area, and wave models 

for the detailed description of the 

bathing area circulation and water 

quality (coliform bacteria) 

Calibrated/validated results for all the 

domains with the automated network 

sensors and historical data 

Models were configured to run 

operationally daily and produce 

forecasts for the next three days, 

automatically updating boundary 

conditions from water consumption and 

network sensors 

Bottom-up approach for IWA water 

balance for all DMA's using network 

sensors and consumers' telemetry for 

real losses estimation 

Network scenario analyses for pipe 

bursts and valve and pump shut-downs 

Results published via web map services 

(e.g. flows, velocity, water level, 

meteorology, and currents) and RESTful 

API (e.g. time series of the same 

properties and requests for online 

services as IWA water balance or online 

scenarios) to the project interface. 

Bentley also developed online services to 

compute on-the-fly DMA IWA water cycles, 

at request, using billing, real-time network 

sensors, and consumer telemetry. 

THE FACTORS FOR SUCCESS 

Implementing all the modeling domains and 

the plug-in-based server capabilities were 

the main factors that contributed to the 

success of the implementation at the city 

scale. This eased the integration of new 

models, data sources, and tools, as well as 

helped to seamlessly put these components 

into operation and publish the results. 

www.bentley.com 


SOFTWAREfocus 

Counting the cost of carbon 

The Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator (VECC) has been designed to help architects and 

engineers reduce carbon emissions on their projects 

As an architect you only get one 

chance to reduce the carbon 

emissions in your projects - and 

that's when you design it. After that, it's up 

to the occupiers who are responsible for 

maintaining it to suit their personal 

requirements, but who could throw caution 

to the winds and install the most inefficient 

and carbon costly air-conditioning system 

they can find. 

Every building component that is 

incorporated in a building has an 

associated or embodied carbon cost, both 

in its manufacture and its delivery to the 

building site. Every task that is performed 

comes with an additional release of carbon, 

and that includes the use of peripheral 

equipment and other activities associated 

with the construction process. At the end of 

a building's lifecycle there are further costs, 

whether you re-use building materials or 

dispose of them in landfill, and each of 

these activities has an additional associated 

carbon emission level. 

These are all calculable, and to help you do 

the sums, Vectorworks has developed the 

Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator 

(VECC) a custom worksheet that's preformatted 

to help calculate the embodied 

carbon levels of a project. Divided into 

different sections, it can be used to provide a 

percentage of embodied carbon emitted by 

a building's materials and construction 

processes. Important? As embodied carbon 

is responsible for about 11% of global CO2 

emissions, and rising, every attempt should 

be made to minimise it. 

Embodied carbon is different from 

operational carbon, which concerns in-use 

operations like heating, cooling, lighting, 

and ventilation. The key here is that 

operational carbon can be reduced after a 

building is constructed by modifying the 

processes involved. Embodied carbon, on 

the other hand, is locked in once the 

structure is built. It's 'embodied' in the 

building itself. 

THE VECTORWORKS EMBODIED 

CARBON CALCULATOR (VECC) 

The VECC tool is a pre-formatted worksheet 

available for Vectorworks Architect and 

other Vectorworks products that has built-in 

formulas to calculate material embodied 

carbon emissions, based on your inputs 

and model quantities of materials. To keep it 

simple, the VECC is live linked to the 

Vectorworks model - it derives its volumes 

& quantity data directly from the model's 

BIM objects. 

It's organised into columns corresponding 

to the different stages of a project's 

lifecycle, except its operational period. The 

Product Stage tracks embodied carbon 

emitted from the supply, raw material 

transport, and manufacture of selected 

building materials. The Transportation Stage 

tracks carbon emitted from the 

transportation of prepared or fabricated 

products from the manufacturing plant to 

the project site. The Construction Stage 

tracks carbon emissions from any on- or 

off-site construction-related activities. 

The theory is that having calculated the 

carbon emissions for each part of the 

construction process, any that seem 

excessive, can be replaced with a lowerlevel 

carbon emitting alternative to bring the 

overall score down. The second benefit is 

that architects and engineers are made 

more aware of less sustainable materials 

and processes. 

The process is repeated for the 

dismantling and disposal of a building, 

using the second group of four stages in 

the VECC. The Replacement Stage tracks 

carbon emissions associated with 

anticipated replacement of building 

components, whilst the Deconstruction & 

Demolition Stage tracks carbon emissions 

arising from any on- or off-site 

deconstruction and demolition activities. 

The following two stages are useful for 

comparing either the Recovery or Recycling 

of materials and components that are 

intended to be recovered and reused after 

the end of the built asset's lifecycle, or their 

ultimate disposal for materials and 

components not expected to be recovered 

and re-purposed but incinerated or 

disposed of at a landfill. 

MARIONETTE CHARTS 

Vectorworks' Marionette based algorithmsaided 

design tool allows users to extract 

data from the VECC to visualise it into a 

chart connected to the data sheet. The 

VECC uses data from Energos to 

calculate energy demand and is already 

set up to complete a holistic carbon 

emissions assessment. 

16 


SOFTWAREfocus 

How comprehensive is the data? A prime 

example is a window, which consists of a 

glazed area of varying thicknesses, the 

frame material and jamb depth, the density 

of each at kg/m3 and the source of the 

data. The total weight of the glazing or 

frame timber can then be entered to get an 

EC factor in kgCO2e/m2 for the glassed 

area or kgCO2e/m2 for the frames, and a 

final embodied carbon for the total. 

Materials used are based on materials in 

the Resource Manager, with EC data 

supporting each material provided by the 

University of Bath, which, using similar 

calculations to those above, provide 

embodied carbon data for the quantity 

used. Transportation costs from the 

manufacturer to the site include the 

average laden HGV vehicle to be used, or 

average container ship figures. The EC 

calculations work on the carbon emissions 

per kilometer. 

The Vectorworks Embodied Carbon 

Calculator provides you with the ability to 

assess embodied carbon emissions 

through a project's lifecycle. The analysis 

looks at individual materials, a project's 

lifecycle stages, and benchmarks for set 

targets. With the Vectorworks Embodied 

Carbon Calculator, you'll have the power to 

gather metrics and make informed 

decisions as you look to achieve carbonreducing 

targets. 

ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT 

DECLARATION 

The EPD is produced on the basis of Life 

Cycle Assessment (LCA) calculations and 

provides a quantitative basis for 

comparison of products and services. It is 

normally provided by the product 

manufacturer and must be verified by an 

independent expert. 

Its basis is the norm ISO14025. In that 

document, EPDs are called Type III 

environmental declarations and must be 

produced according to a specific set of 

Product Category Rules (PCR) which 

provide calculation rules and guidelines to 

ensure that all Environmental Product 

Declarations under the same category 

report the same type of information. The 

range of existing PCRs is wide, from 

clothing to food and chemicals, with a 

specific advanced range for the 

construction industry with PCR (EN15804) 

providing detailed instructions for the 

performance of LCA calculations. EPDs are 

often required in green public procurement 

(GPP), tenders by private companies, and 

in building assessment schemes such as 

LEED, BREEAM, and GreenStar. 

An extensive EPD program also operates 

in other countries in an international 

collaboration called Ecoplatform to ensure 

that construction EPDs are comparable 

between countries. 

VECC USERS SPEAK OUT 

Colin Davis of Studio Partington, one of the 

earliest adopters of the VECC, said: 

"Studio Partington is passionate about 

designing buildings that take a conscious 

effort to minimise their impacts on the 

environment. The awareness of embodied 

carbon and the contribution it makes to a 

building's overall carbon footprint is a new 

field to all designers. The VECC gives us 

the opportunity, from the earliest stages of a 

project, to quickly understand and analyse 

the amount of material and likely embodied 

carbon impacts of our proposals. This can 

feedback into the design process to lead to 

better and more responsible solutions." 

There are a few ways to reduce a project's 

embodied carbon levels. Colin suggests reusing 

buildings instead of constructing new 

ones. "Construction processes have a high 

carbon footprint. Renovating what's already 

there instead of tearing everything down 

and starting over can greatly reduce a 

project's embodied carbon levels. A 

renovation project can let you be just as 

creative as with a ground-up build." 

The motto of 2021 Pritzker Prize-winning 

firm Lacaton & Vassal is "Never demolish, 

never remove - always add, transform, or 

reuse." Here are a couple of guidelines from 

them to help you decrease the amount of 

CO2 emissions for your next project: 

1. Limit use of high-carbon materials like 

plastic, concrete, and metal. Wood is 

growing more popular as a building 

material due to its lower embodied 

carbon levels. 

2. Use recycled materials. Especially for 

high-carbon materials like aluminum, as 

the carbon required to manufacture 

those materials has already been 

accounted for. 

3. Source materials locally. Look to source 

from your immediate area. This reduces 

carbon emissions from lengthy 

transportations. 

4. Create modular systems where 

possible, as they are easier and faster 

to construct, reducing carbon 

emissions from the construction 

process. 

A word about air-conditioning systems, my 

own private beef. If we can design more 

efficient buildings, we wouldn't have to 

install so many power-hungry external AC 

units - like barnacles on a ship's hull - to 

keep buildings cool in summer and hot in 

winter! The VECC is a good starting point. 

Use it as a catalyst towards designing 

better performing buildings, as well. 

www.vectorworks.co.uk 


TECHNOLOGYfocus 

ALICE's adventures overground 

ALICE (ArtificiaL Intelligence Construction Engineering) is being used to supplement the 'optioneering' 

of planners and project managers working on the most complex projects 

Construction projects are getting larger 

and more complex, and the range of 

factors that have to be addressed to 

improve their efficiency, save money and 

shorten schedules, etc. have also increased 

over the last few years. Whereas earlier 

projects had to potentially contend with 

difficult site locations, specialised equipment 

and construction technologies, local building 

constraints and even historical preservation 

requirements, current issues that have to be 

taken into account include global labour and 

material shortages, constrained resource 

supply chains, increasingly stringent 

construction requirements regarding health 

and safety and, of course, sustainability. 

This is especially relevant in heavy civil 

construction projects, which often 

encompass large or linear footprints, 

above and subsurface construction, and 

which may span many miles - a typical 

example is HS2. These challenges also 

apply to industrial projects, which typically 

involve complex engineering and 

procurement challenges. 

Even more straightforward large 

commercial, residential, or mixed-used 

projects in high-density environments have 

problems to work around, especially when it 

comes to access to sites, which can be 

constrained by traffic, space, or other 

factors, and some geographic locations are 

also weather-constrained. 

CONSTRUCTION OPTIONEERING 

Exploring the vast number of 

options that could be assessed 

both prior to construction in 

the pre-planning phase and 

the 

preparation of bids, and in the construction 

management phase as well, are beyond the 

resources of any surveyor or project 

manager without the assistance of 

specialised software. 

I use the word 'could' advisedly, for those 

involved in considering the broad range of 

potential solutions, alternatives, and options 

that ensure a given solution aligns with 

project objectives and makes the best use 

of resources, only have limited capacity to 

do this task. And tools like an Excel 

spreadsheet or Gantt Chart would hardly 

touch the interaction or interdependency of 

the issues involved. 

Optioneering, however - a technique used 

in other industries - is able to streamline the 

process. That is where ALICE Technologies 

(ArtificiaL Intelligence Construction 

Engineering) comes in, with AI capabilities 

developed specifically for construction 

optioneering. 

ALICE TECHNOLOGIES 

ALICE is the brainchild of civil engineer, René 

Morkos, who followed his father and grew 

up in the construction industry working as a 

project manager in Afghanistan, building an 

underwater pipeline in Beirut, driving 

automation-led engineering on a $350 

million gas refinery expansion project in Abu 

Dhabi, and leading the development of a 

virtual design and construction model for 

Amsterdam's cruise ship terminal. 

Recognising the inefficiencies on 

construction projects, with 

very poor labour, 

material resources and space usage 

(typically only around 3% of the average 

construction site was worked on at any 

time), he used his experiences for his PhD at 

Stanford University to find an algorithm for 

the link between space usage on a 

construction site and sequencing 

schedules. The result is ALICE, which can 

be used during pre-construction and as a 

live management tool during construction, 

enabling costs to be reduced on most 

projects by an average of 11% and build 

time by 17%. 

ALICE is at its most powerful when being 

used on major infrastructure projects, as 

the savings that can be made are in billions 

and years when it comes to cost and 

timescales. And with the UK planning to 

use infrastructure as a way of driving the 

post-pandemic recovery, now is the perfect 

time for a tool like this to be introduced to 

the market. 

PRE-PLANNING AND BIDDING 

ALICE helps construction companies to bid 

more accurately and with more confidence. 

Using ALICE Preconstruction they can plan 

design/build or alternative delivery projects, 

calculating the thousands of options 

available to create the detailed, resourceloaded 

schedules that they need to manage 

complex projects, reduce costs and build 

faster. Users 

start by 

18 


TECHNOLOGYfocus 

uploading a 3D model of the project, or logic 

diagram to ALICE before adding key pieces 

of information, such as labour, rates, 

materials, equipment and construction 

methodology. 

They then build a 'recipe' - essentially, a list 

of core tasks to deliver a certain element of 

the build. These are specific to the 

organisation and can be ordered and 

arranged to fit the user's needs. They can 

also be reused or adapted for future 

projects. Each time a user plans with 

ALICE, the work therefore becomes quicker 

and easier. 

When complete, ALICE automatically 

creates a 4D construction schedule that 

includes every key milestone for the project, 

fully resourced - telling you how long it will 

take, what it will cost and what is needed to 

deliver it. Used for feasibility studies, 

production planning or scheduling, ALICE 

enables users to quantify the impact of 

different scenarios, helping them to make 

informed decisions and get to the best plan, 

optimising resources such as labour, 

equipment and materials, and ensuring that 

all major contingencies have been 

accurately modelled to assess the feasibility 

of the bid schedule and reduce risk. 

Users can also see the effects of changes 

to the design visually by connecting the 

design to schedules and estimates to 

visualise all aspects of the construction 

project - creating, in effect, a variable 4D 

modelling environment. 

Because these 'recipes' are built in, any 

changes to the project can be input easily 

and a new schedule will be prepared with 

the updated information, using ALICE to 

help mitigate delays by generating corrective 

schedules automatically. No need to spend 

weeks modifying your schedule when 

circumstances change - ALICE can update 

plans and schedules in a few clicks to 

instantly get projects back on track. 

THE AI ASPECT OF ALICE 

Because construction scheduling is so 

complex with many variables involved, each 

of which has a ripple effect on others and 

ultimately the schedule, it is very difficult for 

humans to predict the exact effects of 

purchasing more equipment, adding an 

extra crane, or hiring another crew, and we 

base our decisions on imperfect 

assumptions and information. It's small 

wonder that projects end up over budget 

and behind schedule. 

Artificial intelligence has already proven 

itself in answering complex questions, and 

ALICE was created to help produce 

construction schedules that are much more 

efficient and have more due diligence than 

ever before. Supplemented by your existing 

construction knowledge, you can set up 

simple rules for your projects, and then use 

ALICE's scheduling engine to analyse 

millions of simulations, looking for the best 

schedules according to your rules. This 

takes about 10 minutes. 

For example, informing ALICE which 

tasks require which crews and equipment, 

ALICE can easily process countless 

options and calculate the effect that hiring 

an extra crew or adding a second crane 

will impact a schedule. 

ALICE was designed to be a tool to assist 

planners and project managers, who make 

the rules and create the "what if" scenarios to 

be analysed, using their experience in the 

field to tell ALICE what's possible and what 

isn't. Once created in ALICE, then can be 

reused elsewhere in the same project, or 

future projects. 

ALICE TECHNOLOGIES FOR HS2 

ALICE Technologies was used for the Align 

Project, part of HS2. Together with Align JV 

(a joint venture of Bouygues Travaux 

Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and 

VolkerFitzpatrick) they worked on an 

innovation project for HS2. 

Align is delivering the C1 package of the 

high-speed railway, which comprises a 

21.6km stretch of railway in a rural 

environment that includes a 3.37km viaduct, 

and 16.04km twin-bored tunnel, with five 

ventilation shafts. Able to simulate millions of 

scheduling options in minutes, the Align 

team ran a pilot with ALICE to test their 

programme for the viaduct substructure and 

look for improvements. 

The team spent four weeks getting up to 

speed with ALICE and building 17 'Recipes' 

to analyse (ALICE's instructions which break 

down elements including the specific 

construction tasks that are required.) These 

recipes included 642 separate operational 

factors that would need to be considered for 

scheduling purposes. ALICE generated six 

million potential options in ten minutes. 

The remaining two weeks of the trial was 

spent analysing the simulations and 

exploring the "what if" scenarios. Examples 

included testing the optimal mix of teams 

required on the substructure in order to 

increase the utilisation of their crews and 

minimise downtime for labour and 

equipment. 

PLANNING FOR THE NEXT 

GENERATION OF BUILDERS 

In addition to serving as CEO of ALICE 

Technologies, René Morkos is an adjunct 

professor at Stanford University, working 

with the construction engineering 

department and teaching the next 

generation of construction talent a whole 

new approach to scheduling complex 

projects - leveraging, I would assume, the 

latest techniques and opportunities 

emerging with Artificial Intelligence. 

www.alicetechnologies.com 


CASEstudy 

Making a mark on Birmingham's multicultural landscape 

Midlands-based MADE Architecture was tasked with 

designing a mixed-use development comprising school, 

community centre, Mosque, commercial and residential units, 

and basement car park. The building complex is located in 

the heart of Sparkbrook, at the edge of Birmingham City 

Centre. The aim of this project was to create a community 

hub that is safe, welcoming, and provides multiple facilities 

for the local community. Graphisoft's Archicad was 

instrumental in turning this concept into reality. 

The new development, which was 

commissioned by a local charity, 

started with the early design 

stages in January 2018. The client 

wanted a Mosque, a school, 

community centre, retail and 

restaurant spaces, as well as 

apartments. Initially, only six one- and 

two-bed apartments were planned, but 

thanks to support from the local 

authority who offered additional space, 

a total of 12 apartments were created 

in the end. 

20 


CASEstudy 

"We were lucky enough to get the 

support of the local authority for this 

redevelopment," explained Nayan 

Padhiar, Project Architect. "We were 

offered a gateway site that could vastly 

improve the local area if redeveloped. 

"Given the cultural and civic 

importance of this project, we were 

extremely pleased to see positive 

feedback from the community and the 

local media who followed our story 

from the beginning. The extra 

apartments will breathe new life into 

the complex and turn it into a lively 

hub for the community." 

A MODERN TAKE ON ISLAMIC 

ARCHITECTURE 

The contemporary style of the Mosque 

was designed with future generations 

in mind and is representative of British 

Islamic architecture trends. The 

complex design of the Mosque was 

achievable with the help of tools and 

features in Archicad. The concept was 

derived from a spiral and an eggshaped 

form that would wrap around 

the development and rotate on each 

floor to face the direction of prayer on 

the top floor. 

"The design of the mosque was very 

ambitious in its aesthetics and creating 

the curtain wall was a complex 

endeavor," reminisced Nayan. "The 

curtain wall tool was very useful in 

Archicad, as it enabled the concept to 

be achieved as per the design intent. 

The wand and the panel design was 

manipulated to achieve the desired 

geometric pattern of hexagons and 

triangles, which are a key Islamic 

design feature. 

"The cladding on the curtain wall 

included clear glazing, frosted glazing, 

grey and bronze panels, which would all 

be placed throughout the Mosque to 

create atmospheric and spiritual lighting 

within. Archicad allowed us to refine the 

hexagonal form and break it down to 

create various triangular forms." 

Whilst the Mosque was designed with 

contemporary curves and glazing, the 

other buildings such as the school and 

retail and residential units were 

finished in facing brickwork that match 

their surroundings. 

"Our goal was to ensure that the 

modern design concepts were present 

throughout the development, and to 

that end we used high-quality 

brickwork for a contemporary touch," 

added Nayan. "In addition, the large 

fenestration along the building provide 

ample natural light and ventilation to 

the residential and the retail units, with 

deep reveals to create a game of 

shadows. 

"The double-height glazed retail units 

provide an active street frontage to 

create a lively atmosphere and safer 

environment in the local area. Archicad 

gave us the possibility to design to the 

highest standard whilst keeping our 

unique aesthetic throughout the project. 

Another benefit of using Graphisoft's 

software came from Archicad's morph 

tool which allowed the team to create a 

sort of linear Islamic text and scripture 

which would normally be placed on a 

mosque frontage." 

GREEN DEVELOPMENT AND 

SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS 

As the development was meant to 

reflect modern-day technology and 

environmental concerns, sustainability 

was at the heart of the design. MADE 

Architecture proposed rainwater 

harvesting that allowed them to reuse 

as much surface water as possible for 

the facilities, in all the buildings in the 

complex. The existing site does have a 

relatively high-water table, so the 

rainwater harvesting method helps to 

address and take advantage of this for 

the development. 

Other technologies that are currently 

being explored are the façade cladding 

where the glazing can be manipulated 

to control the amount of sunlight and 

solar gain within the Mosque. This 

helps prevent overheating, as the site is 

mostly south facing. 

ARCHICAD - AT THE HEART OF IT ALL 

"Archicad was particularly useful for us 

because we were able to work in 3D 

and at the same time visualise the 

buildings and show them to the client 

so they can understand the design", 

said Nayan. "We wanted to be able to 

show them how the form is developing 

and to be able to describe the design 

process in great detail - and Archicad 

is extremely good at helping us 

achieve that unequivocal 

communication with the end user." 

Through progressive design, 

motivation, creativity and close 

working relationships with the local 

authority, MADE Architecture is now in 

the process of turning its client's 

dream into a reality that will benefit the 

local community and the city for 

generations to come. Construction 

works are expected to start in the 

summer of 2022 and finalise within 24 

months. 

www.graphisoft.co.uk 


INDUSTRYcomment 

Ahead in the cloud 

May Winfield, Global Director of Commercial, Legal and Digital Risks, Buro Happold discusses the 

conundrum between ownership and risk when using cloud services 

News headlines and data articles 

seem to assume all our data 

now lives in the cloud - and 

increasingly it does. McKinsey 5 

August 2019 Insights, 'Unlocking 

business acceleration in a hybrid 

cloud world', observed that "The 

companies we surveyed (in Spring 

2019) currently have around 50 

percent of all workloads running on 

public- and private-cloud platforms. By 

2022, that share is projected to rise to 

75 percent, with roughly two-thirds of 

that workload housed in shared public 

platforms within data centres built out 

by the major cloud-service providers." 

This is likely to be much higher than 

predicted in the unprecedented times 

in which we currently find ourselves. 

Indeed, cloud-based platforms and 

cloud computing services (such as 

Software as a Service or SaaS) have 

become ubiquitous with digital 

working, and 

as far back 

as 21 July 2020, McKinsey had 

already pointed out that "Leaders need 

to accelerate their journey to the cloud 

in order to digitise quickly and 

effectively in the wake of COVID-19". 

There is a danger in using such 

platforms by simply moving your local 

storage and applications into the 

cloud (some commentators term this a 

"lift and shift"). Due to the collaborative 

nature and additional functions of 

cloud systems, implementation goes 

beyond changing to a nicer looking, 

more organised virtual folder system. 

Perhaps a good comparable may be 

the previous move from the drawing 

board to CAD - there were a lot of 

knock-on effects to rights, duties and 

resulting risk of liability. 

When implementing or incorporating 

cloud-based platforms, some key 

issues and concerns spring to mind, 

which can be dealt with at the outset. 

Cloud-based platforms by their very 

nature are intended to 

facilitate collaboration and better 

exchange of information between 

parties, enabling cost and time saving 

and improved efficiency. However, this 

fundamental aspect can lead to 

disagreements about copyright or 

ownership of documents and data 

uploaded to these platforms. 

Generally speaking, you should not 

lose ownership of your documents or 

data simply by giving access to others 

or storing them in a particular location. 

The devil will be in the contractual 

detail (or lack thereof). Contracts 

between parties for design services or 

construction works will invariably 

contain clauses dealing with copyright 

of documents and deliverables, i.e. 

specifying if copyright is retained by 

the authoring party (with licence to use 

to the client) or transferred to the 

client. If parties want some or all 

documents or data stored on the 

cloud-based 

22 


INDUSTRYcomment 

platforms to be dealt with differently, 

they should set this out expressly in 

the agreement to avoid 

misunderstanding. Similarly, contracts 

with providers of cloud computing 

services, for example software 

providers and storage providers, 

would normally confirm that your 

documents and data remain owned by 

you regardless of the use of their 

services. You may want to double 

check however whether the relevant 

contractual provisions give the 

providers rights of use for research or 

other purposes, and if that is 

agreeable to you. 

The story doesn't end with copyright, 

however. When you upload documents 

and data onto a cloud-based platform, 

who has access? Are you happy for 

them to rely on what you have 

uploaded - and to what extent? What if 

they amend your documents or data? 

Can they share them with other 

parties? Who bears responsibility for 

delay or additional costs in the event 

of a lack of access to the platform for 

a period of time? All of these 

questions could broadly be captured 

under the heading of Risk and Liability. 

In parties using, and collaborating 

via, a cloud-based platform, is it clear 

who can (and must) do what, when 

and how? Arguably many 

misunderstandings occur when there 

is a lack of clarity or there is a gap in 

obligations and rights leading to 

differing interpretations and unwanted 

positions if issues arise. Whilst no one 

wants excess paperwork or legal 'red 

tape', don't underestimate therefore 

the importance of agreeing and clearly 

setting out the roles, rights and 

responsibilities in the use and access 

of the planned cloud-based platform 

or application within documentation. 

For ease of reference, this may be 

best placed in a separate procedural 

or technical document that then forms 

a schedule or appendix within all 

project parties' contracts. 

Alternatively, or in addition, one could 

utilise splash screens and notes on 

documents to specify their intended 

status or use, to deal with that aspect 

of the risk equation. Some parties also 

require acceptance of standard waiver 

or disclaimer forms by other parties of 

the project with whom they may not 

have a direct contractual relationship - 

containing confirmation on what each 

party's responsibility is regarding 

access to the platform and its 

contents, how they should be used 

and who bears responsibility for each 

obvious or likely risks. 

In some cases, your legal or 

professional advisor drafting your 

agreements may be unfamiliar with the 

functioning and processes of the 

cloud platform you use or intend to 

use. They may rely on you to instruct 

them on the real issues and risks that 

need to be dealt with and clarified, so 

they can then incorporate this into the 

contractual documentation. 

But how do you work out the likely or 

probable risks and issues? One of my 

favourite methods in such situations is 

to start with a blank piece of paper (or 

empty text document) and list out all 

the things that could realistically go 

wrong, as well as all the things you are 

really concerned to protect yourself 

against or not take liability for. This 

can then form the basis of that 

important discussion with your 

professional advisor. 

One particular risk or issue that bears 

mentioning is whether a party can 

withdraw others' access to the cloudbased 

platform at its convenience, as 

occurred in the UK court case of Trant 

v Mott Macdonald [2017] EWHC 2061 

(TCC). In that case, the BIM 

Information Manager, Mott Macdonald, 

withdrew the contractor, Trant's access 

to the shared cloud-based platform, 

known as the Common Data 

Environment in BIM process, due to a 

payment dispute. It is understood that 

the contract documents were silent on 

this issue, leading to an expensive, 

and time consuming, court case to 

resolve the point. 

None of the above issues should 

however cause one to refrain from 

using cloud-based platforms and 

applications. As with all new ways of 

working and complex processes, it is 

simply that the legal and contractual 

issues and risks must not be ignored 

and brushed under the carpet, as to 

do so may eventually negate all the 

collaborative benefits that the 

technology has to offer. 

In this short article I have only been 

able to touch upon a few of the key 

risks or issues, and ways to mitigate 

them. For a more extensive 

discussion, you may find my paper on 

this topic useful: 

www.autodesk.com/autodesk- 

university/class/Sharing-Data-Cloud- 

Based-Platforms-Avoiding-Risks- 

Liability-Disputes-2020 

This article is provided for general 

information only. It is not intended to 

amount to advice on which you should rely. 

You should obtain professional advice 

before taking, or refraining from taking, any 

action on the basis of this paper. 


SOFTWAREreview 

Enscape 3.3 

The latest version of Enscape adds new features requested by the Enscape community, 

including Site Context, which surrounds your rendered models with lhe local infrastructure 

designers can spend more time making 

the right decisions and less time 

gathering the data needed to do it. We 

will also continue to improve our core 

visualisation and sharing platforms 

based on community feedback." 

Enscape has seen a 50 percent 

annual growth despite the pandemic, 

demonstrating that designers have 

realised the value and potential of 

integrating new technology into design 

workflows. 

Enscape users can now set their 

models within an actual 3D 

environment, enabling them to 

gauge its impact and positioning on the 

project's surrounding buildings. thanks 

to the Site Context module within the 

latest release, Enscape 3.3. Simply by 

entering an address, or setting site 

coordinates, users can choose to 

import all surroundings, buildings and 

landmarks, streets and sidewalks, or 

topography. This is just one of the latest 

tools that Enscape has incorporated in 

the latest version of their popular realtime 

visualisation software. 

The new release will help architects 

and designers improve their design 

workflow even further to create even 

more impressive real-time visualiaations 

and immersive experiences. Other new 

features allow users to improve 

visualiaations of glass and water 

surfaces, add new educational assets 

and materials into scenes, and more. 

"We're always looking for new ways to 

support our customers' design 

workflows," said Petr Mitev, VP 

Visualisation Product Group at 

Enscape. "With today's release, we've 

automated some processes so 

OPENSTREETMAP DATA 

The Site Context module is a popular 

enhancement to the software. It allows 

users to import a project's surroundings 

into renderings by utilising 

OpenStreetMap data, a free-to-use 

global GIS 2D mapping tool containing 

data supplied by its users, presented in 

layers, that cover transport links, a cycle 

map with contours, local information 

which users can annotate and other 

overlays - plus sufficient vector 

information about local infrastructure 

and buildings to enable them to be 

recreated as 3D mass models using the 

appropriate software. 

Enscape comes within that category. 

Integrated within Enscape 3.3, 

accessing the Site Context icon enables 

24 


SOFTWAREfocus 

selected areas of an OpenStreetMap to 

be imported together with the model 

view, allowing the local 3D infrastructure 

to be displayed alongside the Enscape 

rendered model. The benefits are 

substantial. Architects can see if their 

designs are appropriate and correctly 

scaled for given areas, or whether site 

lines are occluded by nearby buildings. 

The OpenStreetMap information is 

maintained within Enscape and is not 

capable of being rendered using 

Enscape's visualisation tools. Enscape, 

however, has a number of refinement 

tools to select and manipulate the 

imported OpenStreetMap segment. 

These allow the Site Context tool to 

resize, rotate, centralise and otherwise 

reposition the Enscape model within the 

selected zone. You can, for instance, 

raise and lower the imported view to 

accurately line up adjacent pavements 

and roads. You can also hide or 

deselect local buildings if their 

representation hinders proper viewing 

of the model. 

HANDLING TRANSPARENCY 

Transparency in visualisations is a 

fascinating subject. Paradoxically it has 

more to do with opacity than 

transparency - the amount of light that 

can pass through an object. The more 

light that can pass through an object 

the lighter and more see-through it is. 

The higher the opacity, the more solid it 

is. So in other words the lower the 

opacity, the more transparent an object. 

Enscape has added another layer of 

complexity by enabling transparent 

materials to appear in reflections, 

improving visualisation of rendered 

glass and water surfaces. To handle 

the complex and massively increased 

ray-tracing it requires, and to achieve 

it in real-time rendering, users will 

have to use a graphics card that 

supports hardware-accelerated ray 

tracing, such as NVIDIA RTX series 

and AMD RX6xxx series. 

A quite different transparency effect is 

available with the Alpha Channel Export, 

which allows users to render an image 

with a transparent or neutral 

background automatically applied. This 

export feature allows users to then add 

their own background to the rendered 

images - perhaps swapping cloud 

imagery with a mountain backdrop, or 

setting the rendered model in an 

alternative environment. 

PINNING AN ENSCAPE WNDOW 

How do you take further advantage of a 

real-time renderer? Activating the Pin 

Enscape on Top function brings up a 

second window on a single screen that 

pins the renderer on top of the 

modelling screen together with access 

to the rendering menus. This allows 

users to work on their modeling 

software and immediately see any 

changes in the overlayed Enscape 

window. The window can be moved 

around the screen and placed in its 

most convenient position. The benefits 

become immediately apparent when 

used with another of Enscape 3.3's 

releases, Material Overwrite. 

Material Overwrite enables materials to 

be exchanged within a rendered scene 

much more easily, and without having to 

import or export them. This is one of 

Enscape's users most frequently 

requested enhancements and saves 

time when post-processing renders or 

when experimenting with different 

effects and the look or feel of a scene. 

EDUCATION ASSETS AND 

MATERIALS 

The Material Overwrite feature naturally 

includes the additions to Enscape's 

Materials and Asset Libraries, with over 

30 new education based materials, and 

another 280 education-themed assets 

being added, to include classroom 

furniture, toys, musical instruments, 

playground equipment, acoustic 

panels, and more to use in education 

scenes. The asset package also 

includes a large collection of new 3D 

people, all of which can be placed 

directly in projects and renderings. 

UPLOAD MIGRATIONS 

An Enscape Account offers an efficient 

way to manage your uploads and 

licenses online. It also provides 

additional functionality such as creating 

Panorama Galleries and the sharing 

and unsharing of links. This can all be 

managed within a user-friendly webbased 

interface. 

Enscape has become a popular 

addition to the toolsets of architects 

and designers, allowing real-time 

rendering features to be accessed 

throughout the design process, neatly 

outlined by one of its users, Joe Tubb, 

Senior 3D Visualisation Specialist at 

ASD|SKY: "Enscape is simple and 

approachable," he says, "while at the 

same time offering deeper levels of 

creativity, furthering design expression 

and overall visual communications. It's 

remarkably fast and enables designers 

to be more confident in their design 

choices while allowing them to explore 

and experiment multiple solutions." 

https://enscape3d.com 


SOFTWARE focus 

AI-assisted BIM 

BricsCAD Ultimate uses AI to automatically produce LOD 200 BIM from concept massing models 

Working on the definition that you 

should leave computers to do 

what they are good at - giving 

architects the freedom to do what 

humans do best, which is to be creative - 

BricsCAD has been developed to 

automatically progress models from 

initial concept designs to fully classified 

BIM at LOD 200. 

Using standard CAD tools such as draw, 

extrude, push/pull, filleting and so on, a 

basic design can be laid out without 

having to worry about classification, 

elements and layers until BricsCAD BIM is 

applied to the model. The application then 

takes over the workflow to convert your 

basic concept into a BIM that can be used 

to create elevations, viewports, schedules, 

takeoffs, BOMs and the rest of the 

documentation that you would expect 

from a BIM model. The accelerated BIM 

workflow is fully automated using artificial 

intelligence, giving users the opportunity 

and freedom to focus on the design and 

technical issues instead. 

In addition, leaving computers to do the 

complex and tedious manual tasks 

shortens the learning curve for architects 

wanting to move from 2D and 3D 

modelling to full-scale BIM. 

BRICSCAD ULTIMATE 

You will already know about BricsCAD, the 

series of CAD tools developed by Bricsys, 

as they have been around for 20 years or 

so. Bricsys are known as suppliers of 

budget priced, DWG-based CAD 

applications, competing against 

Autodesk LT and similar 

packages. The company has 

develop a global status, and is 

in use in over 110 countries, 

The Belgium-based company, part of 

Hexagon AB, has spent that time 

developing a complete range of solutions 

covering CAD, BIM and MCAD, at different 

levels: BrisCAD Classic for CAD drafting; 

BrisCAD Pro, which can be used for 2D/3D 

CAD; BrisCAD Platinum, which introduces 

parametric and deformable modelling, and 

BrisCAD BIM, a total design-centric 

approach to creating BIM models. 

All of these are available individually, but 

the complete bundle, including MCAD, is 

available within BricsCAD Ultimate, which 

gives users access to the total package, 

backed up by BricsCAD 24/7, the 

software's Cloud-based support. As you 

would expect, collaboration and model 

sharing apply throughout. 

BRICSCAD BIM 

The principal aim of Bricsys was to 

maintain the software's affinity with open 

file formats and users existing 2D/3D 

workflows. The former is achieved with 

BricsCAD open systems format, based on 

IFCs, and on AutoCADs DWG format. This 

ensures that Files and data are 

compatible with other systems and not 

corralled into proprietary file formats. 

Users start with solid mass modelling, 

ignoring the need to create families and 

classify components, and once the basic 

design is created, BricsCAD BIM takes over, 

using tools like 'BIMify' to convert model 

elements into digitally correct BIM objects, 

'Automatch' to find and uphold design 

standards and reuse the fields across a 

project, and 'Propagate' to repeat a detailed 

design across instances where it can be 

applied across an entire project. The end 

result is the creation of a digitally accurate 

virtual twin of a virtual environment. 

Bricsys stresses that the BricsCAD BIM 

workflow is a continuous level of 

development, progressing with minimum 

manual effort, but capable of extracting 

consistent drawing specifications 

regardless of where you open the model, 

and still associated with the model so that 

modifications made within a drawing are 

reflected back in the model. 

AI-ASSISTED MODELLING 

The design tools within BricsCAD BIM can 

develop complex 3D BIM classified 

models but in the early stages of the 

design the model browser merely 

displays a list of 3D model solids and not 

much else, and no BIM information. You 

can add windows, drag and drop doors 

from libraries, and parametrically 

rearrange the design. 

You can add BIM information manually, 

but in a large project that would be 

tedious. BricsCAD provides some 

assistance here - if you define an object 

as a 'roof' and then look at its properties, 

you will find that standard roof properties 

have been added to the object. 

With one click, all that can be done for 

26 


SOFTWAREfocus 

you. BIMify looks at and recognises all the 

solid objects in a model - walls, windows, 

roofs, slabs and even columns, beams and 

rooms - and converts them into BIM 

objects. BIMify can also detect structural 

elements and MEP, block references, 

buildings, stories and external walls. 

How does it work? It uses machine 

learning techniques to build a classifier, and 

is then trained on a number of buildings 

and structural and MEP models. It learns 

how to classify geometry by itself, enabling 

it to automatically identify and classify solid 

objects in a model. Having identified a 

profile in a solid it then goes to the profile 

library to find a match, and adds all of the 

elements of that profile to the model. 

AUTOMATCH 

The next step in the BIM workflow is to 

increase the LOD by applying BIM 

compositions and automatically created 

sets of standards to walls etc. - the 

materials that make up the walls. 

Predefined compositions can be dragged 

and dropped into the model or created on 

the fly and applied across a number of 

adjoining elements. 

Once a section of a model has been 

created, it can be used throughout the 

model to save time, using 'Automatch', 

which searches the whole model for similar 

patterns of design and applies the LOD 

results, including relevant restraints and 

standards as well, ensuring compatibility 

throughout the model. Automatching also 

enables BIM information to be retained and 

used on entirely new projects. 

PROPAGATING MODEL DETAILS 

Detailing is another feature that, once 

done, needs to be repeated many times. 

In a typical timber framed building the 

design of the joist may show that they 

merely butt onto the wall, with no 

precise details of the connection. Users 

can use the 3D modelling tools of 

BricCAD BIM to redefine the connection, 

extending the joist into the wall. Once 

this has been done, Propagate scans 

the entire model to see where similar 

modifications need to be made and 

indicates their position, requesting a 

decision on whether the modification 

needs to be applied or not. 

Similarly with structural steel elements 

which need finishing off. Once the detail 

has been added, with its nut/bolts, 

flanges and so on, Propagate will find 

other instances where it could be 

applied. Propagate, like the other BIM 

tools, will also work with other imported in 

IFC format. It also works parametrically. If 

the angle of the structural steel joint 

differs in some sections, the Propagation 

can be set up to apply to different angles 

and thicknesses. 

What about MCAD, How does that fit 

in? If you want to include an escalator in 

a building project, you don't need to 

add all the nuts and bolts, but you will 

then be able to specify an envelope to 

fit it in. Designing it in BricsCAD's 

MCAD module provide users with the 

detail they need to BIMify their 

mechanical designs so that they can 

add them to the BIM. 

SCHEDULES AND LAYOUTS 

Once a Project is BIMified users can 

then create a complete project from the 

BIM model in the Project browser, 

which can include models and section 

plans and the 3D documentation 

created from them, schedules, and 

viewports. There may still be some 

tidying up to do, such as changing the 

hashing on a model feature to improve 

its visibility. 

Annotations and dimensions can be 

applied to a sheet at this stage - and ss 

everything is still associated with the 

BIM model, changes made at this 

stage can still be made in 2D or in the 

3D model drawings that will be 

reflected in the model. 

If, for instance, a wall needs to be 

moved - it can be selected and 

dragged to a new position, and the 

attached dimension labels amended 

accordingly and all associated BIM 

elements adjusted as well. 

A COMPLETE PRODUCT 

It looks as if BricsCAD Ultimate can 

accommodate everything required of 

an architect aiming to expand into BIM, 

and the flexibility of the solution is 

reflected in the cost of using it - still a 

value option compared to other BIM 

software suppliers. It comes with more 

than I could include here, but to get a 

flavour, take a look at the extent of its 

capabilities at: 

https://youtu.be/YTwJV-aFXx8 

www.bricsys.com 


CASEstudy 

Paperless Construction 

How the Paperless Construction app supported Eurovia Contracting on the Vauxhall Bridge 

Refurbishment Project in Central London 

Eurovia Contracting provides onestop-shop 

engineering solutions 

across the UK, from feasibility and 

design through to Construction and 

maintenance, using best practice 

procurement and project management 

principles. The company is committed to 

creating an environment that makes a 

lasting difference to environmental, 

social and economic sustainability. They 

adopt best environmental practice 

across their operations by reducing 

consumption of non-renewable 

resources, investing in green 

technology, materials and processes, 

and managing their carbon and water 

footprint for the benefit of future 

generations. 

Eurovia Contracting began working on 

a design and build project to refurbish 

the top side of the 116 year-old Vauxhall 

Bridge for Transport for London (TfL), 

with the preliminary design phase 

starting in October 2019. They went into 

the detailed design in the spring of 2020 

with the building phase commencing in 

August the same year. 

Constructed mainly of concrete and 

steel, the current Vauxhall Bridge is 

historically significant and is a Grade II 

listed structure. It was authorised by an 

Act of Parliament passed in 1895 and 

was the first bridge in London to carry 

a tramway - its predecessor was the 

first iron bridge erected over the 

Thames in London. 

The project consisted of stripping the 

bridge back down to the concrete deck 

(parapet to parapet) carrying out 

concrete repairs to the deck section, 

improving drainage on the bridge 

(including additional attenuation by 

using in kerb drainage units) providing 

additional sections to the service 

trenches, reconstructing the footways, 

and water proofing and resurfacing the 

carriageway. 

THE PROBLEM 

This prestigious refurbishment project in 

central London was not without its 

challenges on several fronts. In addition 

to the historical significance of the 

bridge, it is situated in a sensitive area 

of London at Albert Embankment, 

Vauxhall. This site's sensitivity made site 

access control a top priority, and 

Eurovia Contracting was acutely aware 

they had to ensure access control was 

robust enough only to allow authorised 

users onto the site. 

Traceability was critical, and Eurovia 

Contracting had to know who was onsite 

at all times, for how long, their 

anticipated movements and location. A 

directional closure over a main artery 

over the Thames, such as the Vauxhall 

Bridge, was a challenge that required 

precise planning, as any unforeseen 

delays would have had severe 

consequences for stakeholders and 

road users alike. The "forensic" planning 

involved in a closure like this needs to 

be initiated months, if not years ahead 

of time. 

Another challenge was that the 

refurbishment project took place amid 

the COVID-19 pandemic and Eurovia 

Contracting had to put a solution in 

place that complied with social 

distancing imperatives (minimum 2 

metres) as well as minimising physical 

contact between employees whilst 

undertaking inductions, safety briefings, 

toolbox talks, permits and more. 

Despite the many challenges involved 

in this project, planned deadlines had 

to be met, and constraints were 

extremely tight. 

THE SOLUTION 

Eurovia Contracting turned to Paperless 

Construction's cloud-based compliance 

management software app to digitise 

time and attendance records and their 

health and safety processes to address 

some of these challenges, by removing 

the need for paper-based health and 

safety training records and automating 

compliance management. 

The app's functionality meant paper 

could be eliminated almost entirely from 

the site, providing a cloud-based 

solution where records could be shared 

and accessed irrespective of location 

and delivering accurate traceability to 

who is trained. This dovetailed precisely 

with Eurovia Contracting's commitment 

to environmental sustainability. 

When interviewed, Eurovia 

28 


CASEstudy 

Contracting's Operations Manager, 

Duncan Jenkins, summed up the 

situation before the Paperless 

Construction app was rolled out: 

"When we were working with paper, we 

had daily briefings on a sheet of paper 

in the canteen, and the guys would 

come in, have a briefing with the 

Foreman and sign the document. There 

were ring binders of paper everywhere, 

making it very difficult to track 

compliance". 

Duncan went on to say that the COVID- 

19 situation accelerated the uptake of 

the Paperless Construction app on the 

Vauxhall Bridge project and across 

Eurovia Contracting. Eurovia 

Contracting were always looking for 

digital solutions to remove the physical 

paper from the site, and the app left 

them with no excuses for not doing so. 

He added, "Our ambition has always 

been for this project to be paperless. We 

have been looking to remove the paper 

from the project and the site. Eurovia 

Contracting's rollout of Paperless 

Construction across the business has 

supported this ambition. The Vauxhall 

Bridge Project has been a flagship 

project for our business this year and 

therefore, for me, it was a prime 

opportunity to demonstrate being as 

close as possible paperless." 

RESULTS 

With Paperless Construction's all-in-one 

timekeeping, briefing and compliance 

management application, Eurovia 

Contracting had a robust access control 

solution to record the time and 

attendance of all workers and visitors 

entering the project. This provided 

Eurovia with the control needed to 

maintain site security. 

All briefings were recorded on the 

same application, whether daily 

briefings, toolbox talks, permits or 

inductions, providing an instant audit 

trail of all their employees' competency 

and training records - putting their 

mind at rest that all employees on the 

project were trained, competent and 

well-rested. 

Duncan Jenkins also summed up 

some of the major benefits the 

Paperless Construction app delivered to 

Eurovia Contracting, for example saying 

"Because the tool is very intuitive and 

easy to use, uptake was quick and 

simple, with the team immediately 

seeing the benefits - which drove its 

use. Initial training was provided, and 

strengthened by Eurovia Contracting's 

Digital Construction team. 

"Prior to Paperless Construction, there 

was a risk of losing records; there was a 

risk of people not doing what they were 

supposed to do and not storing 

documents appropriately. But if that 

happens now, it's obvious to everyone 

because there's an immediate gaping 

hole in the audit trail. 

"For example, if a briefing does not 

happen, it's apparent that it hasn't taken 

place, and if people aren't signed into 

sites, management can see immediately 

via the web or the app that they're not 

signed in." 

Duncan also explained that the 

completeness and quality of records 

overall had been improved. "Before the 

Paperless Construction app was rolled 

out, poor quality record-keeping could 

go unseen. For example, if someone 

didn't sign a piece of paper, it could 

easily go in the file and not be noticed, 

whereas with the app in place, you have 

a record that's live, visible, and 

transparent - it's effortless to see who 

has done what, and when. 

"We clearly saved cost in terms of 

paper, printing, processing and storage. 

There was an investment in the 

hardware required, but that's a 

worthwhile one to take as we move 

further into a digital world." 

And, as Duncan neatly summed it up, 

"I can sit in my office, log into Paperless 

and know immediately what is 

happening on the project. I can do it on 

my tablet or any device because it's 

synced across all devices. It's 

accessible from anywhere - all of which 

means we're achieving our digital 

objectives". 

By deploying the Paperless 

Construction app on the Vauxhall Bridge 

Refurbishment Project, Eurovia 

Contracting achieved their paperless 

site objective and solved their strict 

access control and COVID-19 social 

distancing needs whilst also meeting 

their legal and contractual obligations. 

www.paperlessconstruction.co.uk 


INDUSTRYfocus 

Can construction catch up? 

Ibrahim Imam, CEO of construction management platform PlanRadar, explains how to ensure minimal 

disruption when introducing new technology to your construction business 

The fact that digital adoption is 

gathering pace within the 

construction industry is well 

documented. However, less discussed is 

how to best ensure the smooth 

implementation of new technology within 

a business, the common pitfalls to avoid 

and the importance of taking an 

employee-led approach. 

Construction is no longer a stranger to 

digital ways of working. Whilst uptake 

over the last decades has been sluggish, 

external events, particularly the 

pandemic lockdowns and the resulting 

proliferation of remote working, have laid 

the ground for digitisation to flourish. As 

a result, many businesses are now 

reassessing their digital strategy or 

introducing one, opting for new ways to 

streamline their business whilst collecting 

valuable performance data. 

However, the ability to successfully 

implement these new tools and the 

processes behind seamless integration 

are often overlooked. Done well, tech 

implementation has the potential to 

boost performance, executed poorly and 

it can mean time and money wasted, as 

well as hindering any future digital 

development. 

PLAYING CATCH-UP 

First, why has it taken construction so 

long to embrace digital adoption, 

especially when compared with other 

heavy industries such as automotive and 

aviation? One theory is that it all comes 

down to money, with many companies 

apprehensive to make the large financial 

investment traditionally needed to 

implement new technology infrastructure, 

including extensive training programmes 

for staff who need to evolve working 

practices to use the new software and 

hardware introduced. 

However, almost overnight, the industry 

has found ways to innovate quickly, 

removing the need for the expensive 

30 


INDUSTRYfocus 

monolithic systems that once dominated. 

Technology can now be introduced 

piece-by-piece, and it's also more 

affordable than ever, with lower financial 

risk. Today's new technology is designed 

to work alongside current practices, 

rather than trying to replace them. 

An ageing workforce has also had an 

influence. Many people working in 

construction are seen as practical types, 

favouring a more traditional approach 

over digital formats. But as we've seen 

with the rise of huge tech conglomerates, 

the next generation are now entering the 

workforce, bringing with them more 

efficient and accurate ways of working. In 

short, times have changed. 

DEVELOPING A DIGITAL STRATEGY 

Although implementing technology 

throughout a construction business is 

now easier than ever, it's still important to 

understand and develop a digital 

strategy before making any investment. 

For example, a company may be 

looking to condense the amount of 

reporting needed each month, or plug 

gaps in data collection as a result of too 

many siloed programmes or platforms. 

Communication may also be a key driver, 

to improve the way that teams share 

information and record completed work. 

Perhaps it's all of the above. Identifying 

what you want (and don't want) from your 

tech in these early stages will help you 

pinpoint the right tools that your specific 

business needs. 

Focusing only on the essentials will also 

help to avoid any gratuitous changes. 

Many companies feel pressured to 

switch up their working style in line with 

industry changes without thinking 

carefully about their decision 

beforehand. Forward planning will help 

you get the most bang for your buck and 

avoid any unnecessary waste. 

CREATING A DIGITAL CULTURE 

Fostering a digital-first mentality amongst 

staff is also crucial when it comes to 

implementing new tech. How your team 

is first introduced to new technology will 

influence how they respond to it. This is 

especially important if staff are 

apprehensive about the idea of working 

digitally. Creating a positive culture 

around innovation and an appreciation 

for new technology can help overcome 

these hurdles. 

One way to achieve this is through a 

'soft but slow' approach. Starting small 

can give employees time to get to grips 

with the new tech and understand how 

it can benefit them personally. The 

beauty of the latest systems and 

devices are their ease of use. This is 

especially true of ConTech 

(Construction Tech), which can often be 

used on existing hardware such as 

phones or tablets. As a result, it's easy 

to test and trial without the financial 

pressure of a complete digital overhaul. 

It also means that if it's successful, 

workers are more open to upgrading on 

a larger scale and throughout different 

areas of the business. 

This 'ground up' rather than 'top down' 

approach allows time for staff to 

familiarise themselves with tech, 

making it a much more organic 

process. This is also a helpful way to 

dispel myths around job security - 

particularly amongst older members of 

staff who may feel these new 

introductions are signs of 'phasing them 

out' rather than making their work lives 

easier and more efficient. 

IN WITH THE OLD AND WITH THE 

NEW TOO 

Of course, one of the key benefits of a 

digitally focused workforce is that it can 

drive new talent to the industry. Younger 

generations, who are comfortable using 

technology in all areas of life, can also 

influence the speed and scale of digital 

uptake. It's no secret construction is 

facing a skills gap, caused by an ageing 

workforce and less access to skilled 

labour from Europe. Digital has the 

potential to 'fast track' learning, training a 

new breed of tech-savvy built 

environment professionals. 

However, we shouldn't understate the 

importance of older employees. Without 

their skills, experience, knowledge and 

industry know-how, a generation of 

mentors and teachers of core 

construction skills will be lost. High levels 

of apprehension around using new 

digitals tools are in abundance in this 

age group. A recent study found that 

53% of over-60s learning a new device 

find it more stressful than going to the 

dentist. Yet with the right training and 

patience this can quickly be overcome. 

A recent study also found that 90 per 

cent of workers consider training as vital 

to their career. There was also a greater 

connection between training and happy 

workers for those aged 55 and over, with 

90 percent agreeing or strongly agreeing 

there was a link between regular training 

and content workforces. 

So you can see, it's entirely possible, 

and indeed essential, to teach old dogs 

new tricks - as long as you undertake it in 

the right way. 

UNDERSTANDING THE BALANCE 

The good news is that modern 

technology, particularly constructionspecific 

platforms, are developed to be 

as intuitive as possible. 'Phygital' tools 

that bridge the digital and physical world, 

are becoming particularly popular. Online 

documentation has also been designed 

to replicate day-to-day paperwork, 

including worksheets and key assets 

such as site diaries or health and safety 

audits, meaning users who are already 

familiar with the offline forms and 

processes, can quickly get up and 

running on the digital counterparts with 

minimal training. 

Ultimately, the way that companies 

choose to implement technology will 

dictate its success. If proper thought and 

justification is given as to why specific 

digital tools are right for the business 

then it will make any roll-out a much 

easier process. It will also impact the 

response and take-up from staff who are, 

after all, the heart of the business and 

those who will use it day-to-day. 

A careful, considered and people-first 

approach means that companies will be 

able to win over the hearts and minds of 

staff, regardless of age, ensuring working 

methods can digitally evolve in years to 

come. Hopefully, taking these steps will 

also make the industry a more attractive 

prospect to the construction 

professionals of tomorrow. 

www.planradar.com 


YOUR GUIDE TO 

5 

7 

1 

2 

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 

30 28 

19 

15 11/16 

6 

13 

17 

9/10 

18 

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 

HERTFORDSHIRE 9 

Computer Aided 

Business Systems Ltd 

Contact: Gillian Haynes 

Tel: 01707 258 338 

Fax: 01707 258 339 

training@cabs-cad.com 

A C D E K H 

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 




CONTRAL 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 

BIRMINGHAM 29 

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 

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 

A Digital Twin Command Centre 

IES have been working with Orkney Islands Council to create a bespoke Digital Twin Command Centre 

to help optimise operational performance, energy efficiency and air quality across its building portfolio 

The project grew from Orkney 

Islands Council's desire to 

centralise its building data from 

across its portfolio into a single platform, 

allowing them to quickly identify issues 

and manage their buildings remotely from 

a single interface. As is the case for many 

local authorities, they were grappling with 

vast amounts of building data from 

various disparate systems across their 

portfolio and, with many of the buildings 

being geographically dispersed over a 

wide area, analysing and translating the 

data into actions to improve building 

performance was proving time 

consuming and inefficient. 

While many of the buildings in their 

portfolio already had some form of 

Building Management System (BMS) 

installed, all of the systems were separate 

and required multiple logins across the 

various sites in order to access and 

interrogate the data. 

The council decided to focus initially on 

seven sites within their portfolio. Working 

closely with their IoT subcontractor, 

Danalto, and IES, the council began 

setting a process in place to gather all 

the data from the existing systems across 

these sites, while adding in some 

additional metering in the form of heat 

meters, oil meters and electricity meters. 

This also included the installation of 

additional indoor and outdoor 

temperature sensors, allowing the council 

to gather more data than ever before, 

such as wind directions and speeds. 

With this more robust metering 

infrastructure in place, the next step was 

to enable the data to be transferred into 

IES' iSCAN cloud-based data analytics 

platform. This provides a central user 

interface, which can be accessed via web 

browser, complete with bespoke building 

level dashboards and alerts, to help the 

council see what is happening across the 

portfolio, identify and prioritise faults and 

see where operational improvements can 

be made. 

Being a local authority, the council's IT 

network has to be completely separated 

from the outside world through layers of 

firewalls and various other security 

measures, which made getting the data 

through and into the cloud a challenge. 

However, by working collaboratively, the 

council, Danalto and IES were able to 

create a secure connection to transfer the 

data from the building's IoT sensors into 

Danalto's web service, then in to the 

iSCAN platform where it is analysed and 

translated into actionable intelligence 

communicated via dashboards. 

The dashboards have been instrumental 

in allowing the council to understand in 

detail exactly what is happening in and 

around their buildings, allowing them to 

take informed actions towards improving 

building performance across many areas 

including occupant health and wellbeing, 

comfort, energy efficiency and costs. 

Even in the early project stages, the 

council were able to achieve some quick 

wins through the monitoring of Indoor Air 

Quality (IAQ) within the buildings. 

Through the iSCAN platform, they were 

able to identify areas where the CO2 

concentrations in certain rooms was 

higher than they would like or expect - 

something that was particularly important 

to the council during the ongoing 

pandemic when air quality is a top priority 

- and advise on simple operational 

measures to improve ventilation. 

On the heating side, they have also 

been able to identify areas of 

overheating, representing significant 

opportunities to make savings across 

energy, cost and carbon savings. 

Crucially, the approach eliminates many 

of the frustrations typically associated 

with managing large building portfolios, 

with the aggregated metrics, building 

alerts (classed by severity) and ability to 

change room schedules remotely from a 

single interface, being just a few 

examples of the significant opportunities 

the council are now realising to help 

deliver savings and be more efficient in 

its portfolio management approach. 

"The IES Command Centre has 

provided us with a central user interface 

to see what is happening across our 

portfolio; giving us a better idea of how 

things are performing, where there are 

issues and how we can make 

improvements," said Steven Bruce, 

Project Officer (ReFLEX), Orkney Islands 

Council. "We have already earmarked two 

more sites to be added (in addition to the 

existing seven) that are currently either 

having an upgrade or extension done, so 

they're ideal candidates for us to install 

additional metering and sensors at the 

same time. In an ideal world we ultimately 

would hope to include all of our buildings 

that have some form of BMS or controls 

in them so we can manage the entire 

portfolio from this one system." 

www.iesve.com 

34 


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