CC4201

INDUSTRY news
CALCULATING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The recently released 2023
Digital Construction Report
from NBS explores the industry's
evolving relationship
between digital technology and
safety and sustainability. The
report found that two-thirds of
professionals using digital tools
to calculate environmental-related
metrics, a sign that sustainable
design is now intrinsic to
construction processes.
Significantly, four in ten use
digital methods to understand
the embodied carbon attached
to a project - that is, the
amount of CO2 emitted during
construction. A similar figure
(38%) also uses it to quantify
the energy demands of structures
and the components that
go into them. There's room for
improvement, but the figures
show a clear push towards
lower carbon outcomes.
NBS also analysed levels of
off-site construction, an area
often associated with greener
building practices, due to
greater control of materials and
waste. The results found that
MMC (Modern Methods of
Construction) continues to
gather pace. Over half of professionals
(57%) had been part
of a construction project that
had used or required off-site
construction within the last
year. This is an increase of 7%
since 2021. This news comes
despite the closure of several
high-profile MMC factories.
Manufacturers are the group
most likely to be involved with
MMC - 7 in 10 had worked with
an off-site element, followed by
nearly two-thirds of contractors
(63%) and over half of consultants
(58%). This increase
could reflect an industry drive
towards net zero as well as
recent government backing for
further MMC standardisation.
The report also found that
cloud computing is becoming
further embedded within building
practices, with four out of
five now using it. The stats
highlight the positive way technology
is supporting collaborative
working, with three-quarters
using it to share documents
and information with
clients (77%). A similar number
(74%) use it to collaborate with
team members and produce
3D models, specifications, and
other important documents.
Commenting on the results,
David Bain, NBS' Research
Manager, said, "The uptick in
professionals seeking environmental-related
metrics shows
an industry putting sustainability
front and centre. The drive
towards Net-Zero has no doubt
been a catalyst alongside the
evolving legislative landscape -
there's never been a greater
emphasis on the environmental
impact of building practices."
https://shorturl.at/kZ156
AUTODESK SET TO ACQUIRE PAYAPPS
Autodesk has signed a
definitive agreement to
acquire Payapps, a leading
global provider of construction
payment and compliance
management solutions. The
acquisition builds off the previous
collaboration and strategic
alignment between Payapps
and Autodesk Construction
Cloud announced in 2022.
Known as Payapps in Australia,
New Zealand, the UK
and Ireland, and GCPay in
North America, the company's
cloud offerings accelerate visibility
of payments between
project stakeholders and have
helped construction teams
save nearly 350,000 project
hours a year.
Geoff Tarrant, executive chairman
of Payapps, commented:
"Payapps and Autodesk share
a common mission of helping
our customers increase profitability
through cost efficiencies
and reduce risks wherever
possible. With Payapps
becoming part of Autodesk,
our customers will get to experience
the technology benefits
of both companies as we continue
our journey to help construction
companies improve
their payment management
processes."
www.autodesk.com
BIM INTEGRATION TOOLS FOR CODESIGN
Codesign, the app that
enables architects to
explore, iterate, and design
faster than ever before, has
announced that BIM integrations
are now available that
allow Codesign projects to be
taken into your BIM system of
choice, to continue developing
and evolving your design.
Codesign is a creative tool
specifically for the conceptual
design part of the architectural
process. It allows users to
sketch freely, envision concepts,
and explore imaginative
possibilities while incorporating
valuable downstream data
such as areas, massing, sun
studies, carbon, context, and
material implications.
"We partnered with the software
teams at Graphisoft,
Autodesk, and Vectorworks to
ensure seamless integration of
the different BIM systems,"
said Campbell Yule, Founder
and Chief Executive Officer of
Codesign. "After a tremendous
amount of beta testing, Archicad,
Forma, Revit, and Vectorworks
are all compatible."
Version one of the Codesign
Connections are complete,
and regular release updates
will follow. All subscribers to
the app can enjoy the BIM
integration feature free for
one year. Codesign is available
to download from the
Apple App Store now, with
tiered subscription rates
based on usage.
www.getcodesign.co
6
January/February 2024