Planning ahead, virtually

Construction has traditionally been viewed as a volatile industry, given the need to account for last-minute design changes, fluctuations in prices of raw materials and its labour-intensive workforce. But in recent years, it has been possible to eliminate much of the uncertainty factor.

"Anyone who has ever built anything can tell you what they would do differently if they knew at the beginning what they knew at the end of their project. There is no construction without changes," says Christian Rust, AEC sales development manager for emerging markets, Autodesk, an industry leader in 2-D and 3-D design, engineering and entertainment software.

From the earlier days of laborious manual drafting of project designs and physical prototypes, the industry has evolved following the advent of computer-aided designs (CAD) and 2-D modelling.

Today, architects, engineers and construction (AEC) professionals can explore multiple dimensions of a project's digital prototype, courtesy 3-D modelling and cutting-edge technology.

Autodesk has been trying to help AEC firms look and plan ahead with solutions such as digital models, which, in turn, help them to experience their ideas virtually. Autodesk products support key applications like building information modelling (BIM), digital prototyping and visualisation.

BIM, an integrated process built on co-ordinated information about a project from design through construction and into operations, helps AEC professionals to accurately design and simulate performance and appearance, and deliver the project faster, more economically and with the potential for reduced environmental impact.

"We can use BIM techniques to understand the acoustics or the energy that will fall upon a space. For instance, if you ask most architects whether a change in orientation or using double paned glass will cause the building to require more or less energy to heat and cool, they probably wouldn't know. Digital models enable them to answer those questions quickly and with certainty," explains Rust.

CAD versus BIM

During the days of traditional CAD, any design changes required manual efforts on multiple files to update documentation, making the co-ordination process tedious and prone to error.

On the contrary, the ability to visualise, simulate and analyse a digital model's appearance and performance in a BIM process can help promote informed decision making during early stages of development.

"For example, the model can help the architect convey his design intent to all stakeholders, resulting in more predictable outcomes — fewer errors and less waste. Or, using the information, analysis can be conducted early in the process to see if the design is optimised to meet or exceed energy mandates and other sustainability regulations," observes Ahmad Al Jassim, country sales manager, Gulf countries, Autodesk.

The streamlined communication among architects, structural, civil and MEP engineers, contractors and owners also helps eliminate unbudgeted change, saves contract value by clash detections and helps reduce project time.

Analysing digital prototypes can help better design buildings to more efficiently use energy, raw materials, water and land, and gauge the overall impact the design will have on the environment prior to construction.

"You can also better understand if the building will meet the current regulatory energy mandates," says Rust, adding, "In the UAE, there is not much scope for retrofits. In US and Europe, there are a lot of existing buildings that need to comply with new sustainability regulations. We have special software solutions that address how to renew an existing building to fit the new energy norms."

For a competitive edge

With the pie getting smaller for AEC professionals in the region, most companies that win bids are expected to provide a faster turnaround or work with less funding.

"Co-ordinating between multiple stakeholders in time is another daunting challenge. Being able to use the BIM model for good visualisation will make your project more compelling and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. Project owners are increasingly asking for BIM solutions and AEC professionals are under pressure to deliver better quality and make it visible to owners at a very early stage," informs Rust.

The 2008 DesignIntelligence Technology Survey emphasised on the benefits of BIM. Topping the list were improved project co-ordination, reduced errors, better design efficiency and overall increased document quality.

While a few international architecture firms are advanced in implementing BIM solutions in the UAE, most local firms continue to use traditional software such as AutoCAD.

"While a lot of UAE-based companies know about BIM and its benefits, their local counterparts have not had the ability to experience the real value BIM can achieve. There needs to be a lot more market awareness about BIM and how it can be leveraged," Rust points out.

ROI justifies capital outlay

While architects are mostly enrolling for BIM training in the Middle East, Autodesk's end-to-end solutions to support a building life cycle could also benefit quantity surveyors and facility managers.

"Solutions in the software industry first focus on architects since they are involved in a project's conceptual design phase and are traditionally more into 3-D thinking. BIM training involves capital commitments but the RoI justifies it. The training timeframe depends on the project size and skill sets of people involved. If you have drafters accustomed to 2-D drafting, they could take a long time to get trained in the BIM process," Rust adds.

Meanwhile, to cater to the rising prominence of infrastructure spend in Gulf countries, Autodesk also offers infrastructure modelling solutions.

About Autodesk

Autodesk changed the world of design by automating drafting with the introduction of AutoCAD software.

Founded in 1982, the NASDAQ-listed Autodesk's revenue in 2009 was $1.7 billion.

Autodesk's BIM solutions help AEC professionals to experience their project's real-world performance digitally — before it's even built.

BIM benefits

Building information modelling can help deliver improved return on investment. In 2007, the Stanford University Centre for Integrated Facilities Engineering conducted a study and found that based on 32 major projects using BIM, there was: