A recent trend in the office is the increase in requests for measured surveys from retailers who are opening stores on the Continent. Although the physical process of surveying and drawing is the same, the geographic spread can bring with it a number of challenges; inefficient planning can dramatically affect your cost base.

However, nothing is insurmountable and you can avert a number of potential issues by following our top 5 tips for success:

1.    Give your survey supplier as much warning as possible.
Flights and hotels are a major part of the overall fee and you can achieve significant savings on a programme when these are booked in advance.

2.    Allocate site surveys in batches wherever possible
Grouping by country is one way of planning, but you will achieve greater efficiency if a survey team can hit the South of France and Northern Italy in one go, whilst another team deals with Southern Italy and Greece for example. Applications like Microsoft AutoRoute can really help to cut down on travel time – it’s all about proximity!

3.    Work with your survey supplier and let them know the bigger picture.
Negotiations are always a complex process, but if you are 90% sure you will be taking a lease on the Continent, it can often work out cheaper in the long run to have it surveyed whilst the team are in the area; rather than paying for a dedicated visit later.

4.    Ensure that all the agents and store managers know that the survey team is coming.
European retail survey programmes are planned as time-efficiently as possible, waiting times do escalate if an access issue can’t quickly be resolved.

5.    Be flexible on the drawing return date.
Wherever possible, we try to draw up surveys in the evenings when surveying in Europe. However, where there are a lot of surveys to get through, or where the site is very large, it is invariably more cost-effective to draw up surveys back in the UK than in a hotel.

Obviously it’s not always about cost, but we believe it is important that our clients don’t pay any more than they need to, so if you are considering expansion into Europe and want to use a survey company you can trust, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Ross

We also use Microstation Software…

At C A Design Services, we’re big users of Autodesk CAD software, such as AutoCAD and 3D Studio Max, and more recently Revit; but most customers aren’t aware of our Microstation Services.

Microstation Experience:

We are currently working for a major client on a long-term engineering based project,using Microstation.
The work includes maintaining and updating existing drawing records, and creating new drawings as required. This is a varied project, which draws on a number of CAD drafting disciplines, including the use of document control systems, revision of drawings following redline mark-ups, and digitising and redrawing archived hard copy drawings. On top of this, the drawings are necessarily complex, therefore attention to detail and quality control procedures are paramount.

The team have also been involved in various projects for other clients, including:
•    Redrawing a series of P&ID, HVAC and General Arrangement drawings in Microstation format to a very tight deadline
•    Updating a series of construction drawings to client requirements
•    Reworking a series of track and overhead line equipment drawings for a rail operator
•    Clinical Space Planning in an on-site resourcing role

Examples of the types of drawings we have produced are:
•    Schematic Diagrams
•    Wiring Diagrams
•    Single Line Diagrams (SLD)
•    General Arrangement Plans
•    Section and Elevation Drawings
•    Geographic Route Drawings
•    Plant Layout drawings
•    Compressed Air Diagrams
•    Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (PNID)
•    Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Drawings (HVAC)
•    Other Mechanical & Electrical Plans
•    Block Diagrams
•    Fire System Plans
•    Space Planning Drawings

We also provide other Microstation based services, such as the cleaning up and updating of your raster files using Bentley I-RAS software, or carrying out Microstation to AutoCAD file conversions.

So if you have any Microstation queries, please do not hesitate to contact Ross Cooper or Mark Johnson in our sales team for further information.

Daniel – CAD Technician

C A Design Services

Nationwide Models Property Cost Savings

We are pleased to announce a three year contract award from Nationwide Building Society for technical design and related services as part of it’s ongoing development of high quality space and utilisation data and design standards.

The contract includes the migration and linking of existing space and asset data into a single database using CADS SpaceStation software application to provide improved reporting on both Head Office and Branch space. The contract also includes the implementation of future branch design work into a BIM (building information modelling) format including consultancy and engagement with the existing Nationwide supply chain and integration into current and future information systems.

Nationwide’s Business and Planning Transformation Manager Robert Cock takes up the story “Nationwide has a sizeable property portfolio across the UK and we recognised that moving our branch and administration space data into a single system will provide us with improved reporting and analysis and assist the delivery of cost savings to our members. C A Design ticked all our boxes in terms of know-how, existing services, software and innovative thinking we believed necessary to deliver these improvements to our business.”

CADS Director Guy Moates adds “We are very proud to have been selected by Nationwide. The contract includes delivery of software, BIM consultancy, architectural design, 3D visualisation, surveys and space planning services and we believe C A Design is at the forefront of the market in offering a joined-up portfolio of in-house services that major property owners need to improve their understanding and use of facilities whilst lowering their on-going costs”.

For more information e-mail Guy Moates or call 014930 440444.

Ever wondered how some architectural practices manage to turn around their school design projects so quickly with a seemingly restrictive budget?

What if I told you that a number of these practices are out-sourcing the classroom space planning and layout to school planning specialists, allowing the practice the time to focus on the real design?

Every project comes with complexities and variations, there is no such thing as a “standard” school design project, and that’s why it’s so important to make sure your school space planning team understand the industry standards and expectations.

As a recommended service provider to architects, our latest case study saw the team working closely with Bouygues UK (BYUK) and HLM Architects. We provided architecural support services during the design and construction of the Queens Road School, Waltham Forest.

Tasked with simplifying the school plans and layouts, CADS Space Planning produced a single set of revised and coordinated FF&E drawings, together with the elevation drawings (C Sheets) of 117 rooms. Once elevated all fixed items were attributed with setting-out dimensions for use on-site by the contractors.

Our team are also Codebook pros, and we’ve helped BYUK to consolidate the education specific FF&E 2d block library used across their current projects.

You can download the full case study here: CADS Space Planning School Case Study_2011.

Ross