With all the current excitement and talk of BIM and Revit, I have been thinking recently about the future of AutoCAD.

At CADS we’re pretty representative of the market, and our current mix of licenses is around 15% Revit / 85% 2D CAD (AutoCAD and MicroStation). It will remain this way for some time yet, largely because this is where our customers are in the cycle.

If we examine the manufacturing marketplace, Autodesk took the (at the time) brave decision to remove AutoCAD Mechanical Desktop and migrate everyone to Inventor.  My personal opinion is that this won’t work in the AEC market due to the construction supply chain being quite different. The approach Autodesk are taking of nudging customers to 3D via product suites is the right way to go.

A recent survey of Architects showed 55% market share in AutoCAD with no other product (including Revit) being in double figures.  Perhaps more telling was that in the National BIM Report conducted by NBS, 35% of the 1,000 respondents had no CAD at all!!!

So AutoCAD is here to stay for a few years to come.

Should CADS make a full transition to Revit?

You’ll probably have gathered from previous posts that CADS is very keen to keep up-to-date with the newest technology. CADS Space Planning team are no exception. As a department we have recently been taking steps into investigating the use of Revit to deliver our projects. I’ve been challenged with investigating what benefits the use of the Revit programme would bring to the office and ultimately to our clients.

Having worked in-situ with a client recently it appeared that they had made a complete transition to Revit and that although the cross-over period had been a slow one, other programmes had eventually been completely phased out.

The question is should CADS make this full transition too? Or should we remain multi-software users, adding Revit to our arsenal to stay flexible in our market?

Given the nature of what we do, I think we’d be wrong to phase out our other planning tools completely, in favour of Revit. Our projects are led from the top through Architects and/or Trusts. They specify how the project is run and dictate what programmes and methods they require. As suppliers, CADS has to adhere to the requirements.

So there are a number of benefits of our working knowledge of multiple programmes, and on live projects this has meant that we are adaptable, able to understand the clients sometimes difficult requests, and can put a strategy into action using the full toolkit of AutoCAD, Micro station and Codebook in conjunction with each other.

In trying to meet a clients’ requests recently it actually proved useful in discovering that we could use a greater amount of codebook tools than previously thought on other projects, such as creating link code schedules and room labelling.

So, how should we be responding to the changing market place and the introduction of Revit? My recommendation is to carry on with what we’re doing – up-skilling team members to become advanced Revit users, without losing our existing expertise in the other tools. But will these tools eventually become redundant? What do you think?

Steven Ellis

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.

Can BIM benefit the Facilities Manager as well as the Designer?

The answer is most definitely yes!

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is much more than a design tool employed at the start of a project’s life. In fact, BIM is a process of building management that covers the entire lifecycle of the building, and can deliver major benefits throughout its’ operational phase.

Since occupancy and operations form the longest timeline in any building lifecycle, a Facilities Manager could receive a number of benefits by embracing the BIM process. I’ve summarised what I believe to be the key benefits below:

1. Communication

Centralising key data in a standardised BIM format improves communication, reduces response times, lessens wasted time searching for information, and makes communication easier between colleagues, consultants, contractors and suppliers.

By allowing other stakeholders instant access to the same information, with the certain knowledge that it is accurate and up-to-date, BIM enables the facilities manager to greatly reduce errors and minimise the level of misunderstandings.

2. Space Management

Allowing other departments (such as HR, mail rooms, accounts, etc.) access to real time building-related data ensures that the organisation can instantly track changes in layouts and staff movements. This reduces building vacancies and so helps to improve spatial efficiency.

Changes in space usage can also be identified and audited allowing the internal accounting functions to be kept accurate and up to date.

3. Energy Efficiency

Another benefit for the facilities manager is how BIM can help to improve the efficient use of energy. A BIM model can facilitate the analysis of alternative energy solutions that could dramatically reduce the environmental impact and operating costs of the building or estate in question.

4. Change Management

A well maintained “live” BIM model should provide a true reflection of the building, and can therefore be used with confidence when planning changes to layouts during the operational cycle of the building.

The BIM model’s 3D representation of the building makes communicating these changes easier to understand for the employees, suppliers and contractors, and provides better information about the existing condition of the building. In short, this reduces the usual uncertainty, providing more cost certainty before the works commences.

5. Costs and Budget Planning

It is also possible to store information in the BIM model regarding the life expectancy and replacement costs of various building components. This will assist the facilities manager or building owner to understand the cost benefits of investment in materials and management systems.

6. Existing FM Systems

Finally, remember that BIM models are not there to replace FM systems. In fact the BIM model can be linked to an existing FM system to provide accurate and complementary “real-time” data that makes asset management faster and more accurate.

To find out more about BIM visit our dedicated BIM webpages: www.cadesignservices.co.uk/bim

Our BIM specialist division Cadnet have just posted a list of the most authoritative BIM white papers and publications on the web. Check them out here: Cadnet’s BIM resource list