Future Testing is a process that leverages virtual design and construction, simulation, and rapid iterations. With Future Testing, AEC project stakeholders are able to anticipate issues and opportunities early, reduce risk, take advantage of innovative ideas, and gain an edge on the competition.
An excellent example of a company employing the Future Testing method is CadMakers Inc., a construction and manufacturing technology company.
They work closely with AEC businesses to streamline projects from design to construction, leveraging leading engineering software solutions. Their design approach includes modeling all the building systems — architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, civil and geotechnical — and mapping them virtually in an accurate, virtual 3D model. Then, they get everyone — the project architect, engineers, and various subcontractors — together to view the model and crowdsource solutions to identified problems. (more…)
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Every building and infrastructure design is unique. Whether a project is an artistic work or a more utilitarian design, it has unique requirements for piping, ductwork, structure and other elements that must be designed and coordinated in context.
These elements are typically left to later detail design stages of the project. Modernizing craftsmanship with Future Testing allows the 3D digital model from the architect to be extended and enhanced with detailed construction information. It’s then used to virtually construct the building and learn from that experience before doing work in the physical world.
These innovators use precise digital models to simulate the construction and the sequence of steps needed to build it, and iterate on this “digital mockup” multiple times to learn and improve.
In this way, Future Testing makes the first-time building a unique, “one of a kind” structure as efficient as if the company had made it for the 100th time!
Future Testing also allows AEC companies to incorporate downstream feedback on constructability by collaborating on the virtual model with makers to build in downstream efficiency. Then, as they gain real-world experience executing the project, they continue to update the models with better ways of working, and run simulations to prove them out.
This way of working shortens the feedback loop so they can apply new methods to the current project, learning as they go and “leaning out” the process at every phase. (more…)
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An advanced process in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) allows project stakeholders to anticipate issues and opportunities early, therefore reducing risk, taking advantage of innovative ideas, and gaining an edge on the competition.
We call it “Future Testing” and it enables AEC teams to:
The time is now for AEC companies to replace Problem Solving with Future Testing. Those that don’t take advantage of the opportunity will fall behind. Those that adopt Future Testing will build confidence and trust with their customers by showing they can anticipate issues and opportunities in advance, and adapt to inevitable changes as they occur with speed and precision.
Industry leaders are learning to uncover opportunities for innovation, and avoid issues, by experiencing the build process in a digital, virtual environment before the windows of opportunity close due to limitations of what’s already been constructed.
They’re moving beyond the era of firefighting by anticipating and avoiding problems through simulation.
In addition, they’re employing a Future Testing Cycle to learn from physical and virtual work and improve and simplify construction processes as they go.
The benefits of Future Testing apply not only to the owner, but also to architects, engineers, suppliers, contractors, and the whole team. This approach gives every constituent confidence in the process and the outcome because they’ve experienced it virtually.
A new method of project delivery is emerging in AEC.
Through new digital platforms, companies like A. Zahner Company are setting the example for how an integrated supply chain can significantly reduce rework on highly complex projects.
When the experts responsible for fabrication and installation can provide insight early in the design process, and all parties have the tools they need to collaborate closely throughout, construction waste can be reduced.
Owners are enjoying the benefits of collaborative project teams, which include:
reduced waste
stronger adherence to schedules
reduced costs
Collaboration is improving through the adoption of cloud-based 3D modeling solutions. Such tools assemble and empower teams across multiple organizations and geographies to create a single, live source for project creation.
Chris Sharples, founding partner at SHoP Architects, believes that architects should think more like manufacturers and to try to pull as much off the construction site by getting things prefabricated and manufactured in a controlled environment and then assembling the modules on site.
“Generally, in architecture, there are many workflow inefficiencies, in the way disciplines, owners and trades interact with one another. A lot of time and effort is spent communicating intent between parties. With technology evolving all the time and computer processing power getting better, it is becoming more realistic to do real-time simulations and collaboration….
“Of course, we can approach projects in the traditional way but I think we can really blow the doors off the barn by taking advantage of a modular approach, which is very well developed in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform,” Sharples said.
For Javier Glatt, CEO of CadMakers Inc., one of the chief benefits of digital modeling is the ability to capture knowledge that can be shared with collaborators and applied to future projects—whether or not those collaborators use digital tools.
In fact, he advised his audience in a presentation at the 3DEXPERIENCE Forum to find a business model that removes the burden on industry veterans of learning the latest technology, while still incorporating their invaluable knowledge.
For example, when working with mechanical contractor Trotter & Morton on a wastewater treatment plant, the CadMakers team was tasked with optimizing the workflow using digital modeling and improved collaboration, even though many of the individuals on the project didn’t use computers. (more…)
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To create truly innovative structures, today’s AEC professionals must look first at their creation process. Pushing the boundaries requires new technologies, new strategies and a new mindset.
The truly innovative AEC professionals are looking beyond what’s been done, to what’s being done across other industries.
Here you’ll gain insight from experts on the cutting edge of the industrialization of design and construction. Discover how to apply the efficiency of industrialized manufacturing strategies to any project, and the significant advantages this approach can yield.
If we look beyond traditional AEC methods, we can transform the efficiency with which projects are delivered and operated. (more…)
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Building owners, designers and contractors are increasingly realizing the benefits of modular prefabrication.
This trend transforming the way construction components are delivered is helping speed projects to market and leading to higher quality buildings.
This switch from stick-built construction to the assembly of manufactured components also makes the fabricator’s role more important than ever. Yet every manufacturer faces limitations that can impact their capabilities in delivering the optimum system to the jobsite.
When designers factor in manufacturer limitations, they can better select partners that can deliver the best possible end product.
AEC Industry Solution Experiences on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables designers to view 18 floors of MEP elements at fabrication LOD 400 on what will be the world’s tallest wood building.
SMARTER BUILDING
CadMakers Virtual Construction understands that the cost to construct a building is a small percent of the total lifecycle cost the structure. The company thinks it’s just as important to efficiently plan for maintenance as it is to build a structure, which is why CadMakers takes a holistic view of the AEC process.
“People have thought that you can’t use manufacturing best practices in AEC because everything is different in our industry,” explained Javier Glatt, co-founder and CEO of CadMakers, a service company built to streamline the AEC industry and has executed 35 projects worth over US$3 billion in construction value since early 2014. “But new technologies, such as the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform, are enabling this industry to automate processes and create a lot of value.”
Some of the big changes in the AEC Industry are being pushed by A. Zahner Company, an engineering and fabrication company based in Kansas City, Missouri.
In January 2016, we met with Zahner representative Ed Huels, Director of IT / VDC Services, to learn how the company is responding to the challenges that face the AEC industry.
Edward Huels, Director of VDC service, A.ZAHNER COMPANY
Zahner has a long history in the sheet metal fabrication industry, dating back to 1897 when it was founded by Andrew Zahner. The company went through several transformations, producing a variety of standard sheet metal applications.
In the 1980’s, L. William Zahner, took the reins as the fourth-generation great-grandson of the family business. The company moved beyond producing standard systems to exploring architecture as art, just as the design world was beginning to explore new technology-based design solutions.
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