PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Trimble introduces new Tekla
8 NSC
April 19
Trimble has introduced the latest versions of its Tekla
Building Information Modelling (BIM) software
solutions for the construction industry: Tekla
Structures 2019, Tekla Structural Designer 2019, Tekla
Tedds 2019 and Tekla EPM 2019
Tekla Structures 2019 is said to deliver
enhancements, improvements and new features, that
together result in smoother workflows, more precise
control and higher productivity levels.
The latest version of the software offers improved
geometry for the detailing of curved structures,
such as bent plates and staircases, and contains
new automated features for model-based drawing
production.
Tekla Structures 2019 is also said to include a host
of new tools, such as Revit Export, an extension which
provides greater flexibility and a new Bridge Creator
extension.
Trimble said the Tekla Structural Designer 2019
introduces various updates focussed around flexibility
and interoperability, making for a more streamlined
and efficient user experience.
This includes a new core walls tool that is said
to enhance real-world simulation and constructible
modelling, while the recently improved data export
feature focuses on the interoperability with both Tekla
Structures and Autodesk Revit.
Tekla 2019 versions can be downloaded at:
www.tekla.com/2019
Joseph Ash Galvanizing has recently been granted ‘Fit
For Nuclear’ status (F4N), and claims to be the first
galvanizing company in the UK to
become accredited.
F4N is a unique service to help
UK manufacturing companies get
ready to bid for work in the nuclear
supply chain and to measure their
operations against the standards required to supply
the nuclear industry – in new build, operations and
decommissioning.
Mick Jackson, IT and Marketing Manager at Joseph
Ash Galvanizing said “Many thanks to everyone at
Joseph Ash who has worked hard to achieve this status.
Thank you also to F4N for granting us the certificate.
We look forward to our growing relationship with the
nuclear industry.”
Developed by the Nuclear AMRC
with the support of its top tier
partners, F4N includes nuclear new
build developers and the Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority. These
industry leaders are using F4N
to identify potential companies for their own supply
chains.
News
Most of us already know that the government wants
construction and infrastructure projects to incorporate
greater levels of offsite manufacturing. But more
recently, government has said that it also wants to take
a more standardised approach to design, including
componentisation. They refer to this as a platforms
approach.
With the majority of the value add for structural steel
already occurring offsite – in some cases up to 90% -
the structural steelwork sector is well placed to be an
early adopter of these new approaches.
Key to the success of this approach will be the
ability to lock down the complete design. The current
construction delivery model does not allow the design
to be fixed and drives late changes to design driven
by individual sub-contractors as they are engaged.
This lack of design certainty is the biggest issue facing
steelwork contractors today and one of the largest
drivers of cost. BCSA believes late and incomplete
design, design errors, and ongoing design changes
could currently add up to 15% - 20% in cost to a
construction project.
For a platforms approach to be successful, the
construction delivery model will have to become
collaborative, incorporate early engagement, and
demonstrate a high level of coordination and
integration. Fixity of design and early engagement of
subcontractors would be a significant positive change
for the construction sector, even on a structure by
structure basis.
While the structural steelwork sector already
commonly uses a narrow range of section sizes and
three standard connection designs, as well as generally
using one standard bolt size, the overall building or
structure design is sometimes so bespoke that the
standard components and designs are unable to be
utilised as often as they could be.
A balance does needs to be struck between over and
under application – there is the risk of over application
where the benefits of the approach start to get lost. If a
platforms approach standardises more than is practical,
it may be that the building design becomes less
efficient than other design solutions, including offsite
manufacturing or traditional techniques.
In its early stages, a platforms approach is most likely
to be an alternative to both modular and panelised offsite
build systems designed for; for example, student
accommodation, low-rise hotels and low-rise residential
type structures. This is due to their regular grid,
repetitive design and limited number of storeys.
While a platforms approach itself will not necessarily
be the optimum solution for all buildings and
infrastructure projects, the principles of fixed or
standardised design and inter-operability provide
a solution for many buildings and will have wider
benefits in effecting positive change.
Tim Outteridge
BCSA President & Sales Director Cleveland Bridge
structural BIM software
Laing O’Rourke has signed a construction contract for
the steel-framed Soho Place development in central
London.
Soho Place is a mixed-use scheme above the
new Tottenham Court Road Crossrail Station. It will
comprise a 10-storey building with retail and office
space, coupled with a nine-storey building split into
three offices above a 600-seat theatre, the first to be
built in the West End of London for over 50 years.
Appointed preferred bidder in July 2018, Laing
O'Rourke has been delivering enabling works for
the project. It has now officially started on main
construction with the team concentrating on some
challenging piling above and around the web of
services and tube lines that sit below the site.
BHC will be fabricating, supplying and erecting the
project’s structural steelwork.
Liam Cummins, Head of UK Building for Laing
O’Rourke said: “We look forward to delivering Soho
Place, further strengthening our partnership with
Derwent London. This will be a landmark project,
sitting at 1 Oxford Street, and interconnected with the
Crossrail upgrades to Tottenham Court Road, which
we are also delivering.”
Richard Baldwin, Head of Development of Derwent
London, said: “We are very excited about the prospects
for Soho Place, which will be a great building in one of
the best locations in London. We are also very pleased to
be working with Laing O’Rourke, who we believe have
the capabilities to deal with the complexity of the site.”
The development is due for completion in
November 2021.
First UK galvanizer
gains fit for nuclear
status
Contracts signed for
major Soho mixeduse
scheme
/Construction
/Fabrication#Bending
/Steel_construction_products#Flat_products_-_plates
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/Concept_design#Concrete_or_steel_cores
/Modelling_and_analysis#Modelling
/2019
/Metallic_coatings#Hot-dip_galvanizing
/The_case_for_steel#Offsite_fabrication_for_precision_parts
/Design
/Construction
/Steel_section_sizes
/The_Green_Books
/Modular_construction
/Residential_and_mixed-use_buildings#Student_residences
/Residential_and_mixed-use_buildings#Student_residences
/Residential_and_mixed-use_buildings#Hotels
/Concept_design#Floor_grids
/Braced_frames
/Multi-storey_office_buildings#Mixed_use_commercial_buildings
/Leisure_buildings#Theatres_and_auditoria
/Construction
/2019