November 2005

Leveraging on BIM Technology

In the Philippines, Aidea is at the forefront of harnessing the power of technology to create integrated design solutions. The firm utilizes Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual Building Explorer (VBE) to maintain design integrity, remove costly errors and increase efficiency. It also makes use of the Issue for Construction (IFC) reference model to provide better coordination between the design and construction teams.

These cutting-edge programs elevate the company to a global level. More importantly, these special tools help the firm to be more responsive to the needs of partners and clients.

Aidea is steadily making technology as the standard for creating architectural design solutions to cover the whole lifespan of a project, from design to construction, to operation.

To update the company's technical expertise, a group of Aidea's architects and engineers was given a week-long training on Tekla Structures – a new software that creates and manages detailed 3D structural models, regardless of material or structural complexity. The seminar was given by Michael Evans, Technical Manager – BIM Solutions of Tekla Corporation.

Architect Alex Arboleda of Aidea's Innovation and Quality Assurance Group division, cites that the participants were "overwhelmed that this software can do so much for a project." For instance, the 3D models generated by Tekla can include the geometry and design of the structure, and all the information about profiles and cross-sections, connection types, materials and structural component. The software also has a report-generating feature.

The firm will start using Tekla after an evaluation period. This development boosts Aidea's BIM capability to include the creation of specialized drawings such as rebar cutting list, structural detailing drawings, framing plans and many others.