Collaboration par excellence

Example: Hasselt City Hall, Belgium — The building of the new municipal administration center in Hasselt, Belgium, demonstrates how seamless collaboration in building projects can minimize risks and save costs from the design phase all the way to commissioning.
A joint project of several brands of the Nemetschek Group.
Nemetschek brands involved: Allplan, GRAPHISOFT, Solibri

Pioneering planning and project execution with Open BIM

“The end-to-end use of BIM solutions constitutes genuine added value for all stakeholders in the building process
because it enables seamless and efficient collboration”
Steven Hendrickx, Head Architect in Hasselt

Large-scale, highly complex building projects in particular require ongoing, reliable and efficient coodination between all stakeholders – both internal and external – across disciplines and between companies. Therefore, in association with other market players, the Nemetschek Group is promoting the Open BIM data standard. This is a universal, collaborative approach to designing, constructing and operating buildings based on open standards and workflows It makes it possible for project stakeholders to collaborate, even if the type of software varies from user to user. The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) interface has established itself as an open standard and is therefore of central significance.

Sharing and evaluating data throughout the entire product life cycle saves time and money and improves quality. The administration of data is key to this digital transformation, for it is only possible to take full advantage of the potential if each stakeholder can access the data that he or she needs at any given time. This begins with a realistic BIM building model, which is an essential prerequisite for a genuine 5D workflo. This model is no longer limited to just 3D construction data; it also includes data concerning the dimensions of time and costs.

Seamless collaboration exemplified by the Hasselt City Hall

Under the management of the architect team comprising Jaspers-Eyers, MASS Architects and Michel Janssen, a new municipal administration center is being built in Hasselt. The complex, consisting of a renovated building section and a new building, provides approx. 17,000 m2 for the city administration and social services as well as offices. The architects and their most important partners are using Open BIM software solutions for the entire construction process. Three Nemetschek solutions are being implemented for this project: Archicad from Graphisoft for the design and planning of the architects, Allplan Engineering for civil engineering, and the Solibri Model Checker for the BIM quality control carried out by the construction company.

From the beginning, all information concerning the building project is contained in the digital building model – from the draft to implementation – including all design details, desired materials, fire protection requirements, acoustic properties, insulation and building structures, and administration. This constitutes considerable added value for all stakeholders compared to the old standard model, which was purely 3D. Thus, this improvement ensures more than just seamless collaboration between all those involved. The complex project can be turned over to the municipality – the proud building owner – with the required quality, on time and within the specified budget.

Hasselt City Hall is groundbreaking – in terms of design, planning and project implementation.

Independent and yet consistent

Steven Hendrickx, the head architect in Hasselt, recognized four decisive factors with Open BIM over the course of the successful project:

  • Individual partners design their model with their preferred BIM software, and with their own templates. Outstanding collaboration is ensured, though, thanks to a common, uniform standard which is specified in advance.
  • The division of labor is defined at the beginning of the project. Data on statics, for instance, have an essential impact on the architecture and structural design. Data on heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, on the other hand, are also important but don’t generally flow directly into the architecture. These data, for example, can be sufficiently analyzed with the BIM solution for quality assurance from Solibri.
  • Design changes in one area don’t necessarily affect the plans of all the others involved in the project. The architecture and the building stage are inherently the most closely linked.
  • The expertise of the staff, i.e., extensive holistic knowledge of the various building disciplines, is also critical for the success of the project.

Two examples of the advantage of precise planning

In Hasselt, the construction company was commissioned with excavation, among other tasks. An assessment of the amount of sand that needed to be removed was done based on a cal culation using conventional 2D planning methods, which yielded a result of 800 cubic meters. The engineers used the Solibri Model Checker based on Open BIM and the data provided by the architects and arrived at a figue that was just half this amount, i.e., 400 cubic meters of sand. This shows how exact the work with Open BIM solutions can be.

The steel struts to be installed are another example: With the interface function IFC Exports from Allplan, it was possible to use the BIM model to automatically calculate which steel struts needed fieproofing. All it took was a mouse click to obtain precise results, right down to the running meter. In projects that don’t use Open BIM solutions, these calculations are made by manually entering the data from 2D drawings in Excel or some other software and then recalculating and evaluating the data for use in quotations and planning, a process that is susceptible to error and one that leaves a lot of room for interpretation. These errors often go undetected until the actual cost planning is already completed. In the case of the Hasselt City Hall,  it was possible to avoid such errors from the outset.

Converting to Open BIM pays off

As is the case with any change, it takes a certain amount of time for companies and employees to accept BIM as the norm. The best way, according to Steven Hendrickx, is to start out by planning smaller projects using BIM. The experience thereby gained will make it possible to complete successively larger BIM projects. The advantages of collaborating through Open BIM are obvious: The entire workflow is much simpler for all project stakeholders, and building projects are completed within time and cost budgets.

CONCLUSION

Consistent standards and open interfaces in par-ticular are essential for successful building projects. Stakeholders need solutions that can “work together” for all and any individual tasks being performed. Seamless collaboration between humans and machines: This is ensured with Open BIM, and backed by the brands of the Nemetschek Group.

Reference projects on this topic:

Nemetschek acquires leading technology company MCS Solutions (News)

Corporate News News Company News

  • Entry into the fast-growing EUR 10 billion market of building management
  • New acquisition of a worldwide leading software provider for facility management, workplace management, and smart building solutions
  • Nemetschek becomes an end-to end solution provider for the entire lifecycle of buildings

Munich, August 28, 2018 – Software provider Nemetschek SE (ISIN 0006452907) acquired today 100% of the shares of MCS Solutions group, headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium. MCS Solutions offers an integrated and modular Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS) that covers core functional areas in real estate, facility and workplace management for large private and public organizations. Additionally, MCS Solutions developed a sophisticated smart building platform COBUNDUTM which uses IoT sensors and big data analytics to optimize productivity and efficiency in both occupant experience and facility service delivery.

Leading position in a strongly growing market for building operations

Analyst firm MarketsandMarkets (www.marketsandmarkets.com) indicates over the next 5 years an addressable market of more than EUR 10 billion in annual customer spending with a CAGR of more than 10%. Building owners are investing in technology to drive significant cost benefits, simplified operations and maintenance, reduced energy use, and growing integration of IoT and smart buildings. By investing in Smart Building technology, owners can increase building efficiency, better satisfy the needs of occupants and differentiate their space in the competitive real estate market. The rapid consolidation of solution providers recently in the market signals the major shift in technology use that is accelerating.

In this changing landscape, MCS Solutions has become a well-known and well-respected player. MCS Solutions helps organizations improve real estate performance in terms of total cost, risk reduction, employee satisfaction, brand perception and sustainability. MCS Solutions already serves over 1.5 million active users across the globe in more than 60 countries across many vertical industries, including private and public building owners, occupants, retail, commercial real estate, financial services, manufacturing, transportation and facility service providers.

MCS’s solutions are offered primarily as a subscription business model globally through direct sales and partnerships. The recurring revenues will continue to increase over the next years and will replace the traditional license model.

Perfect strategic addition

By acquiring MCS Solutions, the Nemetschek Group will enter this dynamically growing building operations management market. At the same time, Nemetschek will address a new customer group in den Manage segment and considerably extend its target markets beyond Design and Construction, where Nemetschek already has a leading market position. This makes Nemetschek the sole and worldwide leading software provider, providing key workflow offerings across the entire lifecycle of buildings.

“MCS Solutions is a perfect match for our solution portfolio that opens up a new market segment in which we will build to a leading market position as we have in BIM (Building Information Management) for Design and Construction. With the integration of MCS Solutions, we drive digitalization through the entire building process and are going to realize a seamless exchange of information before and, continuously, during the usage of a building,” says Patrik Heider, Spokesman and CFOO of the Nemetschek Group. “With the strong and global market position of MCS Solutions, we are taking on the role of being an innovator for the entire lifecycle of buildings.”

“For MCS, the acquisition means accelerated growth into international markets by benefiting from Nemetschek’s global customer and partner access, without changing its motivating culture and identity.” comments Koen Matthijs, CEO of MCS Solutions. “For our customers, it allows them to continue using our leading IWMS and Smart Building software, while benefiting from increased integration with Nemetschek’s software solutions throughout the Building Lifecycle.“

Steven Lambert, COO of MCS Solutions, also adds: “We look forward to working closely with the other Nemetschek Group brands to make digital project information more transparent and easier to access by all parties in Design, Build, and Manage stages.” Both managers will stay in their roles after the acquisition.

MCS Solutions employs over 200 people. In addition to its headquarters in Antwerp, the company has 7 regional offices in Europe, USA, Middle East and APAC. MCS Solutions anticipates revenues amounting to around EUR 15 million for the year 2018. The purchase price for 100% of the shares represents a revenue multiple of between 3-3.5x.

 

For further information on the company, please contact

Nemetschek Group
Stefanie Zimmermann
Investor Relations
+49 89 540459 250
szimmermann@nemetschek.com
www.nemetschek.com

About the Nemetschek Group
The Nemetschek Group is driving the digitalization of the building industry. With our software, architects, engineers, construction companies and facility managers can plan ahead, seamlessly share information and work together more closely. Building and infrastructure projects can thus be conducted more efficiently and sustainably. The unique holding structure provides our 15 strong brands with the flexibility to innovate in an entrepreneurial way while closely engaging with their 2.7 million customers worldwide. Founded by Prof. Georg Nemetschek in 1963, the company today employs more than 2,000 experts. Publicly listed since 1999 and quoted on the TecDAX, the company generated revenues of EUR 395.6 million and an EBITDA of EUR 108.0 million in 2017.

About MCS Solutions
MCS Solutions is a technology and consulting firm, supporting its clients across the globe to improve the performance of their building portfolios. Our core purpose is to make buildings work harder for their occupants through unlocking the power of building data. We help them create workplaces that offer the agility, flexibility, and connectivity needed to support new ways of working. And we assist our clients to optimize their facility operations and achieve bottom-line savings.

We believe technology solutions need to address real-world challenges and enable scenarios that quickly yield ROI. That is why our solutions are based on deep domain expertise in building management. Our suite of solutions is built from the ground up to be naturally integrated across domains. It is built on the latest IoT technologies to make buildings smarter in the way they work for their occupants.

MCS was founded in 1989, and currently employs 200 people across 7 locations.
For more information: www.MCSsolutions.com

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