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 Group plans further strong revenue and earnings growth after record year 2014

Corporate News Company News

  • Revenue rises by 17.5% to EUR 218.5 million in 2014
  • EBITDA grows over-proportionally to revenue by 22.8% to EUR 56.8 million
  • Earnings per share significantly above previous year at EUR 3.27 (+31.1%)
  • Proposed dividend rises to EUR 1.60 per share (+23%)
  • Positive 2015 prospects: Bluebeam acquisition will accelerate growth

Munich, March 31, 2015 – The Nemetschek Group (ISIN 0006452907) looks back on a very successful 2014 fiscal year with a strong fourth quarter. Revenue and earnings reached record highs. The Group revenue of the Nemetschek Group increased by 17.5 percent to EUR 218.5 million (previous year: EUR 185.9 million), thus exceeding the forecast corridor of EUR 211 to 216 million. In the fourth quarter, revenues rose to EUR 65.0 million, a growth of 25.7% compared to the same quarter in the previous year (EUR 51.7 million).

Earnings from operative activities increased over-proportionally to revenue growth. The earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose in the course to the year as a whole by 22.8% to EUR 56.8 million (previous year: EUR 46.3 million). The operating margin grew accordingly to 26.0% (previous year: 24.9%) and exceeded the forecast corridor of 23% to 25% despite the acquisition costs for US software company Bluebeam. EBITDA increased to EUR 18.0 million in Q4, a plus of 24.2% compared to the quarter of the previous year (EUR 14.5 million). The net income for the year (Group shares) rose considerably as of December 31, 2014: At EUR 31.5 million, this was 31.1% more than the previous year (EUR 24.0 million). Accordingly, the earnings per share rose from EUR 2.49 in the previous year to EUR 3.27. In Q4, the net income for the year (Group shares) rose by 16.5% to EUR 9.1 million, an earnings per share of EUR 0.95 (previous year: EUR 0.82).

Growth in all major regions

The Nemetschek Group further advanced its international growth strategy and extended its market presence, especially in the USA, with the acquisition of Bluebeam. In total, non-domestic revenues climbed by 19.5% to EUR 131.5 million (previous year: EUR 110.1 million). Thus, the share of revenues abroad rose to 60.2%. In addition to the USA, the growth regions include markets in Asia, especially Japan, and Latin America. Germany, too, continued to develop positively: With a plus of 14.6%, revenues increased to EUR 87.0 million (previous year: EUR 75.9 million).

Increase in revenue from software licenses and software service contracts

With a plus of 20.7%, revenues from software licenses rose to EUR 105.0 million (previous year: EUR 87.0 million). It was possible to increase revenues from software service contracts to EUR 101.0 million, a rise of 13.3% compared to the previous year (EUR 89.1 million).

“The achieved results of operations prove the sustainable success of the Nemetschek Group,” summarizes Patrik Heider, Spokesman of the Executive Board and CFOO of the Nemetschek Group, regarding the 2014 fiscal year. “We exceeded our targets in terms of revenue and earnings, attained record figures and made important moves towards a successful future. The ongoing expansion of our solution portfolio, our innovative strength, consistent internationalization and the emphasis on growth – organic and as a result of acquisitions – are key drivers of this successful development. In keeping with our newly defined acquisition strategy, with the acquisition of Bluebeam we have thus invested in the megatrend of collaboration for the improved cooperation between all those involved in the building process. At the same time, the acquisition allows us to considerably extend our presence in the important US market.”

Development of the segments

The Design segment is a major growth driver of the Group. There was a significant increase in revenues, which grew by 17.1% to EUR 175.1 million (previous year: EUR 149.5 million). The Vectorworks and Graphisoft brands in particular contributed to this growth. Purely organic growth (without the 11-month effect of EUR 9.2 million from DDS) was approx. 11%. EBITDA rose over-proportionally to revenue: At EUR 43.8 million it was 32.5% higher than that of the previous year (EUR 33.1 million). The EBITDA margin rose from 22.1% in the previous year to 25.0%.

In the Build segment, revenue rose by 30.4% to EUR 20.1 million (previous year: EUR 15.4 million). This includes revenues of EUR 4.9 million as a result of Bluebeam, consolidated since October 31, 2014. Organic revenue amounted to EUR 15.2 million and almost reached the previous year’s level. EBITDA reached EUR 4.1 million (previous year: EUR 5.5 million), which corresponds to an EBITDA margin of 20.5% (previous year: 36.0%). The decline of the EBITDA margin can be traced back to the capitalization of own work capitalized in the amount of EUR 1.6 million in the previous year. In 2014 there were no further items of own work capitalized.

Revenues in the Manage segment rose by 5.0% compared to the previous year to EUR 5.3 million (previous year: EUR 5.0 million), with the fourth quarter being the strongest with 12.3% growth. EBITDA remained at the previous year's level at EUR 1.1 million.

The Media & Entertainment segment showed favorable revenue growth which rose by 12.4% to EUR 18.0 million (previous year: EUR 16.0 million) with strong year’s end business. The EBITDA margin remained high at 43.2% (previous year: 40.7%).

Proposed dividend of EUR 1.60 per share

As in previous years, the Nemetschek Group would also like to involve its shareholders in the positive development. At the annual general meeting on May 20, 2015, the Executive Board and Supervisory Board will propose to increase the dividend to EUR 1.60 per share; a plus of 23% over the previous year (EUR 1.30 per share). The Nemetschek Group would thus pay out about 35% of the operative cash flow..

Positive prospects for 2015

In 2015, too, the Nemetschek Group plans to continue to grow profitably and sustainably and to gain market share. Growth will be accompanied by strategic investments, e.g. in extending BIM 5D expertise, targeting new customer segments in the area of Media & Entertainment and further internationalization of the brands. For the 2015 fiscal year, the Nemetschek Group anticipates an increase in revenue ranging from EUR 262 million to EUR 269 million (+20% to +23% compared to 2014). The Nemetschek Group estimates purely organic growth in the corridor of 6% to 9%. An increase in EBITDA in the target range of EUR 62 million to EUR 65 million is expected.

 

Overview of key figures

In EUR millionQ4 2014Q4 2013Δ in %12M 201412M 2013Δ in %
Revenue65.051.7+25.7%218.5185.9+17.5%
- of this software licenses

33.2

24.2+37.2%105.087.0+20.7%
- of this software service27.224.8+9.8%101.089.1+13.3%
EBITDA18.014.5+24.2%56.846.3+22.8%
Margin27.6%28.0% 26.0%24.9% 
EBITA (normalized EBIT)16.113.9+15.9551.3

42.0

+22.1%
Margin24.8%26.9% 23.5%22.6% 
Net income for the year (Group)9.17.9+16.5%31.524.0+31.1%
Earnings per share in euros0.950.82+16.5%3.272.49+31.1%
Net income for the year before depreciation of purchase price allocation10.59.3+12.9%35.329.6+19.1%
Earnings per share before depreciation of purchase price allocation1.090.96+12.9%3.673.08+19.1%

 

Key figures by segment

In EUR millionQ4 2014Q4 2013Δ in %12M 201412M 2013Δ in %
Design      
Revenue48.742.2+15.3%175.1149.5+17.1%
EBITDA12.810.7+20.1%43.833.1+32.5%
Margin26.3%25.2% 25.0%22.1% 
Build      
Revenue9.44.1+129.5%20.115.4+30.4%
EBITDA2.11.7+26.9%4.15.5-25.6%
Margin22.7%41.0% 20.5%36.0% 
Manage      
Revenue1.61.4+12.3%5.35.0+5.0%
EBITDA1.40.3+31.6%1.01.1-3.9%
Margin29.3%25.0% 20.6%22.5% 
Media & Entertainment      
Revenue5.34.0+32.9%18.016.0+12.4%
EBITDA2.61.8+45.4%7.86.5+19.5%
Margin48.7%44.5% 43.2%40.7% 

The complete 2014 annual report is available for download in the Investor Relations section of the company website.

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