BuildingPoint Scandinavia Year One
As you all know, the companies behind BuildingPoint Scandinavia is EDRMedeso (NO and DK) and Trimtec (SE) and although we have been in the industry for decades, we now round off the first year under the BuildingPoint brand. Marcus Rodriguez takes us through the 2020 Journey!
IMAGE: Buildingoint Scandinavia visiting happy customers at a Randselva Bridge construction site.
From left to right: Wiktor Rybus (PNC), Øystein Ulvestad (Sweco) and Marcus Rodriguez (BuildingPoint Scandinavia)
The first year as BuildingPoint Scandinavia
By Marcus Rodriguez, BuildingPoint Scandinavia
On March 31, we were planning to have our BuildingPoint Scandinavia Launch Event at Thon hotel Opera in Oslo. We had estimated that 30-35 participants would join us in opening this new chapter.
However… everything was turned upside down on March 12th when the Covid-19 situation escalated and governments imposed restrictions. We turned around quickly and changed the live events around Scandinavia and instead invited everyone to a Digital Event!
To ensure that our customers voice was present, we visited was Øyvind Svaland at Veidekke at UDK02 in Drammen based on his inspiring video by Teknisk Ukeblad a few weeks in advance, where he referred to personal experience of putting models in the right place. Øyvind spearheads Veidekke’s ambitions in the utilization of XR technology.
We also interviewed Sigmund Log from the Norwegian Road Directorate which empasized how he wanted to spread the 3D models out to construction site - which exactly lines up with BuildingPoint Scandinavia's aspiration under the slogan and Launch Event title:
"Merging Digital Models with the Real World"
VIDEO (Teknisk Ukeblad, TU.no): Øyvind Svaland (Veidekke) demonstrates Trimble SiteVision
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The sky is the limit, now we just have to have BIG dreams!
Øyvind Svaland, Veidekke
Making the best of a bad situation…
Covid-19 shutdown increased the number of particpants by 10 times…
Our digital event drew more than 330 participants. As you know, BuildingPoint Scandinavia is a company owned by EDRMedeso and Trimtec. EDRMedeso has worked with Tekla for 25 years and Trimtec has in turn worked with positioning equipment for about the same length of time. Our growing team in Scandinavia has a background in economics, IT and engineering.
The transition from “EDR Structural Group” to BuildingPoint requires quite a lot of us from the EDRMedeso team. From being focused on the interface between design and construction, our ambition is to cover the entire circle within Design-Build-Operate by 2023. It requires first and foremost a mental adjustment. It requires that we dare to think holistically and see the needs of all players in the industry. From being the ones helping the design team to creating buildable models at MMI400 for steel, wood and concrete, we will now also assist in putting the unique models in the right geographical location. And if that is not enough, we will look at how we can assist with the BIM server in the implementation phase and for management documentation.
When it comes to the hardware portfolio, the immediate thought was that the Covid19 situation make it impossible to demonstrate the XR-10 with Hololens or Sitevision. On the contrary! From mid-March to mid-April, I would say that there was a small webmeeting revolution going on. It turned out to be easy to demonstrate both XR-10 and Sitevision since both tools are connected as a separate Teams participant, so reach out if you want to see it for yourself!
IMAGE: The Trimble XR10 with Hololens2 beeing tested by a customer… this is how we ideally demonstrate our products. Virtual demos actually work well too, though!
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…as NASA demonstrated; it’s better to send a small team to the moon, while the rest sit safely at the space center connected with camera and voice connection.
Marcus Rodriguez, BuildingPoint
Demonstration of ROI for Mixed Reality!
For the XR-10, BuildingPoint has recieved a fantastic reception in the Oil and Gas industry. This is an industry that has a long tradition of storing 3D models at the same time as they have large cost drivers in moving personnel. It is easy to imagine the costs that travel time, flights and helicopter transport can cost six figures per head. Therefore, it is first and foremost the opportunity to use the XR-10 connected to the rest of the team, which means that fewer people are sent offshore. No relevant cost comparison, but as NASA demonstrated; it is better to send a small team to the moon, while the rest of the team cautiously analyzes the performance indicators from at the mission control center, connected with positioning tools, cameras and voice connection!
Oil and Gas have seen that these costs can be drastically reduced. What we at BuildingPoint Scandinavia are wondering is whether construction will go the same way with transferring inspections from the execution site to the subject team at ICE meetings with live broadcast from the construction site and XR10 and for example Teams? Well, in 2020 we got some clues: Bjørnafjorden Open Live Center, also known as BOLC, leads the way working to link data to show live performance indicators....
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This represents a radical change. Mixed Reality has the potential to change how we build today.
Nikolaj Thomsen, Per Aarsleff A/S
When it comes to building and construction, we have seen very good cases with 3D models georeferenced in the right place with Sitevision. We have also seen some nice concepts for the use of XR-10 in construction.
This technology is also one of the reasons why the construction industry is now considered attractive to young people, something it was not some years ago. Let's boost technology and attract more good and motivated talent. We are still reading about young A-students being discouraged from choosing our industry. With world-leading technology created by leading companies such as Microsoft and Trimble, provided by BuildingPoint Scandinavia, will surely attract talent in the future!
IMAGE: Trimble Sitevision in use at Randselva Bridge in Norway.
Customer Advisory Board
We presented our strategy to selected customers in August to ensure that we stay on track and support our the customer’s strategies.
To guide our strategy, we brought with us representatives from NCC, Veidekke, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Sweco and CN3. Many thanks to everyone who contributed feedback. Without clear and concrete wishes from the industry, it is difficult to know that we are making the right choices.
The feedback is that the industry needs help navigating through the use and implementation of technology. The problems range from technology not being rooted in management, to models not being shared. Otherwise, there is strong feedback that prefabrication, such as reinforcement, prefabricated elements and also entire bridges, is the future. Our customers experience internal silos between BIM and GIS, which we must address.
It is clear that BIM and GIS have the potential to be linked. We want to set up more strategy insight meetings with our customers in the future and look forward to inviting you to new rounds of "Customer Advisory Board" sessions in the years to come. We believe that our strategy is best when it comes to providing insight and allowing customers to come up with suggestions for improvements, not unlike our customers sharing their models in ICE meetings to get interdisciplinary professional improvement input. Only together can we create solutions without gaps.
In short, our strategy is to merge BIM models of all kinds with the physically built one in the right location. We primarily want to do this for larger site-built concrete structures such as bridges, roads and tunnels. Besides that, we will also look at larger construction pits such as hospitals, airports and university buildings. For us, 3D reinforced concrete and structural timber will become more and more important in the years to come. We will contribute to consultants and contractors get help to create buildable models MMI400 that are feasible in the execution phase. To achieve this, we must support and facilitate collaboration platforms. In addition, we must solve the Design-Fabrication-Assembly-FDV journey for rebar also in open formats.
Our customers deliver the world's best BIM for Infrastructure!
One decision that was made this year that proved to be wise was to submit entries to the Global BIM Awards. In the 25 previous years, we have not submitted proposals from Norway. The proposals that won the BuildingPoint Scandinavia BIM Awards were Finansparken submitted by Degree of Freedom and Randselva bridge, submitted by Sweco.
Little did we know that our contribution Randselva bridge would win 2 awards for "The Best BIM Project" and then the project also naturally won "Best Infrastrucure project".
For the next BIM Awards, we want projects in all categories. Start thinking about whether you want to submit your project already now! Get inspired by projects from different categories here.
Another Scandinavian project that won is the 18-storey Hotel Gradient in Sweden. However, this project had an official winner from a location outside Scandinavia, despite the fact that Skanska AB was also the winner. In addition, we accept candidates from Norway and Denmark and Iceland. Swedish candidates are encouraged to submit to Tekla Sweden.
We bring with us the positive from 2020 into 2021.
We are on our way to building an organization that the industry can turn to for advice and to solve various problems. Today we work with issues within drawingless projects 3D reinforcement projects, EPD environmental footprint and environmental declaration, we develop MMI filters in Trimble Connect and much more.
We look positively towards 2021 where we look forward to introducing more tools in our portfolio. The next thing we take to market is the X7 + T10 with Field link which is a high speed 3D laser scanner system that retrieves and displays points from the 3D model. Some things that differentiate the X7 from other solutions are that it is both self-calibrating and self-leveling. I think, like many others, have realized that projects such as infrastructure and larger construction site facilities can benefit from connecting design with a good scan and I am naturally very pleased with the way Tekla handles the import of scans. Stay tuned!
Thanks and best regards,
Marcus Rodriguez
IMAGE: Marcus in conversation with a customer at the construction site of Randselva Bridge.