Tekla Structures software integrates reinforcement information with building materials and follows the entire project from design through to construction
Tekla Structures BIM (Building Information Modelling) software helps construction companies build with quality, on time and on budget; by planning, communicating and managing project information throughout the construction management process. The software quickly shows the ROI as managing projects through the Central 3D model is intuitive and informs proactive decision making.
All the key elements of project delivery – data from preconstruction and construction planning through to site management – can be embedded into the Tekla model to schedule and monitor project performance from design to supply and installation. Tekla interfaces with the leading field BIM and virtual design and construction software to provide a comprehensive information Modelling platform.
Plan, communicate and manage project informationTekla Structures for construction management is an information-model-based software solution that supports contractors, sub-contractors, and project management professionals by helping them to centralize and visualize project data. Scheduling and cost estimation and control can be carried out by an effective communication and decision-making process that results from managing the fragmented nature of both project planning and performance data.
Tekla Structures can process large amounts of model and non-model data regardless of the source. The software can be used to leverage the critical transfer of design information and planning data between design and construction teams. This clarifies communication and decision-making throughout the design, construction, and site management phases of a building project.
Preconstruction The critical objectives to meet during the preconstruction phase of a building project are:Understanding owner expectations Interpreting design intent.
Tekla BIM process combines both building geometry and its element-specific properties to help construction managers reach these objectives. Sophisticated design and reporting tools allow the user to illustrate various levels of completeness to quantify the variety of alternative design proposals.
Tekla Structures software effectively enhances communication among project participants to realize design intent and ultimately meet owner expectations.
The Tekla model can be used to
Determine the complexity of the project
Extract quantities
Determine project budgets, general schedules, and resource availability
Associate lead times, delivery dates, methods, and materials
Understand the scope of labour and materials.
Construction planning The transition from preliminary estimates to procuring and coordinating actual project resources starts once a project is awarded. Tekla Structures software ensures that perspectives on scope and schedule dates are clearly communicated. Publishing and sharing the model on the web enhances efficient design which translates into easier and faster fabrication. Tekla’s construction management solution enables a well-informed and streamlined procurement process and facilitates accurate cost control during the production and delivery stages of the project.
Interoperability is essential, especially during construction planning. Use of the
Tekla Open API helps to centralize and distribute the critical exchanges of data that control production and eventually activate the supply chain.
Tekla model can be used to
Share building information with other disciplines
Divide the building into procurement packages
Visualize site layout, shapes, and geometry
Plan equipment and quantities utilizing resource data for further calculations
Generate a constructability analysis throughout design and delivery
Intelligent detailing design management.
Site management Site management is a critical aspect for project control. During the peak of the construction process, project performance grows in complexity as more providers, vendors and subcontractors mobilize at the site.
Tekla Structures software provides fully detailed models for centralizing essential planning and management data. Construction managers can visualize the building in its ‘as-built’ condition, locate the task in the building, and show their team the exact way to proceed.
The Tekla model can be used to
Update schedules and balance production data as installation progresses
Document and record schedule and scope deviations
Develop early planning data, comparing plans to real-time performance
Break down the construction process into weekly work group tasks
Experience the power of the as-built model
Cast-in-Place construction management
Model concrete and reinforcements in high detail
Coordinate and centralize fragmented building information in a single 3D model
Accurate quantities to the right place at the right time by efficient change management
Tekla Structures software integrates reinforcement information with building materials and follows the entire project from design through to construction. Rebar information such as rebar bending schedules can be integrated and used for construction purposes. You can achieve leaner construction and more efficient supply chain management by producing and managing all necessary building information directly from the 3D model. No manual drawing-based calculations, planning minutes or unnecessary drawings, and no drilling needed. Automatic real-time updates guaranteed for quantities, bar bending lists and schedules, pouring plans, cast units, and construction drawings.
The Tekla model visualizes congested areas to prevent collisions and coordinates between building systems, allowing smooth real-time collaboration, information sharing and transfer between project disciplines.
Maintain accurate, consistent and always up-to-date building information in the model to benefit the whole value chain of contracting. Reference case
Tekla in Shanghai World Expo 2010Finland’s pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo 2010 is called Kirnu, or ‘Giant’s kettle’. Tekla Structures BIM (Building Information Modelling) software is being used to model and manage its structural information in 3D throughout the project. The use of Tekla Structures supports the pavilion being constructed as a laboratory for sustainable building.
Construction managementFinnish project constructing company Lemcon Ltd was selected for the project management of the Finland pavilion’s construction at the Shanghai Expo 2010. “In accordance with our environmental objectives, it is a principle of Lemcon to model the building information of every domestic project,” said Mikaela Jänkälä, project support manager at Lemcon Ltd International in Finland. “Kirnu is our pilot project in China, and Tekla was chosen for the Modelling of the project because we needed a tool that will best help us disassemble the challenging structure later and to document the whole process. Tekla Structures will be the only BIM software used for Lemcon sites in the future.”
“The Task Manager function in Tekla Structures is particularly useful, because we’ve been getting weekly reports from China, including illustrative snapshots, of what parts have been installed on which level,” said Artur Virit of Lemcon Finland. “Tekla experts in Finland have been very helpful in finding a solution to any structural challenge that has come up during the project. A light Web version of the model has been exchanged through the Internet to be able to communicate about the structure in detail, and the Tekla database file has been sent back and forth through a Web link to create a combined model of different phases of installation. I believe that the new Model Organizer function in Tekla Structures would have been a great help at the very cramped site,” Virit said.
Structural designConceptual structural design by Finnish engineering office Aaro Kohonen Oy provided the idea of a space frame structure system for the Kirnu pavilion. The final structure of the pavilion uses 21 lattice pipe columns, which are variable cross-sections and unique curved shapes. The floor is made of composite decks that can be disassembled. Tens of thousands of bolt connections were needed in the building to enable easy disassembly after the Expo.
The final 3D building information model of Kirnu will simulate its real-world as-built structure. Shanghai Engineering Survey and Design (SCAD) Ltd created a 3D structural model with Tekla Structures that will be used throughout the construction process of Kirnu. Lemcon China Co. Ltd Shanghai office provided design coordination and supervised SCAD in utilizing Tekla to produce the model, and Tekla Shanghai and Tekla Finland provided software support for Lemcon’s BIM pilot in China.
As the cladding processing period for Kirnu is long, the design and fabrication of the cladding was done at an early phase to ensure that the construction can be finished on time. SAP 2000 software was used for the design calculations. Both SAP 2000 and Tekla support open API (Application Programming) that enables full roundtrip functionality between the two software applications. Because of this feature the Tekla model can be easily updated after calculations and vice versa. Detailed design for the construction was finalized with Tekla Structures after the calculations.
Steel fabricationShanghai Baoye Construction won the bid for the Kirnu project’s steel fabrication and erection in April 2009. All steel parts and assemblies were named, numbered and specified according to the guidelines of design coordination. Bolt connection information was given to Baoye engineers, and they created connections to the Tekla model.
“Engineers checked out the complex connections by rotating the model and were able to accurately generate all steel shop drawings from the structural model, thus saving in material costs and avoiding waste. The construction management team used the 4D scheduling functions in Tekla Structures to follow up on the steel fabrication process and erection of the building.
