Firm Improves Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Design Process with Building Information Modeling Approach on More Than 35 Projects
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 6, 2010 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced that Kohrs Lonnemann Heil Engineers (KLH Engineers) has received an Autodesk BIM Experience Award for its early adoption and application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for more than 35 new construction and renovation projects representing a total construction value of nearly $400 million.
The award recognizes the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering firm for its exemplary use of Autodesk Revit MEP, Autodesk 3ds Max Design, Autodesk Navisworks, and Autodesk Buzzsaw software for BIM, along with the Autodesk Green Building Studio web service. The firm is also being honored for its support of integrated project delivery (IPD) and efforts to promote BIM through educational programs for its clients, architectural partners, construction associates and industry organizations, serving as a pioneer in their industry within the BIM and IPD movement.
“Since 2006, our team has used BIM and Revit MEP to better serve our clients and improve our overall design processes and efficiency,” said Jeff Millard, principal at KLH Engineers. “We recognized the potential client benefits of using Revit MEP for BIM early on and felt strongly enough about it to adopt a new way of doing business. By doing so, we have placed our firm ahead of our competition.”
Large-Scale Library Renovation Showed Value of BIM Process
One of the firm’s first BIM projects was the $12.5-million renovation of the Klau Library at Ohio’s Hebrew Union College. The library, home to the second largest Hebraic text collection outside of Jerusalem, includes a vast collection of rare books, some more than a thousand years old. The project entailed the renovation of an existing five-story library and the construction of a new addition that includes stacks and a viewing area for the rare books, as well as conference and office spaces.
All the new mechanical systems needed to fit within the existing structure of the old library and tie into the new geothermal well field. The project team — including the architect, structural engineer, KLH Engineers, and the construction manager — used an integrated project delivery approach facilitated by Autodesk BIM software to coordinate their designs, expedite the construction schedule and return the collection to its permanent location as quickly as possible.
To protect its rare books, the library building requires precise humidity and temperature control. KLH Engineers used the intelligent information in the Autodesk Revit MEP model to conduct energy analysis and develop an optimal design that satisfies the book-preservation needs as well as the client’s requirement for energy efficiency — a geothermal mechanical system that will help reduce energy and operating costs by an estimated 40 percent.
About BIM
BIM is an integrated process for exploring a project’s key physical and functional characteristics digitally before it’s built, helping to deliver projects faster and more economically, while minimizing environmental impact. Coordinated, consistent information is used throughout the process to design innovative projects; better visualize and simulate real-world appearance, performance and cost; and create more accurate documentation.
About KLH Engineers
KLH Engineers is an MEP engineering firm that also offers communication and information technology design, commissioning, lighting design and energy solution services for new and existing buildings. With offices in Kentucky and Ohio, the firm has provided engineering design services to the health care, civic, institutional, retail, education and commercial markets for more than 55 years. With more than 80 highly trained engineers and support staff, KLH Engineers has re-invented project engineering by delivering accurate documents and meeting aggressive schedules. The firm uses Advanced Solutions, Inc. (ASI), in Cincinnati, Ohio, as its reseller.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies -- as well as the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.
Autodesk, AutoCAD, Buzzsaw, Green Building Studio, Navisworks, Revit and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
