Building Tomorrow: Claassen Auret’s Odyssey with Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Construction Cloud

This forward-thinking mindset proved invaluable during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, where the company seamlessly transitioned to remote work, ensuring uninterrupted operations. Claassen Auret’s clientele includes leading entities like Standard Bank and Nedbank, emphasizing their standing as innovators in the field.

The success story unfolds with their pivotal role in projects such as the Baker Street Office in Rosebank, where their digital transformation journey commenced in 2008 with the adoption of Autodesk Revit. As pioneers in adopting digital transformation, Claassen Auret embarked on a journey to adopt Autodesk Construction Cloud (Autodesk Docs and Autodesk Build) to enhance their workflows and project management methodologies. Their affiliation with Baker Baynes, an Autodesk Gold Reseller, marked a pivotal point in their transition towards a more streamlined and collaborative approach.

Customer Challenges

Claassen Auret confronted the prevalent industry challenge of enhancing collaboration and efficiency in construction projects. The traditional approach to site inspections and issue resolution required substantial time and resource investments. The primary obstacle was to identify a solution enabling faster snag identification, remote issue resolution, and a more collaborative ecosystem.

In navigating the ever-changing technological landscape compounded by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Claassen Auret grappled with the task of preserving operational efficiency and collaboration while transitioning to remote work. Managing diverse projects, from solar backup generators to battery storage solutions, underscored the imperative for a robust and integrated digital platform to replace outdated file-sharing methods like CDs, flash drives, and FTP servers. The demand to synchronise seamlessly with other professionals in construction projects heightened the necessity for a streamlined collaboration process.

Project Goals

Claassen Auret aimed to enhance collaboration, efficiency, and project management in the context of their diverse and intricate engineering projects. The primary goal was to find a comprehensive digital solution that would replace the fragmented and outdated software tools used for project coordination. Emphasis was placed on achieving seamless collaboration with professionals across disciplines and ensuring compatibility with cutting-edge building technologies, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM).

Design Solutions

Claassen Auret strategically leveraged Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Build, to effectively tackle their identified challenges. The implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) using Revit facilitated precise 3D modelling, enabling the team to remotely identify and resolve issues.

Autodesk Build, a sophisticated project management tool, played a pivotal role by centralising project information, fostering seamless collaboration, and providing real-time updates to all stakeholders. The integration of these tools empowered Claasen Auret to enhance project management efficiency significantly and attain an elevated level of precision in their designs.

In response to these challenges, Claassen Auret turned to Autodesk Build and Autodesk Revit. The utilisation of Autodesk Build streamlined the construction project management process, offering a centralised platform for collaboration, document sharing, and project tracking. Autodesk Revit played a vital role in embracing 3D coordination and design, representing a noteworthy stride in modernising their approach. While initial challenges arose in synchronising models with other disciplines such as structural engineering, Claassen Auret adeptly navigated these issues, establishing a more integrated and collaborative workflow.

Business Benefits

The integration of Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Build marks a digital transformation milestone for Claasen Auret, fundamentally reshaping their project collaboration, efficiency, and information management. In the words of Brand van den Heever, Director at Claassen Auret and a fervent advocate of Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), this transformation is not just technological but a strategic evolution. “ACC has become our cornerstone for unified collaboration and streamlined project activities,” he asserts.

The challenges presented by outdated file-sharing methods and the complexities of large models prompted a decisive move towards Autodesk Build’s centralised platform.

Brand van den Heever emphasizes, “ACC liberated us from outdated file-sharing practices, enabling dynamic, cloud-based solutions and a paradigm shift in our approach.”

This dynamic project management solution delivers more than just streamlined collaboration; it becomes the nexus for efficient document sharing and real-time project tracking, creating a unified single source of truth, seamlessly spanning site instructions to electronic snagging.

Autodesk Revit stands as a catalyst, propelling Claassen Auret’s electrical engineering projects into a new era of precision through advanced 3D coordination and design.

The business benefits are multifold, transcending the constraints of traditional communication and file-sharing methods. ACC becomes the keystone for streamlined workflows, providing an audited project activity log that ensures accountability and mitigates contractual concerns. Real-time collaboration features facilitate quicker decision-making and issue resolution, underlining the transformative power of digital solutions in consultancy. Beyond time efficiency, tangible cost savings are realised.

Brand van den Heever notes, “While there’s a slight uptick in CapEx with ACC, the reduction in manual labour hours, travelling to site and recording and communicating snags, far surpasses the additional costs.”

ACC’s capability for seamless remote collaboration ensures project continuity during unforeseen events, offering a robust solution for Claassen Auret.

ACC’s impact extends to site instructions, drawing issuance, and snagging, significantly reducing information handling and error risks. Electronic drawing issuance, efficient shop drawing sharing, and real-time issue management contribute to improved timelines and heightened client satisfaction.

Baker Baynes receives accolades for proactive support, playing a pivotal role in maintaining up-to-date licensing and offering technical assistance. The positive relationship extends to Baker Baynes assisting Brand in becoming the ACC administrator, contributing significantly to effective license management.

In Brand van den Heever’s words, “Baker Baynes has been instrumental in our ACC journey, ensuring seamless adoption and integration and are always available to provide relevant support and advice.”

Conclusion

In the heart of their collaboration with a leading data centre provider, Brand van den Heever, Director at Claassen Auret, paints a vivid picture of how Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) has become the cornerstone of their transformative journey. For this data centre provider, ACC is not just a tool; it’s the orchestrator of seamless communication and coordination.

Brand highlights the pivotal role ACC plays in their professional landscape. Engineers, architects, and subcontractors dance in harmony within ACC’s digital realm. It’s a unified platform where documents flow effortlessly, ensuring everyone is on the same wavelength.

In the tale of the leading data centre provider, ACC is the protagonist, the central hub for transparent document management. Every drawing submission, quality report, and progress update finds its home here. Brand underlines that ACC isn’t just a tool; it’s the guardian of efficiency and accountability.

Looking to the future, Brand envisions Claassen Auret leading the industry’s digital transformation. The integration of Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Build is a testament to their commitment to innovation. Brand sees a future where machine learning and AI dance with their designs, where augmented reality reshapes their industry. It’s a vision marked by staying at the forefront of technology, exploring training programmes, and integrating automation tools.

In this story of collaboration and innovation, Claassen Auret emerges not just as industry leaders but as pioneers, setting new standards for digital transformation in electrical engineering consultancy.