How a BIM partnership with ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions helps ASSAR Architects deliver their vision

BIM is a process which helps architects, building contractors, project owners and consultants to work collaboratively. More than just workflow management or a virtual modelling process, BIM is a data-rich collaboration. Its goal is to place every product and component within a comprehensive, always up-to-date, digital model of the building.

BIM’s value to everyone involved in design and construction is tangible — and growing. A BIM pioneer and member of the Belgian Building Research Institute’s Digital Construction Cluster, ASSAR has a track record of successful implementation.

“The goal is to centralize information and allow projects to run smoothly,” explains Alexandra Dubuisson, ASSAR’s corporate BIM Manager. “It eliminates a whole series of construction error risks and facilitates dialogue between project teams. At ASSAR, BIM is applied to all projects, according to its unique needs.”

Partnership is the core of every successful BIM process. ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions participates via a specialist team of BIM consultants.

“We provide subject matter expertise, as well as software solutions to aid the scheduling and coordination of openings information,” says Mattias Colla, BIM Manager Benelux at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions. “Our team has experienced projects of every size — up to thousands of openings.”

Easily accessed, downloadable specifications have complete door, frame and hardware information for ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions’ product range. They include geometry, safety data, environmental product declarations (EPDs) and links to further relevant information.

One major Brussels project — and its challenges

Möbius I & II — a pair of elegant, light-filled “sister towers” in North Brussels — now house high-profile offices for corporate clients including Allianz. Designed by ASSAR, their successful completion resulted from a comprehensive BIM collaboration.

The BIM brief was to deliver complete specifications so everyone involved in project delivery could access one authoritative resource. The partnership would reflect ASSAR’s ethos, built around expertise, collaboration and teamwork. BIM also helps manage in an environment where delivery times are short and budget control must always be maintained.

“Every stakeholder has access to the complete specification, which leads to fewer mistakes,” says Charlie Malou, ASSAR architect for Möbius I & II. It saves time and money for those financing the project, because full information is transparent and always up to date — a claim which is backed up by a recent study of BIM’s impact on costs for complex building projects^*. As well as efficiency and cost reduction, BIM’s legacy is a transparent digital resource which can be shared and consulted through a building’s full life-cycle.

“Partnership with ASSA ABLOY’s BIM and Specification team ensured accurate, detailed specifications for door and security hardware were always available,” explains Malou. Deployed solutions at Möbius I & II included Litto & effeff locks; ASSA ABLOY Door Closers; and ASSA ABLOY architectural hardware.

Specifications are delivered via ASSA ABLOY’s Openings Studioä software, which automates accurate importing of specification information and every related object into the architects’ design package — in this case, Autodesk^Ò Revit^Ò. It simplifies an often complex specification process for door and security solutions.

“Openings Studioä is intuitive and the visual integration with Revit saved valuable time for everyone on this project’s multidisciplinary team. The partnership helped ASSAR to deliver buildings with a perfect balance of aesthetics and function,” adds Malou.

^*: Dodge Data & Analytics, “Measuring the Impact of BIM on Complex Buildings”; www.usa.skanska.com/4a3d4b/siteassets/what-we-deliver/services/bim--vdc/value-to-clients/measuring-the-impact-of-bim-on-complex-buildings-2015f.pdf