Case Study: 5 Five-Story Mixed-Use Apartment & Commercial Buildings

Background
A developer had completed designs for five mixed-use buildings using traditional steel frame and concrete construction. With plans to build 65 more similar buildings over the next decade, the release of upcoming New Zealand decarbonisation legislation posed a serious risk to project viability. Compliance uncertainty threatened cost overruns, feasibility issues, and the overall deliverability of the remaining developments. To mitigate these risks, the developer turned to V-Quest to assess and optimize their design strategy.

Results
Within 48 hours of using V-Quest, the developer uncovered significant design optimisation opportunities:
✅ 3,750 tonnes of carbon emissions eliminated through smarter material selection.
✅ 1,000 tonnes of weight reduction, removing the need for expensive piling—saving $750,000.
✅ Structural efficiency gains enabled two additional floors, increasing project yield and profitability.

The outcome? Higher returns, cost savings, and a future-proofed portfolio against incoming legislation—Win, Win, Win.

How V-Quest Delivers Value
V-Quest integrates real-time, data-driven analytics into the design workflow, allowing architects and engineers to rapidly identify and implement optimisation opportunities. Unlike conventional design processes constrained by tight timelines, competitive tendering, and misconceptions about decarbonisation, V-Quest automates deep carbon, cost, and mass analysis without disrupting the workflow.

This enables fast, comparative analysis of materials and construction methods, ensuring every project is cost-efficient, regulation-ready, and environmentally responsible.

ww.vquest.io

High Street Apartments

V-Quest allows the user to embed carbon, cost, and mass analytics into their design process, within their own software. It allows the user to instantly platform alternative materials and building methodologies to compare the impacts their selections have on building performance metrics. These include cost, carbon emissions, building weights and waste. In addition to this V-Quest adopts AI learning to benchmark and analyse your project, so that your data improves future design efficiency. V-Quest also automates ESG and compliance reporting, saving 100's of hours annually.


Why Choose V-Quest?

+ USE YOUR OWN WORKFLOW
Live cost, carbon and mass data as your design. Don’t put up with broken workflow, tardy information or redisgn.

+ SAVES YOU TIME
No upload download, no level of detail barriers. Automate material quantification and get instant Carbon LCA compliance reporting.

+ PREMIUM DATA
Get access to the largest live cost and carbon data bases, linked to live sources and suppliers. No need to rely on aged cost and carbon data.  

+ COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Quickly get context, easily compare materials, methodologies and building performance within your workflow. Gain performance insights. 


Who is V-Quest for?

ARCHITECTS
Architects use V-Quest to manage carbon from design to compliance, seamlessly integrating analytics into their workflow, saving time.

ENGINEERS
With V-Quest, engineers can quickly compare structural methodologies early in design, gaining insights into carbon, cost, and building mass across design platforms.

DESIGN & BUILD CONTRACTORS
Future-proof your portfolio by scrutinizing every material and methodology, replicating carbon successes, and avoiding ad-hoc redesigns across projects.

V-Quest

Heatherwick Studio is a team of over 200 problem solvers dedicated to making the physical world around us better for everyone. 

Little Island – New York, United States

Heatherwick studio

A multi-award winning British design and architecture studio - buildings, spaces, master-plans, objects and infrastructure

1700 Alberni

BEAM is the go-to solution for architects, engineers, and designers to seamlessly create BIM elements in Rhino and transfer them to Revit or IFC—eliminating the hassle of complex workflows.

BEAM: Enhance Your BIM Modeling
Bring the power of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to Rhino® with BEAM.
 
Extend Rhino geometry with BIM data and export to Autodesk® Revit™ or IFC 4.

With BEAM, you can deliver your designs to the digital era of BIM, streamlining your workflows and improving the efficiency of your projects.

BEAM

Rhinoceros 3D is a 3D computer graphics and computer-aided design application software developed by the American company Robert McNeel & Associates. Utilizing NURBS mathematical modeling to produce precise representations of free-form, curving surfaces, Rhino is used in industries such as architecture, industrial design, automotive design, product design, and multimedia and graphic design.

Rhino 3D

Autodesk Revit is a building information modeling (BIM) software used by architects, landscape architects, structural engineers, NEP engineers, designers, and contractors. 

Revit

A new higher education facility is to be constructed in the Rocky Mountain Region, which will encompass a variety of spaces including learning, office, and lab areas. This new build on campus is set to push the boundaries of both the State and campus sustainability goals.

The project has established ambitious carbon targets focused towards minimising both operating and embodied carbon, reflecting a broad commitment to sustainable and low-carbon building practices.

The final decision to implement a mass timber system for the non-lab portions of the building stands as a defining moment for this project, marking a significant departure from conventional construction practices. The ability to precisely measure the environmental advantage over concrete was not just beneficial but essential. With Preoptima's advanced capability to calculate the carbon reduction potential of timber versus concrete, the evidence was clear and compelling, decisively guiding the choice for the final structural design. This strategic, data-driven decision underscores Preoptima's pivotal role in pioneering sustainable building practices.

Higher Education Facility in the Rocky Mountain Region - Group14 Engineering

Our flagship tool, Preoptima CONCEPT, has garnered the trust of industry giants and small firms alike for its ability to empower users to accurately perform conceptual design options appraisals and make critical carbon-informed decisions earlier, faster, and smarter. Preoptima helps stakeholders achieve the most stringent of carbon targets whilst significantly avoiding embodied carbon emissions. Born from over a decade of academic research, Preoptima is transforming how the industry approaches sustainable building design.

Preoptima CONCEPT

BIMWERX

We provide a wide range of comprehensive and integrated BIM services to meet our Client’s needs.

BIMWERX currently have 25 projects utilising ReviCheck to improve their services to their clients.

At BIMWERX, are committed to providing clients with the best possible services. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the key to improving the construction industry, and they are constantly looking for new ways to use BIM to deliver better results for clients. One of the ways that have been able to improve our services is by using ReviCheck. ReviCheck is a cloud-based software solution that helps construction teams ensure that they are always working with the latest versions of their drawings. This is essential for avoiding costly mistakes and delays. ReviCheck works by using QR codes to identify each drawing uniquely. 

BIMWERX: How ReviCheck Helps Us Provide Better Services to Our Clients

ReviCheck is a game-changer in construction document management. It seamlessly integrates QR code technology with Autodesk Revit, ensuring all stakeholders access the latest data. The problem of outdated drawings, which plagues construction sites with 25% of drawings being out of date, is solved through real-time document status checks using the ReviCheck mobile app.

ReviCheck Tutorial 02 - Web Portal Settings

ReviCheck Tutorial 03 - Revit Plugin Tutorial

Revit Plug-in that Saves Money - ReviCheck Revit Plug-in Tutorial

ReviCheck

he Precinct Development application by Archithera's Bayo Windapo. His app allows you to shape precincts seamlessly, starting with the surface parking layer and the capability to define regions or structures and landscaping. This is followed by a comprehensive suite of input options offering extensive control over parameters for parking allocations, circulation pathways, building zones, and green spaces.

Archithera - Precinct Development App

VIKTOR.AI: Automate Engineering Workflows with Custom Web Apps
VIKTOR.AI is a low-code platform designed to help engineers streamline their workflows by creating, integrating, and sharing powerful web applications using Python. By automating repetitive tasks and improving collaboration, VIKTOR enables teams to focus on solving complex engineering challenges while increasing efficiency and accuracy.

Key Features
- App Creation: Convert Python scripts, Excel files, Grasshopper models, and Dynamo scripts into fully interactive web applications with intuitive user interfaces. This enables engineers to centralize their tools, enhance usability, and make domain-specific knowledge accessible to a broader team.

- Software Integration: Seamlessly connect with industry-standard software such as CAD, simulation tools, and data analysis platforms. This eliminates manual data transfers, reduces human error, and optimizes engineering workflows.

- App Distribution: Deploy applications securely within an enterprise cloud environment, ensuring easy access across teams while maintaining centralized control over updates and permissions.

- Collaboration: Store and manage project data efficiently with built-in version control. This ensures that team members can track changes, manage documentation, and minimize miscommunication.

- Security & Compliance: Enterprise-grade security features, including single sign-on (SSO), user access management, and regional hosting options, provide organizations with the control they need to protect sensitive data.

Development Tools
Command-Line Interface (CLI): Streamline app development, install dependencies, and run tests across Windows and Linux environments.
API & SDK: Automate workflows, extract data, and integrate custom applications using the REST API and SDK, allowing engineers to tailor solutions to their specific needs.
Community & Support
VIKTOR offers comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and an active developer community to support users in building and scaling their automation solutions. With dedicated technical support, teams can ensure a smooth development experience and maximize their productivity.

By automating the tedious, VIKTOR empowers engineers to focus on innovation, creativity, and solving real engineering challenges.

viktor-platform/playlists@Explore all our content on Youtube!

Explore Latest “Mixed Use” Case Studies

Explore all the best “Mixed Use” case studies.

High Street Apartments

1700 Alberni

Heatherwick studio

Higher Education Facility in the Rocky Mountain Region - Group14 Engineering

BIMWERX: How ReviCheck Helps Us Provide Better Services to Our Clients

BIMWERX

Archithera - Precinct Development App

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