When Lake-Flato had an opportunity to rethink its corporate headquarters in 2020, the Texas-based firm embodied its own sustainable values: Instead of building a new office, it repurposed its old one.​

The execution of this adaptive reuse project required powerful digital tools. The firm not only utilized these tools for 3D modeling and optimizing the design, but also leveraged them to prove and validate its positive design outcomes through third-party certifications. Along with prioritizing a material reuse strategy, Lake | Flato had to also think about the living conditions inside the building. ​

The firm leveraged Autodesk Forma and Revit, in tandem with advanced technologies such as AR and VR, to address these needs and transform the 100-year-old former office into a future-focused hybrid workplace that showcases environmental sustainability and creative, collaborative design.​

Read the full story here: https://www.autodesk.com/customer-stories/lake-flato-adaptive-reuse-story#!


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Microclimate analysis of the courtyard area. Courtesy of Lake|Flato.

Lake|Flato transformed a garage roof into a courtyard structure at its 311 Third St. headquarters. Courtesy of Robert G Gomez.

Architecture firm Lake | Flato’s adaptive reuse project embodies sustainability​

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

Revit

What is Autodesk Forma?

Autodesk Forma (formerly Spacemaker) helps planning and design teams deliver projects digitally from day one. Use conceptual design capabilities, predictive analytics, and automations to make solid foundations for your projects.

Unlock efficiencies with intuitive project setup, design automations, and fluid connectivity with Revit

Use data-driven insights in real-time to make fast, smart design decisions that reduce risk and improve business and sustainability outcomes

Improve collaboration and secure buy-in by using data and visuals to tell a compelling design story that can help you win more bids

Autodesk Forma

In Kansas City and within the Midwest region, StructSure Projects has amassed an extensive portfolio of projects representing a variety of scopes, industries and services. As a member of nine national Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) programs through the federal government, StructSure Projects has carved out a reputation of excellence in the government sphere that includes work at nearly every Army and Air Force base in the country.

With project management practices and a safety record that is superior to the industry standard, our team has garnered numerous industry awards. When it comes to efficiently and intelligently delivering vital structures, StructSure Projects thrives.

StructSure

As a performance-driven general contractor, StructSure Projects has experienced project managers and engineers, superintendents, safety officers, quality control managers and estimators dedicated to delivering successful projects on time, within budget and with complete customer satisfaction.

Located in rural North Yorkshire in England, the project was considered a large residential luxury development. It started with the demolition of a traditional 1970's home, followed by a custom design of new, energy efficient, contemporary home equipped with multiple garages, workshops and stables. All of these elements were designed to have the same consistent aesthetic. Its budget sat around £2 million, including land costs. The design and construction team consisted of five separate parties, including Struct-sure, so there many voices needed to heard during the design and construction process. Inside the main building there is a suspended mezzanine floor as well as a steel spiral staircase with glass balustrades.

What makes this project especially unique is the "three-sided glazing". The glass panels shown in the project photos are the largest available glazing panels for fabrication in Europe, and stand at 5.5 meters (18 feet) tall! These panels were the centerpiece of the design, but also caused some interesting design challenges.

Suspended elevated floor hung from roof steel with steel tubes

Unique Connection between CHS columns and exterior channel members

The SkyCiv Structural 3D rendering of the project. This accelerated the design process and made collaborating a breeze

How Struct-Sure Limited Designed a House with 18ft high Glazed Windows

Facade of the structure showing the 5.5m record setting glazing

SkyCiv provides engineers powerful and easy-to-use structural analysis and design software - all on the cloud. No downloading or installing, it's as simple as login from a web browser, anytime, anywhere.

In a few simple clicks you can have instant access to powerful Structural Analysis and Design Software that can handle:
- 3D Structures including beams, frames, plates and cables
- Full Section Builder for custom shapes, built-up sections and US, UK, Aus and Canadian libraries
- AISC and other design code checks
- Powerful PDF reporting with custom logos

With all this included in a single subscription, you can handle any structures that come your way!

SkyCiv

Best for individuals assessing the software

Basic: Best for individuals or short term projects

Professional: Best for medium-large companies with specific needs

Enterprise: Best for medium-large companies with specific needs

3D base to Render AI
Render AI to 3D Rendering 

TEXAS RANCH

RENDAIR AI

Bring your sketches to life:
From schematic design to construction documentation, SketchUp’s 3D architectural design software gets the (whole) job done.

Visualize in no time:
SketchUp is designed to behave like your hand — more like a pencil than complicated 3D modeling software. SketchUp gets out of your way so you can draw whatever you can imagine, efficiently. Throughout the design-build process, SketchUp helps you analyze problems and get the project under construction.

Create construction documents:
SketchUp isn’t just for 3D modeling — it’s also great for communicating your designs in 2D. Draw plans, elevations, sections, build details, and finish it off with your title blocks. SketchUp is remarkably accurate, so you can be sure that anyone working on the project will have the information they need to get the job done. The best part: when your model changes, so does your document. Simple.

Present to impress:
Tell a richer story with your model using animations, images, and videos. Create flyovers and walkthroughs that glide clients through your project. Clearly communicate your design vision by exporting high-quality images and videos that show variations and details. Want to impress your clients even more? Immerse them in projects using our augmented and virtual reality apps and watch the “wow’s” roll in.

Optimize your workflow:
3D Warehouse
Need a chair, fern, or exceptional material? Pull anything out of the world’s largest 3D model library.

Mixed reality
Tour project models with your clients in the office or on site at 1:1 scale using our range of AR/VR and mobile apps.

Extension Warehouse
Bend geometry with a single click, create photorealistic 3D architectural renderings, and more with custom extensions.

Detailed reports
Generate cost estimates and cutlists by exporting reports directly from your model.

Streamlining the project lifecycle:
CallisonRTKL, a global architecture practice, relies on SketchUp’s architectural design software to quickly deliver alternative designs to clients, communicate project complexities, and speed up the coordination and approval process.

SketchUp

Peacock Construction

Contractors setup and manage new projects by creating a poster with a project QR code with your company logo and check-in instructions. Employees, subcontractors, vendors and visitors will scan the QR code poster or use a personal QR badge and a tablet when entering or leaving. Daily log and project management updates are automatic.

Safe Site Check In is a web app accessed using any device without downloads or installs for paperless site management. Affordable monthly subscriptions are by jobsite for an unlimited number of users. Free trials and volume discounts available.

Experienced jobsite superintendents, project, safety, personnel and cost managers are hard to find and keep. SSCI’s paperless digital automation saves them hours a day and allows them to be builders, not bureaucrats or paper pushers:
1. Field operations -- Field operations managers all need to know who's on site, why, for what reason, for how long, and approved by whom. SSCI automates field operations data capture, distribution, archival and integration for a savings of at least 2.50USD per jobsite check-in.
2. Daily log creation and archival -- Paper records are terrible for operations and compliance. SSCI eliminates daily log data entry and makes compliance archival and retrieval automatic.
3. Worker onboarding, badging & initial training – The time spent by field managers to onboard workers adds to overhead and distracts from construction. SSCI makes onboarding employees, subcontractors and vendors mostly self-service. 
4. Worker profiles – Jobsite workers can be employees, subcontractors or vendors but field managers rarely know their employers, skills and legal employment status. SSCI makes worker profile data, images and documents available to field managers. 
5. Jobsite security – Security and safety plans require jobsite access controls that prevent unauthorized access. Theft losses are up, untrained workers are a safety risk, and publicly funded projects like schools often require background checks, and more and more states are requiring proof of all workers' legal employment status. SSCI enhances jobsite security control by alerting superintendents of check-in screening failures and/or the arrival of new or unauthorized workers.
6. Remote jobsite monitoring -- Not all jobs are big enough to need full-time onsite superintendents and safety managers, and managers can't be everywhere at once.  And superintendents can’t be onsite everyday anyways. SSCI makes remote & multi-site jobsite management possible by automating so many management tasks and making the data available in real-time with costly travel between sites.
7. Project management – Project management software needs timely jobsite workforce updates to assure schedules are on track. but superintendents are overburdened and dislike data entry tasks.  SSCI makes daily project plan updates mostly automatic and easy for superintendents and field engineers.
8. Subcontractor management – Jobsites are staffed by workers from multiple companies and all such workers need to comply with the project, safety and security plans. SSCI makes onboarding in the field easy and subcontractor compliance verifiable.
9. Safety screening -- Safety plans require training before building begins and frequent reminders as construction proceeds. OSHA expects evidence that training was delivered and safety plans enforced. SSCI makes jobsite safety requirements, reminders, change notices and visitor waivers an automated part of every check in. 
10. Safety training – Safety plans require training in the field and proof it was delivered. SSCI tracks who viewed safety videos and attended field training (aka “tool talks”).
11. Safety alerts – Safety plans require jobsite emergency communications if there’s an incident or accident. SSCI can notify everyone checked-in onsite what they need to do.
12. Safety reference documents – Safety plans require documents at every jobsite describing how to handle or treat hazardous substances. SSCI makes paperless Safety Data Sheets available to everyone on all jobsites.
13. Wage and invoice validation -- Wage and invoice overcharges or false claims can add up if timesheet data cannot be validated and only relies on a superintendent’s memory. Having a second source of data helps with prevailing wage cases too. SSCI makes hourly pay validation possible by providing a comparison to timecard data which is often not entered everyday at the end of the shift. SSCI also captures subcontractor or vendor attendance making t&m invoice processing easier.
14. Safety and incident claims – Safety and risk management plans require workers to notify management immediately after any incident, and management needs good contemporaneous data to defend against claims. SSCI makes both possible by requiring workers to “check-out without incident” and recording all their screening questions and answers.


Safe Site Check In

tvs design

The Cadalyst piece delves deep into the nuances of conceptual design automation, underscoring how forward-thinking architecture firms like TVS are collaborating with software developers to integrate automation into the conceptual design phase. This integration not only reduces the hours spent on mundane and repetitive tasks, but also empowers designers to channel their energy into more creative “high impact” moments. Adoption of software like Skema presents a win for both firms and clients, allowing for more rapid prototyping of different layouts and configurations, and faster iterations in a project’s early stages.

A standout mention in the article is TVS’s collaboration with Skema, an innovative software developed by Atlanta-based Blue Ocean Sustainability. Skema isn’t just another design tool; it’s transformative. By harnessing data from past projects, Skema offers a dynamic platform to accelerate the conceptual design phase, and is on the cusp of some major updates (we’d share them, but we’re sworn to secrecy!). With industry veteran and Revit pioneer Marty Rozmanith as CTO, Skema is set to redefine how architects and interior designers approach design, doing so in a way that seamlessly integrates into existing workflows. By providing a conceptual design environment coupled with a BIM automation engine, Skema enables the generation of editable BIM data that can be easily used downstream in the design process – in other words, it fits into the way we already work.

Learn more: https://www.tvsdesign.com/tvs-forays-into-design-automation-with-skema/

TVS Forays into Design Automation with Skema

Skema gives Architects a path to embrace design automation while leveraging the inherent value locked in the BIM systems used by a majority of firms globally.

Skema focuses on repetitive work in an architectural practice, offering designers easy-to-use tools that run on a web browser. The significant reduction in time Skema achieves in delivering a LOD350 BIM model gives architects a major advantage in driving the shift to modular construction across the industry’s highest growth segments. 

1- Data Integrity
In Skema, the work performed during conceptual and schematic design isn't lost or discarded. Instead, once the process moves into Design Development and Construction Documents, a boost in production is realised with zero data and time lost to the process.  

Our customers are saving weeks and months of rework because of the Skema workflow.  

2- BIM Reuse
There are elements of BIM that lend themselves to AI & automation, specifically the highly repeatable design elements that have been well-defined in past projects. Even the most complex designs have highly repeatable interior elements. 

Modern building methods are forcing architects to provide more and higher levels of design detail earlier in the process. 

The Skema workflow produces high integrity models that owners, builders, and developers can trust. 



Skema

Vizcab has deployed a security and continuous improvement system in partnership with Cogedim:

LCA campaign on more than 12,000 homes and 40,000 m² of offices
A series of regional training sessions to disseminate feedback from the campaign and make it easier to learn how to use the tools
Deployment of a series of Vizcab tools customised for Cogedim:
Vizcab Library integrating Cogedim's library of building systems (macro-components + regional scenarios) developed by its technical department
Vizcab Explo to estimate the carbon performance of a project at an early stage
Vizcab Exam with a personalised alert system in the event of an anomaly in a study at an advanced stage
Vizcab Analytics to visualise and monitor the organisation's carbon trajectory
Inies Explorer for real-time access to industry data to guide large-scale decarbonisation choices
And regular exchanges to share knowledge and ideas.

Cogedim : Ensuring the environmental transition of its organisation

We are the leading 360° Building Carbon Platform, focusing on the embodied carbon impact of materials and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), offering comprehensive solutions from carbon budgeting to regulatory accounting and reporting. Our services benefit the entire construction value chain, with a primary focus on empowering developers to formulate high-ROI carbon-to-cost strategies. Vizcab harnesses an ever-expanding building carbon data lake encompassing 12 million square meters of construction, simplifying data science and machine learning. We prioritize collaboration and cooperation, exemplified by our API strategy connecting the entire construction ecosystem to our cutting-edge technologies.

Vizcab

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

Let's face it, engineering is full of boring, repetitive work. It would be best to automate these tedious tasks and be able to think about creative design solutions again like an engineer is trained to do. With VIKTOR you'll be able to do so with nothing but Python, creating web applications and integrating them with your used software packages. These apps are easily shared across the company (or outside) to automate other engineers' workflows (without coding experience). Resulting in more time efficiency, fewer human errors and more time to engineer the awesome. 

With VIKTOR we are on a mission to unlock the world's engineering potential. With a team of highly skilled engineers based in Rotterdam, we are always ready to help you with your automation challenges. Feel free to reach out to us if you'd like to have a chat.

Automate the boring and engineer the awesome!   

VIKTOR

J.P. van Eesteren is a constructor of mostly large buildings. In their words ‘the construction sector is at a watershed moment in its history’. Their vision is their way to prepare for what the future brings: Making buildings smarter. To facilitate reaching this goal, they developed a Cloud-based parametric design application that can be used to generate the optimal design for residential towers at the push of a button.

Parametric design tool generates the optimal residential tower

The VINCI Construction development team Synaps'Up specialises in building tools that make the work of their engineering teams easier and more efficient. In search of a new deployment solution, they stumbled upon VIKTOR. Now, they are using the VIKTOR platform to automate the calculation of over 200 crane foundation designs every year. Alexandre Cousin, Head of Generative Design at VINCI Construction in France: “Our goal is to calculate crane foundation designs in 15 minutes, whereas this would normally take anywhere from 3 up to 5 days.”

Explore Latest Case Studies

Discover all the latest real-world projects featuring the latest technology in AEC.

Architecture firm Lake | Flato’s adaptive reuse project embodies sustainability

How Struct-Sure Limited Designed a House with 18ft high Glazed Windows

StructSure

TEXAS RANCH

Peacock Construction

TVS Forays into Design Automation with Skema

tvs design

Cogedim : Ensuring the environmental transition of its organisation

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

BIMWERX

Archithera - Precinct Development App

Parametric design tool generates the optimal residential tower

How VINCI automates their crane foundation designs.

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Explore Latest Case Studies

Discover all the latest real-world projects featuring the latest technology in AEC.

Architecture firm Lake | Flato’s adaptive reuse project embodies sustainability​

How Struct-Sure Limited Designed a House with 18ft high Glazed Windows

StructSure

TEXAS RANCH

Peacock Construction

TVS Forays into Design Automation with Skema

tvs design

Cogedim : Ensuring the environmental transition of its organisation

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

BIMWERX

Archithera - Precinct Development App

Parametric design tool generates the optimal residential tower

How VINCI automates their crane foundation designs.

Subscribing To Our Newsletter

For Lastest News And Updates

Architecture firm Lake | Flato’s adaptive reuse project embodies sustainability