BUILD February 2017

12 BUILD / February 2017 , KEO International Consultants: Brilliance in BIM KEO International Consultants interdisciplinary AEP firm specialising in BIM solutions. Christopher Smeaton provides us with an overview of the firmand the solutions it provides. For over 50 years KEO have led with vision, contributing to many of the world’s most ambitious projects, iconic places, remarkable experiences and prosperous communities. Christopher outlines how the firm is changing the face of BIM in the Middle East through its dedication to innovation and commitment to supporting clients. “At KEO we see ourselves as a leading practitioner of BIM (Building Information Modelling and Management) in the GCC across all our disciplines. BIM allows us to leverage innovative technologies, to be forward thinking in our design and to add value for our clients. Clients and regulators alike are educating themselves on the benefits that BIM processes can bring to the industry, and this in turn impacts our tenders for projects. “Opportunities exist not only in architecture and building engineering, as would be commonly thought, but in other disciplines such as landscape architecture, master planning, and infrastructure opportunities have also greatly increased over the last 18 months. We are finding that clients who are “switched on” to BIM become far more involved with design choices at an earlier stage, as the 3D models produced during the concept development phase are easier to visualize. “Implementing new technologies and business processes is never straight forward and comes with many issues both large and small. At KEO, our BIM managers and professionals have a broad range of international experience, including from countries such as the UK and USA that have already seen BIM technologies implemented to a greater extent than here in the GCC. These professionals are not only familiar with the software but are able to advise and apply their in-depth knowledge to achieve results more quickly and to make them mainstream within the company’s operations. “As an example, a few years ago fully rendered visuals of a building would have been created at the concept stage but it was quite a task, and the results were largely static. Now, through BIM 3D modeling, it is much simpler to create visuals at any stage in a project that we are able to make photorealistic and then, by applying geotechnical software, insert them into the existing environment, thus creating a fully realistic context for the designs. This is just one example of the improvement BIM processes have made to our projects. In other areas, vast improvements have been seen in QA/QC, calculating quantities, specifying products, undertaking environmental analysis- all of which stems from applying better processes and technology.” KEO has been delivering projects using BIM for over five years, with projects ranging from residential, commercial, retail, leisure and hospitality products, to large scale sports and entertainment venues such as stadiums and zoos. Christopher discusses the firm’s offering in this area and how it tailors this to meet the individual needs of its clients. “Here at KEO we leverage BIM not only to allow our clients the power to visualize projects, but even more importantly, we utilize 3D clash avoidance and detection within multi-discipline design models to ensure “right first time” delivery of our designs. 4D time programming allows visualisations and optimisation of construction sequencing. KEO also has a dedicated quantity surveying division which utilizes 5D cost management produced through the accurate measure of quantities, resource and activity schedules, location based costing and embedded carbon. “All of this embedded information supports truly coordinated design development and drives optioneering. The end goal of this process and technology is to create BIM models that support facilities management through the creation of intelligent operation and maintenance manuals.” Overall, Christopher believes that it is vital to ensure that clients are not limited by the use of BIM, and are able to maximise its potential and create unique designs which meet their individual needs. “There are some in the industry who argue that using BIM related software limits people’s innovation and design flair. At KEO we have found that BIM enables us to be more adventurous in our designs from the outset. The use of 3D models allows us to visualize in detail from the beginning possibilities which would have only been sketched out previously. At KEO, we are consciously aware of not letting software dictate our designs and have built a team to push the boundaries of the software in support of creativity in order to facilitate our clients’ ambitions.” “People recognize immediately the technological components 1612BU43