AE Smith Case Study document

  CASE STUDY 3D scanning for HVAC services makes building refurbishment cool AE Smith has adopted a Trimble 3D scanning solution to provide accurate images of jobs before, during, and after refurbishment. The system enhances their efficiency and helps to create valuable deliverables for clients.Company ChallengeHVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) isn’t the “Going out to a brown-field site to determine pipe and ductnoisiest aspect of building construction. In fact, the more silent location with a tape measure is extremely inaccurate andit is, the better. unreliable,” says Perez. “You spend a day on the site measuring, but only capture about 30-40 percent of the infoFittingly, AE Smith—an Australian commercial air-conditioning you need. You then have to go out the next day to re-and mechanical services contractor—has been a quiet measure.”performer in its own country for 150 years. The companycontributes to most major construction projects and now, AE Smith wanted to improve the way they gained accuratefollowing their acquisition by the facility management company data and measurements from existing buildings needingSpotless; they’re extending their reach internationally. refurbishment. They also wanted to model the conditions in those existing buildings and create new designs aroundAE Smith delivers technical and engineering services covering them. The enhanced data would then help the companymechanical, electrical, energy, fire, hydraulics, plumbing and better lay out the designs on site; for example, installingrefrigeration solutions. Specialising in HVAC installation, they HVAC or prefabricating equipment accurately.also prefabricate components for these systems. Working onsignificant projects at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital,the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and theSunshine Coast University Hospital, AE Smith optimises itsperformance by adopting technology solutions for maximumefficiency and productivity.Brett Perez is a Drawing Office Manager based at AE Smith’shead office in Mulgrave, Victoria. Given his extensiveexperience in BIM (Building Information Modelling), Perez isalso responsible for implementing relevant new technology.AE Smith uses the laser scanner to very quickly produce detailed, accurate 3Dmodels of complex environments and geometries in minutes. LEARN MORE + 61 7 3851 8380 buildingpoint.com.au 

  The Experts in Design-Build-Operate SolutionsSolutionThen AE Smith discovered the potential benefits of 3D scanning technology to their business.With a Trimble 3D scanning solution, Perez and his team would be able to capture 100 percent of the required data with 100percent accuracy, which the company would use to accurately measure distances, areas, and volumes. In addition, ascanner’s ability to capture high-density 3D point clouds and images is ideal for BIM—AE Smith would ultimately obtain anaccurate representation of the as-built condition for modelling, detailing, clash avoidance, and documentation.So AE Smith purchased a laser scanner from local Trimble distributor, BuildingPoint Australia. “Using a 3D scanner lets uscreate 3D models, so we can visually see the space,” says Perez. “We take multiple overlapping scans, which we then stitchtogether in Trimble RealWorks software.”With the scanner, AE Smith performs 8-10minute scans at 10 mm accuracy, which is morethan sufficient for their HVAC-relatedapplications. “The images are almost picturequality they’re so good,” says Perez. “And thislevel of 3D scanner is ideal for us.”No stranger to advanced site technology, AE Smith has been using the TrimbleRobotic System for some time. Conservatively, they purchased just one system totrial its performance, but the productivity (and safety) gains they immediatelyexperienced were so great that they purchased an additional three systemspractically overnight.On AE Smith’s HVAC project for Holmesglen College, a 20-year-old fully functioninghotel used for hospitality training is being converted to a private hospital. Outcome “The deliverables we’re generating with 3D scanning add enormous value to what we already provide our clients,” says Perez. For this reason, AE Smith easily won a project at Holmesglen College in Melbourne, Victoria, because they demonstrated they could take existing conditions into consideration—their proposal even identified and addressed potential issues before work began. Holmesglen College has been AE Smith’s biggest scanning project to date. It comprises transforming the College’s fully functioning hotel—used for training hospitality students—into a private hospital. The project is also a perfect example of what 3D scanning technology is helping AE Smith to achieve. CONTACT US + 61 7 3851 8380 buildingpoint.com.au  Brisbane · Rockhampton · Townsville · Darwin · Sydney · Wollongong · Melbourne · Adelaide · Hobart · Perth

  CASE STUDY The 20-year-old Holmesglen building on the Moorabbin campus came without accurate drawings of the structure or architecture, so the challenge in front of AE Smith was immense. “We had to fend for ourselves,” said Perez with a laugh. “If we needed to check beam depth, well, we had to do it ourselves.” The missing original drawings would likely have been deteriorated or inaccurate, so ultimately it was no loss to AE Smith that they could not refer to them. A 3D scan would provide the company’s “only real certainty anyway,” said Perez. In the end it took more than 150 scans with the scanner, but AE Smith was able to create a digital representation of the entire facility. “Progressively—scanning every two to three weeks—we’ll recapture the areas that have had HVAC installed and develop a full model to give to the client,” said Perez. The scanner requires no special expertise to operate. In fact, Corrina Verzantvoort, a document controller at AE Smith, performs most of the company’s scans despite little construction experience and with just a couple of hours initial training. She sets up the scanner on job sites then performs her regular duties via smartphone while scans take place. “When Brett asked me to take on the responsibility of the scanner I was excited but quite anxious because it’s a really impressive piece of technology,” says Verzantvoort. “But then I learnt how simple the scanning process is.” Verzantvoort is now being trained on Trimble RealWorks software so she can stitch scans together onsite before returning to the office. “3D scanning software has always been expensive and technical in the past,” says Perez. “But Trimble RealWorks is easy to use, and the support we get from BuildingPoint ensures all the data we capture in the field is accurately pieced together.” The team anticipates that having Verzantvoort stitch the scans together in RealWorks will be most efficient, as she knows what the actual sites look like. And while she does this, AE Smith’s draftspeople can focus on what they do best, which is drawing. Trading her office wear for safety gear, document controller Corrina Verzantvoort spends the morning setting up 3D scans on the construction site. The scanner is very easy to use and demands minimal training. While it scans, Verzantvoort carries out her regular duties via smartphone—often in the next room away from noise and dust. LEARN MORE + 61 7 3851 8380 buildingpoint.com.au 

  The Experts in Design-Build-Operate SolutionsClients can view AE Smith’s 3D site models on a PC, rotating, sectioning, measuring, and navigating around the model as they wish.When AE Smith can offer clients this kind of full deliverable, information they need to make informed decisions, whichthe ultimate result is peace of mind. For example, saves time and also expense.construction documentation can be overlaid over a scan todetermine if there are any differences between the plans AE Smith is also able to identify and solve problems beforeand the as installed. And when clients embark on future they become costly time wasters. “New services installed inbuilding upgrades, they know they have the correct the wrong spot can be a huge hassle,” says Perez, forinformation to give to contractors. example. “But we can catch them with the 3D scans and either have the contractor fix the problem or just adjust thingsPerez is certain that in those instances most clients will ourselves.”return to AE Smith for their services because of theirconfidence in the company’s performance and ability to The Holmesglen project offers the worthy challenge ofmanage data extraordinarily well. sustainable practice where, to save on materials and costs, many existing services, such as ductwork, are being reused.Coordinated Services and a Collaborative Approach So the demolition process was surgical and lengthy, as contractors attempted to demolish only the correct areas.“We’re modelling in 3D all of the walls and ceilings and thendistributing the model to the trades. It’s a collaborative “Again, we used the Trimble 3D scans to catch errors weproject—we’re not keeping the info to ourselves,” says mightn’t otherwise have found,” says Perez. “When comparedPerez. against the demolition documentation, our scans showed that approximately 50% of the demolition wasn’t complete, soAE Smith uses 3D scans to coordinate services and this parts had to be redone.”approach helps solve common site issues. For example,when the team is figuring out how to transport a large pieceof equipment up to the roof, the model helps identify a routethrough the building—if there is one—or determine if acrane is required. AE Smith is equipped with the CONTACT US + 61 7 3851 8380 buildingpoint.com.au  Brisbane · Rockhampton · Townsville · Darwin · Sydney · Wollongong · Melbourne · Adelaide · Hobart · Perth

  CASE STUDYAE Smith exports the 3D models it generates into BIM The Trimble 3D scanner is lightweight and compact, makingsoftware—Trimble RealWorks software plus Autodesk it easy to transport between locations.Revit, CADmep and Navisworks—where job plans canbe created. Each job’s existing conditions areaccurately referenced in the plans, so a fabrication canbe designed with minimal interruption to the site. 3Dscanning technology helps AE Smith avoid the typicalmistakes that occur when sites are measured usingtraditional methods. Meanwhile, Perez is now lookinginto how Trimble SketchUp 3D modelling software willenhance the work performed by AE Smith engineersaround IES (integrated environmental solutions)energy analysis. SketchUp will enable them to assigndesign information for HVAC systems to a SketchUpmodel and then import it directly into an IES tool foranalysis.Improved Safety on SiteOften the sites that AE Smith’s people are working on arenoisy, or they haven’t been accessed in many years andare therefore dusty. So the scanner minimises the timethey need to be on site. “Literally, our operator can set upthe scanner, leave the room, and then press start on hersmartphone,” says Perez. “It’s much safer and eachscanning job is so fast, she’s in and out of there in notime.”Stakeholders or technicians can monitor progress andconditions via the model— once the scanner is set up a fullsite survey can take place without anyone even setting footon the job. “We can check for safety hazards anddetermine what equipment we need to take onsite beforewe go,” says Perez. “It’s extra peace of mind for the clienttoo, because they don’t have a new face on the buildingevery other day.”Next Steps With Trimble 3D scanning technology on board, the future for AE Smith is certain to contain further projects of the depth andbreadth of the Holmesglen building.“It’s hard to measure exact returns, but we know we have a return on investment, and we know we’re making fewer mistakes.We’re spending less time onsite and gathering more accurate information,” says Perez. LEARN MORE + 61 7 3851 8380 buildingpoint.com.au