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Navigating the Waters of Hydraulic Design with the Special Capabilities of h2x
Tired of the cumbersome process of calculating, designing and estimating pipe sizing using spreadsheets . . .
Achieving Net Zero Goals with Effective Façade Engineering Design
‘The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.’ Sadly, few can deny that we are still passing . . .
Design Precision: Engaging Indian Talent for CAD/BIM Solutions
Curries, cricket and cinema – is that what comes to mind when someone says ‘India’? Today, India is known for other things . . .
4 Ways to Make Bathrooms More Energy-efficient
Singing with perfect acoustics, savouring a cool, refreshing shower or lounging in a luxurious hot bath, the bathroom can be . . .
Innovative Approaches to MEP System Integration in Large-scale Commercial Developments
English economist, physician and philosopher, William Petty . . .
How Does COBie Support BIM Technology?
‘Cobie’ Smulders regularly lit up the small screen as an integral part of ‘How I Met . . .
How Critical Is Facade Engineering Design Accuracy?
Façades sometimes have a negative connotation, but everything . . .
What Building Engineering Design Trends Can We Expect in the Near Future?
Dynamic shifts in technologies are driving building engineering trends from . . .
Sustainable MEP Design Strategies for Green Hospital Buildings
Design is inherent in all that is created, but then, it’s much more. It is an amalgamation of . . .
The Role of MEP Systems in Infection Control in Hospital Buildings
Did you know that MEP design can account for 30% to 40% of the total construction costs in a healthcare facility . . .
Integrating Renewable Energy Sources into MEP Systems for Commercial Buildings
Accounting for approximately 39 percent of global carbon dioxide emission . . .
Exploring LOD in Architecture & Engineering
Terminology in any industry is a sign of growth. In the construction industry, new terms crop up with regularity . . .
Is DfMA Helping Progress the Construction of Educational Institutes?
It’s time design went back to school and maybe even colleges or other educational institutes . . .
How Revizto Goes Beyond Communication
In a world of constant change, technological advancements occur with almost . . .
Why 3D MEP Design Is Important for Housing
Consistent action leads to consistent results, and it is only consistent design that guides . . .
Can Dynamo Scripts Change the Construction Design Narrative?
Dynamo, a visual programming tool in Revit, can make building design and engineering . . .
How Important Is Energy Modelling for Performance Estimates?
Let’s go green, not with envy but with energy efficiency, an important measurable factor of sustainability . . .
Design Drawing Considerations for Smart Homes
It used to be in the realm of science fiction, but no more. Smart living in smart homes is fast becoming . . .
Are Both Domain & Software Knowledge Necessary for MEP Scan to BIM Modelling?
Well, the brief and succinct answer is a resounding ‘yes’! It is indeed necessary for MEP modellers and scan to BIM services for MEP to be . . .
Can Effective Building Engineering Design Support Sustainability?
Everyone in the construction industry is thinking about it, if not talking about it – sustainability, the not-so-new buzzword with a new urgency . . .
How Hi-tech Surveys Help Renovation & Facilities Management
Out with the old and in with the new! Both renovation techniques and technology seem to be advancing . . .
Can Consultants Use Scan to BIM Technology as Effectively as Contractors?
‘The past is never where you think you left it,’ writer and activist Katherine Porter once said. Sometimes this is true of MEP design drawings . . .
Can MEP Consultants Help Protect Retail Food Chains from Fire Risks?
Safety always comes first. In the fast-paced retail sector, design and construction is implemented at high speed. Solutions to MEPF design challenges, such as high-quality HVAC . . .
What Do Experienced Offshore Partners Offer Australian Building Engineering Firms?
It’s no secret. Australian construction firms sourcing building engineering design solutions offshore have had to deal with their share of snafus . . .
How Efficient Are MEP Drafting Services from India?
Efficiency is doing things the best possible way from every aspect. During construction, the design, planning, installation and performance of building services . . .
Value Engineering for US Mechanical & Utility Contractors
Remember when strangers used to be nice for no reason? The grocery guy threw in an extra apple for free and with a smile or the baker handed you a sweet bun as he wrapped . . .
‘Greening’ an Existing Building
It may be a new buzzword now and it may be worthwhile to incorporate sustainability into building design for new buildings, but what about existing buildings? How do we ‘green’ an existing structure . . .
How Advanced Is Hydraulic Design in Australia?
Learning about water, sewerage and hydraulic system design may not be every child’s dream and ideal in Australia, but in the past few decades, hydraulic engineering in buildings and hydraulic design . . .
Can CFD Help Solve Building Engineering Design Challenges?
Though building engineering design may necessarily navigate through a multitude of challenges, one of the prime aspects . . .
Can Dynamo Improve the Efficiency of AEC Project Deliveries?
Steady progress is constant in the design workflows and construction planning of AEC projects globally. However, it is still possible to spend precious man-hours on repetitive design and documentation . . .
MEP Drafting Considerations for Hospitals
Hospitals have so much going on - consultation, treatment, operations, physiotherapy, catering, biological waste and healing environments. There’s so much to manage, so much to do and so much . . .
Fly Ash – Another Brick in the Wall for Greener Buildings
It’s a win-win equation for the construction industry and the environment, a distinct rarity. The construction industry has come under repeated fire for environmental damage in countless ways – construction waste, air, water . . .
Are Fire Design Guidelines Similar in Australia & the UK?
Both part of the British Commonwealth and also the spirited Ashes cricket series, does the commonality between Australia and the UK extend to fire design guidelines for buildings as well? Both countries have had their share of building . . .
Lighting Considerations for Optimum Productivity in Commercial Buildings
What makes commercial buildings productive? Well, in essence, they should have an environment, system or workflow that encourages inhabitants to perform their tasks to the best of their ability. Commercial buildings may consist of office . . .
The Difference Between Building Engineering Consultants & Contractors
As author and psychiatrist Scott Peck once said, ‘Share our similiarities, celebrate our differences.’ Building engineering consultants and contractors share certain similarities, but the differences offer an almost holistic resolution . . .
Why Is Power Factor Correction So Important for Green Buildings
Going ‘green’ is an ideal concept that is fast becoming a necessity, rather than a preferred option. In the global construction industry, there is an increasing drive . . .
The Relevance of CFD for Shopping Mall Design
Shopping malls alternate between being mundane, functional or a venue for amusement, based on customer needs. Since many customers visit shopping malls at any given time for any given reason . . .
How Can Commercial Buildings Move Towards Net Zero Goals?
It’s inevitable. Amid the chaos of rising energy prices, climate change and depleting energy resources, solutions must be explored. In a world where building construction consumes the lion’s share of energy, the use of building energy...
How Important Is CDP in Building Construction?
Just a little bit like good parenting, CDP, or the contractor’s design portion, is all about taking responsibility. Contractual obligations define the specific project parts that the contractor agrees to design...
What Happens in Housing with Inferior Quality MEP Design?
We, as building occupants no longer accustomed to living in the wild, take for granted the level of comfort we enjoy indoors. Well ventilated rooms that are temperature controlled, running water and lights and gadgets that make...
What Makes Buildings More Energy-efficient?
As building construction accounts for over one-third of global energy consumption and nearly 40% of total direct and indirect carbon dioxide emissions . . .
How BIM Fits into Different Sectors of Building Design
Building Information Modelling (BIM), a 3D model-based process to efficiently design, construct and manage buildings, fits into different sectors of building design . . .
What Are the Advantages of MMC in the UK?
Changes galore – that’s what the UK construction and housing market has seen in the past critical few years. The effects of Brexit, the pandemic and economic policies have resulted in increased demands on the UK housing...
New Ways to Incorporate Sustainability in MEP Design
Doing the right thing is becoming increasingly popular in construction. Thus, sustainability is not just a hot topic or concept, it is now a concept that can be and must be implemented as much as possible...
Managing Workflow for High-rise BIM Projects
It can be chaotic. Scores of people on site, endless meetings, a steady stream of RFIs and submittals being created, materials being loaded and unloaded – managing a building construction project . . .
Manual As-fitted vs Laser-scanned As-fitted Drawings
Star Wars fans will always remember the thrill of their first introduction to light sabres, the oh-so-cool laser swords. Though maybe not as exciting, laser scanning procedures in construction have a certain
Benefits of Using CFD for Fire Protection Design
Fires are unpredictable. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is an analytical tool that predicts or calculates fluid flows and can be used by fire design service providers to help design an effective fire protection . . .
MEP Design for Office Spaces
Parameters for office design include advanced technology, safety, comfort and security, all while being environmentally friendly. Flawless mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems design is crucial . . .
What Do As-fitted Models Include?
‘The best laid plans of mice and men’ is a famous line from a poem about a mouse whose nest was destroyed by the poet Robert Burns. Men also create designs for their own nests that somehow don’t always work out...
Considering External Services for Building Design
A long time ago, somewhere in the Third World, a large, luxury-fitted, modern apartment complex was built in record time and apartment units were sold, only for residents to discover that their beautiful chrome-plated bathroom fixtures...
What Is Modular Construction for Bathrooms?
Function and aesthetics must merge flawlessly in bathrooms. To enable this, bathroom design needs thought, expertise and seamless execution. Prefabricated bathroom modules or bathroom pods are a convenient . . .
3D Building Information Modeling Facilitates Accurate Cost Estimation to Avoid Budget Overruns
Building Information Modelling (BIM) has transformed the process of construction, bringing with it a wave of benefits. The use of BIM technology and BIM services in the segment of quantification . . .
Key Considerations for Engineering Design in US Hospitals
Hospital patients are one of society’s most vulnerable groups, which makes it imperative that healthcare facilities make them comfortable and safe for the duration of their stay. As the cost of healthcare and hospital stay in the . . .
Why Is It Becoming Imperative for HVAC Component Manufacturers to Create Revit Families?
Manufacturers in the AEC industry deal with special requirements, special equipment and special clients. There is an equally special process – the BIM (Building Information Modelling) process – which manufacturers, specifically . . .
MEP Design for Modern Educational Institutes
Most modern schools and universities offer Internet and free Wi-Fi facilities to their students and accept class work sourced from the Internet. Today’s educational institutes have integrated the use of computers, tablets . . .
Understanding the Challenges of MEP (M&E) Prefabrication Drawings
Current hero in the construction industry, prefabrication is something everyone wants a piece of – literally. As prefabrication extends to modular construction services, the creation of different types of MEP . . .
Designing Effective Plant Rooms
Plant rooms may call to mind the concept of greenhouses, but they are far less pretty in the MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) landscape. Dedicated to housing mechanical equipment and related electrical . . .
Why Models from Point Cloud Data are Useful for Architectural and MEP Design
Construction, much like other industries across the globe, must face a new world order – one that takes climate change, green building and the mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle into consideration . . .
How Hevacomp Improves Building Design
Anything and everything can be improved, and when it comes to improving building design, software tools that offer accuracy, versatility, ease and speed are sure to find popularity. Hevacomp is one such entity that has . . .
MEP Design for Modern Schools and Universities Compared to 25 Years Ago
Right up until the mid-1990s, most schools and universities did not offer Internet and free Wi-Fi facilities to its students or accept class work sourced from the Internet. In fact, it was around . . .
How BIM Content Helps Manufacturers
Today’s MEP engineer or architect wants to choose the most appropriate components or fixture from many different brands in the shortest possible time. Clear and detailed communication of product information . . .
Why Choose MEP Design Partners from India
The main advantage of MEP designers in India for Western construction? A single source for MEP design services being effectively delivered in the shortest time, at a cost-effective rate. There are MEP consultants in India . . .
What Kind of Workflow Results When MEP BIM Services Are Outsourced?
It’s almost like diving into the unknown – except, it doesn’t have to be. When a Building Information Modelling (BIM) manager has to make the decision to outsource the BIM MEP services of his/her project . . .
BIM Drives Cost Efficiencies for Plumbing Design
Nobody wants to think about plumbing until it stops working or becomes faulty, but plumbing design services are of paramount importance for both the comfort of building inhabitants and the health and life of the building. Part of the wider ambit of MEP . . .
MEP Design & MEP Installation Challenges
Ideal and effective MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) design at its early stages can quickly and devastatingly spiral into a nightmare for installation purposes without the right mechanical design . . .
How Open BIM Facilitates Collaborative Design
Due to its multifaceted benefits, building information modelling (BIM) is rapidly gaining traction in the AEC industry as the key pre-construction planning, construction management and post-construction . . .
Approaching MEP BIM Projects Using Coordination Specialists
Changing winds bring changing times, and for the AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) industry, one of the most sweeping changes that blew in was the arrival of Building Information . . .
3D MEP Coordination: An Effective Way to Reduce Rework and Increase Efficiency
Maintaining deadlines in the AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) industry will be of paramount importance as global firms adjust to changing environments. Reducing rework and increasing process . . .
Key Drivers Leading the Movement to BIM for the MEP Industry
Developments in the building services, or MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), industry have created milestones. Most of these developments have found contribution from within the industry . . .
MEP Coordination – An Introduction
3D MEP coordination, also known as 3D M&E coordination, is a key element of MEP design concerned with spatial configuration and the layout of building services trades (HVAC, pipe work, public health . . .
How Is 3D Building Services Design Helping Coordination?
Progress has made a steady march in the building services design industry recently. The majority of developments can be attributed to have come from within the industry. A few have come from other . . .
3 Ways to Avoid MEP BIM Design & Coordination Scope Overlaps
Construction and the MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) industry, also known as the M&E industry, owes a debt to the technological advance we know as Building Information Modelling (BIM) . . .
Plumbing Design Challenges in the UK
In the United Kingdom, as in many parts of the world, plumbing or public health design has seen changes, advances and new requirements. Creating plumbing and piping plans can be difficult, as a building’s plumbing system typically consists . . .
The 2 Methods of MEP Coordination
With the increasing complexity and functionality of each system, MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) activities are not confined to the traditional mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, but also include fire . . .
Typical Stages Involved in MEP Coordination
One of the most integral practices undertaken in the pre-construction phase, MEP (M&E) coordination demands special attention from all the AEC professionals involved in a project. This process . . .
How Structural Engineering Affects Building Services Coordination
‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ a wise African once said. Well, it takes several teams of professionals to raise a building, and like the squabbles of family members, intense but well meaning, structural engineers . . .
How Do MEP Consultants & MEP Contractors Differ?
The short answer is that an MEP consultant provides a spatially organised design that meets the intended needs of the customer’s site. An MEP contractor makes sure that construction adheres to the intended . . .
Top 5 MEP Strategies for Sustainable Building Design
‘Getting in tune with nature’ is a ringing chorus around the world during the growing clamour for practical measures against climate change, virulently contagious diseases and out-of-control carbon emissions . . .
Why MEP Component Manufacturers Should Adopt Revit Family Creation
Behind every building constructed for optimum human comfort is an efficient building services system. Ideally, this system, also known as an MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) system . . .
Why Outsourcing Revit Drawings Makes Perfect Sense
In a constantly changing world, the methodologies and technologies of creating buildings are keeping pace with other lifestyle changes as efficiently as possible. As architects progress to creating virtual building . . .
How Building Services Design Consultants Must Factor in Sustainability
Who’s the big bad wolf when it comes to using natural resources? The construction industry. Construction is responsible for approximately 36% of global energy use and 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions . . .
The Rise of MEP Risers as a DfMA Deliverable
Design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) has been weaving a spell in the AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) industry for some time, and it has been especially potent . . .
Effect of CFD Analysis on Car Park Ventilation
It’s generally a stuffy area to begin with. There’s something vaguely claustrophobic and mildly unpleasant about underground or basement car parks. Imagine how scary a fire would be in such car parks . . .
How CFD Analysis Can Make Buildings Greener
The ‘green’ mantra in construction is no longer just a chant by new-age bohemian-type architects and engineers. Green buildings are becoming a necessity in many countries and an increasing number of building regulation . . .
20 Technological AEC Influencers of 2020
Where are we now in terms of technological influencers in the construction world? In 2020, the AEC industry is sure to exploit the following influencers, both in terms of software and technologies . . .
DfMA – Why MEP Contractors Should Consider It
When something makes your life easier, why not use it? Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) is a building construction practice that involves integrating factory-built building components or modules . . .
The Importance of Hangers & Brackets in MEP Installation
It’s beyond debate. The importance of MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) systems and their components in the construction industry are critical. How these components and systems are placed or fastened . . .
The Secret to Functional Families – Revit MEP
People often console one another by saying every family is dysfunctional, but in the world of MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) engineering, a family is certainly a functional entity. As BIM (Building Information Modelling) . . .
How Contractor’s Design Portion (CDP) Fits into the Construction Process
Every link in the chain of the construction process is vital. One such link is the contractor’s design portion (CDP). The CDP comes into play when consultants on a construction project do not or cannot provide BIM . . .
Advantages of Underfloor Air Distribution in MEP Design
It happens all the time. In any commercial environment with an open-plan office space, some people just need more cool air and others in the same space bundle up with winter wear, or battle . . .
How Can Shade Analysis Work for Buildings in Australia?
In Australia, temperatures have climbed to over 50°C (122°F) on occasion and dipped to well below 0°C (32°F). Building design needs to consider the effect of shade on any building in Australia . . .
Designing HVAC for Modern Offices
We spend a considerable part of our day within modern offices. It’s important that we are comfortable during this time so that we can be both productive and at peace. The quality, temperature and humidity levels of inside air must be optimised to suit the majority of the occupants . . .
How Revit 3D Modelling Improved Virtual Building Design
Imagine seeing your new home designs, a large shopping complex or even a cluster of apartment buildings in precise detail. Difficult to visualise it? Not anymore. It’s no longer difficult to imagine . . .
How Future HVAC Systems Must Adapt to Climate Change
The winter of 2017 saw Ras Al Khaimah, an emirate in the desert country of the United Arab Emirates, experience unprecedented snowfall and Dubai . . .
Planning & Documentation for Hospital Fire Design
There are some parts of hospitals that have a higher risk of fire. These areas need special treatment. They should be well segregated from the other parts of the hospital and have dedicated fire suppression systems, such as wet . . .
What to Consider in Hospital Fire System Design
Hydraulic systems of waste facilities and transformers are places where fires could start easily due to fuels and lubricants being subjected to high temperatures. Water spray systems can be triggered hydraulically, pneumatically or . . .
Widening Opportunities with Revit Family Models
Construction design practices have come a long way. Tasks enabled by updated software have contributed significantly to the progress of design practices. Increasingly seen as best suited for construction . . .
MEP Prefabrication – Process and Benefits Manufacturing Plant
One of the most impactful advances in construction is the ease, popularity and successful implementation of prefabrication in many disciplines of construction, but none more impressive than in building services or the MEP . . .
Prefabrication in MEP Systems
Prefabrication in MEP systems is the practice of manufacturing/assembling components of building services in a factory or other manufacturing site and transporting complete assemblies of MEP components . . .
Advantages of Partnering with Top BIM Companies in India
Firms in Western nations are increasingly working with Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology in the AEC industry, and have found effective methods of managing this technology to suit time . . .
VDC Helps Analyse Project Life Cycle Before Construction
When considering the practice of general construction, its two-tiered process quickly becomes evident, simply put – design followed by implementation. The efficient implementation of a construction project . . .
How Value Engineering Plays an Important Role in MEP Coordination
Industry lingo is representative of some of the major advances in the processes and gains associated with construction. One such term that finds increasing popularity is value engineering. So, what is value engineering and how does it benefit the . . .
What Is BIM Modelling?
Building Information Modelling, or BIM Modelling, has been the buzz word in the AEC industry for some time. It’s been known to facilitate unmatched opportunities for increased productivity and significant . . .
Selecting MEP Design Partners in India
MEP (M&E) design, or mechanical, electrical and plumbing design, arguably the most essential component of construction design for comfortable living, involves a slew of vitally important services . . .
XS CAD – An Introduction and Overview
The construction sector is under constant pressure to deliver projects on time and within budget to achieve increased levels of profitability. The last few years has seen significant investment . . .
Should You use BIM 360 or Collaboration For Revit Projects?
BIM 360 Team, which is now part of BIM 360 family and was formerly known as A360, and Collaboration for Revit, more commonly abbreviated to C4R, are essentially collaboration tools that are used by various stakeholders . . .
MEP Fabrication Modelling Challenges
It’s important to maintain the momentum while moving two steps forward with advances in the construction industry. Pushback may occur at times, and the challenges faced by MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) fabrication . . .
XS CAD Limited – Corporate Profile
XS CAD is a UK and India based BIM services provider. We provide BIM, CAD and design services to building services engineers and installers, retailers, home builders and architects. We are an ISO 9001 quality . . .
Why MEP Contractors Change MEP Design Models
In the MEP environment, a building’s MEP designs are initially developed at high level and then detailed to make them clash free and installation ready. MEP designers/consultants play a significant . . .
Why Architectural Design Development Phase becomes More Challenging than Schematic and Contract Phase?
The schematic and contract phases are the stepping stones of just about any project, be it retail or otherwise. These are valuable phases as they set the architectural intent, the visual style and suggest one structural . . .
3D MEP Coordination-Top 5 outsourcing challenges and best practices
In the AEC (architectural, engineering and construction) industry, there is an expectation to deliver projects faster and at lower cost to clients. This pressure translates into challenges . . .
Finding the Right Outsourcing Partner for Revit and BIM Services
Making the right choice has never been easy, but with a little bit of research and dedication, it doesn’t have to be too difficult. As Revit 3D BIM modelling/ Revit BIM services are becoming increasingly prevalent . . .
BIM-Enabled IPD: A Win-Win for Owners and Project Stakeholders
The building and construction industry is faced with a multitude of challenges in areas, ranging from design planning, construction administration and budgeting, to scheduling and facilities management . . .
4D BIM: A Boon for General Contractors
In the AEC industry, the timely and cost-effective completion of projects is the sole aim of general contractors, also referred to as main contractors in the UK. In most cases, general contractors . . .
BIM: More Than Just an Extension of 3D CAD
In the AEC industry, the advent of building information modelling (BIM) concept was viewed by many as an evolution to better 2D and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) techniques. Very few saw it as an interdisciplinary . . .