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DPI Structure expands wood capabilities with Be.Smart tools and ARKANCE support

Be.Smart Wood Framing for Revit, backed by local partner ARKANCE Systems France, has helped this structural engineering firm based in Lyon bolster its capabilities and efficiency in work with timber-frame projects.

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This article based on a video by ARKANCE Systems France with interviews of DPI Structure managers.
Watch it here (in French) > La conception bois optimisée grâce au plugin Revit

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Challenges

DPI Structure got started over three decades ago as structural specialists in reinforced concrete for buildings and civil infrastructure. Over time, it saw opportunities to develop expertise with other building materials as well, to be able to offer more holistic solutions: from foundation to roof, and from early architectural sketches to commissioning the built asset and even its later renovation.

 

Looking ahead to expected future regulations and evolving industry attitudes, DPI Structure saw work with wood, in particular, as necessary and an opportunity to stand out from competitors. It thus sought to build up its own capabilities for working with modern timber structures. The company was already using Autodesk Revit for design.

Client

DPI Structure is a Lyon-based structural design and civil engineering firm unique for its multi-material expertise. It works on concrete, wood and/or metal construction and renovation projects across France and beyond. The company was an early adopter of 3D design and BIM, recognizing the potential of building information management to enable more holistic construction solutions.

Partner

ARKANCE Systems France is a national leader in digitalization solutions for construction and industry. It is part of the rapidly growing ARKANCE group, which now operates in 14 European countries.

“Our goal is creative engineering based on perfect mastery of technical and environmental construction standards,” Didier Pierron, President of DPI Structure, says. “For wood, we were looking for software to simplify and automate the design process.” The company hoped it would take the form of an add-in for the Revit platform.
Impact

The firm turned to ARKANCE Systems, a leading expert on digital solutions for construction and industry. Among products, they promote and implement Agacad tools for BIM in France and many other countries.

 

“We keenly deploy Agacad’s extensive portfolio of Revit add-ins for wood, metal, precast concrete and more on the French market in order to offer our customers even more added value,” notes Geoffrey La Mendola, an AEC BIM Sales Engineer at ARKANCE Systems France.

 

On a visit to DPI Structure, La Mendola recommended Wood Framing as the most powerful and flexible BIM software available for designing single or multi-layer timber-framed walls, floors, and roofs.

“Geoffrey gave a demo of the Wood Framing software, which was just what we were looking for, so we made the decision to go ahead with a network licence,” recalls Simon Pierron, the lead engineer at DPI responsible for structural work with timber. “Learning was fast. We had several training sessions, guidance on questions during our first projects, and we were soon on our way.”
The software package and ongoing collaboration with ARKANCE and Agacad to streamline processes and optimise workflows has turbo-charged DPI Structure’s wood department, both Pierrons agree.

The company, they say, is able to very effectively follow projects of all kinds from initial idea to completion, at each stage providing the relevant structural plans and the information required for sound technical, economic and sustainability decisions.
“The Wood Framing solution has enabled us to carry out a great variety of projects with timber structures – individual houses, offices, schools, even public buildings,” the company’s president says. And thanks to the new tools and ongoing collaborative dialog with ARKANCE and Agacad, he adds, “We’re part of a team working on the evolution of better wood solutions for the building industry. I hope that such collaboration will last and even further intensify in the future.”
Products used
DPI Structures chose Wood Framing BIM software, which models every framing member according to the configurations set by the user and auto-generates drawings and cut lists that adjust if any changes are made to the model. President Didier Pierron is glad that the firm went with a network license: “The advantage is that the license is not tied to any specific workstation. A network license means several people can share the software and we can train multiple people to use it, which offers a significant financial benefit.”
True BIM software for faster, better design of timber frames and trusses

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