Fortune 500 firm AECOM ranked top design firm for 2013
AECOM Technology Corp., an $8.2-billion provider of technical and management services for major infrastructure and transportation projects, said it procured several software brands from Trimble Navigation’s Design-Build-Operate (DBO) software portfolio as part of a multi-year deal.
Terms of the multi-year agreement were not disclosed. Headquartered in Los Angeles, AECOM purchased the software, offered by the Trimble Buildings division, a part of Trimble’s Engineering and Construction segment, on a subscription basis to let it scale active subscriptions across its 45,000-employee organization in line with project needs.
AECOM said it will leverage Trimble’s software to streamline core processes in the DBO lifecycle. For starters, AECOM said for BIM (Building Information Modeling) and design management, the Trimble software provides the combination of 3D modeling, 4D (scheduling) and 5D (costing) tools with clash detection capability, allowing management and analysis early in the design process rather than in the field during construction.
VIDEO: Delivering a distillery with BIM
BIM delivered building and process information modeling at the $60-million Roseisle distillery in Scotland.
“Automated quantity takeoff,” based on 3D models, makes estimating more efficient and accurate even as projects evolve, Trimble said. Another example of leveraging Trimble Buildings software is using online executive dashboards to track, at-a-glance, overall status of a construction project.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based, publicly traded (Nasdaq: TRMB) Trimble, with $2 billion in 2012 revenue, uses positioning technologies – GPS, lasers and optics – to focus on applications requiring position or location, including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. Trimble has a market cap of $8.9 billion.
AECOM is a Fortune 500 company ranked as the top design firm in 2013 by Engineering News-Record magazine, a McGraw-Hill publication.
“Global firms such as AECOM–whose program and project portfolios span multiple years, teams and geographies–represent the complexities of today’s construction industry,” said Bryn Fosburgh, Trimble vice president.
VIDEO: Check out more about AECOM
AECOM will give on-demand access to Trimble software to its employees working on projects, including:
- SketchUp Pro – the construction professional’s version of the popular 3D modeling tool used for creating, updating and communicating designs in 3D.
- Tekla Structures – the premier BIM (Building Information Modeling) tool for the creation and management of constructible 3D models from conceptual design to material fabrication, erection, and site management.
- Vico Office – virtual construction software, augmenting 3D models with constructability analysis and coordination, location-based quantity takeoff, 4D (time) scheduling and production control, and 5D (cost) estimating.
- WinEst – powerful database-driven software that uses a highly flexible spreadsheet for creating, adjusting and presenting cost estimates.
- Modelogix – software for collecting and analyzing past-project data and generating comprehensive cost models for future projects.
- Prolog – project-management and cost-control software for general contractors and construction managers.
- Quantm – alignment planning software that integrates engineering, environmental, social and economic factors into simultaneous analysis of alternatives for rail and road planning.
- Trimble AutoBid Mechanical – labor and material estimating software for commercial mechanical, piping, and plumbing contractors.
- Trimble Accubid Enterprise Estimating – a server-based, spec-driven estimating platform for electrical, industrial mechanical and ITS contractors.
- Plancal Nova – offers integrated CAD/BIM and engineering calculations in one system, with advanced functionality developed specifically for building services firms.
VIDEO: See an animated flythrough of the Al Wakrah Stadium model, designed by AECOM
Designed by AECOM in association with Zaha Hadid Architects, the new 40,000-seat Al Wakrah Stadium is a proposed venue for matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. The design is inspired by the dhow boat that carried generations of local fishermen and pearl divers from Qatar.
