Since introducing Autodesk Construction Cloud, design firm Graphite has been able to reduce the time needed to complete a project by 25% and on certain processes by 65%. New ways of working have boosted efficiency and customer satisfaction, while internal and external collaboration has improved significantly.
Based in Dubai, Graphite is a multi-disciplinary built environment design consultancy. Established in 2014, the firm operates across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in Asia, Africa & Europe. It delivers design solutions – architecture, interior design, project management and engineering – to clients across a range of sectors.
“Our offering extends to post-contract construction supervision services, cost consultancy, MEP services engineering and coordination,” says Asif Nassarudin, Project Manager at Graphite. “We’re at the forefront of construction technology and embrace BIM [building information modelling] and construction technology for the design and delivery process.”
Earlier this year, Graphite decided to introduce Autodesk Construction Cloud to help boost teamwork and efficiency on a premium school project in the UAE.
“We implemented Autodesk Construction Cloud to improve collaboration,” says Asif. “It’s an efficient way of managing documents, streamlining the estimation process and offers an all-round solution.”
Working on complex projects needs meticulous planning and coordination, which is why the team use Autodesk Takeoff, Build and Docs. With so many stakeholders involved in the project, Graphite needed solutions that would help the team increase productivity and reduce the potential for errors.
“We just finished the design phase of the project,” says Asif. “We used Autodesk products for this phase. Now we’re moving to the construction phase and looking forward to implementing Build to increase efficiencies, reduce variations and enhance stakeholder collaboration across the project delivery teams.”
Moving systems can often bring challenges. The transition to Autodesk Construction Cloud, however, has been smooth, says Asif, with the help of software and services company Accienta.
Carolina Fong, Co-founder and Digital Engineering Manager at Accienta, has worked with the Graphite team since the beginning of the year to help implement Autodesk solutions.
“As the project leader, I was assigned responsibility of implementation,” continues Asif. “We got a clear idea from Carolina what we needed to do and we were able to transfer this knowledge to the rest of the team. We attended multiple training sessions that were facilitated by Carolina, and made it mandatory for all project stakeholders to implement Autodesk Construction Cloud as their document management system.”
“Autodesk Construction Cloud is very user-friendly, so it wasn’t difficult for people to understand it. The team and clients easily adopted it,” he says.
Carolina adds, “It’s been a journey over many months. We started with Docs, looking at folder structures and having discussions around admin permissions. Then we introduced Takeoff and we recently had some sessions on Build. Graphite’s use case for Autodesk Construction Cloud is very particular. We don’t see a lot of companies that get to use the full spectrum, so it’s been very interesting.”
Before introducing Autodesk Construction Cloud, the team relied on multiple systems throughout a project’s lifecycle. There was one document management platform and a separate system for design. As a result, inefficiencies and errors occassionally crept in.
“We had a document management system for all documents and reviews,” says Asif. “But we'd have to use separate software for design. There were too many platforms and a lack of interoperability between them.”
Autodesk Construction Cloud has helped the team at Graphite to work together more effectively. In fact, according to Asif, the team has cut the time spent on projects by 25%. Moreover, working on a single platform has significantly improved the customer experience.
“It’s a single platform everyone can work on,” says Asif. “ACC has really improved collaboration across teams and we’ve seen a positive response from the client. Take, for example, the school project. We’re working with teachers and stakeholders who aren’t necessarily technical. Autodesk Construction Cloud gives them easy and transparent access to what’s happening throughout the design phase.”
According to Asif, giving clients access to 3D models of the designs has helped create a more seamless customer journey and boosted the clients confidence that the project is on track.
“Everything is stored in Autodesk Construction Cloud and the client is really excited because they can see actual 3D models without having to install the software,” he says. “It gives them a better understanding of the design phase. This helps us efficiently collaborate and allows them to give timely feedback, which is a real advantage.”
According to the team, Takeoff – which uses 2D and 3D software in one solution to produce more accurate estimates – has been an invaluable tool.
“The 3D model has really helped for certain elements of takeoff, like block work and internal partition takeoff,” says Mohamed Ashik, Commercial Manager at Graphite. “We used 2D takeoff for finishes and counting purposes. It’s also been a really powerful tool for revisions.”
Productivity has also greatly improved since the team introduced Takeoff.
“We can do the quantification for internal partitions in about seven hours with Takeoff,” says Mohamed. “This used to take us about 20 hours, so we’re much more productive now.”
Having first-hand experience of working together on a single platform, the Graphite team plans to continue its partnership with Autodesk.
“We’re working with Autodesk to establish what other areas of the design to construction process we can improve on,” says Asif. “I don’t believe there’s any other platform that allows us to do what Autodesk does.”
