Enhancing Construction Efficiency with Autodesk Revit

Ballian Techniki is active in the field of construction for private-sector clients. It was founded by Pavlos Ballian in 1970, and provided design, construction, and technical consulting services. Since the year 2000, with the partnership of Thanos Ballian and Loukianos Tiktopoulos, the company has secured its development path, succeeding in becoming one of the most reliable construction companies in the country. The company is based on a dynamic team, which provides high-level services to its clients, in sectors such as industry, trade, tourism, the construction of offices, houses, special projects, etc. Outside of Greece, the company operates in France, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania, and has the appropriate infrastructure to undertake projects anywhere abroad.

A major challenge in each construction company is Cost Estimation and Budgeting. Accurately estimating project costs and effectively managing budgets is critical for profitability. During the initial stages of a construction project, there may be limited information available regarding project requirements, site conditions, and design details. This makes it challenging to accurately estimate costs and develop a comprehensive budget. Incorrect assumptions or incomplete understanding of project requirements, building codes, or local regulations can lead to inaccurate cost estimates. This can result in budget overruns and financial challenges during the project execution phase. Reliance on outdated or inefficient cost estimation methods, such as manual spreadsheets or historical data, may also result in inaccuracies and inconsistencies in cost projections.

The Cost Estimation team of Ballian set its primary project goal is to optimize project scheduling and cost estimation. The initial ideas include:

1. Investing in advanced cost estimation software and tools that leverage historical data, real-time market information, and parametric modeling to generate more accurate estimates.
2. Collaborating closely with subcontractors and suppliers to obtain competitive and detailed quotations.
3. Adopting advanced cost estimation tools and software can help improve accuracy and streamline the process.

EES Loulakis & Associates already delivered training to the design team of the company to start using Autodesk Revit as BIM technology design solution. So the cost estimation team asked to be trained in Autodesk Revit to be able to understand BIM models and be able to produce schedules.  EES Loulakis & Associates created custom training on Autodesk Revit for this team to ensure the efficient project execution and effective budget management. By integrating scheduling and cost estimation in the BIM environment, construction companies can optimize resource allocation. The ability to visualize and analyze resource requirements and availability helps in avoiding resource conflicts, optimizing labor allocation, and managing equipment and material needs efficiently, thus improving cost estimation accuracy. Autodesk Revit's BIM capabilities, such as intelligent 3D modeling and parametric design, contribute to more accurate cost estimation. The detailed and accurate representation of the building elements in the model enables better quantity takeoffs and cost calculations, resulting in more precise cost estimation. In case of a high demanding, large scale or complex project EES Loulakis & Associates also provides professional support services to ensure accurate cost estimations on time and a further real project training to the members of the team.

“From days to hours of work” Using Autodesk Revit for scheduling in construction projects was proved to lead to several positive business outcomes, including:

·         Faster, more agile, and connected workflows

·         Enhanced productivity, more control

·         Increased efficiency and productivity

·         Cost and time savings

The cost estimation team of Ballian is able to create accurate cost estimations from BIM models saving a great amount of time. They can also review the BOQ schedule for accuracy and completeness and collaborate with the project team, including architects, engineers, and estimators, to validate the BOQ schedule against the project requirements.

EES Loulakis & Associates supported the team in a high demanding, large scale or complex project. The Ballian team members together with the expert of EES Loulakis used custom schedule methods by using filters, visual helpers, custom schedule fields etc and managed to produce all necessary schedules for a huge project, with accuracy and visual confirmation in three (3) working days. In any other case the same project could consume all the resources of the team (more persons) for at least ten (15) days of work.

Ballian Techniki is a leader in construction for private-sector clients and now can use Autodesk Revit and Autodesk BIM to leverage accuracy and productivity.

Mr Thanos Boutos director of the department for cost estimations said:

EES Loulakis & Associates offered training and support to our team to migrate cost estimation by using Autodesk Revit.  Now they can produce Bill of Quantities much faster, and they can also be sure about the accuracy of the results. For the company, accurately estimating project costs and effectively managing budgets is critical for our reputation with the customers and for their profitability. They are moving to the next era.