Cleanroom specialist Valtria has adopted Trimble’s Stabicad for Revit to streamline its MEP system designs and calculations, delivering up to 40% time savings, improved productivity and enhanced collaboration with clients
Valtria designs and installs custom cleanroom solutions for a wide range of clients across the world. This includes heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), air treatment systems, specialist fluid and gas supplies, electrical systems and the integration of specialist medical and scientific equipment. Since 2013, the business has delivered more than 900 projects, totalling over 300,000 square metres of cleanroom space.
Valtria has been using Trimble’s Stabicad for Revit for four years
Previously, its designers were using a standard version of Revit for the 3D design, with calculations completed manually by the engineers using a separate solution. Stabicad integrates fully into the Revit platform allowing 3D design and engineering calculations to be completed within the one design environment. It also provides mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) specific functionality to streamline this element of the design.
Elena Gonzalez, global manager of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) at Valtria said: “We have used Stabicad on major projects across Europe, including in Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. It is very user friendly and, when compared with other software, is much quicker for our designers to learn to use, many of whom do not have an advanced engineering background. This means that our designers can become productive using the software in half or even a third of the time required for similar software packages.”
Valtria feels the benefits of Stabicad throughout a project’s lifecycle
During the initial stages of the design, Stabicad allows the team to efficiently generate MEP system layouts to quickly visualise the possible routing of pipes and ducts. This not only helps to identify potential challenges and allow for coordination with architects on space reservation but also allows for an accurate estimation of costs and materials early in the project.
“The ability to create these initial 3D designs with all the required details makes it simpler for clients to understand the proposed system, making collaboration between them and our team easier to achieve,” Elena explained. “The speed in creating the initial design also provides us with a competitive advantage when it comes to tender submissions. We can supply the proposed designs and an estimation of costs swiftly and to an appropriate level of detail, often before other potential suppliers.”
At the detailed design phase, Stabicad enables precise, accurate and reliable calculations to be carried out within the Revit environment. Stabicad also determines flow rates, velocity, and pressure drops and automates system sizing to ensure the design will perform optimally once installed. All calculations and sizes are automatically updated as design changes are made, ensuring the model remains accurate and up to date at all times.
There are several Stabicad product features that have particularly benefited the Valtria team
One of these is the Node Solver function, which simplifies and automates the process of detailing complex routings and connections accurately. The ‘Solve Node’ function intelligently connects ducts to air terminals, ducts to ducts, pipes to pipes, and ducts or pipes to specific equipment, significantly reducing the time required to build a seamless ductwork and pipework layout. The ‘Solve Node with Options’ command offers even greater flexibility and control by calculating and suggesting various connection options tailored to specific project requirements, providing a balance between control, automation and customisation.
Another key feature for Valtria is Stabicad’s built-in content library of manufacturer-specific information, as Elena explained:
“The content library contains dimensionally correct digital versions of products with all the applicable technical data attached. This means our team can create the design using specific rather than generic components. The higher degree of accuracy that this allows reduces the potential for issues at the installation phase and provides added assurance that the system will perform as designed. For products not yet included in the content library, Stabicad makes it simple to create new product entries, which can then be added to the database and used on future projects.”
Given Valtria regularly works on global projects, Stabicad’s support of various national standards makes it simpler to ensure compliance with local regulations. Designers can simply choose the appropriate standard from the options listed and Stabicad will use the correct industry calculations based on those regulations. For the UK, the calculations are also CIBSE certified, providing additional assurance of accuracy and reliability.
This streamlining of the design and calculations throughout a project means that Valtria has seen a significant return on investment. Elena commented: “We estimate that by using Stabicad, we can achieve a 30 to 40% time saving in the design process compared to completing the same work using other packages. Due to these benefits, we are expanding the use of Stabicad to more Valtria offices globally.”
To help ensure a smooth adoption of Stabicad, Trimble has provided the Valtria team with ongoing support and in-depth training, delivering technical help on Stabicad functions as Valtria’s use of the software expanded.
Elena concluded: “Stabicad is a powerful and user-friendly solution for MEP design and calculations, with many tools available to help make it easy to optimise designs. This has resulted in significant time savings for us, allowing greater productivity. Additionally, in contrast to some other software suppliers, the support we have received from Trimble has been excellent, with any issues we had while learning the new software solved quickly.”
For more information about Stabicad visit: https://mep.trimble.com/en/products/stabicad-for-revit.
