AIC Steel Leverages Tekla Structures for Successful Delivery of SABIC Jubail Main Building

Brief Customer Profile

AIC Steel (Arabian International Company for Steel Structures) is a part of the Arabian International Group and has been providing engineering services since 1994. 

AIC Steel has built its strong reputation by providing quality service in steel fabrication, tower fabrication, sheet metal works, surface treatment, transportation, and heavy equipment services as well as general construction services. 

The company has been using Trimble's Tekla Structures for over 15 years and has utilized Tekla in most of its major projects, among them Al Faisaliah Tower, KAPSARC, Riyadh Metro Stations, and the recently launched Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).

Ammar Khatatbeh, General Manager at AIC stated, "Tekla Structures has helped us to accomplish many projects that were previously considered impossible, thanks to its powerful BIM capabilities that allowing us to build and manage 3D structural models in concrete and steel from concept to fabrication, resulting in a robust approach to managing large-scale construction projects."

SABIC Jubail Headquarter

The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) decided to build its corporate headquarters complex in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia over a total area of 280,000 square meters. 

It was evident that AIC was the primary choice to coordinate and implement BIM, prepare connection drawings, erection engineering studies, perform stage analyses, prepare fabrication drawings, and fabricate structural steel. 

Stunning architectural structures are frequently building challenges as they use unusual shapes joined together and translating these stunning visions into standing structures was no easy feat, but AIC was up to the task.

Construction and Engineering Challenges 

A common construction challenge is a lack of communication with stakeholders and field workers, particularly in the SABIC project, which includes a six-part corporate office complex that includes executive offices in separate buildings. One is a 25-story tower, and the other is divided into two separate office blocks connected by a steel podium spanning six stories.

Communication goes beyond just sending emails; it's about ensuring that everyone in the project understands what the company is trying to achieve, why they want certain things done differently in the field, and how you can help them get there.

Hence, we always begin by developing a comprehensive 3D BIM model using Tekla structures to improve collaboration between disciplines and remain cost-effective.

“We faced some challenges due to the complexity of connections resulting from using the “Diagrid System”, As well as applying preset values in nodes connections for vertical displacements, providing proposal connections to facilitate fabrication and erection and sharing them with project stakeholders, where Trimble Connect facilitates communication among all parties. This was a large project, and our engineering team handled it professionally and responsibly.” Bashar Salah Detailing Manager

AIC's team collaborated effectively on creating different parts of the project remotely using Tekla Model Sharing - an add-on service to the new Tekla Structures subscription that predominantly works offline. Not only this, but team members were also able to work simultaneously with a local copy of the same model.

This technique speeds up projects by detecting conflicts between various models during the design process. It allows designers and contractors to avoid the impact of multi-level design revisions, which can result in budget overruns and project delays.

Keeping everyone updated and informed on the project's progress, we then created workshop drawings for each part of the SABIC building. These detailed drawings would be used to fabricate the steel structures needed for construction, not only in 3D format but also in a comprehensive report that can be used to make any purchase orders and can be utilized as a bill of quantity.

Solutions

By utilizing Trimble's Tekla Structures software, AIC was able to create vivid 3D models of each component in the structure and quickly produce individual component drawings that were used for fabrication purposes. 

Furthermore, Tekla Structures provided an accurate representation of all building components which allowed AIC engineers to ensure that all connections were perfectly aligned; thus completing the project on time and within the specified budget. 

The result was a perfectly executed project that exceeded AIC and SABIC’s expectations, while also setting a new benchmark in the industry for efficient construction processes. AIC's successful delivery of the SABIC Jubail Project demonstrates how leveraging Tekla Structures can help succeed even the most challenging projects. 

The team at AIC is immensely proud of the successful delivery of this project, which showcases their commitment to excellence in the construction industry. With its innovative use of Tekla Structures and outstanding customer service, AIC is standing at the forefront of the Middle Eastern construction industry.

"As our most fascinating project to date, the SABIC Headquarters project relied heavily on Tekla Structures to help us succeed. We were able to quickly create accurate 3D models and workshop drawings of each component that was used for fabrication purposes, demonstrating the successful installation and collaboration between different subcontractors. Using Tekla Structures and Tekla Model Sharing, we were able to accomplish this challenging project and set a new benchmark for construction efficiency." - Mohamed Ezzat Engineering R&D Section Head at Arabian International Company. 

Results

Tekla Structures was a powerful asset for AIC Steel in the building of the SABIC headquarters complex. Not only did it help them deliver the project on time and within budget, but they were able to cut labor costs by making their workflow more efficient, minimizing errors, and automating repetitive tasks. It also improved communication between all parties involved by giving everyone a single source of data. Lastly, it created an accurate 3D model that can be used later down the road for further analysis or design changes if necessary.