Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting Company (SAJCO) is one of the leading contractors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that provides a variety of exceptional construction services for more than 50 years.

Although the company has relied on building information modeling (BIM) for a long time, it remains committed to providing the best possible service to its clients, which is why it has decided to rely on Trimble's Tekla Structures software as its most advanced BIM solution. With this software they can provide their clients with 3D BIM models that match the highest international standards while also meeting LOD 300-500.

The solutions will help SAJCO achieve efficiency and accuracy in every aspect of design and delivery as well as comply with the National Transformation Strategy 2020 and Saudi Vision 2030. 

Why did SAJCO transform its workflow from 2D drawings to 3D Constructible models?

As part of its vision, the company seeks to acquire the latest construction solutions and improve its construction processes to ensure safety, reduce costs, save time, and better assess risks in the design phase of projects as the use of 2D drawings will not meet the fast-paced workflow.

Without a doubt, 2D drawings create obstacles to clear communication between the various teams who work on construction projects. To avoid miscommunication and confusion, these teams must share information easily from drawings, specifications, bills of quantities, schedules, and instructions.

Construction drawings not only show detailed images of the building project, but they can also include information from other experts, like HVAC specialists, electrical engineers, and fire safety personnel. The amount of extra info and outside help brought in varies depending on how large the project is. And the engineering team often needs to envision 2D drawings as 3D objects which causes a lot of challenges such as:

• Conflicts and mistakes occur among project participants due to differences in their 3D imaginations.
• It costs a lot of money and time to conduct a design analysis and change the design drawings.
• Conflicts with the contractor occur due to a lack of details in the bidding documents.
• It costs the contractor a lot of money to take a quantity off.
• Contractors cannot order prefabricated materials when design documents are inaccurate or conflicting.
• It is common for design changes during the construction phase to lead to legal disputes and increased project costs and time.
• Facility management teams spend a lot of time and money gathering and transferring as-built drawings and documents. 

Uncertainty is one of the greatest challenges facing every construction project. When a model lacks a crucial bit of data, or the measurements or placement information is even slightly ambiguous, it introduces doubt among project stakeholders. 

No one wants to risk making a costly mistake under these circumstances, so doubt drives requests for information back to the engineers or detailers, which cost time, energy, and money to address. In turn, this leads to bottlenecks in the project timeline, budget overruns, and loss of profit margin. 

On the other hand, if fabricators and contractors move ahead without questioning the model, costly rework and other waste can lead to the same results.

3D modeling: the pride of every structural engineer. It is influential in ensuring accuracy, speed, and collaboration among coworkers.

3D models offer a more appealing and comprehensible way for engineers to showcase their work to clients. If it's true that "a picture is worth a thousand words," then 3D models are like lifelike representations of planned structures.

They communicate lots of detail and accurate information effectively in many collaborative plug-ins to the software like Tekla Model Sharing or Trimble Connect which is why they're such valuable tools early on in the scheme stage when various stakeholders need to be able to visualize the main building idea.

Primarily for its efficiency and flexibility in designing all types of structures made from concrete, steel, precast concrete, and timber as well as automating repetitive tasks and changes updates using powerful yet simple 3D parametric modeling tools which produce a fully constructible 3D model, capable of achieving the highest level of detail.

Summary
SAJCO has chosen Tekla Structures for its construction projects due to the software's ability to create and manage data-rich BIM models that allow the company to achieve more advanced plan, design, construct, and maintain complex structures. This results in improved project outcomes and costs savings while developing reliable infrastructure that meets the highest safety standards.

By utilizing this technology, stakeholders will be able to collaborate in real-time and view project progress from anywhere. In addition, the data gathered by Tekla Structures is used also for analytics, helping to identify areas for improvement and further optimization.