The agreement, one of the first of its kind and size in the infrastructure industry, is expected to help Balfour Beatty better serve customers through increased use of BIM. The UK government will mandate the use of BIM on public building projects beginning in 2016.
Ian Tyler, chief executive of Balfour Beatty, commented: “Innovation and efficiency are at the heart of our strategy and this agreement sets Balfour Beatty apart from its competitors. It extends across all of our capabilities and markets, from infrastructure investment and professional services to construction and on-going built asset management. We will be able to provide our clients with a wealth of new information about the infrastructure we are building and managing on their behalf.”
Balfour Beatty has already used Autodesk BIM on a number of high profile projects including the San Francisco Bay Bridge, the widening of the M25 outside London, and design and construction for the replacement of Terminal 2 at London Heathrow International Airport. For the new Terminal 2B, the largest ever airside project at Heathrow, the use of BIM helped the company coordinate over 30 active stakeholders through 13 interfacing projects and enabled a peak workforce of 1,600 to complete work, including a 2 km diaphragm wall, the largest in Europe, ahead of schedule.
“Moving to BIM is about more than implementing new technology – to fully realise its benefits requires a process change. Through this comprehensive agreement, Balfour Beatty is demonstrating its commitment to this change and Autodesk is excited to work with them and help extend the value of BIM to their clients around the world,” said Roland Zelles, Vice President, Autodesk Architecture Engineering and Construction, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Through the agreement, thousands of Balfour Beatty users across all international operations will have access to a range of Autodesk BIM solutions including Autodesk Revit software products, AutoCAD Civil 3D software, Autodesk Navisworks software products, AutoCAD software and Autodesk 3ds Max Design software.
Autodesk will provide significant training, support and strategic consultancy through Autodesk Consulting to help Balfour Beatty maximise their use of BIM.
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