Digital Innovations are Drees & Sommer’s Way into the Future

Contains digital tools

For Drees & Sommer, a company specializing in customer service, digital innovation is the way forward. The company sees positive trends in the industry regarding the inclusion of digital tools in the planning process as well as the building process. Among other things, Drees & Sommer uses technologies such as Vico Office in the planning phase and to control the construction process.

Vico Office to optimize on time and economy

The advantage of increased digitization is that aspects such as time, finances, staffing and quantity often become more manageable, accessible and accurate.

Drees & Sommer uses digital tools such as Vico Office to optimize time and economy. In Denmark, client consultant Søren Falk Thomsen brought Vico Office to the company, and the management has welcomed the software. Services such as scheduling optimization using location-based planning have long been a part of Drees & Sommers services in Denmark as well as in the other markets. In the long term, it is the intention that such services be spread further in the organization. Vico Office supports the optimization process and connects location-based planning with the BIM models.

Vico Office provides a good overview of all aspects of the process, as everything is linked in the program.

Søren Falk Thomsen

“At Drees & Sommer we use Vico Office for scheduling, quantity and cost estimation. Vico Office provides a good overview of all aspects of the process, as everything is linked in the program. When we change something, we can quickly see the consequences of the changes in the calculations and schedules. This gives us high-quality projects”, says Søren Falk Thomsen.

In particular, the planning function Vico Schedule Planner with regard to the planning of locations and through cyclograms is gaining ground in the industry. The location-based planning allows a more detailed planning of the construction process and shows not only the period, but also at which locations the construction takes place. Many opt for location-based planning for the widely used Gantt charts, but Søren says it does not necessarily have to be either – or:

“Gantt charts and cyclograms each have their own purpose. Many can understand Gantt charts because they are used to it and it is good to create master plans. However, Gantt charts are not manageable if they get too detailed, they are not cyclograms. For example, location-based schedules running with the Vico Schedule Planner can create an overview and structure in a confusing schedule, and that’s a lot of value. ”

BIM is the future

Drees & Sommer is seeing increased interest in the industry for digital tools on the job site, but especially in early planning in the form of virtual reality, simulations, analyzes, etc., which adds value for the owner. The building can be visualized in 3D. This is an effective way to communicate the project to the customer, the operators and users. Quantity extraction and collision controls ensure high quality and project material coordination, reducing the number of collisions and expensive on-site ad hoc solutions. The trend and developments in the industry are positive but slow, maybe too slow. Søren has found that it is difficult for architects and engineers to deliver what is needed in terms of digitization:

For project changes and new projects, you do not have to start from the beginning every time.

Søren Falk Thomsen

“Digitization in the form of the use of tablets and smartphones for quality assurance is becoming more and more normal on construction sites. The real challenge for the individual, however, is to get more advanced tools like the Vico Schedule Planner and get people to try something new that is different from what they know.”

“Working with BIM programs such as Vico Office places demands on know-how in various areas, such as process, construction technology, scheduling, calculation principles, and finances.” Large amounts of data are collected and linked, which places demands on the input data. The output from the program is only as good as the input data. The combination of BIM models, calculation and planning with location-based planning is a new way of project management and offers a high value as the project material is of a higher quality. Besides, with Vico Office several processes are simpler and automated. Therefore, you do not have to start over and over again for project changes and new projects – many manual inputs and calculations can be avoided because time and financial data can be saved and reused .”

Better decision-making basis with more insight

Drees & Sommer has extensive experience using digital tools in major construction projects around the world. New technologies, forms of collaboration and concepts such as Integrated Project Delivery and Big Data help to develop customer service at Drees & Sommer. Customer Advice 4.0 uses the latest technologies and forms of collaboration to improve performance. Ultimately, the technology is beneficial for the owner, as a better basis for decision-making with more insight into the project can be presented to the owner. Vico Office helps to improve decision making as the quality of the project’s quantitative data increases through greater transparency and coherence.