CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
29 April 2008
Implementation Investments
SHW Selects Avatech for Multi-Year BIM Project
Avatech Solutions, Inc. announced that SHW Group, a leading architectural firm, has hired Avatech to assist in implementing a state-of-the-art Building Information Model (BIM) technology platform. The plan incorporates consulting services, custom training, software customization, and nationwide support that will run into six figures.
Focusing on the education market, SHW Group employs more than 375 team members in six offices across Michigan, Virginia and Texas. The firm’s work spans the globe, with projects in 23 states and three countries. SHW has earned numerous design and planning awards and is consistently recognized as one of the top five education design firms in America by Engineering News-Record.
“Our goal, as a firm, is to jettison technologies of the past and wholeheartedly embrace the benefits of BIM as fast as we possibly can,” says Bob Rayes, Director of Advanced Resources, SHW Group. “We needed a technology partner with national reach that could go the distance with us, so we have included Avatech in all our plans, from implementation and customization to ongoing support. We want the system to reflect our practices, not the other way around, and Avatech has the professional team and expertise we wanted.”
“As architects for educational institutions, we work hard to extend the reach of public money. We saw early on that BIM would contribute to our ability to be good stewards of public funds. BIM allows us to design spaces more effectively, resulting in improved learning experiences, an ability to meet new green building standards, and a reduction in operating costs over the long run,” says Gary Keep, SHW Group’s Chief Executive Officer. “Avatech Solutions provides us with a single source for critical technology expertise. Together we have devised a comprehensive plan for change management to guide our BIM adoption.”
“Though today’s software systems such as Autodesk Revit are sophisticated in their ability to drive efficiency and productivity, fundamentally the practice of architecture is not about technology,” says Bruce White, Senior Vice President of Sales at Avatech. “At Avatech, we understand the creative and collaborative nature that design requires. We create design systems and business processes that help architects and engineers design for excellence--with a focus on helping them achieve their business objectives and not on technology for technology’s sake.”
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