Dear eNews reader,

We hope you all made a good start in 2009! Anyway, 2008 has been a splendid year for Nemetschek Scia with exceptionally good results. We will certainly keep on giving ourselves entirely so as to continue on this course for the next years. The scoop of this month is the launch of the new Scia Engineer eLearning system. In a fast, effective, interactive way and completely free of charge you have the possibility to learn Scia Engineer online.

Read and discover!

• Corporate News: Nemetschek Scia launches eLearning for Scia Engineer
• Product News: Nemetschek goes Eco - Green buildings reduce costs
• Market News: Construction sites in France linked to ‘Grenelle de l’Environnement’ are estimated to amount at 440 billion in eleven years
• Customer Project: Scaffolding of a complete freestanding 3D frame in Rotterdam (NL)
• Tips & Tricks: Scia Engineer "Results Document" with 3D PDF pictures

Corporate News: Nemetschek Scia launches eLearning for Scia Engineer

To use a professional software program a minimum of investment in training is required

The Scia eLearning software is available in the English language and is completely free !!

Product News: Nemetschek goes Eco - Green buildings reduce costs

In the second half of last year, the financial world got into trouble. As regards the building world, 2008 has still been a good year, but 2009 will tell a whole different tale. ‘Economizing’ will be the topic for this year.

The solution is reducing expenses. From the draft on, design teams will have to think of a well-considered project in order to keep the costs to a minimum. Another trend is the design of ‘green’ buildings.
There is a sustained effort to come to energy-neutral buildings (minimal energy consumption or even energy generation).

Nemetschek wants to do pioneering work in this field. At the end of 2008, they already started up cooperations with external specialists in Energy-Efficiency. Together they are developing simple tools for environment-friendly buildings, in the field of design as well as with regard to the execution. With these tools it will be possible to determine the energy-efficiency and even to create ‘Energy-Performance-Certificates’ of the building in question. Actually, this EPC is already obligatory with the sale of houses, apartments, etc. The re-use of materials also arises more and more interest. Green buildings strive after all to have the smallest ecological footprint possible. For example, about ten years ago timber frame constructions were the exception, rather than the rule. Nowadays timber frame construction has earned its position in the building world and Nemetschek has already concluded a cooperation with e.g. WETO for the purpose of developing new functionalities for enabling a consistent data flow, from design to production. And last but not least, let us not forget the BIM developments. BIM is after all the moving force behind an integrated design process in which all construction partners work together with the purpose to push back design and execution mistakes … and precisely this BIM is the force of Allplan. Reducing conceptual mistakes, combined with an accurate calculation of the costs will bring back confidence to investors. New investments are indeed crucial for boosting the economy and defusing the present crisis.

Construction sites in France linked to 'Grenelle de l’Environnement' are estimated to amount at 440 billion in eleven years

October 2007 was organized in France the ‘Grenelle Environnement’. It is an open multi-party debate in France that reunites representatives of national and local government and organizations on an equal footing, with the goal of unifying a position on environmental issues and sustainable development. Representatives of the government, industry, professional associations and NGO’s were invited. The process of concretizing the conclusions of these meetings is still ongoing, nevertheless a first series of legislative measures for the period 2009-2020 has already been voted. Besides the ‘classic’ measures, e.g. the improvement of the thermal performances of buildings, a range of innovating measurements appear: an adaptation of the urban planning to avoid urban scattering, automatic tollbooths on highways to limit breaking/accelerating and even the creation of a ‘green and blue network’ with corridors linking up the big natural spaces allowing the migration of wild species. Other measures are proposed against light pollution, obliging companies of a certain size to keep an ‘emission report’. The French Ministry of Sustainable Development has just realized a study on the impact of these measures. The conclusion: the implementation of ‘Grenelle Environnement’ will imply 440 billion Euros of investments for the period 2009-2020 and will entail 535.000 jobs.

A potential conflict still exists between ecological interests, often perceived as costly and ‘a luxury’, and economical considerations.
In these days of world-wide economical crisis, it appears that the world must invest in ‘large infrastructure works’, to the profit of all and profitable on the long term. In this way France does pioneering work in this matter and promises booming days for the building industry !

Travhydro – Scaffolding of a complete freestanding 3D frame in Rotterdam (NL)

Scia Engineer Scaffolding, the application for modelling, analysis and dimensioning of scaffold constructions, is already in use by quite a lot of members of the Dutch VSB for a large variety of projects.

For several years now, the Travhydro branches of the Netherlands and Belgium adopt Scia software. Different large projects – under which the scaffolding for the renovation of the Oosterweelbrug in Antwerp – are realized with it.

Commissioned by Tak Vormgeving, Travhydro Nederland BV (the Dutch branch office) erected an entirely freestanding 3D frame on the Schouwburgplein of Rotterdam; on this frame was secured a large canvas of 15 x 13 m. The construction is completely shored up over the 3 axes.

The construction has been completely analysed according to EC3 scheme 3b, with wind pressures in conformity with AND 12-811 and NEN 6702. All codes and factors were adapted in conformity with the scaffolding-guideline of the VSB.

The project was modelled within Scia Engineer Scaffolding and presented for controlling to the City Council of Rotterdam.
As the engineer office uses the same software solutions as the city the control and adaptations were simplified to a high extent.

The modelling of the construction itself within Scia Engineer Scaffolding, the application of the loads (own weight, floors, ballast, work burden, equipment, wind) as well as the analysis were realized in one working day. Afterwards had to be spent only half a day for the obligatory adaptations and the recalculation of it.

Tips & Tricks: Scia Engineer "Results Document" with 3D PDF pictures

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