Brazilian Firm Uses Building Information Modeling Process on More Than 200 Projects

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — September 1, 2010 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced that Athié | Wohnrath has received an Autodesk BIM Experience Award for the use of a Building Information Modeling (BIM) process on more than 200 projects to date, including interior design, building design, retrofit and new construction.

The award further recognizes the firm’s commitment to BIM through its employee training, implementation strategy and the application of BIM on two recent projects – the Baker Hughes Rio Technology Center in Rio de Janeiro and the interior design of Dow Chemical’s new Brazilian corporate headquarters in São Paulo, Brazil.

Athié | Wohnrath is also being honored for its use of software for BIM, including Autodesk Revit Architecture and Autodesk 3ds Max Design software. The firm also uses Autodesk Inventor software to design office furniture and lighting fixtures.

“Adopting a Building Information Modeling process has helped increase the speed of our design and cost estimating, as well as enhancing multi-disciplinary team coordination and design integrity,” said Alessandro Lopes, CAD quality and process manager at Athié | Wohnrath. “We are 100 percent committed to BIM and, in fact, require that every new designer must fully understand how to use a BIM process and be trained on Autodesk Revit Architecture.”

Exemplary Use of BIM Process on Recent Projects

One of Athié | Wohnrath’s recent projects based entirely on a BIM process is the 4,700 square-meter Baker Hughes Rio Technology Center designed to support research for the oil and gas industries. For this project the firm provided architectural, engineering, interior design and construction services. The technology center project, which includes laboratory facilities, a workshop floor, and an administrative office area, presented several challenges to the 20 designers assigned to the task. From the bid stage through to the current production of building documentation, the project was subject to multiple client change requests. With the dynamic update and multi-disciplinary collaboration capabilities of a 3D model-centric, all-BIM process using Revit Architecture, the Athié | Wohnrath team was able to address and communicate significant plan changes more efficiently. For example, to more quickly resolve change requests the team used model-based 3D views generated by Revit Architecture to help the customer analyze multiple design options for space optimization. Overall the team experienced a significant reduction of the time needed for communication, early clash detection, project coordination, design review and cost estimating.

Another recent Athié | Wohnrath BIM project of note is the new Brazilian corporate headquarters for Dow Chemical. This nine-story, 15,000 square-meter project encompasses office space as well as a restaurant, auditorium, first-aid post, lab room and all technical facilities, including substations and electrical, HVAC and other equipment exclusively for Dow’s operation. Dow Chemical, the tenant for the new structure, engaged Athié | Wohnrath to create a customized interior space. With help from Revit Architecture software, the team transformed existing 2D building plans into a complete 3D model. Using the Revit Architecture model, and the ability to better coordinate all disciplines, generate more accurate production drawings, and provide the client with more realistic 3D visualizations using Autodesk 3ds Max Design, the team was able to quickly and dynamically accommodate interior design changes requested by the client. As with the Baker Hughes Rio Technology Center project, the team working on this project saw dramatic time savings in terms of project coordination, review and cost estimating.

About BIM

BIM is an integrated process for exploring a project’s key physical and functional characteristics digitally before it’s built, helping to deliver projects faster and more economically, while minimizing environmental impact. Coordinated, consistent information is used throughout the process to design innovative projects; better visualize and simulate real-world appearance, performance and cost; and create more accurate documentation.

About Athié | Wohnrath

With more than 20 years experience in the corporate architecture market, Athié | Wohnrath is led by Sérgio Athié and Ivo Wohnrath. The company features a range of integrated services to plan and execute all phases of an AEC project, from conceptual design to managing implementation, including interior design, retrofit, construction, commercial and industrial building design, technology, home and product design. The firm employs approximately 380 professionals and has offices in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. A leader in Brazilian corporate architecture, the firm has developed projects for national and multinational clients such as Nike, Nextel, HP, Microsoft, Ericsson, Nokia, Intel, IBM, Volkswagen, General Electric, Dow, Baker Hughes, Vale, Unilever, Exxon Mobil, Shell, BASF and Warner Bros. The firm’s adoption and integration of Autodesk software for BIM was supported by Best Software, Autodesk Authorized Reseller in São Paulo, Brazil.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries -- including the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software to design, visualize and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com .