Ruukki products used in the walls and on the roofs of buildings have now been added in full to Tekla’s building information model (BIM). Designers can now conveniently add also Ruukki sandwich panels, energy panels, façade products and load-bearing roofs to their building designs.

A BIM is a digital data package, which includes all the information throughout a building project. Besides Tekla, Ruukki products are also available in Autocad, Revit and Archicad.

Fast, accurate design

Adding the products to Tekla’s BIM makes design work faster and easier. Use of a BIM improves design accuracy and precision since detailed product information, including illustrations, are up to date at all times and available from one and the same place. Information models also allow designers to easily compare different products and visualize the building three dimensionally both inside and out.

“In a way, a BIM is a digital twin of the building, into which all the building information, both materials and structural data, can be imported. Designers must always visualize their work and have it approved by the customer. Using a BIM makes this easy,” says Janne Virtanen from ProdLib.

ProdLib maintains Ruukki’s product library, the product range in different information models.

Different BIMs for different tasks

Revit, Autocad and Archicad are well suited to overall designs and visualizations, and this makes them particularly popular with architects. Tekla’s information model on the other hand lends itself to building designer needs when planning how to create the building in practice.

Building information model use is widespread in the design of, for example, the design of industrial and commercial premises. Use of BIMs varies from one building project and one country to another, and is also partly used alongside two-dimensional design.

Benefits at every stage

BIMs provide a detailed plan for the use of products both in terms of quantity and installation site. Ordering products is easy since a BIM provides a detailed order list of the products required. When, for example, the installation site of sandwich panels is known, their production order can be planned and practical logistics arranged. Since there is often no additional storage space at construction sites, panels made and delivered in the right order reduce the need for storage at the construction site.

A BIM can also be used in building maintenance, since all the components and equipment used in the building can be imported there. For example, if a LED lamp in the lobby has burnt out, facility management can see the type of lamp used in the lobby, take the right product with them and replace it on their next visit.