ARUP’s office in London has been using IDEA StatiCa since the beginning of 2016 and has successfully applied it in many of their projects. Although they have been using a wide range of software tools, the analysis and design of complex steel connections (part of many of the very complex structures they are dealing with) have been always a very laborious subject, as the only solution was to use highly sophisticated finite element analysis tools, which are extremely time-wise and labor-wise demanding and don’t provide any code-checks.
IDEA StatiCa filled this huge gap, by providing a breakthrough technology that allowed ARUP to easily analyze and design any type of connection, but also link to their CAD software and offering a real BIM workflow. At the same time, with IDEA StatiCa, ARUP found a tool that helped them with feasibility and buildability studies at the early stages of a project, all the way through detailed design studies.
“We as engineers have to know, that what we are providing is fully buildable and designable. There is no point in offering a connection to a contractor to design if that isn’t the case. IDEA StatiCa allows us to take the output from – let’s say an Advanced Steel model – and very quickly run through these options.”
Graham Aldwinckle, Associate Director – ARUP London
During the Autodesk University 2016 class, Mr. Aldwinckle explains through real examples how IDEA StatiCa is helping them to achieve their goals much easier and faster, in a safe and code-compliant way.
“We were looking to see whether the stiffeners could be removed or reduced in size, and with IDEA StatiCa we were able to conclude that the stiffeners were double the thickness that was needed, so we managed to half them in size.”
“10 years ago, in this particular node from 122 Leadenhall Street building in the City of London, which is 3 meters from top to bottom, we had to go through a quite complex way, which involved Nastran analysis and other custom weld checks. What we’ve got out of IDEA StatiCa is a much quicker, simpler way to analyze a node like that.”
Watch this short video below, to learn more about the application of IDEA StatiCa in ARUP’s projects: