Vico Teams with AGC for Lake Tahoe BIM Forum

Virtual Construction Leader Takes Center Stage with 5D Solution

 

June 18, 2008 – Lake Tahoe, CA – In the pristine Sierra Nevada mountains at the Squaw Valley Olympic Village, 150 leaders in the building construction industry will gather to hear presentations on important topics such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), participate in various committees, and discuss key issues that are important to their business and their industry. These Building Division meetings bring together many of the top building construction firms, service and supply companies, design professionals, BIM leaders, and owners, who participate through the AGC Private/Public Industry Advisory Council (PIAC).

Taking center stage at the conference, Vico Software will be demonstrating its award-winning Virtual Construction™ Suite.  Virtual Construction is a natural extension of building information management (BIM), one of the most important topics on the agenda.  Virtual Construction is the process by which a builder simulates, analyzes, and plans a building project in a computerized virtual environment, before and during the actual construction process, in order to avert problems and accurately predict very detailed costs, schedules, and physical outcomes.  It is used by progressive general contractors on complex projects where project costs and risks are high, and the reward for taming thoses costs and risks are equally high. 

Mark Sawyer, CEO of Vico Software reiterates, “True enough, any general contractor not using Virtual Construction can coordinate the trades to reduce errors, estimate the cost of a project, and generate a schedule report.  But relating time (the 4th dimension) and cost information (the 5th dimension) to an underlying virtual 3D model, a builder can instantly respond to change and accurately asnwer the question, ‘What would this change do to the cost of my project and its schedule?’”

Over at the Northstar-at-Tahoe mountain, a tremendous resort is under construction utilizing Vico Software.  The Ritz Carlton Highlands Lodge Resort and Spa is a joint venture of Q&D Construction, Reno, and Swinerton Builders, San Francisco.  The twenty-acre project consists of two main strctures connected by an underground pedestrian tunnel.  The main strcture will house 173 five-star hotel rooms, attached parking structure, and a 19,000 sqft spa plus commercial spaces.

Early planning using Vico Software and its Services Team identified over two hundred spatial clashes and coordination problems between architectural, structural, and mechanical systems.  Using the virtual model as a single communication point, the project team addressed each issue well ahead of actual construction.  Swinerton and Q&D are using the Virtual Construction process on-site during the the construction phase to track changes and update cost data.

 “We have been using Vico’s software and services on our most demanding building projects for the past two years,” says Dan Gonzalez, Corporate Manager of Virtual Design and Construction at Swinerton.  “Vico’s Version 2008 applications are most tightly integrated and easier to use allowing us to derive estimates and schedules directly from these 5D models.”

Vico Software will be demonstrating usability and case studies from its current suite.  To schedule an appointment to meet one-on-one with representatives from Vico’s management team, please coordinate with Holly Allison to secure a time slot.

Who:    Vico Software at the AGC Conference
What:    AGC Building Division Forum
When:    June 25-27, 2008
Where:    The Resort at Squaw Creek, 4000 Squaw Creek Road, Olympic Valley, CA 96146
Why:    See the latest BIM and Virtual Constructions solutions in action

About Vico Software

Vico Software, Inc. provides software and services to the building construction industry. Building owners, general contractors, and construction managers use Vico's software to reduce risk, manage costs, and optimize schedules on large, complex building projects. Vico’s integrated 5D Virtual Construction™ solutions, first released in 2005, pioneered the 5D category. The benefits of our solutions and services have been proven with over three hundred customers and two hundred completed building projects to date.

About Swinerton Incorporated

The Swinerton Family of Companies provides commercial construction services throughout the Western United States, delivering innovative construction solutions and outstanding customer service to a diverse range of business clients that demand exacting performance.  Established in 1888, Swinerton formally incorporated in the State of California in 1908 and holds California Contractor License No. 92. Today, Swinerton offices are located throughout California, in Colorado, Hawaii, Texas, New Mexico and Washington.

About the AGC of America

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is the largest and oldest national construction trade association in the United States. AGC represents 33,000 firms, including 7,500 of America's leading general contractors and 12,500 specialty–contracting firms. More than 13,000 service providers and suppliers are associated with AGC through a nationwide network of chapters. Visit the AGC Web site at http://www.agc.org/. AGC members are "Building Your Quality of Life."

Contact:
Holly Allison   
Vice President of Marketing
Tel: (978) 882-0170
Email: holly.allison@vicosoftware.com