Kicked in the Assets: An R&D Lab Case Study for Autodesk Construction Cloud

STACY STULPIN: Good afternoon, and welcome to today's session, "Kicked in the Assets-- an R&D Lab Case Study for Autodesk Construction Cloud." My name is Stacy Stulpin, and I am a project manager at SSOE, working out of the Toledo, Ohio office. I've been with SSOE for four years and been in a project management role for six.

When I'm not sitting behind my computer, my passions include sewing quilts, golfing, and going on adventures at the zoo with my husband and our 1 and 1/2 year old son. As you can see, the aquarium is our favorite.

At SSOE, it is our mission to deliver unparalleled client value that advances the AEC industry. With over 75 years of experience, SSOE has been ranked a top 10 architecture and engineering firm over several industries. We employ over 1,500 employees globally, and 150 of our clients have been with us for over 20 years. And that commitment to our clients has documented over $2 billion in savings since 2000-- [AUDIO OUT]

In today's session, what are we going to learn today? Our learning objectives are to create and manage a list of project assets throughout the various phases of a project. We're looking at how to integrate assets into the design workflow of a project. And third, to identify and explain the benefits of using assets on design and engineering projects.

Let's put our lab coats on and our safety glasses because today, we'll look at how our project team kicked assets in a new construction Research and Development, or R&D, lab building project. So going back to December 2023, our client had reached out looking to move out of their existing R&D lab and construct a new lab on their site. As you can see here, they leased a portion of their building, which is outlined in red, which equated to roughly 47,000 square feet. And their lease was ending in April 2026.

This lab included several types of labs, including wet, analytical, reactive chem, NMR, scale up and specialty, as well as administrative spaces. I was assigned the project manager, [AUDIO OUT] together a design and engineering team. Our SSOE team, along with our client, spent Valentine's Day together, and we kicked off the project, so mid-February 2024, by touring this existing lab facility, really to get an understanding of the lab teams, their processes, how are they using their current building, and what they would be looking for in their new lab building.

Well, as we started doing the client's lab, it became very evident that organization, communication, and clarity around their lab equipment would be critical on this project. There were several factors that added to the challenge. So out of their 22 labs, there were over 200 pieces of lab equipment and 453 linear feet, or 151 yards of hoods. So for any golfers out there, that 151 yards on the golf course, I'd be using my 7-iron. There were also varying utility requirements, including electrical, mechanical, and plumbing, as well as specific placements the lab equipment needed to be relative to other equipment.

All of the lab equipment was also located over several mismatching labs, causing a disruption in the current lab workflow, and some of the lab equipment would be relocated to the new building. And, of course, the project had an aggressive design schedule due to the hard deadline of the lease. So we kicked off the project in February 2024. Construction was slated to start in August 2024, and then move-in, then, we had scheduled for December 2025.

So looking at all of these factors, we really needed a way to organize and track the lab equipment utility requirements and proposed locations of where they would be in the building, and in each lab, what was going to be new versus what was existing equipment, all within a tight time frame and in a way that we could easily communicate and engage the client.

So the Assets module in Autodesk Construction Cloud, or ACC, was really the ideal tool to solve this challenge. I had implemented the Assets module for more equipment, procurement, and expediting on other small projects where I was really able to learn the fundamentals of the tool. However, I was really looking for a project like this R&D lab equipment intent to use the 3D visualization and functions of the Assets module.

So I proposed my idea of this Assets module with our SSOE lab planner, our model manager, and our Virtual Design and Construction, or VDC, technical lead. This is what I like to refer to as our assets team. I knew that it was going to take this entire team to have this tool be successful. And our goals of using the Assets module were we were looking to populate our Revit model with all of our relevant information that would merge into the custom fields in the Assets module that could then be updated by all project members, even those who did not use Revit.

And then our second goal, we were really looking to enhance the visualization and our asset management capabilities. Rather than using a traditional Excel spreadsheet, we wanted to really surpass those limitations and allow the project team and our client to easily identify, track, and interact with all of the assets in real time in multiple ways.

Well, as a project manager, there were many questions that had to be answered. Who was going to be involved in this process? What specific items would be an asset? What information needed to be documented on each asset? When in the project life cycle would all of these actions take place? How was I going to rally the rest of the project team around this new tool and this workflow? And how were we going to present and explain the benefits of this tool to the client? So many questions.

Well, to help answer all of these questions, I broke down the steps that we took on this project into three stages-- collect, create, and manage. First, collect-- we're compiling all of the asset information. Then, create-- developing that strong asset database. And then finally, manage-- utilizing the Assets module throughout the project life cycle.

So first, let's look at collect. After our initial lab tour, we first needed to develop a building program. So at the beginning of March 2024, the lab planner had provided the preliminary floor plan, which you see here, using Revit. That really gave the base for starting to begin our equipment layout.

So then we needed to decide really what lab equipment would be labeled as an asset. We first looked at the size of the equipment and what its impact would have on the lab layout. So we said an equipment that was larger than a breadbox, so roughly 18 by 18 inches in size, or if it had any special requirements, so any special electrical connections, ventilation, gas, water, et cetera-- those equipment would be considered an asset.

Next, looking at the asset information, we wanted to document everything there was to know about the lab equipment, so as the design progressed, all of the utility requirements requirements could be easily communicated and clearly communicated to the other disciplines. So all of this asset information was broken down into four general categories-- general, electrical, mechanical, [AUDIO OUT]. And some of the information we were collecting were name, the size, the location of all the equipment, emergency power, if it needed a data connection. Does it need exhaust, steam, water?

Your entire list of the information that we collected, we found in the class handout. Inventorying all of this equipment was not going to be a small task. It was a crucial step, and I really [INAUDIBLE] board our lab planners' experience. I really had to make this an efficient process.

So with this advice, we created an Excel sheet, where the columns then were all of the information was collected. The tabs at the bottom indicated each lab that-- the existing lab. And then the columns were all of that information that we wanted to capture for each piece of equipment. So in the beginning of March, I asked for the client's help to populate this Excel spreadsheet, because really, it was the client who was the expert of this equipment. And by using their knowledge, we were really able to expedite the process and get a comprehensive equipment list in just one week. How amazing is that?

So now, having all of this equipment information, the next phase in our workflow was to move to create. In this phase, I really engaged the model manager and our VDC tech lead. So we created a workflow showing how the asset data was integrated, first kicking off by organizing all of the data, defining the assets and all of the mapping rules. This process of getting then-- the process of getting all of the asset data from Excel into Revit using Dynamo.

Once we had all that information in Revit, it was time to set up the asset module and map our assets into the module, where then they could be managed. So let's walk through this workflow. We began with then actually needing to reformat the asset data in the Excel spreadsheet to have all equipment listed in one tab, and we had to add all of the tag numbers. All of the equipment that was determined to be an asset were then needed to be modeled into Revit with the tag number included. And this effort was led by our model manager and the architecture team. So this formatting of the Excel file and our modeling in Revit was a crucial step to the future steps in the workflow.

So our next step in our process was establishing the mapping criteria to really determine how an asset would be identified in Revit. So in Revit, we created a shared parameter system. First was a yes or no type parameter, then an instance parameter descriptor that organized the assets into our categories. So first, it was our lab equipment and fume hoods, and then we later added on, as I'll get to, our electrical, mechanical, and plumbing equipment. So we chose to have the equipment's tag number as the unique identifier for each asset. These tag numbers would be important as we continue through the workflow.

Our model manager then added an additional shared parameters to the Revit models that mirrored the column headings in the Excel spreadsheet. This really provided uniformity in managing all of the data, and we were able to use the ACC parameter service, which then [AUDIO OUT] to consistently push all of these parameters across all of our Revit models. And that is what you are showing on the screen.

So in our workflow, we were now ready to upload all of our equipment data from our Excel spreadsheet into Revit. And this was done by creating a Dynamo script, which is shown on the screen. The script works [AUDIO OUT] fetching the tag numbers in the Excel spreadsheet with the corresponding asset tagged in the Revit model. See, those tags come in handy.

Once a match was found, the script automatically mapped the asset information to the appropriate shared parameter values. So this really ensured that all of the equipment in Revit was accurately populated with the asset data from Excel. And after that initial mapping, the data was maintained in Revit. So then Revit became the source of truth for all of the asset data.

So now, with Revit as the source of our asset data, we enabled our 3D visualization and our analysis through the ACC viewer and metal coordination tools. So this data automatically updated with each Revit publish event. That ensures that the visualization is always up to date. So in our object table functionality, which is shown at the bottom part of the screen, within the model coordination tool, really allowed the team and the client to interact, analyze the asset data effectively, which supported better decision making and collaboration.

So Revit is now set up, but we needed to look into the asset module. The categories, custom fields, and status sets all need to be created, and our permissions needed to be verified. So as the person who was going to be managing the assets, I led these steps. So let's walk through all of our settings.

The asset categories shown here were created for each type of asset based on their discipline. So we have our lab equipment, and then as a subcategory, we added [AUDIO OUT] just because of the quantity of the number of hoods in the project it added to that organization. And the information, then, on each category, as you click on one, is populated on the right-hand side, which is highlighted in the red box.

So your custom fields are the column headers on the main Assets page. These custom fields for the lab equipment were created to mirror the column headings in the Excel spreadsheet. I also then added procurement custom fields. So these included the MST number, which is the client-assigned number for each order; a Purchase Order, or a PO; the supplier information; ship date; delivery date; and any procurement notes. By incorporating these procurement fields into the Assets module, this reported one of our team's goals of creating one location for all the equipment information.

So here's a helpful tip. Once you create a custom field, its type cannot be changed. So as you can see on the screen, I have the MST number type set as numeric. And you can see that on the right. I cannot change that. And I tried to enter the MST number format, so I had four numbers, a period, two numbers, a period, and then two numbers. However, with the formatting requirements, only numbers can be used in the numeric type. So I had to create a new custom field that's set to text in order to use this format. So just a helpful tip there.

The status set followed the stages of the equipment throughout the project life cycle. So we started with the statuses of either it was going to be-- equipment would be new or existing. And then from there, all of our new equipment went through the cycle of being specified, quoted, getting a PO delivered, installed, commissioning. Each status then had its own color, which will be important as we show the 3D visualization. But the entire list of our statuses and the descriptions for each status can be found in your handout.

So after all of these settings were established, we were finally ready to add in the Revit model and map our assets. So here, I'm in Settings and Models, and we are ready to add our architecture Revit file. So going through our files here, I was-- you could see I found the architecture file and selected that. And with that Revit file added, we were ready to map our assets.

So walking through this process, first, you would select a category to map our assets to. So for this example, we'll use the lab equipment. And you can see here, there's already in the what's highlighted, our assets are already mapped, but you would click on what's been highlighted there. And then this was the critical part of mapping our assets. You had to define your import rules. So as mentioned earlier, in the Create phase of the workflow, these rules were created in Revit as the assets mapping code so that the assets could easily be found through this mapping process.

So here, we can see the asset's property equals true and the asset type property equals lab equipment. After clicking Show results, your whole [AUDIO OUT] assets that meets this criteria populated, and then we would be able to click Save.

We were then ready to move on to define our mapping properties. Our mapping properties allowed us to align the asset custom fields in the module with the model property. So by clicking on the asset fields that I have highlighted here, we can see that the model properties are the shared parameters that we created earlier in Revit, and all of these parameters were named asset, underscore, and then the description. So then as we were going through these dropdown lists, we would be easily able to search them.

With our properties mapped, we were ready to go to the next step and import our assets. It gives you a review. So making sure we had the correct number and all of our custom fields, we're ready to go, and let's import. So while we were going through these mapping processes, why not just limit ourselves to the lab equipment? We had over 150 pieces of electrical and mechanical equipment that, several had which had very long lead times, and our transformer and switch was driving the project's critical path.

So our benefit-- it was very beneficial to be able to track these major mechanical and electrical equipment as well. So these included our air handlers, chillers, again, as I mentioned, our transformer, MCCs, et cetera. So the mechanical and electrical disciplines had their discipline-specific Revit files, and we could have mapped each of these Revit files into the Assets module. But then we would not have been able to review all of these assets in one 3D view. So we'll just be making it more challenging to review all of these assets with the client and our future contractor.

So to solve this issue, the electrical and mechanical equipment were referenced into the architecture Revit model. And as shown here, our mapping rules for the mechanical equipment were asset property equals true. And then the asset type property equals mechanical equipment. And then we would continue through our mapping steps, just as we did for the lab equipment.

With all of our assets mapped, our home page now of our assets shown here showed all of the assets in their listed format with their status and all of the information collected. By clicking on one asset, you could see highlighted on the screen, the asset was tied then to the Revit file. And when opening that Revit file, we would be able to see all of the 3D interactive assets views. Again, this is in the Revit file, but we are still in ACC.

With all of our project assets created and mapped, the project team moved into the last phase of the asset workflow of managing our assets. So managing assets occurred throughout the life cycle of the project, really from developing the specifications to the installation and startup of the equipment. I was able to lead this phase of the workflow, definitely with support from our model manager and our VDC tech.

So this project was scheduled to begin construction August 2024, as I mentioned at the beginning. However, due to a delay in our client funding, construction still has been put on hold. So as a result, the management part of our assets is still in the very early phases of the Manage phase.

So a critical step in our project was relaying all of the utility requirements for the lab equipment to the other disciplines. Our lab planner was able to use the Assets module to really lead discussions with our electrical and mechanical data discipline leads regarding the locations and specific needs for all of this equipment.

Down here in the 3D assets view in ACC, when you click on an asset, so the Asset detail window opens on the right and can be reviewed with all of the information on that specific piece of equipment. So for example, the Parr reactor system, which is shown as we clicked on here, we can see that just by an easy click, it's located in a hood. It needs hydrogen air, 70-pound and 1,400-pound nitrogen connections. And in the notes, you can see that there's a detail called out that it is connected to the nitrogen booster pump.

So another helpful tool in ACC was to communicate the asset information shown by-- you can be able to toggle the assets on and off. You can see by the upper left-hand side, I have that highlighted. And we are in first-person view, and that's called out at the center of the [AUDIO OUT]

And then we were able to have a side-by-side view pulled up. So as we're walking through, looking at the 3D model, you're able to see where you're standing in the 2D space in the drawing.

So looking at updating asset statuses, throughout the project, I tracked assets by their status. I would check in with the discipline leads for updates on their equipment during our weekly internal coordination meetings. So for existing lab equipment that would be moved from their current lab into their new lab building, the client was able to use the existing dash moved status, and this allowed them to inventory and verify what lab equipment had been relocated. And using this 3D assets view in ACC was a great visual tool to be able to review the assets by color.

Another key feature of the Assets module was the ability to add references to the assets. So for this project, our references included specification sheets, quotes, vendor cut sheets, purchase orders, submittals, project schedule, photos, and issues. Being able to really reference all of this information not only was great on a project management side with all of the document control, but for the engineers as well, being able to [AUDIO OUT] equipment cut sheets and photos of the make and model that were listed was just another additional resource for the engineering team.

With the delivery of the transformer and switch being the project's critical path, as I had mentioned, it was really beneficial to have this asset along with others referenced into our [AUDIO OUT] schedule. During schedule reviews, I could filter schedule activities by those who had referenced assets. And then as you click on the activity, shown here, you could see the current asset would show that on the right-hand side. I could easily click on that reference asset to take me to the Assets module to give me more information on where it stood in the manufacturing stage, or was it on track to ship.

So before presenting the Assets module to our client, I verified that the client permission setting in our settings was just set to view. I personally preferred that the client not have the capability to edit, create, or manage our assets, at least during the design and engineering phase of the project, which could potentially lead just to disruption to our project team. The permissions are easily adjusted after the engineering was complete and also verifying with the client before giving the contractor any access.

So during an in-person review meeting, I presented our Asset module to our client and demonstrated the simple capabilities of how to navigate to the module, filter and searching for assets, showing them this awesome 3D viewing capabilities, and discussed future potential uses for the module. So the two initial benefits the client saw with using this included the relocation of tracking, or tracking the relocation of our equipment from the existing building to their new lab, and then also tracking the progress of the lab equipment, startup, and commissioning.

So shown on your screen here, just a snapshot of being able to change the equipment statuses as they're moved to the new building. Also, by engaging the client, being able to document each piece of equipment by taking a photo of the installed equipment or the nameplate and referencing then it back to that asset, you would be able to see as a PDF report is ran, the photos that were referenced would show in that report. And that's what we're seeing here on the screen. So the client would have all of that information and references available.

And along with these PDF and Excel reports, by exporting the equipment assets in Excel and having a PDF report, the client also had all of this asset data in a shareable file for all of their equipment utilities. This included not only the lab equipment but also the mechanical and electrical equipment that we had created as assets. So this would be for any maintenance needs or future replacement of equipment.

So our outcome-- in developing a new workflow around the asset [AUDIO OUT] our project team found several benefits and met our goals, but we also were able to learn how to improve for future projects. Using the Assets module, 3D mapping, and all of the viewing capabilities really benefited the entire project team during our initial client and internal reviews, being able to walk through the labs, isolate the assets, but still having that reference to the 2D drawings. So when shown on the screen here, when clicking on the glove box, we can see that all of the references and information is called out on the right-hand side of the screen.

And it's all specific to that piece of equipment. So you can see the nameplates, and the schedule is referenced. And this 3D visualization really helped convey our project design, which eventually led to a better feedback from our end users.

But when there was something that needed to be addressed with an asset, in this same 3D viewer, anyone on the team could create an issue. It's shown here as an example of creating and managing an action need issue. So for this specific one, we needed to verify the name of this asset. So the issue is represented by a dot. You could see other issues are shown on the screen as well. And these are listed in the Issues module in ACC, where they can also be tracked and managed in that module as well.

With our client and future contractor having access to the Assets module, they have all the utility and documentation that was collected for installation and any future maintenance needs or any replacement of equipment. By using ACC's mobile capabilities, our future contractor will be able to take photos in on the site of assets being delivered and installed in parallel with updating the asset statuses.

Our internal day-to-day tasks improved with more efficient coordination between our disciplines. Rather than using an Excel spreadsheet that could have multiple iterations, and who knows where it's saved, the Assets module really provided a shared location with true information being pulled directly from Revit. So by referencing the electrical and mechanical assets into the architecture Revit file, as mentioned before, we were able to review and edit all the assets in one model, allowing our team to easily compare equipment statuses.

Our Asset module also allowed for our procurement and expediting to be conducted in this same location. So non-Revit project team members were able to update these procurement custom fields, which I have highlighted on the screen here.

While our project team did reach our goals, there was much to learn from implementing a new workflow. So our biggest hurdle was that the project team had to overcome was working around how the asset information flowed from our Revit to the Asset module. So at the start of a project, we have a preliminary equipment list that really needs to be documented. The modeling of this equipment typically does not start until later phases of the project. So this really creates an issue with the workflow of a project by needing that equipment modeled to pull into the Assets module, then to create that asset database.

So one solution and some feedback for Autodesk would to be able to create a list, an asset list, in the Asset module first. Then, as the project progresses through the design and our modeling begins, the project team would be able to assign a listed asset to a 3D object in a Revit model.

Another lessons learned was understanding what asset information was really useful to have in Revit and what information we should have just been added in the module. So this was an issue we ran into when there was a change made in the module to information coming from Revit. When a change was made, this change would not be reflected in Revit.

So as a positive, it solved the problem of having inconsistent information between Revit and the Asset module, which was great. However, there was an issue as non-Revit users, so project managers and procurement, were trying to make updates to custom fields such as our-- if it was owner or contractor-purchased or the manufacturer. So for a solution to this for future projects, the project team really needs to determine what information is necessary to add into Revit and what information will need to be edited by non-Revit users and have that information come directly from the Asset module and not from Revit.

Our Sheets module in ACC was a tool that we did not take advantage of on this project. In the Sheets module, you can mark up the project drawings [INAUDIBLE] and draw 2D assets very quickly. And there was a potential to use this feature in our initial meeting with our end users just to get a really quick equipment layout and the assets into the floor plan. However, a drawback to this-- it's still 2D. It's not visible in our 3D model. So it would be a feature we could look at more on the next project.

Well, with any change or new process, there's always pushback and uncertainty from your project team. Not having an example to show of a past project where the Asset module was implemented really added to the challenge. While I was not successful on getting our entire project team as excited as I was about this Assets module, our model manager and our VDC lead were extremely supported, and really, without their knowledge and expertise, this process would have not been successful.

As SSOE looks to kick assets on future projects, across all of our project industries, we will apply our knowledge and lessons learned, as it is SSOE's mission to deliver unparalleled client value that advances the AEC industry. Thank you for joining today's session.