Oltmanns & Partner is a company with a long tradition. Founded in 1973, the change to Limited Liability status (a ‘GmbH’ company in German) took place in 1991. One of the four directors and partners is Hans-Georg Oltmanns, an approved quality engineer in the field of structural analysis. Oltmanns & Partner GmbH employs around 20 people and is a full-service provider, offering services in the fields of structural planning (statics), formwork and reinforcement planning, as well as solid construction. The latter also includes planning services covering heating/ ventilation/sanitary installation, through the integration of external resources.
Integrated approach to planning
Mr. Oltmanns points out that it is this integrated approach to planning that enables the various planning disciplines to achieve the desired degree of close cooperation – in other words, “it all fits together”! This is achieved, not least, because of the exceptional data compatibility of Tekla Structures software. Tekla consistently seeks to perfect what is known as building information modeling (BIM) technology, a new IT technology, which provides for an unrestricted exchange of data in the planning process, as well as complete IT control of the overall process from the ‘first stroke of the pen’ right through to handover of the building.
Planning a complex residential and commercial
The project presented here is a complex residential and commercial building called “Kommendör-kaptenen” that was to be built in Malmö, Sweden. Planning of the building covered the period from October 2005 to January 2006. The building is of an overall concrete and masonry structure. It comprises 24,665 cubic meters of enclosed space and accommodates, amongst other facilities, approximately 100 residential units. The design engineer at Oltmanns & Partner pointed out that the combination of the 3D functionality of Tekla Structures and its built in library of over 200 powerful system components meant that the planning process ran very smoothly. One example of this is the designing of the underground garage, where it was possible to achieve the required optimization between parking spaces and design features in a very simple and efficient manner.
Intelligent custom components
For special frequently recurring details, which could not be resolved using one of the system components provided in the system component library, the designers opted for the facility (provided by the component editor) to generate an ‘intelligent custom component’. This was employed for a joining of the exterior and interior spaces, including window edging. Because Tekla Structures allows any structural drawing to be generated at any point from the ongoing 3D structural model, or even from portions of the model, designers can use this method to check that the design detail they have just created is structurally correct. This is what is happening in the case of the self-generated custom component described above. The section generation functionality of Tekla Structures means that it is also easy to generate any required sections. The reduction of time-consuming detailed work is a fundamental consideration in the creation of pioneering computer software. This aspect has been developed with exceptional consistency in the Tekla Structures software, as can be illustrated by yet another example. The siting of a balcony, umpteen times, in a wide variety of locations on a building, involves a lot of detailed work – but not in this project! Again, this was achieved by creating an intelligent custom component, which – once created – can be used over and over again, and can be automatically (!) adapted to the conditions in a wide variety of locations.
Coordination of different materials
The balcony structure includes steel, wood and glass, as well as other materials. The thermal separation of the building is achieved by means of a Schöck isolating frame, the generation of its drawing being based entirely on the designer’s own choices.
Add-on elements
Although the catalogues of Tekla Structures offer a large number of ready-to-use concrete sections and other precast parts (e.g. stairs), the software also includes tools for inputting any structural elements into the system’s internal catalogues (databases). This was what happened in the case of the granite panels provided on the façade. Once these elements have been entered in the database, they become a permanent component and can be used as often as required, like any other element. Their geometrical parameters can then be entered, with intelligent adaptation of their characteristics, including automatic adjustment for modifications.
Outstanding visualization
Oltmanns & Partner GmbH stresses that, without a highperformance system such as Tekla Structures, the planning could not have been accomplished in the relatively short time span. In particular, the outstanding visualization capability of Tekla Structures, which enables modifications to be visualized immediately in virtually true-to-life form, allows the planner to effortlessly try out different variants in order to achieve an optimized final result. The close match between drawings and the generated model is clear. Oltmanns & Partner GmbH are considering increasing the number of their Tekla Structures licenses.
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