Ascending to Greater Heights

Constructible technology pays dividends for Malaysian engineering firm.

Malaysian engineering firm Ascend Engineers Consulting is led by Ir Oh Kok King, an engineer with over 15 years of design experience that span infrastructure projects such as bridges, expressways and roadworks; as well as residential, commercial and industrial projects. To stay ahead of the competition and to meet the demands of the fast changing industry, Ir Oh made the decision to adopt and invest in constructible technology that would improve his firm’s capabilities and design processes. 

Since adopting Tekla Structural Designer, engineering firm Ascend Engineers Consulting has seen signifcant improvements in their design processes that have allowed them to stay ahead of the competition.

The design and build industry in Malaysia has been challenging in recent years, and retaining customers has been a top priority for Ascend Engineers Consulting. Key to that is to be able to provide reliable, flexible and constructible solutions without compromising on quality and timelines. However, that is easier said than done, as the present challenging environment translates to ever shorter project deadlines and increasing construction costs. Recognising this, Ir Oh made the move to begin investing in constructible solutions, key of which was their adoption of Tekla Structural Designer. 

While residential and commercial projects are aplenty, often utilising conventional reinforced concrete beam-slab structures, the competition for such projects is also very stiff. Ir Oh chose instead to give more attention to the fast-rising segment of industrial projects. Such  projects are typically purpose-built structures that require complex structural analysis and design within a fast-paced design phase. And more often than not, the ideal structural solutions go beyond the conventional, where RC, steel or composite systems may be utilised.

Having adopted Tekla Structural Designer, Ascend Engineers found that they could readily meet the more demanding design demands required of such complex structures. Ir Oh found that Tekla Structural Designer afforded them the ability to analyse and design structures at a much higher level of efficiency and profitability, and in particular, the features in Tekla Structural Designer that are specifcally optimised for concrete and steel structures which were ideal for their needs.

One such project that benefitted signifcantly from the use of Tekla Structural Designer was the Semenyih Warehouse Renovation and Extension project. Ascend Engineers were able to achieve a much faster design time, realising a 50% reduction, from a month to just half a month. The team could also easily make changes and input existing rebar for design, checking and redesign, as well as to check and design the foundation and superstructure all within one single model. Checking the impact of wind and other lateral loads could also be done much easier and quicker.

Another project, the Puncak Alam warehouse, called for a new structure to be designed within a tight deadline. The design was frst approved as a 3-storey structure, which unfortunately had to be later scaled down to 2 storeys due to budget constraints. With Tekla Structural Designer’s single model approach, Ascend Engineers saved considerable time by avoiding having to recreate an all-new model. Instead, the intermediate foor was simply removed, and within two hours, wind and lateral loads were automatically regenerated, analysed and designed, as well as new materials list and costings, and preliminary drawings generated. The end result was that Ascend Engineers were able to deliver the new 2-storey design quickly without causing delay to the project schedule, as well as to reduce the structural cost from RM1.54 million to RM770,000.

“Tekla Structural Designer proved to be tremendously helpful for the Puncak Alam warehouse. Not having to deal with multiple models to modify and reprocess output was an invaluable time saver, and the fully integrated and automated processes such as analysis, sway check, loading, codes-based compliant design and more made all the difference.” – Ir Oh Kok King, Principal, Ascend Engineers Consulting

Tekla Structural Designer’s fully automated approach means all steelwork is designed automatically based on our specifc requirements – including the optimisation of composite beams, columns and such. This has allowed us to design at a much faster rate, which helps us to maximise our proftability while deliver superior results for our clients.
Ir Oh Kok KingPrincipalAscend Engineers Consulting