Asta Powerproject, the global standard for construction project scheduling, will showcase major upgrades to its software. Two key new features will be 4D planning with BIM and mobile site progress reporting.
In design-build projects, a team works under a single contract to provide both design and construction services faster and more cost-effectively than the traditional design-bid-build approach. Design-build relies heavily on technology like Asta Powerproject for proper planning and scheduling.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) digitally represents the physical and functional characteristics of a building in three dimensions (3D) so that all contractors and owners are operating from the same information source and can spot potential construction issues earlier.
“BIM has been a bit slow to take off in the U.S. but, it’s coming in a big way as people begin to realize the benefits of 4D planning,” said Michael Romero, Asta’s North American Country Manager. “While the U.K. and Europe have seen a huge increase in BIM projects due to new government requirements, it is owners and forward-thinking construction firms driving that adoption here in the States.”
The upcoming release of Asta Powerproject BIM is an optional upgrade to Asta Powerproject which will include a sophisticated BIM feature, giving project planners the key benefits of BIM and 4D planning without the heavy expense of a standalone system.
Asta Powerproject will read industry-standard IFC4 databases and show the 3D model in a window right in the scheduling application. This major upgrade ties the time component of scheduling to the 3D model, resulting in “4D”. Users can see where the build should be a various stages of the timeline and even adjust the timeline by clicking on an element in the BIM model to bring up its corresponding schedule.
“This release of Asta Powerproject with BIM capability represents a tremendous advance in project scheduling where over 50% of the value of BIM is really derived,” said Romero. “No longer is BIM just for architects and mega builders. It’s now accessible for all schedulers and can help make their jobs much more efficient.”
The new release of Asta Powerproject will also feature Site Progress Mobile, which allows construction project managers to update the project schedule via their mobile phone or tablet on the job site. The app allows users to record progress and make schedule updates, take photographs and associate them with tasks or build stages, and avoid the need to re-key progress updates when they return to the office.
Both the 4D BIM feature and Site Progress Mobile will be available with the next version of Asta Powerproject due for U.S. release in early 2015.
For more information on Asta Powerproject, visit www.astapowerproject.com.
About Asta Powerproject: Asta Powerproject has become the construction industry standard throughout Europe and the rest of the world outside the United States since its initial development in 1988. It was introduced to the U.S. market in 2013. Both small and large companies including general contractors, subcontractors, civil engineering firms, clients and professional advisors prefer Asta Powerproject. More than 80,000 schedulers worldwide rely on the software every day to create and update precise project schedules, collaborate across the enterprise, manage resources and costs, and report progress to owners and clients. For more information, visit www.astapowerproject.com.
Asta Powerproject is a product of Asta Development plc which creates project, portfolio and resource management software. Asta Development supports customers directly from its U.K. offices in Oxfordshire and Shropshire. In the U.S., Asta Development’s network of distributors supply, train and support customers. Asta Development is a part of Eleco plc, a holding company focused on software development and services for architectural, engineering and construction industries. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM). More information about Eleco plc can be found at www.eleco.com.