2022 is Leviatan Design’s tenth year in the business of design services and development on Romania’s construction industry market. This milestone is an opportunity to reaffirm the benefits of using the BIM standard and of implementing the digital transformation in all processes of this Romanian privately-owned company. Starting from the vision of the young entrepreneurs who had founded the company in 2012 focusing, from the beginning, on sustainable development through technology and innovation, Leviatan Design has evolved rapidly and was able to stand out among its competitors on the local construction market by virtue of its particular ability to adapt, which was firmly supported by the investments made in technology and digitalization.
“Over the past 10 years in business, we have managed to overcome all difficulties”
“Leviatan has walked a long and winding road, and in order to get here it took us a lot of determination and the desire to contribute to the change that the Romanian construction industry needed so badly; so we studied the best practice examples from the West, we looked at those companies and states that were able to adapt to technological progress and used digitization in their work processes, and we came to a revealing conclusion: it was only through technology that we would be able to gain the competitive advantage and become one of Romania’s first fully digitized design and architecture companies. So we started optimising our workflows by automating internal processes in order to be competitive in the Romanian market and be able to stand out on an extremely competitive market. Along the way, we were supposed to overcome some hurdles. One of them was the reluctance of people to change, but together with our colleagues whom we retained over these 10 years, we have managed to be successful!”- says Cătălin Podaru, CEO Leviatan Design.”
The company’s initial focus was on promoting integrated architectural and civil engineering construction services delivered according to the highest standards. In these 10 years since we started this company, the business purpose has steadily evolved towards offering complete design & build construction services, together with our partners and with a sister company – Ubitech Constructions. Using the BIM concept efficiently and intensively, as well as high performance technologies and software applications, all backed up by a solid team of specialists who are able to ensure a high level of quality in all projects, the proposed target has been achieved. Leviatan Design’s business organisation includes the technical department (architects, structural engineers, systems engineers, technical assistants and site managers, quantity surveyors, procurement specialists, planners, process optimisers), as well as the support departments (human resources, accounting, marketing, IT and legal). Today, the team is formed of over 100 specialists who are continually concerned with their own professional development in relation to innovations and developments in the relevant department in which they work. This is how our employees are capable of insuring the necessary quality levels of all their projects, as well as the success of the entire company as a whole.
Investing 300% more in specialised software
The growth of the team has been gradual, to match the ever-higher workload. The available data indicate that the actual number of employees at the end of 2021 had doubled, on a YOY basis. In terms of financial performance, Leviatan Design achieved a turnover of over 35.7 million lei in the previous fiscal year, which is a significant increase compared to the 2020 revenues. These very good results were enabled by the constant investment made to develop and upskill the team, to buy and implement digitalized technologies and solutions. Over the past four years alone, the company has invested more than two million lei in top-notch equipment and software so that each designer can have their own AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) licence, and in upskilling programmes, conferences and personal development courses for all team members. In 2021, the work improvement budget almost tripled, and compared to the investment made during the first half of 2022, it is estimated that investment will ultimately cover about 10% of the turnover by the end of the current year.
Digital Twin, Mixed Reality, Common Data Environment – systems of the future in design
A resource having a major impact on the work of Leviatan Design is the Autodesk Construction Cloud software suite, which we use together with modern equipment and new technologies, such as Digital Twin and Mixed Reality, which are used to support the design process and to monitor the actual work activities. “All of the company’s processes are based on the real and concrete implementation of the BIM methodology and integrated workflows, with which we bring the 3D BIM information model of the building into the Common Data Environment (CDE) – a space where all of the project information (processes, data, roles and versions) are transposed and stored digitally, in a manner which is transparent and accessible to all stakeholders. Using all of these resources, Leviatan’s team is fully capable of offering smart and customised solutions for any project by providing integrated civil engineering and construction systems from concept to completion”, points out Ms. Maria Văsi, manager of Structures Department, who joined Leviatan Design in 2017. By continuously improving and automating the internal processes in the construction industry, we have succeeded to build a SOLID TEAM which brings together specialists from all areas of interest to our projects, and which generates its own standardization and know-how on the market, thus becoming an epitome of modern engineering, the company’s representative also said.
BIM and technological innovation have pushed LEVIATAN DESIGN right to the top
Strategic projects involving a high level of responsibility
Leviatan Design’s portfolio includes more than 550 projects completed in various sectors, such as military, educational, administrative, medical, consolidation of historical monuments. This track record has enriched the company’s experience and has positioned it among Romania’s strongest architecture and design firms, ranking 8th out of the 100 companies according to a 2021 IBCFocus survey.
The level of technology we are using and the 10-year track record have enabled the company to tackle ever more complex objectives serving different purposes. Leviatan Design is currently working on has two strategic projects that are very important to Romania’s defence:
- “Building the static infrastructure of the Headquarters of Multinational South-East HQ MNC-SE Command Corps in Barracks No. 562” in Sibiu;
- And the project to expand and upgrade the 71st air base in Campia Turzii, namely “Building the infrastructure – operational area in Barracks No. 1833 in Campia Turzii”.
“These two projects are extremely demanding in terms of quality and responsibility,” Cătălin Podaru points out.
Thanks to digitisation, we are running these two projects run in parallel using the same specialists, and the work is carried out according to the schedule.
At the same time, Leviatan is on the fast track to finishing other design & build projects, which have been much supported by BIM both in the design process and in the execution and site management stage, respectively:
- The project to build a central heating plant and to upgrade the utility infrastructure of the “CAROL I” National Defence University in Bucharest.
- A multifunctional pavilion, with a built area of 3054 m2, within the “Cantacuzino” Institute in Bucharest.
- And this year, the design & build project of the new administrative pavilion in Barracks 940, which belongs to “General Doroftei Ghermănescu” 85th Aero Communications and IT Centre in Bucharest, was completed and received.
The company’s most prized asset, the TEAM, together with constant investment in digital transformation, has enabled our company to take a huge leap forward on a YOY basis, so in the upcoming period the company will continue to keep up with the innovation and technological progress of the construction industry and to develop large-scale critical infrastructure projects, while and continuously evolving and keeping up the sustained digitisation of the work processes.
The full 3D BIM model generated while designing and building a structure becomes extremely valuable when users start operating that structure
INTERVIEW: Gabriel Marcu, Chief technical officer, 8 years on the team at Leviatan Design.
Romania still has a quite big gap to bridge in terms of adopting BIM principles, but the efforts of a company like Leviatan Design, aimed at educating the next generation of engineers in the spirit of modern technologies, stand a very good chance of shortening this path and bringing our country in line with the customs of contemporary architecture and design. The courageous implementation of digitisation and technology has given Leviatan a clear competitive advantage, while enabling it to participate in a number of highly complex projects. In close correlation to sustainability, the current digitization trends and the European climate protection policies, BIM has become an objective necessity and will certainly influence the construction sector for a long time. Gabriel Marcu, Chief technical officer of Leviatan Design, will give you more about all of these issues.
– Considering that you are one of the few Romanian design companies implementing BIM in your design & build projects, what is the rate of adoption of this concept in Romania, compared to the general European context, in your opinion?
– BIM (Building Information Modelling) undoubtedly underlies the digital transformation of the local construction industry, as well as the European one. This particular concept brings together technology, processes and digital information to serve the benefit of the client and the usage of the built assets in order to ensure the efficiency of projects from the design phase to the end-of-life stage. Considering the benefits generated by BIM, which are multiple and apply to all levels of a nation – social, economic and environmental – the only difference between Romania and other European countries that adopted BIM 15 years ago, resides in the perception of construction companies and the collective ethos of Romanian society, which is usually reluctant to technological progress. In our country, according to the information we have, there are few firms that use BIM for their design and execution activities. In Europe, the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and the Scandinavian countries boast the highest rate of BIM adoption.
– What can be done more to improve the current situation?
– It all starts with correct information and education. The fact that the stakeholders who have benefited from the advantages of BIM have recognised how important BIM is the benefits it provides for the implementation of design & build projects and also throughout the construction lifecycle has determined the higher education institutions to restructure their AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) disciplines in their curricula. We are pleased to see that Romanian academia has responded positively to technological progress and are adapting the curriculum to the new needs. Several faculties have already introduced BIM in their curricula. Among them, I should mention UTCB (Technical University of Civil Engineering in Bucharest), the Military Technical Academy, the Polytechnic University of Timisoara, the Faculty of Construction and Utility Systems and the Faculty of Architecture in Iasi. Leviatan Design specialists have been invited, on several occasions, to educate students about the real and concrete ways in which we implement BIM in our design & build projects. We are honoured by these invitation and glad to be able to share the experience we have gained in BIM with future professionals.
– How do you approach sustainability principles in your design work?
– Market trends, including from the point of view of sustainability, are very diverse today and will remain so in the future. We will need not just another new residential or office building that respect sustainability principles (economic, environmental and social), but these requirements will actually be extended to other building types. These include administrative buildings, hospitals, kindergartens and crèches, engineering works such as special industrial buildings, civil engineering transport infrastructures. In order to achieve the nZEB targets proposed by the European directives, such as reducing the consumption of raw materials, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and the amount of waste, Leviatan Design specialists use modern technologies and apply BIM at all stages of the project, from the time when solutions are proposed to accommodate the client’s requirements, to the moments when designers and builders get to work, practically covering the entire life of the built space. The full 3D BIM model of the design and build phases of a structure will be extremely valuable in the operation phase, as it enables the collection of relevant information for Big Data analysis, while facilitating the application of advanced facility management solutions.
– What are your development plans for the next decade?
– In addition to the complex military and airport infrastructure projects we are already working on, we want to approach medical infrastructure and data centres, as we believe these are among the most interesting and necessary investments to be developed in Romania, in addition to road infrastructure and utility projects. Already benefiting from a high level of digitisation, we have a major medium-term development objective of automating as many processes as possible. Together with our R&D team, we are working to automate some processes based on Big Data and to standardise some activities based on our experience with previous projects so that the time needed to carry out these design and build processes, which we now have reduced by 50%, will take 80% less time, the quality will remain at least the same or will get even higher, and our team will have more time to explore more efficient and creative solutions and add value to our inputs.
– What concrete steps will you take in this respect?
– We are already working on a code of best practice for the implementation of Digital Twin, and in the medium run we will generate this model in full, with a breakdown of the cases that may occur, so that the customer can get the maximum benefit from the facility. We will continue to work on the development of the Power Pack software together with Graitec Romania, our partner, since we believe that this application will benefit our company along the lines that it is following right now. We will also accelerate the pace of investment in technology, in various R&D processes, in digitization, in education and in the team in the coming period. All this is absolutely necessary, as we have already learned that digital development processes never really end.
– What is the final message that you would like to send to the market – partners, customers, competitors?
– We believe that out 10-year anniversary is an opportunity to reaffirm the promises we have made to continuously develop the company based on the innovations in the construction sector, and to implement sustainability factors in all our projects and in the company’s entire activity. From the perspective of our CSR presence, we believe we have to give something back to society by directly relating to what it offers us. We will continue to invest in developing the education and in protecting the environment, and will constantly show concern for people.
