The path to more major projects in 2022 is paved with higher investment in technologies and head-hunting in 2021
Leviatan Design got stronger throughout 2021, it handled a host of complex projects, even strategic ones, and designed a fresh recruitment policy capable of matching corporate expertise to consolidating work processes. The company optimized and standardized its own version of BIM, which was successfully applied to the design and execution process. Gabriel Marcu, Leviatan’s Chief Technology Officer, takes a look back at how corporate business evolved last year and outlines the main courses of action that the company will take in 2022.
Although the effects of the pandemic had rippled into 2021, Leviatan Design’s business was not affected, because the automation and digitization process had started 18 months before, so the health crisis only accelerated the company’s development along that path. Leviatan Design managed to get easily adapted to the unpredictable changes in this line of work. The management’s strategic thinking relied on the principle according to which “action taken in anticipation of the trend such as digitization is essential to a sustainable business development.
In terms of performance, we have seen quantitative and qualitative improvements on several levels: HR, capacity to design and deliver projects, investments in cutting-edge technologies, software and equipment, and ultimately our business turnover. Thus, we managed to close the year with very good results, i.e. a 180% increase in turnover, a 100% increase in the number of in-house specialists, and 65% more investment.
Moreover, in 2021, the company closed seven complex projects, for which it designed 94,000 m2 worth of structures and signed four new deals involving large-scale projects, such as the Multinational Headquarters (Comandamentul Multinațional) in Sibiu and the airport infrastructure in Câmpia Turzii.
We have turned out this performance thanks to our trusted partners, our team members and also based on the investment we made in technology, and not lastly thanks to our in-house R&D work with Econfaire. We are also availing ourselves of this opportunity to thank to all those who contributed to our success: Graitec, Autodesk, and Synergiz.
Involvement in educational programmes and CSR activities
Leviatan’s involvement in the educational programmes organized by the Technical University of Civil Engineering in Bucharest (UTCB) and the Polytechnic University of Timisoara, has made the company notorious among students. “We hope that they will think of Leviatan as their first employment choice right after graduation, as Samuel, a junior student at the Faculty of Railways, Roads and Bridges, has already done. He accepted the part-time job of Construction Design Technician and the challenge of being our ambassador among the student community”.
We showed that we care about the community in which we live so we have supported several organizations such as “Help Autism” Association, “Touched Romania”, “Doctor Studio”, “Archdiocese of Bucharest”, the “New Strategy Center”, and “Hospice Casa Speranței” Foundation. Their testimonies are quite relevant for our involvement. Mr. George Scutaru, General Director of the “New Strategy Center” Association explained: “During the events organized by New Strategy Center, we are able to realize how professional Leviatan’s employees are, and we thank them for supporting our association. It is with great pleasure that we note the innovative ideas and solutions they apply to their own work, the interest shown in topics such as connectivity, strategic infrastructure or military mobility. The security-oriented mentality is also developed through the involvement of the business environment, and we cannot even think of a robust resilience of our country unless we know we can rely on strong Romanian companies and a large and dynamic middle class.”
The outlook for 2022
Accelerating digitisation and the adoption of modern technologies
We look forward to 2022 in great confidence: we can see the difficulties, but we can also see the opportunities awaiting us.
The civil engineering industry needs to step up its digitization and adoption of modern technologies. And our current level and our development into that direction make us feel confident in our capacity to stay abreast of whatever is new and to adapt to new circumstances.
Digital technologies are ever more used to connect desktop workers to field teams through cloud-based software solutions, which Leviatan Design has successfully implemented and which have proven effective in terms of real-time communication and collaboration, improved workflow and document tracking.
By applying the Mixed Reality technology, using Microsoft HoloLens2 glasses, we contribute to meeting our goal of integrating 3D modelling in our work with the 3D designs to complete the Digital Twin dimension of the BIM standard. The aim is to provide clients with sustainable designs that allow for a simple and intuitive use of Facility Management solutions in order to cut operating costs and the energy consumption.
We will continue to implement Mixed Reality technology on all our sites and projects and will continuously adapt this technology to our internal needs by identifying customised solutions that allow us to optimise all phases of the construction lifecycle, from design and execution to the actual operation of the project by the client. This flow is the real basis of SMART projects.
Evolution is a never-ending process in this industry, so our project management teams are ready to promote new ways of push this industry forward in creative and productive ways.
Developing and promoting innovative solutions within both the company and the university environment to make civil engineering more attractive and more easily accessible for students, in order to prevent staff shortage
Civil engineering will continue to face a shortage of skilled personnel, but we are prepared to recruit inexperienced yet highly-educated specialists whom we plan to train on the job, and retain them by offering a competitive salary package, training programmes and a proper environment capable of supporting professional development. Our youngest employees find the most modern tools and technologies readily available in our company and used them in projects they can be proud of.
Our recruitment programme focuses primarily on students and we have already announced our intention to offer internship and traineeship programmes to students of the Technical University of Civil Engineering in Bucharest for the 2022 session.
We will continue to interact with students by staying involved in educational projects and we will promote the digitized working methods that we are successfully applying in our projects.
Our specialists will be guest speakers in seminars or on-line events and will teach students about how BIM processes and integrated workflows actually work in the field of civil engineering.
We will continue working on the projects started in 2021 with maximum responsibility, while improving quality and developing the processes and teams
In 2022 we will continue the projects undertaken in 2021:
- The Multinational Headquarters in Sibiu (the first stage of the design process is done and the second stage has started) that needs to be delivered within 5 months. Stage-one designs are implemented while stage-two designs are still under construction to save time;
- The airport infrastructure at Campia Turzii, a highly-complex project, must be designed by the end of 2022, while its phase-one works shall have to be completed within 24 months;
- The design of the administrative and training facilities in Targu Mures (finalised in October 2021, followed by an execution period of 30 months) and Rânca (finalised in November 2021, to be executed within 19 months).
Further development of technical and organisational tools to enable the sustainable governance of all projects
Another challenge the company has taken on is to achieve the NetZero standard to protect the environment. The team of designers and architects at Leviatan Design will tap their creativity to come up with alternative and sustainable solutions that are environmentally friendly and bring benefits to clients throughout the entire lifecycle of a building.
By integrating the BIM methodology over the entire work process, Leviatan Design projects are sustainable and traceable, while ensuring a high level of data security.
“Since we are committed to achieving the targets agreed in UN’s COP26 Climate Change Conference, we stay updated on all emerging equipment and technologies that use renewables, while staying committed to designing smartly in order to make our own contribution to reducing the GHGE”.
*** Gabriel Marcu, Technical Director of Leviatan Design
