Portland, Maine (May 12, 2020) – Chalkline, Inc. has published a case study on the evaluation, implementation, and success BNIM has achieved using VisiSpecs, The Visual Specification System.
BNIM is an architectural firm based in Kansas City, Missouri, that has built a national reputation for excellence in architecture, planning, interior design, and landscape architecture. BNIM leverages technology “to allow us to serve our clients better and more effectively,” per Dev Malik, BNIM Principal and COO. For more information, please visit www.bnim.com.
The Challenge: BNIM was using a spec writing application which was not easy to learn to use, frustrated users with software quality issues, and required far too much effort to effectively integrate with BIM models. With a variety of team members needing to write, integrate, and coordinate construction specs and models, the new solution needed to be easy to use, manage, and deploy across the company offices.
- BNIM needed a spec writing application that was easy to learn and use since many of their users may be away from the application for months at a time.
- They needed an application that improved the way master specs are created, updated, and managed.
- They wanted to easily manage keynotes integrated with the specs for ease of coordination without inevitable editing and selection errors.
- They did not want major changes to their existing BIM processes or libraries.
- They wanted a solution for all their projects including Federal projects requiring special security measures.
- They wanted to have user input on tool selection so easy trials were needed.
The Solution: The VisiSpecs free trial was installed and tested for several weeks by a number of users. Since VisiSpecs integrates Microsoft Word, the users found editing to be familiar to use and the VisiWord editing enhancements easy to learn. The BNIM master specs were quickly imported and ready for project use. The VisiWord design guide manager was used to quickly setup BNIM standard headers/footers and formatting styles. The BIM team evaluated the keynote management, assignment tools, and spec integration confirming their preferred choice. Without any training, in just a few weeks BNIM project architects, interior designers, landscape architects, and specifiers gave VisiSpecs an overwhelming thumbs up.
The Results: Sarah Hirsch, Associate Principal at BNIM, said the upgrade process was smooth and technical support was quick to respond to questions. “We really like the VisiSpecs Submittal Report and use it to easily review the submittals in the project and identify any submittals which are extraneous. With its help and an aggressive new “Submittals Diet” policy, we are reducing the number of submittals required by 50 percent,” Hirsch said. From a BIM perspective, Joey Fleming, Design Technology Specialist, stated, “VisiSpecs was a huge help coordinating keynotes and specs across multiple users in a project. The Keynote Manager is an easy-to-use interface for a design team to use in Revit and the Link Console makes it easy to quickly check for elements that may be missing notes.” The time to upgrade was quick with user adoption very high. Time is saved during spec editing and publishing with better reporting helping to ensure the specs are coordinated and complete. BIM model and spec coordination is a standard process on projects helping to achieve higher levels of design coordination which were previously not available without VisiSpecs.
Case Study Key Benefits:
- Ease of Upgrading
- Quality Control Checks
- Reduction of Costly Submittals
- Great Technical Support
- High User Approval Rating
Read the complete case study and other customer testimonials here.
Visit www.chalklineinc.com or email info@chalklineinc.com to learn more about the VisiSpecs applications, request a free trial, register for live webinars, see customer testimonials, and download product information.
