The center is built using state-of-the-art technology
The Pulkovo Sky business center is a top-class, multi-functional complex in St. Petersburg’s up-and-coming business district. The complex is conveniently situated close to the international airport and to the city’s main streets and roads.
Built in 2009, the business center has a total area of 76,000 m2. The complex consists of three stand-alone 14-storey buildings which are connected to a parking garage for 850 cars. The 50-metre tall complex is the district’s highest landmark. The project has been completed using modern technology, materials and equipment of European quality.
MagiCAD enabled VISKO to solve many challenges in much less time
VISKO from St. Petersburg was responsible for the design and installation of the center’s building services. The building services were designed with MagiCAD. To date, it is the largest project the company has ever been involved in terms of the work involved. Heating, ventilation and cooling systems with chillers and cooling beams were designed entirely using MagiCAD. MagiCAD was also used for designing the water and sewage systems, particularly in areas with a high density of installations.
Complex installations in a limited space
A common problem faced by many designers is how to fit different building services installations in a technical room which is often very limited in size or into narrow spaces above a suspended ceiling where other systems such as electrical racks, cables, water and sprinklers may also be located. MagiCAD’s 3D design functions enable designers to solve this and many other challenges quickly and simply.
Elena Lepeshkina, HVAC group leader at VISKO says:
“With MagiCAD, we’re free to choose the way of working most suited to us. We can continue to work in 2D as we are used to, and then we can switch to 3D to check visually how the installations fit. The collision control function is also an enormous help, particularly the option to check collisions with other installations and architecture via external references. This has enabled us to eliminate what would be costly mistakes at an early stage”.
High quality results in less time
With MagiCAD, most of the routine design work is done automatically. This allows designers to submit their work on time without losing quality.
“With such a high density of installations in the technical rooms we had to make up to 15 sections per room for ourselves and the contractor. It takes a few seconds to create a section in MagiCAD and, most importantly, it is updated along with the reference texts when you make changes”.
MagiCAD was also used to perform aerodynamic and hydraulic calculations and balancing. As all data for calculations is taken directly from the drawings, the results are accurate and can easily be re-calculated if any changes are made to a drawing.
“The automatic generation of bills of materials is another vital advantage of MagiCAD, especially when you are working on such a large-scale project. It automates what is probably the most time-consuming part of the project process. Not to mention that when generating bills manually, it is easy to make mistakes due to the huge amount of data. With MagiCAD you can avoid all that.”
The magic of visualization
3D visualization plays an important part in communicating with contractors. A 3D model is not just a beautiful image. It is a weighty argument in discussions. In addition to having the correct dimensions, all the objects in MagiCAD models contain important technical data and information about the manufacturer.
“When we discuss our design solutions with the contractor, it can be difficult to visualize the final result from conventional 2D drawings. By using realistic 3D models, we can illustrate the actual placement of the systems. Thus we use less time for discussions and making decisions.”
Same standard for design and installation
Following the latest trends in the European construction industry, VISKO is one of the first companies in Russia to provide 3D visualization to contractors at construction sites. “We sent new drawings via email and the contractors checked and inspected the drawings with MagiCAD Object Enabler, also in 3D. Such visualization allowed them to easily see how the installations and their different parts should be assembled, which was especially helpful when working on areas with many and complex installations”.
About VISKO
VISKO is an expanding Russian company, founded in 1992. The company now has more than 16 years of experience and provides a wide range of services in the building services area, ranging from initial project development and design to installation, commissioning and start-up work, technical consultancy, maintenance and supply of products for building services in different market segments.