Engineering Strength Issue 02 Spring 2014 | Page 4

COVER STORY

3D Technology Upgrade Gives Firm the Desired Edge
ENGINEERING FIRM SAYS HEFTY PRICE WORTH THE COST TO EXPAND ITS ABILITIES
BY: KRIS BEVILL

Story originally posted in the August 2013 Prairie Business Magazine

A

bout four years ago, leaders at Obermiller Nelson Engineering

wouldn’t be working on if it hadn’t made the decision years ago to invest

Inc. decided that in order for the firm to set itself apart from other

in the software. “There’s no way that we could have learned Revit while we

mechanical and electrical specialists in the region, it needed a

were working on the project,” he says.

technology upgrade.
Generally, Obermiller says large organizations and institutions or other
Autodesk Revit, building information modeling software that enables

entities with multiple buildings are more likely to request Revit for their

architects and engineers to plot out every single detail of a project in

projects than single-building owners. The software’s building

three dimensions rather than two, was being embraced by large

information model offers owners the ability to keep track of every detail

engineering firms elsewhere, but had yet to be utilized in this region.

of the building, right down to the type of light bulbs used in each fixture,

ONE determined it was worth the cost to install Revit and time spent

but it requires dedicated staff and training to utilize the model at that

learning how to use it.

level and single building owners typically do not have those resources
available to them, Obermiller says. Still, he’s noticing growing interest

Today, Dave Obermiller, managing partner of ONE, says he believes the

from building owners large and small, which means more opportunities

firm has met its goal of setting the bar for Revit use in the region. And

for ONE to put its expertise to use. “We’re finding that it is putting us in a

while it has been a costly endeavor (he estimates the firm has spent more

position to be capable of working on these projects,” he says. “It doesn’t

than $300,000 in equipment, software costs and training times over four

have to be a choice for us.”

years) being Revit-capable has proven to expand the types of projects the
firm is able to work on, a trend which he expects to continue as 3D
software continues to gain popularity among architects and building
owners.
“Owners are start ing to make the choice based on what they feel a 3D
model of their building will do for them in the long term,” he says. “I’m
not going to say it’s the industry standard yet, but about 40 percent of
our work is being done in Revit right now. We’ve are the leaders in the
regional market for experience and this is been extremely valuable for our
clients. That experience is huge for us because it takes a long time to get
good at a building design software that is so complex.”
According to Obermiller, the 3D software is popular with architects
because it requires projects to become a more coordinated effort
between the designers and engineers. Additionally, contractors can use
Revit models to confirm aspects like ductwork and piping placement,
allowing them to pre-manufacture some of those items and thus
potentially lowering the project cost for the owner. To date, ONE has
used Revit for a number of large projects in the area, including the $73
million Williston Area Recreation Center and $15 million Sanford Health’s
Moorhead, Minn., clinic, both of which are currently under construction.
The firm will also be using Revit for its work on the new medical school at
the University of North Dakota, a project which Obermiller says the firm

SPRING 2014 | PAGE 4

WILLISTON AREA RECREATION CENTER
BOILER ROOM