Transforming traditional building

For the sake of its own business and the future of the industry, Bouygues Construction decided to radically change its approach to construction.

“The construction sector is one of the least digitalised, and its performance has stalled in recent years,” said Frédéric Gal, Business Transformation Program Manager at Bouygues Construction. “We want to be proactive and digitize to transform our operations.”

Bouygues Construction has partnered with Dassault Systèmes to create next-generation solutions that will address the major challenges in the construction industry and support the move towards mass building customization.

“Our goal is to create buildings according to the requirements of the customer using industrial methods,” said Gal. — To do this, we are developing a digital project management platform (PMNP, Plateforme de Management Numérique des Projets ) based on the 3D EXPERIENCE platform. PMNP will be a collaborative solution allowing all stakeholders to manage all projects. We are partnering with Dassault Systèmes to understand how their knowledge and experience will help us transform.”

Contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals

Bouygues Construction uses the 3D EXPERIENCE platform in the cloud, using CATIA, ENOVIA and DELMIA applications, to eliminate silos in industrial collaboration and put project goals at the forefront. To ensure success, Bouygues Construction and Dassault Systèmes work on the methodology of enterprise digital transformation projects. It is a consultative approach designed to prioritize digitalization based on targeted business outcomes. The common goal of both companies is to transform the entire construction ecosystem, allowing all stakeholders to benefit from virtual twin and collaboration technologies.

“We will see health and safety benefits for our workers as we approach the design phase with much more detail,” Gal said. “This will allow us to be more efficient and build faster, delivering much higher quality. We also improve the customer experience by effectively meeting their individual requirements while reducing design and construction timelines and providing accurate progress reports.”

Contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals

In addition, this partnership contributes to the transition of Bouygues Construction, to an even more socially and environmentally responsible company and to address the main issues of sustainable development: participation in the sustainable development of regions; creating a culture of reduced carbon emissions in the company; digitalization to improve efficiency; and developing an environment that allows all talents to flourish.

“Digitalization offers tremendous opportunities to improve our response to the challenges of sustainable development,” said Marie-Luce Godinot, Deputy General Manager of Bouygues Construction. For example, improve the calculation and optimization of carbon costs, better manage material resources, while at the same time updating and enriching relationships with project participants: suppliers, subcontractors, architects and customers.”

By streamlining processes from design to manufacturing to installation, the company will reduce waste at construction sites and factories. In addition, it will strengthen measures to ensure responsible building and renovation.

“Bouygues Construction has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2030,” Gal said. “The 3D EXPERIENCE platform will help us achieve this goal by simplifying the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions. We are engaged in the design of low-carbon buildings. This platform will assist us in tracking, optimizing material flows and locating various building elements to reduce waste, assess and reduce our impact on climate change.”

The man at the center of digital strategy

Bourgoin described the construction site as an exciting adventure, adding that while the goal is digitalization, it is critical that people remain at the center of the strategic transformation program throughout its implementation.

“Every day, a lot of people work together on the site, constantly talking to each other, managing large flows and volumes of information,” Bourgoin said. “We needed the 3D EXPERIENCE platform to streamline our processes.”

To truly understand the challenges Bouygues Construction faces, Dassault Systèmes delved into the day-to-day operations of the construction firm.

“Dassault Systèmes listened carefully to our needs,” said Bourgoin. “And they went one step further to understand what we do on a daily basis. There was an opportunity to attract Dassault Systèmes employees to our site for several months. This allowed them to understand how we work and identify specific use cases to test the platform in action. This was a real advantage and one of the main reasons for the success of this undertaking.”

The 3D EXPERIENCE platform gave Bouygues Construction workers the opportunity to learn new habits and procedures.

“The platform has become a tool for us to shape best practices,” Bourgoin said. “Now it’s easy to engage people, introduce them to the platform, whereas our previous system didn’t always give such an opportunity.”

Especially useful for the construction crews was the use of DELMIA 3DLean on site. Instead of taking notes on paper, they can connect to an online meeting and collaboration app to see the actual status of all tasks and track progress.

“DELMIA 3DLean is very helpful in terms of visibility management,” Bourgoin said. We used to stick notes on the walls in offices. Now all this information is stored on the platform and we bring it to the big screen during meetings. This way everyone is more involved and knows exactly what is going on, making it easier to identify problems and prioritize critical actions.”

“The Dassault Systèmes team has developed a configurable solution that simplifies our processes and helps with our daily work,” Gal added. “When we asked our employees if they would do the following projects without the 3D EXPERIENCE platform, they unanimously answered: no way!”

Connected in the cloud

By bringing all data and information into one source with ENOVIA solutions, the 3D EXPERIENCE platform helps break down communication barriers, identify potential construction issues and delays, and take action to prevent them from escalating into serious site problems.

“For example, we improved our delivery schedule by adding useful information to the platform, such as the name of the person responsible for the delivery, the location of the entry points to the site, the need to use a crane, etc.,” Bourgoin said. “We didn't do that before, and it could lead to tensions or breakdowns due to lack of completeness or accuracy of the information. Everything is running much smoother now."

The cloud platform has played a key role in keeping remote workers connected, connecting people across the organization, and bringing multidisciplinary teams together in one environment.

“When it comes to the Panten project, we were able to work with ease, with teams spread all over the world during the pandemic,” said Gal. — Anyone can connect to the platform remotely from anywhere. This saved people time and allowed them to focus on their tasks, as they no longer had to constantly ask questions like: “Where are you now?” or “Did you do it?” The 3D EXPERIENCE platform contains all the information. In addition, we benefit from constant updates, knowing that we are working with the latest version of the solution.”

Centralized data storage on the 3D EXPERIENCE platform allows Bouygues Construction to make confident and fast decisions based on reliable and accurate data.

“The platform brings together all stakeholders, being a single source of reliable information,” Gal said. “The data is entered only once, and all participants can access it, easily find the files they need and visualize this data, taking into account their own function in the company. This is extremely valuable to us.”

From Building Information Modeling to Virtual Twins

Instead of digitizing all of its processes all at once, Bouygues Construction took a two-step approach with Dassault Systèmes. The first stage involved the introduction of collaborative methods that focus on the project. The second stage is based on the application of innovative methods of work to increase efficiency and meet modern requirements for sustainable development. This means taking Building Information Modeling (BIM) to the next level using virtual building twins. This approach will enable the company to connect project data and regulatory requirements to a virtual construction twin and test procurement, logistics, and construction work in the virtual space. This will increase the end-to-end efficiency of projects.

“The purpose of the virtual twin is to get the realization of construction prospects before it starts,” Gal said. “This means that we can resolve all the alleged inconsistencies and create a model of a structure that can actually be erected, avoiding errors directly on the construction site. Once design and construction is complete, there will be no more questions about its project integrity.”

Bouygues Construction is currently implementing a CATIA application based on the 3D EXPERIENCE platform across its teams, aiming to connect 15,000 users. The company worked with Dassault Systèmes partners Beam3 and Impararia to configure the platform and build knowledge of capital construction in virtual templates enhanced with design, construction, and business rules. The company takes advantage of CATIA's parametric and modular capabilities, as well as the application's automated design patterns, to drive complex custom design decisions. At the same time, CATIA can easily connect to the conceptual models created by architects in other design solutions to ensure that each project is unique as intended. “By setting the specifications in the CATIA application, we can adapt the configuration of the construction site to certain requirements, speed up and automate the execution of some tasks,” Gal said. “Our goal is to have our architects at the center of the project. Using the CATIA application, they can create custom homes for our customers and bring them to life using very efficient industrial methods.”

Long term strategy

Ultimately, the 3D EXPERIENCE platform is helping Bouygues Construction redefine its future and the way the industry operates. By connecting all stakeholders in the value chain, the company is able to take on even more complex and daring projects. “All the data in the phases of a capital construction project, from design and construction to building operations and maintenance, will reside on the platform, providing invaluable digital continuity,” said Gal.

The success of the project is reflected in the collaboration between Bouygues Construction and Dassault Systèmes to put technology at the service of people. “The platform allows us to achieve our business modernization goals while supporting our customers in delivering both unique and increasingly complex projects,” said Godino. “Everyone can take advantage of this opportunity to see the benefits and make this project a success for Bouygues Construction and its clients.”