Technological advances allow for far greater client collaboration on design

By using virtual design solutions consulting engineers are now in a position to shorten lead times and lower costs by collaborating with clients to jointly make design choices. In fact, Royal Haskoning DHV MD Salani Sithole tells Engineering News that building information management systems within the virtual design arena have allowed consulting engineers to cut design times by up to 60%. The technology allows for designs to be shared and worked on simultaneously by parties situated anywhere on the globe. This, he explains, allows for skills and expertise to be more easily leveraged from distant locations and increases the efficiency of the design and planning processes.