SMMA – A Single-Source Focus on BIM Content

Since 1955, SMMA has balanced architecture, engineering, interiors, and site design, to afford clients the agility of a single source of creative and technical expertise. Guided by a shared pursuit of design excellence and social responsibility, SMMA holds itself to the highest standards across all of its practice areas. As the firm grew, it found itself in need of a robust, innovative asset-management system, to keep its multidisciplinary BIM content organized and easily accessible. UNIFI was the answer.

A Standard to Find Hidden Content
SMMA has focused on advancing novel BIM-utilization methods since adopting the technology in 2004. Over time, the firm developed customized solutions to consolidate its BIM content library, but many applications did not possess the crucial features required by its Design Technology Group. “Content was hidden in folders, and we lacked standards across the library,” says Thomas Merchel, SMMA Design Technologist. Out of necessity, the firm created a detailed content-container system, which limited future growth and made onboarding new team members very difficult. Thomas knew another solution was necessary for the improvement and standardization of content. That’s when SMMA discovered UNIFI.

Source Control Translates into Clean Content
SMMA became a UNIFI customer early on, and quickly incorporated the platform into its BIM workflow. UNIFI afforded the firm the ability to centralize and display content via a clean, user-friendly experience. With the use of UNIFI, SMMA was able to launch its reference detail library on the cloud, allowing for single-source, firm-wide access to valuable and complex details, and significantly reducing the construction-documentation process. “We now have a central, sterile source of information, with no leakage of content,” says Thomas. “Updates are pushed out on the fly, in real time, ensuring that our teams have confidence in accessing and utilizing the most current content.”

The efficiencies that SMMA has gained by using UNIFI have allowed it to be more responsive and nimble as a design firm. “The capability to utilize the cloud to efficiently load content directly into our documentation software is emblematic of the culture of innovation that SMMA has built,” says Thomas Merchel. UNIFI’s robust management console, which includes permissions and approvals, further streamlines access to content and ensures end-user confidence in its quality. SMMA’s two-pronged commitment to design excellence and social responsibility is now complemented by a singular focus on superior content management with UNIFI.