Steel detailing software from Tekla is allowing the UAE-based Tiger Steel Engineering to take on intricate jobs that it previously had to decline.

It was this software known as Tekla Structures that helped it to ensure the successful completion of the complex and stately snowdome structure of the Ski Dubai in the UAE, the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East.
Ski Dubai, which opened in late 2005 inside the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, offers a 3,000 sq m indoor snow setting for skiing, snowboarding, and tobogganing – an opportunity to enjoy real snow in the desert all year round. It is said to be the largest freestanding transparent structure in the world with no supporting columns and is clad with curved sheeting to represent an aircraft-wing shape floating in mid-air.
Despite an average temperature of 40 deg C in the Gulf, Ski Dubai features an indoor ski-slope where snowmaking systems carpet an area the size of three football fields. The snowdome will be partially surrounded by a crescent of apartment buildings that will screen it from the sun.
Built like an upside-down letter L, with its highest point towering 85 m above the main highway, the snowdome has a diameter of more than 200 m (total area 22,500 sq m, including 25 storeys of indoor slopes). The longest run is 400 m, with a vertical drop of more than 60 m. The runs have a 60-degree curve on the way down to make them more challenging. For snowboarders, there is a 90-m quarter-pipe and what is claimed to be the largest indoor snow park in the world. The park also features a Swiss-style balconied chalet café.
Ski Dubai has won two international awards: it was rewarded with the British Construction Industry International Award in 2006, and it was a joint winner in the Major Built Projects category of the British Expertise International Awards. Judges of the latter award were impressed with many aspects of Ski Dubai's design and construction, especially with the high specification insulation and the relatively low energy demand.
"Without using Tekla Structures, we would have needed five times the number of detailers and the detailing phase would have taken two months longer," says Varghese Johns, engineering manager of Tiger Steel Engineering. "No major problems occurred during the project because the phase was detailed using Tekla Structures."
Tiger Steel Engineering is a leading structural steel fabrication company that has delivered top-quality structures for the past 34 years in the Gulf, with infrastructure facilities at Sharjah, UAE.
A strong commitment to the latest management, engineering and fabrication technologies has placed Tiger Steel as a preferred supplier to its customers. The company manufactures and supplies structural steel and pre-engineered buildings for commercial and industrial infrastructure projects and has successfully executed several prestigious projects in the GCC, north Africa and southeast Asian countries.
Tiger Steel Engineering is staffed by a 50-person team of structural engineers, detailers and checkers with engineering expertise in all aspects of structural steel design and detailing, fabrication, transportation and erection. It provides comprehensive design and drafting services that are supported by a product development section. The department uses the latest 3D software for detailing, such as Tekla Structures, for achieving the most efficient and optimum detailing solutions. Faster product development, lower cost, and improved productivity are issues addressed by Tiger Steel through improved communication with the help of Tekla's modelling solution.
"We have been using Tekla Structures since 2005. We first moved to using this software as it was required by one of our major clients. We now insist on using artificial intelligence for design and detailing to achieve accuracy and speed. Phase Three of Ski Dubai was detailed and modified using Tekla Structures, an easy and error-free solution for the complex connections of the 3D trusses in the structure," Johns points out.
Tiger Steel had just two experienced detailers working on the complex phase three of the Ski Dubai project, thanks to the software.
"The program provided us time-savings, error-free details and 100 per cent accuracy. Integration of the software with our working environment was easy and simple. Tekla Structures is very efficient in steel detailing projects, to save time, to attain a high level of accuracy and to increase productivity by avoiding mistakes in detailing," he comments.
To begin with, Tiger Steel engineers reviewed the contract documents to determine the design criteria and to prepare the set-up for drawing and typical connection design calculations for the client's approval. After approval, they proceeded with detailed connection design. The set-up information and connection design instructions were transmitted to the detailers by the design section engineers. With Tekla Structures (X-Steel) and other software, the detailers automatically created and updated drawings from the 3D models, quickly creating standard and auxiliary views, including section, detail, broken and isometric views. They were able to choose from a number of different display options, such as shaded, to ensure the documents communicate their intent as clearly as possible.
As changes are made to the parts or assemblies, associated drawings always update automatically. All steel detailing was performed according to AISC, BS and standard detailing practices, and in addition, Tiger Steel made every effort to conform to the client's individual standards.
 "In the past, we would decline work because we couldn't handle the intricacy of certain projects. Tekla Structures is a key software for us. There is no way we would be able to take on such complex projects using any other software," says Eappen Kurian, head of drafting of Tiger Steel Engineering.
Tekla Structures software is a BIM (building information modelling) tool that streamlines the delivery process of design, detailing, manufacture, and construction organisations. While integrating openly with architectural models, the strength of this single-model environment lies in the contractor end of the process.
"Thousands of Tekla Structures software users in more than 80 countries have successfully delivered BIM-based projects across the world," says a spokesman for Tekla Middle East. "Tekla Structures' ability to process extensive amounts of data enables the creation of detailed 3D models that apply to every stage of design and construction. From planning and design development through to fabrication and installation, Tekla models naturally develop in parallel, representing the "as-built" condition of a building."
"Tekla Structures effectively integrates into any best-of-breed software-driven workflow, while maintaining the highest levels of data integrity and accuracy. Such collaborative workflows are the cornerstone to minimising errors and maximising efficiency, resulting in high profitability and on-time project completion. Tekla Structures encompasses specialised configurations for structural engineers, steel detailers and fabricators, precast concrete detailers and manufacturers, as well as contractors," he adds.
Founded in 1966 in Finland, Tekla is a leading international software company whose innovative software solutions make customers' core businesses more effective. Its software products are used mostly in building and construction but also in energy distribution and by municipalities. Tekla Corporation has area offices and partner organisations worldwide with international operations accounting for 75 per cent of net sales. Its Middle East operations are based in Dubai Internet City.