The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the efforts of many businesses that were considering introducing flexible, cloud-based IT systems or empowering staff to work remotely.
However, this was more challenging for certain industries than others, notably those requiring high computing or graphical power and lower latencies as part of their core functions.
Take architecture, for example; much of an architect’s IT system needs to be able to draw and render highly detailed models and blueprints that include a lot of datasets to get projects underway.
Furthermore, in a world where digital twins and virtual modelling play an increasingly important role in construction projects, architects need high computing power and GPU, which aren’t always available unless on-site.
Programmes like Revit, AutoCAD, and MicroStation require powerful tools, and PCs that can run them can cost thousands. Also, downtime can cause severe project delays, introducing substantial extra costs.
Aware of this potential threat, Dave Moyes, who is responsible for information and digital systems at architect SimpsonHaugh, began experimenting with Virtual Desktop Infrastructure in 2018.
Amid a major overhaul of the firm’s desktop solutions, with 60 PCs set to be replaced, Moyes began seeking partners for a Citrix and VDI platform and eventually partnered with Ebb3, a consultancy specialising in digital workspaces.
Moyes admits that some at the firm were concerned about the impact a VDI system might have on shared projects due to the collaborative nature of architecture projects. This led to what he calls a “small initial deployment.”
Then, like so many businesses that have undergone major digital transformations in recent years, “COVID hit.”
“The world changed,” Moyes tells TI, “and all of a sudden, remote work turned into the best thing since sliced bread.”
A few weeks into the pandemic, Moyes moved all of SimpsonHaugh’s data and compute power from its London office to its main offices in Manchester. That would eventually become the firm’s primary data centre, which had been out of the office for almost two years.
As Moyes discussed the return to the office with the rest of the architect’s senior partners, they realised a VDI could be a much more potent solution.
“We always need the highest end-compute and graphics, so we normally opt for the highest-end devices available,” he adds, saying architecture, in particular, requires a lot of models and blueprints that need to be rendered in great detail.
“When we turned to VDI, my remit was that the end user shouldn’t be able to distinguish the difference between using a physical box and a virtual one,” he adds.
By early 2022, the IT division had worked on a proof of concept with the London team. Still, this project encountered obstacles, including several applications that hogged all of the computing resources.
Some commonly used applications were “memory hungry” and would not release the memory immediately once shut down, slowing down other applications.
It was IT consultancy Ebb3 – whose clients include Aston Martin Formula 1 – which suggested bringing in ControlUP and its DEX platform, which would allow for more detailed monitoring of the VDI environment.
This could identify bottlenecks and implement policies to manage them, such as throttling particularly hungry applications.
“Prior to ControlUP, we would be a lot more reactionary. But this gives us the ability to anticipate almost any problems and keep things running smoothly for the users.
“The data you get from it is invaluable. The most important question for IT managers is why their systems are lagging or failing. Why is something happening, and with this, we get that insight.”
Moyes says the switch to VDI is part of a wider overhaul that is in keeping with current trends in architecture. New modelling tools, such as digital twins, have enabled those in construction and design to access “more data than ever before,” he explains.
“It is changing rapidly at the moment. In terms of the quantity and quality of data that is being produced for buildings today compared with ten years ago, it is chalk and cheese.
“Part of this is because we can produce much more information; the technology enables us to do that. But that also allows us to give better design intent and more descriptive and prescriptive information for both the design team and the contractors.”
To put this into context, the firm would create around 500 drawings for a major building project a decade ago, but this has now more than doubled.
Despite this, projects are becoming increasingly tighter financially and in terms of timelines, putting pressure on architects to be quick and agile while maintaining high-quality design proposals.
The overall project is part of a £1.21 million investment into SimpsonHaugh’s digital infrastructure across several years.
Solutions, including Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop, Citrix NetScaler, VMware vSphere Hypervisor, Dell Servers with vSAN storage, and NVIDIA vGPU, have been installed in addition to Ebb1’s efforts and ControlUP’s DEX.
This year, SimpsonHaugh turned to Nutanix to replace its existing storage setup and increased the size of its backbone from 10GB to 25GB.
Additionally, the firm already sees the benefits of VDI, with an estimated £1.79 million in lost earnings saved, calculated based on the reduction of IT downtime.
Moyes is also looking forward. The next stage will likely involve a solution to bring more compute to the edge of the network. He is also closely watching the opportunities that artificial intelligence can offer.
A privately hosted AI system is a key priority for SimpsonHaugh. Moyes divides the task into three areas: word, image, and generative.
Wish upon a cloud: how a charity’s cloud strategy transformed volunteering
Using AI tools to deal with more mundane tasks, such as taking minutes from meetings, will be covered by word, which still requires human validation.
However, he adds that image AI is “one of the areas making a significant difference” for the architects’ firm. Image generation, especially for concepts without precedent, is a vital component.
AI tools such as Midjourney help create concept art that previously had to be drawn and rendered in a much more time-consuming process.
This AI system has been trained on SimpsonHaugh’s own existing images and data, meaning it generates images that adhere to the architectural firm’s editorial guidelines.
This has also involved significant internal training within an AI policy framework that the firm has already implemented.
“We’ve been doing generative AI for a long time in the guise of computational design and single model parametric design,” explains Moyes.
“Where it is beginning to differentiate now is the fact that genAI is becoming much more aware of rules and dimensions without these being preloaded. So, for example, it will now recognise the travel distance for a fire exit or the necessary tread width for a staircase and do this on its own.”
This, he adds, still requires validation, especially as different countries have different building regulations. “It will probably never replace an architect because you need that validation and human input, but the technology is moving rapidly.”
Subscribe to our Editor's weekly newsletter
Share
