Case study
Timehouse works with Honka to systematise its BIM production line
- GDL
- C++
- Lua script
- 50+ development tasks
Honka is one of the most respected log home builders in the world and Honka has worked with Timehouse on customising its CAD and BIM software system to speed up its production line and make it more efficient.
Customer & collaboration
Honka has been one of the leaders in log building since 1958. Innovators in non-settling log technology, Honka took log building into the 21st century and installed a new production line in 2020. By investing in both software and hardware Honka ensures its production processes are as streamlined as possible.
Honka has been the leading company in log building since 1958. Honka has delivered over 90 000 log buildings to more than 50 countries worldwide. Being the innovator for the non-settling log technology in 2003, Honka took log building into the 21st century. Honka installed a new production line in 2020. By investing in both software and hardware Honka ensures its production processes are as streamlined as possible.
How was Timehouse selected as a partner?
Timehouse was introduced to Honka through Honka’s long-term involvement with Archicad, ArchiFrame, and ArchiLogs development. Honka needed a specialist partner to help customise the software to match Honka’s needs. Timehouse works in collaboration with Nordic BIM Group Finland.
Challenge
Honka invested in a new production line in 2020, and as newer machines replaced old ones, opportunities arose for software optimisation.
Honka’s log designs are an integral part of its intellectual property and even small changes made to logs can have a big impact on workflows and production. Ensuring that log data, notches, and product libraries are correctly reflected in the software saves time and improves design fidelity.
When the same operations are done thousands of times per year, software development time spent fixing and optimising these workflows and making them more Honka-specific, quickly enhances efficiency, and over time, saves money.
Solution
Honka’s processes guide software development and any software customisations are built up around Honka’s internal processes. Some of the biggest wins in the project have been the inclusion of automation and long-term development of software features. Honka is constantly iterating and launching new products, and any tweaks and changes need to be reflected in the software.
The partnership between Honka and Timehouse is a long-term collaboration where rather than one large software project, the focus has been on a whole host of small and incremental changes. Joint BIM software development improves production processes, saves people time, and allows Honka to keep innovating. Honka sends log homes around the world, so it needs flexible processes and software.
In the construction industry where repetitive tasks are done at scale, even small tweaks to software can have a big impact on the bottom line. The most important aspect of software customisation has been the ability to mix adaptability and flexibility. Now, free designing log ends and notches in Archicad and ArchiFrame is coupled with ArchiLogs software customisations, so that adding in the correct machinings, drill types, and other accessories lists can be done automatically. It’s a lot easier for people to collaborate and discuss one model and it makes working a lot less siloed.
Another key area for improvement was generating accurate quantity takeoffs with better documentation and data flow: before, some elements were manually calculated and had to be taken outside of the software, whereas now, one click gets things done. Especially for accessories, improving quantity takeoff has been important, making it as automatic as possible.
We also worked on the files going to CNCs machine to improve CNC output, translating lines of code into the correct Honka-specific drillings and changing file formats.
Timehouse has invested time into understanding the workflow of log engineering with a goal to ensure all Honka choices and options are built into the software. Working with a specialist team means working with developers that not only understand the software itself, but also the underlying logic and how to translate code into CAD and BIM output. Understanding the logic that governs modelling makes creating a joint specification a lot smoother.
Using software development processes and having a Development Board in JIRA has been useful when it comes to sharing information and clarifying specifications.
All development boils down to how to automate and make the architects’ and designers’ work easier, simpler, and faster, with less errors and problems. Software automation means that architects and designers can spend more time on creativity and delivery.
In a nutshell
- GDL (Geometric Description Language)
- C++
- Lua script
50+ development tasks
