Announcing: AVAproject Multifamily Module

Multifamily construction has become the single fastest growing segment of the architectural industry in recent years. Driven primarily by rising market prices, increased construction of multifamily housing is a trend that looks to continue well into the future.

Multifamily housing is a broad term which encompasses a variety of residences, but usually refers to a single building containing multiple units to accommodate several families - or individuals - living separately. The most common examples of multifamily projects include duplexes, townhouses, and mixed-use low- and high-rise apartments and condominiums.

Even as housing becomes increasingly unaffordable for many, large metropolitan cities remain popular destinations for employment opportunities, convenient access to public transportation, and variety of shopping and entertainment options. Multifamily housing bridges the gap between cost and demand.

From a construction perspective, constructing multiple units on a single lot offers a more lucrative solution over building a single-family dwelling on the same amount of land. Further, multifamily units are often built according to standardized plans and processes which, when used repeatedly over multiple projects, offers additional cost savings.

AVAware is pleased to announce the upcoming release of the AVAproject Multifamily Module. This optional add-on package for AVAproject provides a powerful set of tools and features specifically designed to ease and assist in the detailing, estimating and management of multifamily construction projects.

Openings Lists

Building upon the popular division 8 'hardware list' and division 10 'accessory' and 'partition' lists currently found in AVAproject, the 'openings list' allows users to define standard opening types that can be referenced throughout a given project.

Standard openings can be established based on architects' definitions or by the estimator to facilitate the repetitive entry of common opening types. As is the case with hardware list items, changes made to items in the openings list are instantly reflected throughout the project where those items are used. This ensures that these standard opening types remain consistent throughout and prevents errors caused by missed items when changes are made.

The new openings "short codes" can be used to quickly add these predefined openings types to both openings schedules and the newly added 'openings groups'.

Openings Groups

Undoubtedly the most powerful feature of the AVAproject Multifamily Module is the ability to create 'openings groups'. As the name implies, openings groups are groups of the openings that can be reused throughout a project. In practice, these "groups" are used to define standard "suites" or "units" within a multifamily project.

Once a "group" or "suite" has been defined, it can be added to an openings schedule simply by referencing the assigned group name and assigning it an openings (suite) number within the project. It's no longer necessary to copy and paste openings for each and every suite in a multifamily project. With a single openings group reference, the work is done! Best of all, when changes are made to the openings within the group/suite, those changes are propagated throughout the project with no chance of error. AVAproject will even mirror suite handing automatically to provide normal and reversed versions of suites.

These powerful new features along with a variety of enhanced reporting and exporting tools make the AVAproject Multifamily Module an essential add-on for any distributor servicing the multifamily construction segment.

The module itself is scheduled for release in the fall of 2022, along with the newest release of AVAproject. In the interim, early demonstrations are available on request for existing users of AVAproject.

For additional information on the AVAware Multifamily add-on module, please contact your AVAware support representative, or visit the AVAware website at: www.AVAware.com

Second Major Release of AVAproject 2022 Coming Soon!

AVAware is proud to announce the second major release of AVAproject for 2022. This next release of AVAproject contains a variety of new features, numerous enhancements to existing ones, and support for a revolutionary new add-on module.

The following is a partial list of the new features available in AVAproject. A complete list can be found in the 'Release Notes', available on the AVAware website or in the software itself.

The second 2022 edition of AVAproject (rev 22.2) is expected to release in the autumn of this year.

Feature Focus: Sharing Company-Wide AVAproject Resources via the AVAware Cloud

Company-wide AVAproject resources such as user hardware catalogs and standard discounts can now be distributed to users automatically via the AVAware Cloud. A popular feature of AVAproject, particularly in larger organizations, is the ability to create and distribute shared or "company-wide" resources for use throughout the company. "User Hardware" catalogs for both division 8 and 10 products as well as standard manufacturer discount tables are amongst the most commonly used. The upcoming autumn 2022 release of AVAproject will offer a feature that makes this distribution process fully automated, through the use of the AVAware Cloud. As before, resource administrators are designated through the customer "control panel" featured on the AVAware website. Specific users can be given permission to modify and publish company-wide resources in AVAproject. Typically, key users are designated as "administrators" of these resources and are given the responsibility of maintaining them on behalf of the company. When updates are made, they are distributed to other users as required. When changes are made to either of the user hardware catalogs, standard discounts or other shared resources, they can be published to the AVAware Cloud in a single operation. When other users within the organization log into AVAproject, they will be alerted of updates to the company-wide resources, just as they would be of updates to AVAware product catalogs. The system administrator may elect to offer users the option of whether to download updated resources at their discretion, or force updates as they become available. In either case, the process is fully automated and is ideal for deployment amongst multiple office locations or offsite users. The cloud-based deployment system will be a standard feature of AVAproject in the upcoming release and available to all current users. For additional information on this or any other feature of AVAproject, please contact your AVAware support representative.

'VT Industries' Now Offered as a Supported Catalog

AVAware is pleased to welcome American manufacturer VT Industries Inc. to our growing collection of AVAproject-supported catalogs due to overwhelming customer demand.

Initially founded over 65 years ago in Holstein, Iowa, VT Industries boasts a rich history as a family-owned business. Founder Roger Clausen created the company after brief stints in the navy, and in college, started the modest two-man operation in his hometown.

VT Industries continues to thrive today under the guidance of third-generation members of the Clausen family and has impressively expanded its reach to all four corners of North America since its inception. It now counts over 15 total facilities in both the U.S. and Canada.

Built upon a foundation of core values, including the provision of innovative products and services, and the maintenance of strong customer relationships, VT Industries is an industry leader in manufacturing quality wood doors and countertops for both commercial and residential projects. Driven by the desire for continual improvement, the company's operations are underlined by environmentally sustainable processes and are powered by state-of-the-art technology.

The VT Industries catalog is now available for subscription to AVAproject users. The catalog is "nomenclature only" and does not include pricing, as all of their products are offered on a quotation basis. The catalog does include catalog cuts and hardware preparation information, and follows the nomenclature found on their online ordering system.

For additional information on VT Industries, please visit their website at: www.vtindustries.com

Import Assa Abloy 'Openings Studio' Files Directly Into AVAproject

AVAproject users can now import files created by Assa Abloy's Openings Studio specification writing software, directly into their projects.

In the June 2022 edition of AVAwire, AVAware announced support for the direct importing of specifications created by Assa Abloy specification writers using their proprietary "Openings Studio" software.

AVAware has seen growing interest among Assa Abloy distributors wanting to know if it's possible to make use of Openings Studio export files to facilitate the creation of project estimates and submittals. In response, AVAware created a comprehensive import tool that is able to read Openings Studio created JSON & TXT files, and convert them to AVAproject format in a matter of seconds.

The initial response to the announcement has been dramatic. Numerous AVAproject users have already obtained Openings Studio files from their Assa Abloy representatives.

The Openings Studio import will be a standard feature offered in AVAproject, commencing with the upcoming Autumn 2022 release. In the interim, AVAproject users in possession of Opening Studio export files are encouraged to forward them to their AVAware support representatives to have them imported and returned in an AVAproject compatible format.

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