Emil Baciu about CADWORK, design software created especially for wooden constructions

Emil Baciu, CADWORK's representative in Romania, is one of the enthusiasts in the field of timber construction. You meet him at all the events in the field, talking passionately about wood and its role in construction. He is disappointed that things are moving too slowly in this area and wants to help create a nucleus for change. As a graduate of the Faculty of Construction and Installations in Iasi, he knows first-hand how little wood construction is studied in Romania and that's why, where he is accepted, he gives free courses to students interested in studying a wood construction design programme.

Emil's passion, but also the fact that Vlad Liteanu (Litarh) always mentions, as a plus, the use of CADWORK software in the design and execution of each house, led us to want to know more about the software and what advantages the beneficiaries of the houses have as a result of its use by design and construction companies.

What led to the emergence of CADWORK on the timber market?

CADWORK is a 3D-CAD/CAM BIM design software. It has been developed specifically for all areas of timber construction, but can be extended to other areas such as concrete, metal, glass and other constructions. It can also be used in other sectors where wood is used, such as furniture manufacturing, wood industrialisation and others.

Its appearance on the timber market was necessary due to the lack of a program that offered a comprehensive, complete and flexible global modelling solution covering every stage of a timber house project, from planning to production. CADWORK has the freedom and ability to design what everyone wants with a single module. Its accuracy, efficiency and flexibility set it apart from other similar software on the market.

In CADWORK all types of timber construction can be designed - beam or log wall structures (block house/log home), CLT (cross laminated timber) wall structures, frame structures, mixed timber framing structures, laminated structures, lattice structures, cutaway structures, SIP prefabricated panel wall structures, etc.

A software with multiple advantages for design offices and construction companies

One of the main advantages of this program is that building modelling is done in 3D with the possibility of using complete optimisation and automation modules. Once the 3D model has been created, the design engineer can automatically obtain material extracts and execution drawings, making the design much faster and more efficient. CADWORK also features interoperability between all the components of a BIM project, allowing structural information to be imported, exchanged with other CAD programs and sent to CNCs and computer-controlled assembly lines.

As for the builder, the programme improves his work through more rigorous control of the materials used for the project and optimises the wood cutting process, which leads to less waste. It is a very efficient means of transmitting execution details to the factory, whether the execution is carried out manually or with CNC machines, and offers the ability to provide a range of details for the assembly phase.

Design offices and construction companies using CADWORK benefit from technical support and training courses.

The benefits of using CADWORK software reach the home user

In the preliminary phase of the project, the beneficiary obtains an estimate in a much shorter time. CADWORK offers the possibility to export the 3D model to a BIMteam viewer. This allows the project to be processed, shared or presented in a convenient way. The beneficiary can thus be included in the project progress and can see all stages in real time. 3D projects can be opened in the browser via a generated sharing link, regardless of device (PC, Mac, Smartphone, tablet) or location, and all without prior installation or registration which can take time or discourage the user.

The integrated functions of the project viewer allow the generation of sections, measurement of various elements, obtaining sets of properties such as name, group, subgroup, production number, etc. This creates a direct link between the beneficiary and the designer or builder and makes the transfer of data and information much faster.

Why it is necessary for future construction engineers to know about such design programs from college

Studying the programme while still at university creates a link between the training of future engineers and the business environment. Students at the university level can build up knowledge of using the programme at an intermediate to advanced level, practise skills gained in internships or summer internships and even stay on to work in the private sector. All this is offered under the umbrella of CADWORK design software. By assimilating all the updates there will be no difference between implementation in education and in production.

What I want, what we all want is the most complex and up-to-date training for young students so that they have opportunities and employers have highly trained specialists. This is why CADWORK Romania runs a programme whereby students from the faculties that have joined the programme can attend free CADWORK courses. Such courses are already planned with the Faculty of Construction and Installations Iasi, the Faculty of Architecture ,,G.M. Cantacuzino'' Iasi, Faculty of Furniture Design and Wood Engineering Brasov, Faculty of Integrated Systems of Armament, Engineering and Mechatronics Bucharest and Faculty of Foreign Language Engineering Bucharest. However, we are open to expand to any faculty in this field and not only, who wishes to join our training program.

How Emil Baciu sees the timber construction market in Romania and what are his plans for the future

The timber construction market in Romania is growing steadily. This is due to concerns about energy efficiency and the use of environmentally friendly materials so that the impact of construction on the environment is positive.

I always have in mind, as a vision, the words Professor Emeritus JULIUS K. NATTERER, one of the leading figures in the field of timber construction: "Only timber construction and the use of wood in construction can save the world's forests" and "Well designed, it's already half calculated". I believe that the approach of the moment when they will come true depends on the education and seriousness of the human factor involved. The software has tools to make the amount of wood used more efficient, with an impact up to the felling and logging phase of the raw part.

As a future project, I would dare to mention the Master's degree in ''Wood Technology for Construction'', at the Faculty of Furniture Design and Wood Engineering in Brasov, in whose curriculum our design program will be included.

In conclusion, I want as many users of the programme as possible to generate a real improvement in the quality of the environment that surrounds us and in which we live.