STEKAR

When Mouvement d'implication francophone d'Orléans (MIFO) – a hub promoting French culture in Ottawa, Canada – outlined its vision for a new US$56 million (47 million Euros) building, it had two clear objectives: to make a bold architectural statement and to set new standards in sustainable façade design.

Stekar, a local engineering company with extensive experience in delivering advanced façade systems for a multitude of high-profile commercial, institutional and multi-residential projects, rose to the challenge. The company translated MIFO’s architectural concept into a high-performance curtain wall design featuring triple glazing, thermally broken aluminum framing and integrated brick cladding. The result is not only visually impressive, but delivers exceptional energy efficiency, helping MIFO achieve ambitious sustainability targets including net-zero‑carbon building (NZB) certification.

The effective delivery of this project required a high level of engineering precision and collaboration that could only be achieved using best-in-class software. Stekar’s solution of choice? Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud.

Every project Stekar delivers is bespoke and engineered to meet precise architectural requirements. However, until recently, the company faced several challenges that were inhibiting its success.

Engineers were producing designs primarily in 2D, manually creating each section of a façade, such as the insulation, panels, glazing, brickwork or aluminum framing. These elements were often handled by separate engineers who worked independently using siloed software. This made it difficult to reuse design knowledge, leading to high variability between projects and a lot of manual checking for errors. Teams often had to go back and forth several times to ensure that architecture, structure and manufacturing components aligned.

As building complexity increased, particularly for projects involving mixed materials, advanced geometry or hybrid systems, this approach failed to meet Stekar’s needs. With limited visibility into complex assemblies, there was a high risk of errors in drawings used for fabrication – with misalignments or mismatches between components as a particular problem. Moreover, because it had to start from scratch with every project, the company was often slow to respond to customers and found it difficult to iterate quickly. This could often result in bottlenecks that delayed production.

Stekar recognized that to continue scaling – and to compete for increasingly ambitious architectural projects – it required a modern, integrated engineering solution to eliminate silos, improve design quality and help it prepare for future digital manufacturing initiatives.

Stekar sought advice from Dassault Systèmes’ local business partner GoEngineer, who, after multiple meetings with the company’s management team to understand key challenges and requirements, recommended the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud.

GoEngineer highlighted the platform’s ability to support the entire value chain, from concept and engineering through manufacturing and project delivery. It also explained how Stekar could benefit from CATIA for advanced 3D façade design and assembly definition, and ENOVIA for improved collaboration between design and engineering teams.

Working closely with the partner, Stekar took a logical approach to implementation, starting by using CATIA on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to build parametric templates and modular blocks for its curtain walls and hybrid multifaçade systems. This allowed Stekar’s teams to shift from 2D drawings to 3D‑based design where façade systems could assemble, visualize and review in a fully digital environment before fabrication.

By embracing Dassault Systèmes’ applications, Stekar is realizing significant benefits.

With CATIA for 3D design, it is dramatically improving engineering accuracy and quality, reducing the need for rework as a result. The solution’s integrated clash detection capabilities provide immediate visibility into constraints and interferences, reducing the likelihood of issues occurring on site. In fact, drawing defects have been reduced to near zero for even the most complex assemblies.

Rather than designing each project in isolation, Stekar now has a configurable library of façade components. This enables rapid reuse and easy design modification – while also ensuring higher and more consistent quality across projects. 3D design data also is used to produce fabrication documentation and shop drawings, reducing manual drafting effort and minimizing errors in manufacturing.

With design and engineering operating in a shared 3DEXPERIENCE environment with ENOVIA, handovers are smoother, and communication between architects, engineers, fabricators and installers is greatly simplified.

This is just the start. With its 3D master data now in place, Stekar is preparing for the next step: using DELMIA for manufacturing planning and shop-floor work instructions. Connecting engineering processes to fabrication will result in a seamless creation of the manufacturing bill of materials (MBOM) from the engineering bill of materials (EBOM). Stekar, ultimately, will use ENOVIA to replace spreadsheet-based project coordination too, enabling the platform to support the entire end-to-end process from design through to installation.

Looking further ahead, Stekar also envisions leveraging the 3D models for enhanced marketing and client communication – for example, offering virtual walkthroughs of façades before manufacturing or installation, or demonstrating alternate material/layout options in real time. This could significantly accelerate sales cycles and offer clients a tangible feel for the final façade design.