A new, USD 117 million shopping plaza in Sohar, Oman features 35,853 square meters of retail space and a multiplex theater. While the main contractor had previously designed the structural steel components, the software did not meet the necessary requirements. Therefore, Design Group Engineering Consultants (DGEC) was tasked with meeting all the structural steel design standards, as well as staying in line with the proposed budget.

Although they worked with the model that was created using the previous software, DGEC found it insufficient to review individual members. Having previously used STAAD.Pro, they knew it would be the ideal software for analyzing the complex’s structural steel design. The software helped them review individual members and avoid errors. DGEC also deployed RAM Structural System for connections design and drawings output to facilitate the process and save 240 resource hours. Additionally, they optimized steel tonnage to reduce it by 140 tons and save USD 468,000.