Charlotte Garrett, Head of Industry Strategy, at KOPE, shares how their software platform automates partition design by connecting BIM models directly to verified manufacturer data, eliminating errors and ensuring buildable accuracy.
The Finishes and Interiors sector relies on the successful delivery of specific performance requirements by converting design intent into buildable reality. Yet, the current process for creating the system design remains a significant source of project risk. This is because the critical information, the manufacturer’s tested build-ups, is still managed manually, leading to delays, costly errors, and constant risk of interpretation.
At KOPE, we are fixing this by digitising the fundamental intelligence of partition systems, moving design from a risky manual task to a reliable, automated digital process that connects the design model directly to the supply chain.
The challenge: Interpretation and inconsistency
For partition specialists, every element of a build is rooted in a manufacturer’s defined system. These systems dictate the exact components and assembly required to meet certain standards (e.g., acoustics, fire resistance).
The friction in the process creates risk and inefficiency for everyone, but particularly for the specialist contractor:
1. Architects typically start with generic BIM objects and rely on manual interpretation of static PDF details. They look up standard manufacturer details, interpret them, and copy them into the model to a low level of detail, and 2D detail overlays. This means the 3D model reflects abstract geometry, not the true, buildable design, introducing early risk of clash or incorrect costing and scheduling.
2. The detailing process involves the designer exporting 2D information (drawings, sections) from their 3D model to the specialist subcontractor. The specialist must then re-interpret and remodel this data using their own toolsets to apply proprietary product logic. This back-and-forth, often returning 2D information, ensures project teams never work from the same source of truth. This constant manual translation is the reality of the industry, not the digital world we aspire to.
3. The supply chain is further behind in digitalisation, leaving the defined product logic and data trapped in siloed, separate documents. The specialist is then tasked with manually translating generics into specific, proprietary system designs. Being sure of identifying, capturing, and applying the correct configuration of components for every single junction
scenario is risky, error-prone, and time consuming, leading to costly delays when an assembly is found to be non-compliant or unbuildable on site. This inconsistency is the main hurdle to
efficient, risk-free project delivery.
Digitalising your system logic
At KOPE, we aim to provide better BIM objects, and digitalise the logic and rules of a manufacturer’s defined systems so that you can automatically generate the key systems (BG, Knauf, Metsek etc) you use directly into a design model. This ensures the output is always based on their specific, validated assemblies.
1. Coding the defined rule-set: We work with manufacturers to translate their detailed documentation into a digital ruleset. This code represents the definitive “if/then” rules: If you need a wall type that meets specific performance criteria, then you must use these exact components (studs, boards, screws, fixings) in this specific configuration.
2.Automated integration and generation:
Our platform reads the architectural BIM model, identifies all partition junctions, and applies the digitalised system logic. The result is the automatic generation of the exact, configuration of components that aligns with the manufacturer’s defined system spec.
3. Flagging deviations: If the BIM model specifies a condition or requirement that falls outside the coded rule-set (i.e., a detail the manufacturer has not documented), we do not guess. It simply Charlotte Garrett, Head of Industry Strategy at KOPE
Technology flags the geometry as unbuildable, skipping the detail generation and highlighting the exact conflict for the design team to resolve.
If a designer could automate the integration of partition systems much earlier, they could identify those areas that fall outside of the defined system and inform them on what they can change to remove that conflict and align to the defined information. This capability transforms design from a reactive error-checking process to a proactive design alignment tool.
Case study in action: Automating partitions for Platt Riley
In a recent project with Platt Riley, KOPE’s digital workflow reduced modelling and coordination time from 30 hours to just two. Using our platform, they were able to quickly identify the 18 different wall specifications and automatically generate layouts for each of them within the design model, with their corresponding board and framing assemblies, generating build-ready outputs aligned to their defined system logic.
The result was immediate. Faster coordination, earlier identification of design conflicts, and instant generation of accurate quantity take-offs and installation information. What once required manual redrawing and interpretation was delivered digitally within minutes, enabling the contractor to validate wall types and their specifications and share verified results with the client the same day.
This project demonstrates how automating system logic through KOPE turns partition detailing from a time consuming manual task into a fast, reliable, and transparent design assurance process.
When asked about using the KOPE platform Michael Reilly, Operations Director at Platt Reilly, said: “Having seen KOPE work so well on InteWall, we were keen to explore what it could do for traditional drylining and framing. The speed was incredible, it took only a morning to quantify an entire building and immediately highlighted opening coordination risks. It’s seriously impressive.”
The value: Consistent and reliable product integration
This automated, logic-driven approach provides a level of certainty essential for efficient project delivery:
1.Zero interpretation risk: The layouts are generated directly from the manufacturer’s digitally coded ruleset, eliminating manual guesswork. It’s consistent and reliable, every single time.
2. Confidence for specialists: By reading the architect’s model and only generating geometry covered by the manufacturer’s defined system, you gain maximum confidence that the information you base your procurement and installation on is fundamentally sound.
3.Accelerated workflow: By automating the correct layouts and flagging conflicts early with actionable feedback, the time spent on detailing, coordination, and redrawing is drastically reduced.
KOPE provides the digital bridge that ensures the architect’s vision is perfectly matched by the manufacturer’s documented reality, making every project detail instantly buildable.
Contact us today to see how KOPE’s logic engine can instantly codify your tested systems and deliver verifiable, automated details on your next project.
