Kusch Consulting is a structural engineering firm based in Australia that specialises in residential, commercial, and industrial projects. With a team of 32 engineers spread across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide, they handle a wide range of projects, from one-story residential homes to power station upgrades.
Richard Faulkner, Senior Structural Engineer at Kusch Consulting, first heard about ClearCalcs from another engineer who recommended it as an alternative to his existing software. Since then, Richard has introduced it to his team at Kusch Consulting, and over time, it has become an essential part of the team’s workflow.
From quickly estimating beam sizes during initial project discussions to generating detailed reports during the design phase, ClearCalcs has made every step of the process easier and faster for Richard and his team.
A typical structural design project for an engineer like Richard begins with initial discussions with architects or clients to understand the project requirements. Richard often uses ClearCalcs early in this process for preliminary sizing and feasibility assessments. Once a project moves into the design phase, Richard uses ClearCalcs for detailed load analyses, calculations, and report generation.
Prior to using ClearCalcs, Kusch Consulting relied on traditional tools like hand calculations and other software. These tools were limiting because they required a lot of manual input and didn't allow for efficient linking of calculations.
"I like using different software packages, but the reason why I use ClearCalcs more often now is load rundowns and things," says Richard.
ClearCalcs provided Kusch Consulting with an easy-to-use structural engineering tool that makes creating, linking, and analyzing calculations simple. Richard notes that ClearCalcs excels in structural framing design, allowing engineers to quickly introduce point loads and perform detailed checks.
Richard explains:
"It's good for load rundowns. You can just introduce point loads wherever you like in your beam and link different sheets. That's super helpful,"
By adopting ClearCalcs, Kusch Consulting has seen a big improvement in efficiency, saving 10-20% of time compared to using other tools.
The load linking feature has proven crucial in achieving this time savings by making complicated calculations easier. As Richard points out, "ClearCalcs has a lot more flexibility in terms of where you put your supports, where you put your loads, and the checks that you can undertake."
Another challenge Kusch Consulting faced was generating clean, customisable reports. Their previous tools were cumbersome and did not offer the level of customisation needed for efficient reporting.
ClearCalcs' ability to generate clean, customisable reports stood out to the team. Richard adds:
"I like the way it exported compared to other software. It sounds like a small thing, but I like the way they export—you could pick out the sheets, whether short or long form, tick your boxes, and export the PDF. It was really neat and tidy."
This feature has allowed Kusch Consulting to save time and produce more professional reports, ultimately improving client communication and documentation quality.
Kusch Consulting wanted an effective way to onboard younger engineers and help them gain confidence in their designs.
ClearCalcs has become a useful learning tool for demonstrating structural analysis principles for the team. Richard highlighted how he uses ClearCalcs to help junior engineers:
"I really recommend it for graduates. When I'm doing a design, I say look, do it by hand, but then hop onto ClearCalcs as well and check the codes and where everything comes from."
This approach has improved the team's understanding and confidence in their designs, making ClearCalcs an essential tool for training and development.
Looking ahead, Kusch Consulting is keen to introduce ClearCalcs to more of the structural team. Currently, it is mainly used by Richard and the lead engineer, Matt Thompson, but they are gradually onboarding more team members.
For Kusch Consulting, ClearCalcs has been a game-changer in improving the efficiency of their workflow, saving time, and providing clarity in load analyses and structural checks. The clean report generation, load linking, and easy-to-use design make it a preferred tool for both experienced engineers and graduates alike.
As Richard sums up, "ClearCalcs is a great tool to double-check your calcs."
For Richard, a good day at work means fewer interruptions and the chance to fully immerse himself in design work. He tries to schedule all meetings back-to-back, allowing for blocks of uninterrupted time to focus on solving engineering problems. With ClearCalcs, Richard can make the most of his design time, relying on its simple, efficient tools to get accurate results without hassle.
As he puts it, "A good day is one where I can get into the design without too many distractions and make real progress."
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