Skanska and Ahus PHN: Executing a highly complex door plan with complete precision

The starting point: Inefficiencies, risks, and limited oversight

When managing door plans manually, the process often includes large, complex Excel files or PDFs with limited usability. Unfortunately, this often leads to:

• Time-consuming searching for details like door numbers
• Poor oveview of levels and floor plans
• High risk of errors whenever changes were made
• Inefficient distribution of updated lists across the team

“If a minor change was made to a single door, the entire list had to be updated manually and redistributed to everyone involved. That strips away a lot of precious time,” says Thea. The Ahus PHN project clearly required a more efficient, digital, and collaborative way of working. So, the team began exploring digital platforms that could be shared across both the design and construction teams, improving their collective overview and logging all decisions along the way – with full traceability.

Thea found navigating models, drawings, and Excel simultaneously to be frustrating – particularly in meetings with the client and operations teams. Important details could easily be missed, and the project lacked a shared, holistic understanding of the door plan.

How Skanska regained control of the door layout

In the Ahus PHN project, Skanska chose to consolidate all door management within a single, shared digital platform throughout the design phase. They had a clear objective: to simplify the execution, making door planning more predictable and secure.

“With Interaxo BIM Data, we can virtually go through floor by floor, door by door. Everyone sees the full picture, which creates a completely different level of understanding.”

The team actively utilised Interaxo BIM Data in design meetings to enable faster decision-making, and as an on-site control tool via tablets. Every key stakeholder worked within the same platform, regardless of role or discipline. The client, design team, engineers, and builders could finally collaborate more closely, with shared access to up-to-date project data. This strengthened their shared real-time understanding of the door plan – and eliminated many common pitfalls and misunderstandings.

A key success factor was to involve end users early on. Hospital staff were able to actively participate in clarifications and decisions related to doors long before completion of the construction. “User involvement was perhaps the most important thing we did. With Interaxo BIM Data, users could actively influence decisions at an early stage,” Thea explains.

And the result? Increased efficiency, fewer mistakes, and complete traceability

Compared to previous construction projects, the Skanska team experienced clear benefits from Interaxo BIM Data:

• Significant time savings
• Fewer deviations in the door plan
• Improved documentation and traceability for each door
• Faster, more confident decision-making processes
• More streamlined collaboration across everyone involved

“Now, all we need to do is simply clicking on any given door in the 3D model, and we’ll access all relevant information related to that door. The issues we used to struggle with have essentially disappeared,” says Thea. She also highlights the importance of implementation and support.

“The onboarding process included thorough introduction sessions and clear ownership structures within the tool. Interaxo’s advisors were incredibly supportive, which I believe was absolutely crucial. Whenever we encountered any problems, we were able to resolve them swiftly because of their guidance.”

Skanska standardises their door management

The team discovered significant potential for expanding the use of Interaxo BIM Data internally – both in future projects, and earlier on in the procurement phase. Thea outlines three key next steps:

1. Establishing Interaxo BIM Data as Skanska’s standard solution for managing door plans and project workflows
2. Introducing the solution earlier on in the procurement phase of future project
3. Extending its use to other building elements such as windows, walls, and fixed installations

She has already implemented the newfound working method in other projects, and offers clear advice to other design teams:

“Get ahead and start early. Set up the tool’s structure to meet your project’s needs from the very beginning, and prioritise proper user training. That way, you ensure maximising the full potentioal of the solution – which has a huge impact on the entire project.”

The Ahus PHN project is a clear demonstration of how digital collaboration tools enable more secure decision-making, efficient construction process, and higher-quality project delivery – even when you’re faced with some of the most complex building elements out there.