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"Great stories are written with values in the hearts of men"
Explore our values...
Photo by Luís Pinto, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Respect. (from the lat. respectu) n. 1. respect; 2. consideration; high regard; 3. deference; compliance; veneration; 4. honour; worship; 5. relation; refererence...

We believe that everyone should be respected for their work, for their attitudes, opinions and options.

Photo by Mila Teshaieva, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Rigor. (from the lat. rigore) n. 1. harshness; strength; 2.fig., severity; punctuality; accuracy.

There is no "more or less levelled", "more or less upright”, "more or less clean" or "more or less safe", but rather “levelled”, "upright”, "clean” and “safe". The rigour is reflected in our procedures, in time and in the rules to follow. In the light of moral and principles, being severe means being rigorous.

Photo by , finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2012.

Passion. (from the lat. passione) n. 1. intense and usually violent feeling (affection, joy, hate, etc.) which hinders the exercise of impartial logic; 2. derived from a feeling; 3. great predilection; 4. partiality; 5. great grief; immense suffering...

Under the sign of passion – a text of the Portuguese poet Regina Guimarães – is our icon. Passion is to reveal great enthusiasm for something, favourable encouragement or opposite to something.
It is the sensibility transmitted by an architect or engineer through work.
Passion is the dedication to a project. Passion is a state of warm soul.

Photo by Jakub Karwowski, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2012.

Loyalty. (from the lat. legalitate) n. the quality of being loyal; fidelity; sincerity.

Respect for the principles and rules that guide the honour and probity. Faithfulness to commitments and agreements undertaken, staunch character.
To remain loyal to the business partners because we depend on them and they depend on us.
Being trustworthy for being loyal.

Photo by Ian Lieske, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Solidarity. (from the lat. solidare) n. 1. the quality of being solidary; 2. reciprocal responsibility among the members of a group, namely social, professional, etc.; 3. sense of sharing another’s suffering.

Being solidary is being a friend, offering our hand with genuine generosity and bringing joy and human warmth to those who, somehow, are marginalized. Being solidary is being more human. A solidary company is recognized as a fair and non-selfish company. A solidary company is a preferred choice in business. It is a more competitive company. Volunteering is a vehicle to solidarity. It is modern, fair, cultured, friend, it is a noble gesture of moral elevation.

Photo by Clarence Gorton, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2012.

Courage. (from the lat. coraticum) n. 1. bravery facing danger; intrepidity; to have audacity; 2. moral force before a suffering or setback; 3. [fig.] to input energy when performing a difficult task; perseverance...

Courage is essential in our life. Courage to face less pleasant situations when complex issues come up, not expecting random resolutions.
It is a value that we must highlight as opposed to the fearful, cowardly and laziness.
The courage to react to criticism not with an attitude of demotivation or sadness, but rather to search for the means and the action to overcome its own reason. This kind of courage, which is also an intellectual courage, is highly recommended.

Photo by Filipa Alves, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Ambition. (from the lat. ambitione) n. 1. vehement desire of wealth, honours or glories; 2. expectation about the future; aspiration; 3. lust; greed…

Vehement desire to achieve a particular goal. Ambition not to resign ourselves. Ambition to take the best potential from ourselves. Ambition to deserve ourselves. Ambition to be athletes in our top-level competitive jobs. Ambition to beat our brands. Ambition to get the best deals with the maximum value, due to the high levels of proficiency and efficiency.

Photo by Scarlett Coten, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Esthetics. ESTHETICS (from the Greek aisthetiké, "sensitive") n.f. 1. Philosophy branch of philosophy that studies the beauty and nature of artistic phenomena; 2. author's own style, time, etc.; 3. harmony of shapes and colors, beauty; 4. set of techniques and treatments that aim to beautify the body.

We decided to build the company's economic foundations under a cultured, cosmopolitan and cool image. Because it is a charming state of being. Good taste because we are sustainable and we respect the planet. Good taste because we are sensitive. Good taste just because.

Photo by Karl Erik Brondbo, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Responsibility. (from the lat respondere) n. the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct; a form of trustworthiness.

We must be certain that, before a choice, we chose what is best for both of us and not just the best for each one. Each employee is responsible for his negotiated activity and co-responsible if the co-worker does not fulfil his own task, thus preventing the common goal. A team is a set of individuals - is a whole. In the business game, as in social or family contexts, everyone must comply with their own relative position and we shall not permit that one of ours fails to be in our team.

07/06/2019
BIM is the new model that is currently revolutionizing the construction industry

11/05/2019 | Dinheiro Vivo

More than the software costs, it is the investment in human resources training that could have a bigger financial impact on construction companies in their transition phase to BIM. Still, the advantages are enormous.

"BIM is seen as the future of construction. I usually say it is not the future, it is the present, and it is rapidly turning into the past”, says Frederico Ramos, head of architecture at ARC ICD, a company specializing in feasibility studies for hospital infrastructures. Frederico Ramos, who has been working with the BIM (Building Information Modelling) process for more than ten years, stresses the importance of mastering languages and processes. "BIM requires a different way of thinking. I can give you the example of manufacturing process of a candle: we can make it evolve, but we will never be able to turn it into a bulb. Let's imagine that our lamp is the BIM, once associated with the electric current and everything that has developed, opens up a brand new world. BIM is no longer the future; it is the basis, the 'universal electricity' language that informs everything else."

The problem in Portugal is that the number of "speakers" of this new language is still reduced. BIM technology allows to digitally creating one or more accurate virtual models of a building. "There is a lack of knowledge, both of the people in charge and the technical staff of the companies, and this lack of knowledge represents difficulties for the Portuguese business infrastructure: since there aren’t enough people, companies need to invest in their training if they want to have access to this new way to do construction", says Frederico Ramos, for whom the solution involves, at least partially, greater effort by the universities. "If universities really were the leaders of technological research in Portugal, very soon – with two or three generations of new graduates - there would be enough people to feed the companies".

When thinking of the construction industry, Frederico Ramos argues that the Portuguese businessmen are paying attention. "Companies have already realized that in order to be part of the global market, they must have their products in BIM objects." This does not mean that the transition to BIM must be universal. Frederico Ramos mentions the example of Singapore, where the BIM requirement is limited to projects with more than five thousand square meters. "There are always companies for which, probably, it doesn’t make sense to enter the BIM process – that is the case of home repair & and remodelling nano companies," he says, recognizing that small structures may come across more difficulties in the transition. In mid-sized companies, which have technical staff, once started, the transition will happen in an almost organic way as technicians become familiar with BIM.

In the case of the DST Group, the need to continue exporting led to the adoption of BIM. "The first contact was in 2012 when one of the group's companies, the metalworking company Bysteel, began the internationalization process in France and England and found that the BIM methodology was already in place in those countries. In order to be able to export, we had to adapt ", recalls João Marcelo Silva, from the DST Group. "Without this technology, we would not even be able to compete for works," he stresses, mentioning also that many large international companies are currently carrying out screening tests to check whether the companies are actually qualified to work with BIM.

In 2015, we knew that due to the methodology used, to the possibility of a rigorous calculation of quantities, to the compatibilization it provides and to the optimization it allows in the purchase of materials, BIM also had advantages in the domestic market and, therefore, the DST Group created a "BIM group". This multidisciplinary team comprising engineers, architects, budget managers, site managers, purchasing managers and site designers from different areas has the objective of assisting the several companies in the group in all matters related to technology."

At the time, we carried out a first survey and became aware that there are people trained in modeling, but few people know the BIM approach as a whole. BIM is not about moving from a 2D project to a 3D project, it has other layers. And finding people with appropriate training is quite difficult, "says João Marcelo da Silva. The initial team with ten people who got training in BIM grew bigger and it currently comprises 60 people, and the transmission of knowledge takes place within the group itself.

The advantages are obvious: "BIM allows us to build the work before the construction itself: it allows us to anticipate and to solve problems. And solving problems at the computational level has an entirely different cost. Then, for us, the estimate of quantities is vital, "says João Marcelo da Silva.

For the BIM group coordinator of the DST Group, BIM offers, above everything else, more confidence. "It gives confidence to the client who knows that the work will be as intended, to the teams working, because they know that everything has been previously tested, and to us, as a company, because we can meet deadlines and control the quantity."

To these advantages, Frederico Ramos adds the reduction in construction costs – between 15% and 20% – and productivity increases that can reach up to 28%. "I don’t understand how a country with budgetary difficulties such as Portugal can afford to not develop a BIM process! Imagine that suddenly we could save 25% of the public investment in infrastructure."