Horizon I Research Facility
University of South Carolina
This prominently sited, five-story structure ties the University of South Carolina (USC) traditional campus to its new urban “innovista” research campus. The facility supports programs in engineering, technology, scientific research, and industrial development of alternative energy sources.
Research includes two floors dedicated to hydrogen fuel cell studies with laboratory areas for Proton Enhanced Membrane (PEM) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC). The first floor is dedicated to characterization chemistry and the second floor has a program in nanopolymers. The ground and fourth floors are set aside for future development.
Each laboratory utilizes high performance variable air volume fume hoods with air flow control based on sash position. Fuel cell research laboratories have centrally piped hydrogen and nitrogen gases and also house cylinders for hydrogen rich specialty reformate gases. All laboratory process equipment utilizes a recirculating cooling system to reduce portable water usage.
SSOE was involved in the planning and programming efforts and provided mechanical, electrical and fire protection construction documents for this building. Review of the contractor’s shop drawings, was performed to detect errors and omissions which were found and corrected prior to the fire marshal’s review. The fire alarm design was upgraded to meet code. This allowed passing of the drawings by the jurisdiction on the first review. Life cycle analysis and careful evaluation of alternative energy usage systems were important to the sustainable aspects of this building. The construction was fast-track accomplished by utilizing Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) method.
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We found ourselves in need of a more robust tool to enhance resource forecasting and staff assignment capabilities. Instead of waiting for the perfect tool, we’re building it. SSOE’s in-house technology team has developed and piloted a tool that aims to forecast optimal staff mix and duration for new projects against existing workload to better understand capacity and manage resources efficiently. Additionally, the tool will allow teams to estimate staff requirements and identify gaps.
SSOE is utilizing Microsoft Copilot to significantly enhance work efficiency and accuracy across various departments. Copilot is accessible to all staff after training. Key areas of application include using it as a writing assistant, for idea generation, document summarization and generation, research assistant, excel assistant, programming code assistant, language translations, product comparison and data analysis. Use of Copilot has become part of the everyday life of SSOE employees who have identified key ways it can help them become more efficient with their daily tasks as well as more accurate in their deliverables.
Today, 75% of SSOE employees are have taken the training and have access to Copilot, with a goal of 100% of employees using Copilot by October 1, 2025.
We helped our client visualize and optimize façade design for occupant comfort—long before breaking ground through the use of the Autodesk Forma tool. It allows the designer to rapidly experiment with the building’s geometry and façade design to discover the most suitable form, prioritizing quality of spaces and comfort for end uses, especially in extreme climates (daylighting and microclimate analysis tools) at the project’s exact geographic location, using location-specific environmental data.
Discover how SSOE is using Autodesk Forma to improve sustainability outcomes for industrial projects: SSOE Group: Improving sustainability outcomes for industrial projects with Autodesk Forma
SSOE has developed a proof-of-concept to use an AI Agent to act as a Master Engineer trained in SSOE’s processes, best-known-methods, and trainings. Our data structure is being remodeled to enable better use of our proprietary knowledge to train the agent on the ‘SSOE way’ of engineering.
SSOE is actively piloting AI copilots that use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to streamline both design and development tasks, transforming how our teams interact with software and each other.
By integrating copilot engines into platforms like Revit and GitHub, we’re enabling users to prompt complex actions using simple, conversational commands. In Revit, this means automating tasks such as cleaning up parameter data, managing annotations and dimensions, and organizing sheets—without writing scripts. These automations can be shared across project teams, accelerating workflows and reducing manual effort.
Similarly, our internal Software Development Community is leveraging GitHub Copilot to expedite coding tasks. Developers can generate and refine code using NLP prompts, tapping into GitHub’s enterprise knowledge base to move faster from concept to implementation.
Together, these tools represent a shift from traditional, expert-driven scripting to intuitive, AI-assisted collaboration, unlocking new levels of efficiency and scalability across our projects.
Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) is SSOE’s enterprise-wide project delivery platform. We partner with the Autodesk Product team and have research access. Use of the AI Assistant for project specifications allows our design teams, owners, and general contractors the ability to query the project specifications for quality, answers, and more rapid responses to RFIs, submittals, or issues.