Case Study

The starting point was an existing, functional engineering tool for KLH elements. It provided material values and technical information, but as a classic desktop application it was limited in usability, performance, data maintenance and cross-platform availability. The real challenge was to preserve valuable domain knowledge and established workflows while moving them into a modern, maintainable software foundation.

The next major step concerned structural design. Existing Excel-based tools were powerful from an engineering perspective and established in practice, but became difficult to maintain as load cases, variants, and outputs grew. For statics2d, the task was to translate this complexity into a guided application without losing engineering traceability.

The concept became an easily accessible web app: users can model systems of KLH elements, work with templates, define load cases, run calculations, inspect results and generate traceable PDF reports. Web delivery made statics2d available without a traditional installation, while template systems accelerated recurring inputs. For simulation, structural design and calculation logic, we collaborated closely with TailSiT GmbH, whose expertise in civil engineering, computational mechanics, Boundary Element Methods and Finite Element Methods was integrated into the application.

With the next generation of data+, the application was modernised further. The interface moved towards current web usage, clearer interaction patterns and technical traceability — including graphical cross-section views, fire exposure, standard selection and detailed tabular values.

The platform is not finished. Together with KLH Massivholz GmbH, we are already working on further apps as well as the continuous modernisation and improvement of existing tools — technically, visually and with regard to users’ daily workflows.