Case Study from: A3 Engineering
Learn how A3 Engineering’s projects were reduced by 50% with h2x.
Name: Andrew Scott
Role: Chief Technical Officer
Company: A3 Engineering
Location: West Hollywood, California, USA
Results at a glance:
~50% faster delivery: ~8 hours per store vs. ~16 hours
Higher accuracy: automated sizing, pressure/velocity checks, return pump sizing
Smoother coordination: export to Revit with review-ready outputs
See how this was done:
The Background
A3 Engineering delivers plumbing system designs for Salon Republic retail spaces across California, covering cold water, hot water, hot water return, sanitary, and vents. Each site presents a new footprint, tenant mix, and service strategy, so the team needed a consistent way to go from brief to coordinated outputs without rebuilding processes every time.
To regulate delivery, A3 looked for a platform that would accelerate modelling, maintain accuracy under change, and keep documentation aligned with Revit. The goal was simple: shorten cycles from days to hours while preserving engineering rigour and client confidence.
The Challenge
Traditional methods slowed momentum. Manual component counts, labels, and chart entries consumed time before design even hit its stride. Revising layouts after architectural updates often meant rework across drawings, spreadsheets, and schedules, turning small changes into long delays.
Across a portfolio of similar-but-different stores, this overhead adds up. "Making adjustments in response to background changes or client requests was challenging," Andrew Scott noted. Iteration speed, not capability, became the bottleneck, especially when multiple spaces were running in parallel.
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The Solution
A3 Engineering adopted h2x to automate system sizing and streamline layout creation. Engineers drew systems quickly, leveraging intuitive tools to place fixtures and routes while h2x generated accurate sizes and results. "The interface let us draw fast and focus on decisions, not data entry," Andrew shared.
Quality controls came built in. h2x provided detailed outputs for pipe sizing, return pump sizing, and pressure calculations across the network. Engineers could enhance against parameters such as maximum velocity and pressure drop, then export a high-fidelity Revit model for coordination.
The Results
Project time was cut by ~50%. Each store now takes ~8 hours to produce a Revit model with accurate sizing, versus ~16 hours using traditional methods. The difference comes from eliminating manual counts, labels, and chart entry, and from drawing faster with automated sizing applied throughout.
Design quality improved alongside speed. Detailed, review-ready outputs and quick updates mean layouts keep pace with architectural changes without losing accuracy. "h2x gave us precision and adaptability, confidence in the numbers, and the agility to respond when plans evolve," says Andrew.
h2x: All-In-One Tool for Calculating, Designing, Estimating, and Paperwork
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