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When tour provider giants Busabout set out to build a new purpose-built bus depot and maintenance facility in Wagga Wagga, they turned to Cresco Australia for a complete, end-to-end design and engineering solution. The complex project combined multiple steel-framed structures on a single site — including a two-storey office, a large workshop with open service bays, a bus wash shed, and a cantilevered fuel station canopy.
Meeting the Connection Design Challenge
Among the most demanding aspects were the steel connections — from haunch-to-column joints in the portal frame, to cantilever canopy baseplates and bracing nodes. Verifying each against Australian Standard AS4100 can be a slow, detailed process, particularly when every connection involves multiple members, bolts, plates and welds.
For Cresco’s engineers, the challenge was balancing safety and compliance with constructability and efficiency.
Streamlining with IDEA StatiCa
Cresco turned to IDEA StatiCa, exporting their analysis models from SpaceGass into IDEA StatiCa Steel via Checkbot. This allowed the team to model, analyse, and verify complex joints with finite element accuracy, avoiding the need for overly conservative assumptions.
By applying the same connection designs across multiple instances, they reduced repetitive manual work, cut down on plate thicknesses where possible, and eliminated unnecessary stiffeners — saving time, material, and fabrication costs.
Results and Benefits
The use of IDEA StatiCa gave Cresco and Busabout confidence that every joint would meet both performance and constructability requirements. It enabled:
- Optimised designs for cost and efficiency
- Faster verification of multiple connections
- Early identification of potential challenges
- Improved collaboration between structural, civil, and architectural teams
A Client Perspective
“For the Busabout project, IDEA StatiCa proved invaluable in streamlining our connection design process and ensuring every detail met both structural requirements and constructability considerations. The software allowed us to efficiently model, analyse, and verify complex steel connections within the workshop, bus wash, and cantilevered fuel canopy structures — identifying potential challenges early and optimising the design for fabrication and installation.”
— Isaac Mannion, Commercial Projects Technical Lead, Cresco Australia
About Cresco Australia
Cresco Australia is part of the Cresco Group, delivering practical, innovative, and integrated engineering and design solutions across regional and urban Australia. Their multidisciplinary team spans structural, civil, and mechanical engineering, architecture, project management, and advanced 3D scanning — bridging design intent with constructability for better project outcomes.
Why It Matters
For Australian engineering firms like Cresco, IDEA StatiCa is transforming the way complex steel connections are designed and verified. With greater accuracy, efficiency, and confidence in compliance, firms can deliver high-quality outcomes that meet both client and industry expectations.
As BuildingPoint brings IDEA StatiCa to the Australian market, projects like Busabout’s new depot highlight how smarter connection design tools are shaping the future of engineering delivery.
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