SimpsonHaugh

SimpsonHaugh is a UK-based architectural practice well known for its innovative, high-quality designs that elegantly shape and revitalise urban areas. The practice boasts a diverse portfolio, including commercial offices, hotels, cultural, education, purpose-built student accommodation, residential projects, and mixed-use neighbourhood developments. It is ranked 48th in the AJ100 – the Architects’ Journal index of the top firms in the UK. The practice’s award-winning projects include One Blackfriars (London), Circus West Village (Battersea Power Station Phase 1), and 4 Angel Square, part of the 20-acre NOMA area in Manchester.

The Challenge

SimpsonHaugh relies heavily on graphics-intensive IT systems, driven by the widespread adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM). This approach produces large volumes of data and demands substantial computing power. Over the past decade, the scale of architectural projects has increased dramatically. Where a project might have required 500 drawings ten years ago, it now often involves double that number. Architects face immense pressure as complex projects grow and timelines shrink to deliver high-quality, agile design solutions that meet clients’ briefs. Therefore, a robust information and communication technology (ICT) is critical to enable this level of productivity and precision.

To future-proof its operations and enhance efficiency, SimpsonHaugh made the strategic decision to centralise its IT infrastructure on-premise at its Manchester headquarters. This move eliminated the duplication of systems across its London and Birmingham offices, addressing the time, cost, and management complexities of running enterprise IT across multiple locations.

The practice also wanted to improve remote-working capabilities to support their staff in achieving a better work-life balance and boost project collaboration. This was especially important for employees working in the UK and mainland Europe, who needed the flexibility to contribute without being constrained to physical workstations.

Adding to the challenge was the fact that many of SimpsonHaugh’s high-end PCs (each costing up to £6,500) were nearing the end of their lifecycle. These machines became unreliable, consumed a lot of power, generated heat, and required expensive upgrades.

SimpsonHaugh needed a new IT solution to effectively support GPU-intensive CAD/CAM architectural applications such as Revit, Rhino, Enscape, and SketchUp. These critical tools were integral to their day-to-day operations—essential for delivering high-quality designs and timely delivery of innovative architectural projects.

The Solution

SimpsonHaugh has invested £1.21 million over several years in its digital transformation journey using VDI and AI technologies. To support this vision, the practice partnered with ebb3, a UK-based managed service provider and digital workspace consultancy. Their expertise was instrumental in designing, implementing, and supporting a robust new VDI environment tailored to SimpsonHaugh’s modern architectural needs.

The transformation included deploying industry-leading solutions such as Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop, Citrix NetScaler, VMware vSphere Hypervisor, Dell Servers with vSAN storage, and NVIDIA vGPU technology. ebb3 selected the ControlUp Platform to lead this transformation because it could deliver market-leading VDI performance analytics and proactive remediation.

Running GPU-intensive architectural applications like Revit, Rhino, Enscape, and SketchUp in a VDI environment presents unique challenges. These applications demand specialized configuration and precise monitoring to ensure the backend computing can meet heavy workload demands without compromising performance. By integrating ControlUp’s Platform, ebb3 enabled SimpsonHaugh to manage its VDI environment and hybrid endpoints effectively, ensuring the seamless performance of these critical tools.

The impact of the ControlUp Platform has been transformative. It drastically reduced the time required to diagnose and resolve IT issues, providing real-time data insights to pinpoint problems, whether employees were working in the office, remotely, or off the corporate network. This has been especially important as SimpsonHaugh transitions to VDI over 3-5 years, maintaining a hybrid model of virtual and physical desktops to capitalize on its investment in expensive workstations.

Their efficiency gains have been a game-changer for a firm with just two IT staff members. ControlUp has significantly reduced the time spent on technical support, minimized system downtime, and improved the overall user experience. The platform provides detailed insights into issues such as Internet connection speeds, Wi-Fi strength, router performance, and software updates, even for remote workers. This level of visibility has enhanced troubleshooting and addressed frustrations from IT-related misunderstandings. Solutions were quickly identified with clear, data-backed insights, eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth and fostering a more collaborative environment.

By integrating ControlUp into its VDI solution, SimpsonHaugh achieved greater operational efficiency, boosted productivity, and ensured the reliable performance of its mission-critical architectural applications—setting a strong foundation for its digital future.