Irby’s process requires a quick design solution that produces effective results for varying levels of population density.
The distributed split architecture was originally made as a way to tackle brownfield designs targeting areas of sharp population incline.
Connect2First, a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Electric Cooperative, in particular, has a number of communities near lakes that are attracting many new homeowners and contractors. Originally these areas were designed using the centralized split architecture, as it was sufficient for the population density at the time.
However, with the boom of consumers moving to the area, Irby needed a design solution that would utilize a distributed split architecture instead.
Commencing in early 2017, the relationship with Irby was founded on the need to deliver accurate designs at speed. Irby had previously tried to utilize the traditional approach, which resulted in poor data accuracy, significant variation at construction and cost overruns, all resulting in delayed projects.
The project started with a thorough establishment meeting where all the relevant stakeholders met together in a conference room in Houston, Texas, to align on the project requirements and expectations. These detailed workshops are a critical walk-before-you-run approach to ensure everyone is operating from the same playbook.
The collective effort from all stakeholders to establish a scalable and accurate data driven model end to end resulted in significant savings (cost, time, waste) on the first project completed and since has scaled to designs for over 300,000 HHP delivered.
Our algorithmic approach to design has allowed Irby to quickly get a solution for the boom of consumers that are moving to the area.
We’ve now established a process for us to redesign these areas so that Irby can connect them with the existing infrastructure seamlessly.
This ultimately also led to Irby utilizing the distributed split architecture in greenfield designs with higher population density as well.