Eiffage Construction achieves 30% higher productivity with Leica iCON and digital BIM workflows

In an ambitious project to consolidate locations for France’s Central Ministries of Labour, Health, and Solidarity, the government commissioned a new flagship site in Malakoff. This complex, the Second Grand Site, features two high-rise towers, one with eight floors and the other with thirteen, linked by glazed walkways. With offices, conference areas, green spaces and more, the Second Grand Site is designed as a modern and sustainable architectural landmark for the area.  

Eiffage Construction, a branch of the Eiffage Group, was contracted to build the 35,000 m² complex. Known for delivering end-to-end solutions across new builds, renovations, urban development, and other major projects, Eiffage was the ideal partner for the Malakoff project’s high accuracy and precision standards, strict timelines, and need for BIM-to-field consistency. To meet these demands, Eiffage used advanced digital construction solutions to streamline workflows, enhance accuracy, and enable real-time collaboration across teams.  

With the Leica iCON solution at the heart of its digital strategy, Eiffage Construction maximised on-site efficiency and precision throughout the project. With expert support from Topocenter –  France’s leading national distributor in high tech measurement, positioning, detection and reality capture tools – the Leica iCON technology was seamlessly integrated into daily workflows, enabling significant productivity gains and ensuring that the highest standards of quality were consistently met. 

An integrated, BIM-first field workflow 

For the Malakoff project, Eiffage Construction prioritised a digital workflow designed to deliver both precision and efficiency on site. The team chose Leica iCON build software as the foundation for their field operations due to its proven reliability, easy BIM integration, and intuitive interface. With Leica iCON build, field teams could work directly from 3D design data, ensuring that every layout and verification step was closely aligned with the project’s digital plans, ultimately reducing the risk of errors and rework. 

The Leica iCON iCR80 robotic total station, paired with the Leica iCON CC200 field controller running iCON build, enabled the direct import of 3D BIM models, filtering by floor, and isolating object classes to simplify on-site execution. The software’s user-friendly interface allowed teams to visualise, select, and layout points straight from the BIM model, streamlining daily operations and enhancing collaboration between office and field.

“We also use the total station for automatic point layout. You can point the total station’s laser anywhere on the projection surface within a five-meter diameter, and the laser automatically moves to the exact plan position. It makes marking faster and saves precious time,” said Bartolomeu Dantas-Barros, Construction Survey Technician. 

To maintain accuracy in constrained positions, even under balconies, the team used the Leica AP20 AutoPole – a smart prism pole for robotic total stations with tilt compensation that automatically records height changes. The AP20 also ensures the total station locks onto the correct prism, minimising mistargeting in busy areas with several prisms. 

Topocenter provided practical training, on-site and remote support, and ongoing guidance—helping Eiffage Construction translate digital capability into daily productivity. 

The benefits of digital reporting 

The implementation of digital reporting tools brought significant advantages to the project, ensuring streamlined workflows and enhanced construction quality assurance.  

One of the key benefits was complete digital traceability. By using Leica iCON build software, the project team was able to produce detailed layout reports directly from field data and share them in real time. This integration between design and execution tightened the feedback loop, allowing for faster identification of issues, accelerated corrective actions, and improved overall construction quality. 

Bartolomeu Dantas-Barros, Construction Survey Technician, highlighted the value of this approach:   

"The detailed layout report highlights any deviations between design and reality. I share it with colleagues on our dedicated platform. This digital traceability speeds decisions and corrections, and safeguards construction quality."

Measurable impact and quality assurance with digital construction solutions 

With the integration of a digital BIM-to-field workflow utilising Leica iCON, Eiffage Construction achieved remarkable improvements across every stage of the Malakoff project. The combination of Leica iCON build software and advanced field hardware enabled the team to streamline processes from staking through to as-built verification, even under the demanding conditions of winter, low light, and tight schedules. 

Quick takeaways:

• 25% faster field time with the Leica AP20 AutoPole: Crews eliminated manual pole levelling and benefited from the automatic recording of pole-height changes.
• 30% higher productivity using optimised point layout with the Leica iCON iCR80: Output increased by about a third, while millimetric precision was maintained despite adverse weather and low-light conditions. 
• Zero mis-targeting: automatic prism identification on the AP20 AutoPole ensured the robotic total station always locked onto the correct prism, eliminating targeting errors. 
• Complete digital traceability: Leica iCON build software produced detailed layout reports from field data and enabled real-time sharing. This strengthened the connection between design and execution, sped up corrections, and ensured quality.