Month: November 2021

Construction Services

Delivering a Major Vaccine Production Facility on Time, Without Compromising Quality

November 4, 2021 Gerri Nielson

Ensuring safety, quality and cost is not compromised on a critical vaccine production facility

Blue Projects is a highly experienced project management company and a preferred strategic project partner for the world’s leading blue-chip international companies. The complexity of multi-disciplinary projects inspired Blue Projects’ founders to surround themselves with a highly innovative and flexible team of leading professional engineers that shared the same passion and commitment to project excellence.

Today, the team continues to push the boundaries of project excellence, and has since expanded to operations covering Romania, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Germany, Africa and North America. Providing project and engineering solutions across industry sectors for a number of major global players, their services include construction management; design and engineering; health and safety management; commercial management and production lines relocation.

“When it came to our project details, we knew that digital construction solutions could play an important role in ensuring communication and collaboration was seamless and smooth given we had to work to such tight timescales.”

As the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world over, there was a collective sigh of relief when national health regulators began approving the use of a number of vaccines which provide immunity against the Coronavirus. The global demand for this vaccine far outstripped supply, and with a worsening picture during the winter months of 2020 and early 2021, it was imperative that the construction of production facilities was stepped up.

Michal Zajac, Senior Architect and BIM Manager for Blue Projects partnered with their client to support the design and construction ofa vaccine production facility at lightning speed which contributed to the global effort to provide vaccines to the most vulnerable people in our societies. Blue Project’s role was to integrate design solutions, coordinate the project and support the client’s engineering and on-site teams in the construction phase. For Michal and the Blue Projects team, the task at hand was clear but an even bigger challenge lay ahead.

What can we do to accelerate the construction of this facility without compromising on quality, safety, and cost?

When it came to our project details, we knew that digital construction solutions could play an important role in ensuring communication and collaboration was seamless and smooth given we had to work to such tight timescales,” reflects Michal. For Blue Projects, there were several essential factors that a construction technology solution needed to support them to achieve. These included: coordinating teams across different geographies and timezones, improving the design process to aid collaboration between design and site teams as well as improving communication with supply chain partners.

Working in a 3D environment on design models to better manage the project, as well as track issues resolution and design changes, was another aspect the team knew needed to be set up correctly from the beginning. “The team had to get this project up and running quickly as the outcomes we were delivering would have a direct impact on the global health crisis so making sure we had the right technology implemented from the beginning of the project was very important,” says Michal.

“To deliver the production facility quickly, the project was set up with the design and construction phases running in tandem.”

A key requirement of the client on this project was to use Autodesk’s BIM 360 platform as their common data environment to aid communication and improve collaboration between teams as well as work collaboratively on 3D models in a BIM environment. However, the coordination team needed support in implementing these workflows in the most effective and streamlined way that would support real-time collaboration in both the design and construction phase of the project which were running in tandem. “We worked with the team at Autodesk to connect our design authoring tools like Revit and Navisworks into BIM 360 for maximum impact,” says Michal. “We needed to be able to track progress on any issues or design changes which BIM 360 supported. But, what was really fantastic is that we could link all of the data we captured in BIM 360 and visualise how it affected our model in Navisworks”, Michal continues.

Designing and delivering in real-time and at lightning speed

The complexity of the project meant time was of the essence. The design phase was delivered alongside the execution phase due to the need to move swiftly on the production facility. This meant that the design team needed to deliver on an exact project schedule and as accurately as possible so that the designs could be executed immediately. “Delivering to schedule was so crucial as the project was live straight away,” says Michael. “Not only this, when it came to the quality we delivered, we had to ensure that we focused on delivering with complete precision as we could not afford to have any major reworks or defects,” continues Michal.

To do this effectively, identifying and capturing issues as early as possible in the design phase meant that cost and time savings were realised as the project got underway. “Collaborating across geographies during a global pandemic where teams were working remotely and on-site is a challenge for any project,” says Michal. “But working collaboratively in this way with extremely tight project timescales made it that much more difficult. However, using a common data environment like BIM 360 meant all project collaborators had access to real-time project data from anywhere

Using BIM 360 as the single source of truth for the project team meant that design changes could be communicated amongst project partners quickly through proactive clash and issue detection. “We needed to move at lightning speed on this project as it has such a critical role to play in supporting the Covid-19 crisis. Being able to keep all project team members informed of progress, changes and issues in a timely manner was imperative. As well as this, knowing that everyone was working from a single source of truth allowed us to be confident in decision-making and handing over execution,” affirms Michal.

“If we had not used BIM 360, we would have needed…thousands more hours to dedicate to manuallyidentifying clash and issues detection to avoid the need for re-work on site.”

When it came to achieving their goals, Blue Projects have been able to deliver not only to their original project schedule, but exactly on time. The design phase of the project was completed earlier than planned schedule based on the experience of similar projects, meaning that Blue Projects not only completed this critical stage of the project earlier than planned, but also gained time to focus on the construction phase and support the teams responsible for installing key production equipment

Over the last eight months, the team have opened nearly 1700 coordination issues to reduce the number of hard clashes that would have happened on site. The team were able to use technology to speed up the time it took to carry out key processes without risking the quality they delivered for their client. By saving project time as well as resolving a number of project defining errors upfront, the project’s schedule and costs were not adversely impacted at all.

Michal reflects: “If the solution had not been provided by Blue Projects, we would have needed hundreds and thousands more hours to dedicate to manually identifying clash and issues detection to avoid the need for re-work on site. The team have been able to do this quicker and easier using BIM 360 not only saving valuable project time, but this has also led to reduced project costs in the long term

Collaboration between stakeholders has improved, remote communication practices have been established and working in 3D has been enabled. But vitally, and most importantly of all, a major vaccine production facility has kept to its project schedule meaning much needed vaccines will be able to be produced, delivered, and distributed to countries and individuals who need them most.

The post Delivering a Major Vaccine Production Facility on Time, Without Compromising Quality appeared first on Digital Builder.

A Connected BIM Approach Helping to Achieve High Levels of Productivity for the Anel Group

November 4, 2021 Gerri Nielson

The name behind countless successful electrical and mechanical infrastructure designs of building projects in Turkey and across the globe, Anel Group stands out with its expertise in BIM (Building Information Modeling). The organisation uses Autodesk Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC) collection including the Autodesk’s Construction Cloud platform. These include an integrated BIM toolkit, BIM 360 Field and Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro cloud services, with the aim to support Anel achieving their global goals that require high efficiency, remote collaboration and coordination capabilities.

Passion for implementing complex projects with an environmental approach

Anel Group’s journey began with the establishment of Anel Elektrik in 1986 by Electrical Engineer Rıdvan Çelikel. Established 35 years ago, the company is transforming into a 2,000 people strong group of companies that operates in the fields of panel production, electrical and electronic systems of ships, renewable energy, recycling and operational maintenance, as well as electrical and mechanical contracting.

Since its inception, the company has successfully delivered more than 200 projects spanning a total area of over 13 million square meters in 14 countries across three continents. In addition to its ongoing MEP operations in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), the UK, the Netherlands, Turkey and Azerbaijan, the company is also engaged in operational maintenance services, low voltage panel production, electric and electronic systems of ships (defence industry) and recycling.

Anel Group Tender and Procurement Director K. Serkan Kılıç, who is also an Electrical Engineer, said, “We are a team striving to deliver solutions for the world we dream of” and added: “A single structure has the power to make a big difference in the world: A bridge connecting two continents, an airport that makes the world feel a lot smaller than it is, a hospital that saves lives… We can list a myriad of examples from world history.”

Emphasising that the success of a building project depends on the ability of combining engineering skills from different disciplines in harmony, Kılıç said, “We leverage our engineering skills in designing the electrical and mechanical aspects of a building. We are passionate about realizing large-scale and complex projects in different regions of the world. With a view to contributing to an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable world, we combine our engineering and technology capabilities with our strategic skills and take innovative initiatives.”

“We leverage our engineering power to create solutions and aim to use cutting-edge technologies that we could benefit from the most. Especially in a two-year retrospect, Autodesk AEC Collection and Autodesk Construction Cloud’s solutions have helped us immensely as we seized opportunities around the globe.” —Serkan Kılıç, Tender and Purchasing Director, Anel Group

Engineering strength powered by technology

Autodesk’s AEC Collection as well as their Construction Cloud forms the technology backbone that supports Anel Group’s engineering strength and strategic capabilities. This solution package, which includes an integrated BIM toolkit and is designed for the building industry, has also played a pivotal role in Anel Group’s international expansion efforts since 2016.

Anel Group BIM Manager and Mechanical Engineer Ümit Balaban has led the establishment of the BIM infrastructure and the introduction of BIM processes across Anel Group. He said, “The BIM processes need continuous improving to keep up with the ever-evolving technologies and engineering industry.” He is responsible for managing the compliance of the projects undertaken by the company with the BIM processes and provides support to all BIM managers assigned to the projects. He is also the founder of the BIMgenius Community, a not-for-profit made up of professionals who have come together to collaborate to support the digitalization of the architecture, engineering and construction industries.

The Anel Group team can manage electrical and mechanical projects via the AEC Collection in alignment with BIM processes, starting from the tender phase, all the way to the design implementation and delivery phases via the Autodesk Construction Cloud. Anel Group, which started using BIM 360 Field, BIM 360 Docs and made it its primary application following the increasing need for working remotely due to the pandemic, leverages the advantages of savings and efficiency of cloud services in field monitoring and management, documentation management, remote collaboration and coordination activities.

nel Group’s BIM Journey: Qatar Metro Red Line South Project

Pointing out that Anel Group had reached a significantly high level in terms of technology in the last five years, BIM Manager Ümit Balaban said, “The company’s progress in its ERP infrastructure, communication infrastructure and BIM infrastructure sets an example for digitalisation in its area of operation.”

Driven by global goals, Anel Group operates as an electrical and mechanical contracting company undertaking complex projects. Undertaking a BIM-managed metro project in Qatar in 2016, the company took action to create a structure that could support all projects under a BIM umbrella in the future. Senior management was aware of the importance of digitizing and implementing BIM processes in line with their goals.

“The approach we embraced to address this issue is a pioneering one within our area of operation,” said Ümit Balaban. “Our initial move was to create a BIM Commission that would include representatives from all departments. Thus, we were able to promote an awareness on BIM processes across the entire organization. At periodic meetings, we determined what we could improve in BIM processes and set our standards.”

“70% of the projects we take part in are managed with the BIM infrastructure and all of them are ongoing projects abroad. It was the efficiency boost and savings opportunities of Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro and BIM 360 Docs that has enabled us to achieve this rate in the last two years.” —Ümit Balaban, BIM Manager/Mechanical Engineer, Anel Group

Ongoing progress with continuous improvements

The team responsible for the metro project in Qatar had BIM managers on board. Their feedback helped the commission further improve the processes.

Ümit Balaban said, “During the course of this project, we have developed solutions addressing several questions such as how to make cost estimates and measurements, how to transform existing legacy standards within models, how to align operation and maintenance activities with this new structure.”

In addition to the company that manages electrical and mechanical projects, Anel Doğa and Anel Marin are also Anel Group companies. Active since 2003, Anel Doğa was established as the first and only electronic waste recycling plant in Turkey. Anel Marin, on the other hand, has been providing a wide range of services to the shipbuilding industry, including concept and configuration design, equipment, project management and consultancy, manufacture of panels and control consoles, design and manufacture of special military systems, system testing and commissioning, maintenance-repair activities, since 2005. “The know-how and experience of these two companies enable us to broaden our horizon as well as improving our BIM processes,” added Ümit Balaban.

Piloting Autodesk BIM 360 Glue and BIM 360 Field for the metro project in Qatar

In addition to the numerous BIM-aligned projects that Anel Group has completed abroad, its ongoing projects include Amsterdam Schiphol Airport New Pier in the Netherlands, the University College London Hospital Proton Therapy Center in the UK, Abu Dhabi International Airport Terminal Building and Dubai – I (Bluewaters) Terminal Building in the UAE, Semaisma Road and Infrastructure Work in Qatar, Lusail Katara Hotel and Lusail Plaza Towers projects.

BIM managers supervise each project and receive support from the head office in Istanbul. Ümit Balaban stated, “During the pandemic, when we could not visit the project locations, we started to transform our head office in Istanbul into a main design office. We started using Autodesk Construction Cloud’s BIM 360 Docs solution in 2019, and it has become our primary platform following the pandemic.”

The metro project launched in Qatar was considered a pilot. First, two tablet computers were purchased. They tested ways through which they could communicate with the field via BIM 360 Field & Glue mobile apps using tablets, monitor man/hour, and devise quality control lists from a small office located at one of the emergency exits on the metro line. Balaban also added, “With a very modest investment, we accumulated valuable know-how and experience even during the pilot phase.”

Know-how and experience shift from being individual assets to being corporate value

“Our BIM approach and the use of Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro enabled us to transform know-how and experience from being individual-centric to being corporate assets,” noted Balaban.

Now, it is possible to easily access to and align our activities with all BIM processes and standards thanks to the document management features on Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro. Even if any BIM manager leaves a project, the successors are quickly onboarded to continue working with the same standards. The BIM platform offers a structure that allows corporate memory creation as well as know-how and experience retention.

Contribution of BIM expertise to global business opportunities

As a publicly traded company, Anel Group differentiates itself from its competitors with its transparent structure. BIM processes can help companies with transparent management to achieve significantly successful results. The fact that coding and drawing standards serving global efficiency, such as equipment order codes, have been established within Anel Group, can be cited among the outcomes of transitioning to BIM processes.

Ümit Balaban said, “This is a perpetual process that is an absolute necessity for development. If a project necessitates BIM by design and you do not have your own corporate structure to accommodate it, you can only achieve partial success and will have to deal with low efficiency. Our expertise in this field positions us well to be commissioned by major Turkish and foreign contractors that have a good command of BIM processes.

70% of the projects we take part in are managed with the BIM infrastructure and all of them are ongoing projects abroad. It was the efficiency boost and savings opportunities of Autodesk’s BIM Collaborate that has enabled us to achieve this rate in the last two years.”

utodesk’s BIM Collaborate Pro for the future

Ümit Balaban said, “Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro, which we have used since 2019, is our main application. Firstly, we used BIM 360 Build to track the progress of the field, then utilized the quality checklists. Afterwards, we switched to BIM Collaborate Pro to rid ourselves of the labor and cost burden of installing a Revit Server on-site. This move provided us with a great advantage in design budgets.”

Balaban also added, “This approach delivered significant benefits during the University College London Hospital Proton Therapy Centerproject in the UK. We ensured that the project was delivered with an asset model created,” and noted that the deliveries of the ongoing construction projects in Qatar would also be made with asset models.

Balaban said, “Thanks to the coding standards we introduced with BIM, we integrated this model, which was often overlooked by employers, leading to a costly outcome, into our processes. Seeing the cause-and-effect relationship in these projects first hand, we have achieved a highly significant level of company-wide adoption of the BIM processes.”

Productivity boost driven by collaboration and coordination

The document management features of Autodesk BIM 360 Docs further consolidates collaboration and coordination capabilities while also ensuring efficient use of teams.

Ümit Balaban said, “We used the Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro approach in nearly all the stages of our airport project in the Netherlands. We use the Review Process feature of Autodesk BIM 360 Docs very effectively. With the Review & Approval feature, you can track all the steps and tasks of a project on an individual basis. It ensures transparency in every step. Engineers, who used to only look at the survey of the sheets, have to look more carefully at the label within the sheets and the dimensions of the channels and really focus. User experience is really evolving. It is safe to say that this a true evolutionary process for the construction industry.”

With the integration of Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro into the business intelligence platform PowerBI, it is also possible to turn the results into charts and present them to the top management.

Saving time, paper and labour costs

Anel Group ensured that sheet revision notes were recorded on Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro. Draftspeople began to read those notes through Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro and apply them. With the possibility to track the steps, which could not be monitored with the previous method, unnecessary repetitive work, unmeasurable loss of time, and the need for sheet printouts have been eliminated.

The field management features of BIM 360 Build have also delivered significant benefits. Ümit Balaban describes them with an example: “Depending on project locations, some construction projects may be halted due to weather conditions or the employer may ask us to proceed regardless of the conditions. In such cases, you or your subcontractor may need to charge a fee for extra costs. “

Since everything is recorded on BIM 360 Build, you can easily monitor whether the employer received a revised quote and whether the extra cost has actually been incurred. The result can be reached by looking at the number of workers in the field, weather conditions and other data. Being able to record the process in its entirety ensures transparency.”

This structure also allows for an accurate evaluation of the subcontractors. The company name, number of workers, total time and progress are all recorded with the document management feature of BIM 360 Field. With the integration of BIM 360 Field Management into the business intelligence platform PowerBI, it is also possible to turn the results into charts and present them to the top management. These charts also show which subcontractor would be the best to work with in the next stage.

Labour savings in the Quality Control process

Using BIM 360 Field Management also offers benefits for the quality control process. With the legacy methods, it would take 80-100 minutes to prepare an average quality checklist. BIM 360 Field Management saved us close to 50 minutes in each checklist. We owe this time saved to the fact that BIM 360 Field Management allows you to instantly add the relevant document while devising the checklist as the documents are also on the same platform. Similarly, it is possible to link the list to documents or to put dots on it and link them to the equipment.

Ümit Balaban said, “Considering that a project is completed with 2,000 to 5,000 checklists, we can achieve a significant level of man/hour savings. One of our current projects was completed with 3000 checklists, saving us a total of 800 man/hours. This is just the tip of the iceberg as it has only been a few months since we started using the checklist function of BIM 360 Field Management. Once we start using the material approval checklists, we expect to see a further increase in our savings. Especially when you have operations abroad like we do, it is possible to get the return on your initial investment within a very reasonable time and manage more projects with the same teams.”

ccelerated improvement process with Forge and Dynamo

Ümit Balaban pointed out that there were many experts both within Anel Group and among Autodesk users who coded using Dynamo and that they were always on the lookout for codes that could be useful for them.

He said, “For instance, one of our BIM managers in Qatar wrote a code on Dynamo that allowed for the scaffolding system of a 40-meter tunnel to be automatically placed according to the data received. It was a code that helped us to significantly reduce the man/hours and to streamline our work.”

Stating that they also had an application which was written on Dynamo and which they used for cost estimation and quantity surveying, Balaban said, “In line with the volumes indicated in the planning, we wrote a code for the location of the objects that corresponded to those volumes, and we determined the costs and quantities based on this code. We have also started using Autodesk’s cloud-based development platform Forge. We are using Forge to ensure that the data extracted from BIM 360 Docs is well integrated into the applications on our platform called ‘Digital Anel’ and smoothly communicates with PowerBI.”

Anel Group Tender and Purchasing Director K. Serkan Kılıç said, “We leverage our engineering power to create solutions and aim to use cutting-edge technologies that we could benefit from the most. Autodesk has always been a trusted companion. Especially in a two-year retrospect, Autodesk AEC Collection, BIM 360 Docs, BIM 360 Field and Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro cloud solutions have helped us immensely as we seized opportunities around the globe. These technologies provided us with the agility to quickly adapt to remote working conditions, enabling us to use our teams in the most effective way possible, boost our operational efficiency and drive our costs down.”

The post A Connected BIM Approach Helping to Achieve High Levels of Productivity for the Anel Group appeared first on Digital Builder.

Construction Resource Management: Tips and Tools for Success

November 3, 2021 Gerri Nielson

Staying on top of construction resource management is an absolute must. With today’s increasingly complex projects and tighter-than-ever timelines you simply can’t afford to misallocate the resources you have at your disposal.

There’s also the issue of labor shortages in construction. Research by the Associated General Contractors of America and Autodesk revealed that 80% of contractors are having difficulties finding qualified workers. As the industry continues to grapple with workforce challenges, you need to be smart about how you handle and assign labor resources.

This article will cover all that and more.

We’ll dive into the ins and outs of construction resource management, plus discuss best practices and tools that can help you ensure that all your resources are allocated effectively and are put to good use.

Let’s get started.

What is Construction Resource Management?

Construction resource management is the practice of planning and managing the use of construction resources, to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget.

Typically done by construction managers or project managers, construction resource management involves many tasks, including the following.

Monitoring the amount of resources available — everything from time and workforce to equipment, materials, and facilities.Allocating and reallocating resources based on project needs and timelines.Tracking and optimizing the use of resources.

The goal of construction resource management is to maximize the utilization of resources and reduce waste, ultimately meeting the project’s objectives in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.

Why Workforce Planning is Essential

Workforce planning — which is a key component of construction resource management — involves monitoring and allocating team members across projects.

Effective workforce planning entails monitoring schedules, team bandwidth, and jobsite capacities. Managers need to balance all these components to ensure that each project is well-staffed and that team members aren’t over- or under-allocated. It also involves reviewing the company’s workforce resources and forecasting workforce needs, so the firm can recruit accordingly.

Workforce planning is critical, particularly amidst issues like labor shortages. When you have limited workforce available, it’s even more important to keep a tight handle on your workforce.

There’s also the matter of labor logistics. The world is starting to open back up and everyone is eager to put the pandemic behind us, but some of the issues brought about by COVID-19 will linger well into 2021.

Some jobsites may continue to have limited capacity, so it’s essential to map out how teams are distributed in the field. Being mindful of capacity limits will keep construction sites safe and ultimately prevent any pandemic or health-related issues and delays.

Benefits of Construction Resource Management

Now that you know the fundamentals of construction resource management, let’s discuss the benefits that you’ll gain from the practice.

Lower Construction Costs

When you don’t have a handle on how much resources you need for your projects, you may end up allocating either too much or little to certain activities. This leads to double-work, wasted time, and delays — all of which add more costs to the project. For instance, the mismanagement of equipment or materials can result in excess spend that can be better used elsewhere.

Proper construction resource management can prevent such issues from happening. When you’re closely tracking the use of resources and reallocating them based on the project’s needs, you can ensure that time and money are always well-spent.

Higher Productivity

By implementing construction resource management, you can see to it that team members are assigned to the right place and they have what they need (i.e., equipment, materials, and supplies) to do their jobs well.

As such, teams are able to be more productive. There’s less downtime or waiting around, plus they can do their best work because they have the necessary resources at the right time.

Increased Visibility into Your Resources

Construction resource management gives you better visibility into your resources. The practice involves closely monitoring resource utilization, so you always know what you have at any given time.

This, in turn, helps you make well-informed decisions on how to use and allocate construction resources.

bility to Be More Agile and Adaptable

It’s not uncommon for projects to run into sudden changes. If you’re not prepared, you may end up with inadequate resources to cover unexpected needs.

You can avoid these situations by implementing proper construction resource management. When you constantly stay on top of how your budget, workforce, equipment, and materials are used, it’s much easier to re-evaluate and reallocate resources to cope with unforeseen project changes.

Creating a Resource Management Plan

One of the first steps to effective construction resource management is mapping out a plan for how resources will be allocated and used. While the specifics of this process will vary depending on your teams and projects, here are some general steps and considerations to keep in mind when crafting your construction resource management plan.

Determine the project timeline and all activities associated with it. Iron out all the necessary details involved in the project. Itemize the tasks and activities that need to be completed and specify the deadlines for each milestone.

Determine the resources you need and the right allocations. Use the information from the previous step to figure out the right resource allocations for the project. At this stage, you’ll need to calculate the amount of resources required, assign them to the appropriate activities and project phases, and indicate when you’ll need them.

One thing you could do at this stage is to tap into your experience as well industry standards and previous project data to figure out the best allocations.

Secure the necessary approvals. The next step is to get approval for the resources that you’re planning to use. Coordinate with the necessary parties and decision makers and ensure that you have the authorization to use the resources at the appropriate time. Be sure to complete this step before the project kicks off.

Optimize and retool your plan when necessary. Your construction resource plan shouldn’t be set in stone. Keep an eye on it, even when the project is underway and don’t be afraid to pivot or launch a plan B if unforeseen issues arise.

Top Innovations for Construction Resource Planning

Construction resource management shouldn’t be done manually. Equip yourself and your team with construction technologies that streamline the process of planning and allocating resources.

Consider the following.

BIM 360 Plan

BIM 360 Plan offers robust capabilities to help you view and monitor supply chain and jobsite resources. The software’s customizable project views enable you to see work plans in List, Ganntt, or Swimplane view, so whether you’re looking for an itemized list of resources and activities or prefer to get a high level view of the project, you can do so easily with BIM 360 Plan.

Bridgit

Bridgit is a leading workforce intelligence solution for construction pros. An excellent tool for planning and allocating workforce resources, Bridgit makes it easy to view which project roles are unfilled, so you can plan accordingly. It also has detailed reporting that offers insights into workforce utilization and project pipelines, enabling you to plan for your workforce needs.

Triax

Construction sites have many moving parts—including workers, equipment, and other materials—that need monitoring. However, the dynamic and fast-paced nature of jobsites make it difficult to do so. Enter Triax’s IoT solution designed for rugged working environments, Spot-r Mesh provides real-time visibility into all the resources you have on site. It’s low power requirements and easily deployable hardware give you actionable insights into your workforce and equipment on the construction site, making it simple to know resource location, utilization, and more.

Kwant.ai

Need detailed insights into workforce activities? Kwant.ai has you covered. The solution uses AI and IoT to monitor worker location and activities, giving you powerful intel for planning and allocating workforce. With Kwant.ai, you can easily see how workers are spending their time, which then helps you identify inefficiencies or areas that need to be optimized.

SkillSmart

SkillSmart’s compliance reporting and tracking software has excellent data and analytics tools to help you plan and manage project resources. SkillSmart InSight not only lets you track labor and compliance, it also provides real-time reports that cover payroll, contractor wage rates, and supplier tracking, among others.

LaborChart

Another useful tool for labor allocation, LaborChart has several features for managing your construction workforce. One particularly helpful tool is the software’s Labor Allocation feature, which gives you a visual representation of your labor pool based on projects, trades, regions, and more.

Proper Construction Resource Management is a Must

You can’t complete projects without the right workers, equipment, and facilities, which is why it’s critical to plan and allocate your resources effectively. So, take the time to understand each project’s needs then figure out the right resource allocation. To make things easier, use technology to automate various tasks and generate the necessary reports.

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The post Construction Resource Management: Tips and Tools for Success appeared first on Digital Builder.

Construction Services

Leading Construction Teams are Increasingly Adopting Autodesk Build

November 3, 2021 Gerri Nielson

Industry leaders such as APTIM, Barton Malow and Boldt are turning to Autodesk Construction Cloud’s project management and field execution solution to reduce risk, drive efficiencies and boost margins

San Francisco, Calif., July 27, 2021 – Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced that Autodesk Build, the project management and field execution solution of Autodesk Construction Cloud, is now being used on over 8,000 active customer projects across the globe since being made available in February 2021. Construction teams are increasingly turning to Autodesk Build to bolster quality, safety and cost management workflows, and connect project data across the construction lifecycle in a single solution that is easy to deploy, adopt and use.

Contractors and owners adopting Autodesk Build to connect their project teams, data and workflows include:

APTIM – an industrial construction, engineering and maintenance firm specializing in complex government, oil, gas, chemical and power projectsBarton Malow – a general contractor building commercial, institutional and industrial projects across North AmericaBoldt – a construction management firm building in the healthcare, industrial, commercial, food and beverage and renewable energy markets across the U.S.Burns & McDonnell – an engineering, construction and architecture firm working in the critical infrastructure sectors globallyPolytek – a Belgian construction project management and engineering building complex projects for pharmaceutical and food sector clientsPond – an engineering, architecture, planning and construction firm serving defense, government, corporate and private sector clients worldwideRobson Communities – a residential developer creating master-planned active adult resort communities across the southwestern US region

Autodesk Build unifies best-in-class features from BIM 360 and PlanGrid with powerful new capabilities to deliver a cloud collaboration environment where information sharing and workflows are both tightly-controlled and highly-configurable. The solution features collaborative workspaces for project, cost, quality and safety management, as well as field collaboration and project closeout, and ties them all together in a common data environment.

With the project management features available in Autodesk Build and its PlanGrid Build app, which is purpose-built for mobile field collaboration, teams can organize and connect on RFIs, submittals, meeting minutes and predictive insights, staying ahead of any issues that could result in project risks. Using the cost management toolset, teams can enhance collaboration with project owners and suppliers by bringing them into the system to review contracts, change orders and payment applications securely, with confidence that any of their sensitive information will be safeguarded.

“Managing information across various technology systems can be counterproductive, leaving our teams and data siloed and ultimately resulting in increased rework, delays and risks,” said Werner Herbots, CEO of Polytek. “To deliver our projects with excellence, it’s essential that we have a powerful construction management platform to stay connected and coordinated. Autodesk Build empowers us to manage all aspects of a project from one single location so our workflows for RFIs, submittals, change orders and other critical processes are all tightly connected, and the team can easily collaborate and track progress.”

“Cost management in Autodesk Build creates transparency by gathering financial activities in a central location to easily track status and see how a change order is progressing and impacting budget,” said Emily Rech, program manager at Pond. “With Autodesk Build, we can remove information silos and drive accountability across project teams.”

Autodesk Build empowers stakeholders across construction teams to stay in sync, enhance collaboration capabilities, mitigate risks and enable data-driven decision making by focusing on:

Single source of truth – Autodesk Build centralizes document management so teams can rely on a single source of truth for the latest project information and manage discussions around potential quality, safety, cost and schedule issues. Users only need one login and project administrators can control permissions for the various team members, trade partners and companies involved. Connected data and teams – Project stakeholders from multiple companies can connect in Autodesk Build for more efficient collaboration, ensuring everyone is in sync to minimize miscommunications and rework, and keep projects moving along schedule. With the ability to store all project data in one place and build integrations, teams can also connect their workflows throughout the lifecycle of a project, from design to operations. Predictive analytics and insights – Centralized data collection initiates a strong foundation for analytics across all workflows. Stakeholders can gain visibility into project- and operation-level insights that uncover risks, drive efficiencies and further boost profit margins.

“Bringing the entire project team together in Autodesk Build’s common data environment keeps everyone on the same page to minimize errors and the need for anyone to wonder, ‘Am I getting this right?” said Jim Lynch, senior vice president and general manager, Autodesk Construction Solutions. “Significant adoption for Autodesk Build in the five short months since it’s been available signals that teams across the industry are making strategic technology investments to maximize their ability to deliver high quality projects within budgets and timelines.”

About Autodesk

Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you’ve ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you’ve experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software. Autodesk gives you the power to make anything. For more information visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.

Media Contact

Niyati Desai
Autodesk
[email protected]

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, Autodesk Construction Cloud, BIM 360, and PlanGrid are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

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Construction Management

40 Under 40: Champions of Construction 2021

November 3, 2021 Gerri Nielson

These past 18 months have challenged contractors across the globe in more ways that anyone could have imagined. Managing pandemic disruptions and getting projects over the finish line has required a well-tempered balance of leadership, creativity, and innovation to solve incredibly challenging problems. If the resilience seen this year has shown construction professionals anything, it’s that this industry, and the people who work in it, are remarkable.

One of the greatest things about AEC is how many talented people contribute to a single project. It’s the people serving this great industry that we are here to celebrate. The people who continue to see opportunity where others see challenge, and should be recognized for a job well done in 2021. Whether you’re pouring concrete or tracking project costs, it’s a powerful thing when so many people can point to a single project and say, “we did that.” There’s nothing like AEC, and this year’s 40 Under 40: Champions of Construction have demonstrated their ability to inspire, educate, and advance the industry in ways worth admiring.

Every year, Autodesk receives hundreds of nominations for this program from across the globe, representing thousands of years of AEC industry experience. Narrowing the list down is not a task we take lightly, and I’m proud to share Autodesk’s 2021 40 Under 40: Champions of Construction

40 Under 40: Champions of Construction 2021

The list appears in alphabetical order by company/organization name. Click on a name to jump to the individual, or scroll on.

Nima Jafari, AmazonJustin Maryak, Auld & White ConstructorsKaty Johnson, Balfour Beatty ConstructionJonathon Feldotte, Barton Malow CompanyChristian Franz Hammerl, Bremer AGJessica Henri, Canadian Turner ConstructionGiana Morini, DPR ConstructionChristine Joy T. Asiatico, EEI CorporationAdolfo Gutierrez Sanchez, Ferrovial ConstructionChristian Paul, Gilbane Building CompanyDarrah Leach, Granger ConstructionIsabel Harlan, Hatch LTKKyle Spitznagel, Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction CompanyAndrew Cameron, Hensel PhelpsDwayne Jeffery, Howard S. Wright (a Balfour Beatty Company)Brady McKinney, Huston ElectricYoanna Ruseva, ISGMarcus R. Thomas, KEi ArchitectsAhmad ElMani, KEO International ConsultantsAmira ElSaeed, Khatib & AlamiYesenia Rivera Martinez, Largo Concrete, Inc.Jessica Allin, Ledcor Construction LimitedBrant Fischer, Messer ConstructionJay Mathes, Miron ConstructionEoin Prunty, O’Mahony Pike ArchitectsRyuji Taniguchi, Obayashi CorporationKarina Delcourt, OmicronLou Varni, Pankow BuildersSarah Watte, Phoenix Civil Engineering, IncCaleb Wohletz, Precision Precast Erectors, LLCMatthieu Desvignes, SanergyWilliam Senner, Skanska USAMark LaBell, SSOE GroupDerek Mosiman, SwinertonTimothy Jarvey, The Neenan CompanyMarcus Kratz, The Tri-M Group, LLCAdam Derx, The Walsh GroupKristopher Dane, Thornton TomasettiBetsy Bice, Truebeck ConstructionDakota Clifford, Virginia Department of Transportation

1. Nima Jafari

Senior BIM Manager
Amazon
Verona, New Jersey

Regarded as a pioneer of BIM technology at Amazon, Nima Jafari currently serves as the company’s Regional Senior BIM Manager, where he’s building the Emerging Technologies Department in Amazon TES from the ground up. Nima also plays an important role in building new distribution centers and sortation centers— a critical part of the business, particularly as Amazon continues to innovate and expand.

Nima is no stranger to BIM. Prior to Amazon, he was the Senior BIM-VDC Manager at Schiavone Construction Co. LLC, a firm that focuses on complex, fast-paced, and heavy construction projects like the award winning East Side Access Project (Grand Central Terminal) and 2nd Ave Subway expansion.

He’s tackled several impressive construction jobs throughout his career. He was the lead BIM Coordinator for the Hudson Yard project in Manhattan, Coordinated the MEP utilities for the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station Project (Washington DC), Science Building Rehabilitation in West Point and 86th Street Subway Station.

“He is never afraid of facing any kind of complications and finds solutions with minimal losses. In my opinion, he is the pioneer of BIM technologies for Amazon and I am sure it will only benefit his employer.”

2. Justin Maryak

Director of Project Management and Division Leader
Auld & White Constructors
Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Justin Maryak is the Director of Project Management and Division Leader at Auld & White Constructors (AWC), where he oversees the direction and leadership of project execution for the firm.

A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Justin is passionate about the AEC industry, and he strives to do what is best for his clients and community. Because of his leadership and dedication, Justin has quickly risen through the ranks of AWC.

With more than 17 years of experience, Justin has been instrumental in the success of a wide range of projects in the commercial, institutional, and healthcare sectors. The projects he has overseen have ranged from $150,000 to $33 million.

Some of the notable projects Justin has worked on include the Baptist Medical Center, the North Florida School of Special Education, and the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge at Mayo Clinic.

In addition to overseeing numerous projects, Justin has also been a champion of construction technology at AWC. He encouraged the firm to adopt new platforms that would enable teams to communicate better and resolve issues more efficiently. Because of his work, the teams at AWC have improved day-to-day productivity and have seen massive time savings.

“With his forward-thinking mindset, he continually explores innovative ideas and processes. Then, he incorporates those into best practices to empower his team to work more effectively and efficiently.”

3. Katy Johnson

Senior Construction Project Manager

Balfour Beatty Construction
San Diego, California

As the Senior Construction Project Manager at Balfour Beatty, Katy runs multiple projects at once. She ensures teams are aligned, clients are happy, and projects are delivered on time and within budget. Katy has done a tremendous job engaging clients and cultivating strong relationships that have resulted in securing long-term contracts. Her leadership skills, along with her professional yet engaging personality, make her a joy to work with.

Katy is incredibly dedicated, and she’s been with Balfour Beatty Construction for more than 15 years. She was an early employee at the company and one of her key accomplishments has been helping Balfour Beatty level up their construction technology.

In addition to overseeing projects, Katy is highly involved in initiatives that promote social good. She’s part of various internal groups within the organization, including the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, and notably a board member on both the Connecting Women and Building PRIDE affinity groups.

Katy’s drive, leadership, and compassion make her a truly inspiring figure not just in Balfour Beatty, but in the AEC industry.

“Katy has a very high level of patience and professionalism. She’s a helpful leader who pays attention to the needs of the team, the client, and the company. She also has a great sense of humor and the ability to turn difficult conversations into friendly ones.”

4. Jonathon Feldotte

Vice President of Preconstruction & Work Acquisition

Barton Malow Company
Southfield, Michigan

Jonathon started as a Project Engineer at Barton Malow and worked his way up to Vice President in just 10 years. He established new and innovative processes that helped the firm increase customer satisfaction and win more work. With his help, Barton Malow surpassed its revenue goals, despite the global pandemic. The industrial side of the business, which closed out 2019 at $750 million, generated $1.2 billion in 2020.

Jonathon is also a champion of technology, and he has led several digital transformation initiatives that enabled Barton Malow to keep up with the pace of change in the industry. Thanks to his leadership in the adoption of the latest construction technology, the firm is poised to remain on the cutting edge in a rapidly evolving industry.

Beyond his work in improving the technology and processes at Barton Malow, Jonathon cites employee development and community engagement as personal achievements. He’s helped create new jobs and enabled the firm to retain top talent by creating an environment where employees can thrive.

To top things off, Jonathon also leads Barton Malow’s volunteer efforts that support local workforce development and fundraising initiatives for charities in the area.

“Jonathon’s goal is to transform the image of the construction industry from one that over-promises and under-delivers to one that embraces technology and delivers quality work on budget and on time.”

5. Christian Franz Hammerl

VDC/BIM Manager

Bremer AG
Germany

As VDC/BIM Manager at Bremer AG, Christian leads a part of the firm’s innovation team in finding the right tech solutions, managing IT, and educating internal teams on how to leverage construction technology.

Chrisitan is currently executing his vision for digital transformation at Bremer. This year, he introduced and established a company-wide common data environment (CDE) that would enable teams and partners to have better access to information so they can stay in sync. For this purpose, he developed and programmed an interface website as middleware between many internal and external services, such as BIM360, in order to integrate them seamlessly into the historically grown IT infrastructure at Bremer.

He’s also working on several initiatives, including implementing technology across all construction sites for Bremer’s team and project leads, as well as improving collaboration through digital tools.

Christian is truly an asset at Bremer, and there’s no doubt that he will continue to take the company’s tech initiatives to new heights.

“Christian leads a part of the innovation team to evaluate solutions and manages the IT administration. He’s led the company through many different digital transformations and communicates his vision clearly.”

6. Jessica Henri

Project Manager

Canadian Turner Construction
Vancouver, British Columbia

Only one word comes to mind when colleagues describe Jessica: leader. As Project Manager at Canadian Turner Construction, she constantly steps into leadership roles both within the company and in the projects she oversees.

Jessica has been involved in various jobs, ranging from $20 to $60 million, and she’s also been part of three of Turner Vancouver’s largest projects to date.

She is known for supporting innovation and developing strong working relationships with clients, consultants, and contractors. Her teams are even recognized for being high-performing, cohesive, and innovative—a testament to her strong leadership style.

A great example of one of the challenging projects she has recently managed involved the construction of a new power plant for a local hospital. The project required a live and seamless switchover from an existing facility power plant to a newly constructed power plant without stopping or impacting hospital activities. Jessica was able to navigate the complex coordination between the hospital stakeholders, consultants, and trade contractors to deliver a successful project without impacting the hospital and its patients.

Jessica has demonstrated strong leadership and project management skills, which is why it’s no surprise that she’s been selected as the manager for these large, complex projects at her firm.

“Jessica’s top-tier technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, and organization, combined with the kindness, fairness, and diplomacy she demonstrates on a daily basis, make her one of the best champions of construction I’ve had the pleasure to work with.”

7. Giana Morini

National Operations Technology Leader

DPR Construction
Ashburn, Virginia

Supporting the AEC industry for more than 15 years, Giana uses her knowledge and skills to promote both innovation and social good across projects. Leveraging those skills she has built a career, currently serving as the National Operations Technology Leader at DPR Construction.

Giana started her career in civil and structural engineering, working on both domestic and international programs. For ten years she delivered significant projects, proving her construction prowess and gaining experience across the engineering and construction industry. During this time Giana also supported Engineers Without Borders USA where she oversaw a team of 25 to develop a water storage system for a village in northwestern Thailand. This combined experience provided the foundation for Giana’s transition into a technology and innovation role, where she focused on digitalizing the engineering and construction industry.

Today, at DPR, Giana works with multiple stakeholders across our organization to determine which technologies the company should invest in, adapt, and implement across the enterprise. She leads a continuously growing team that supports all field operations, self-perform work, risk, insurance, safety, and quality enterprise technologies.

Giana has already created a lasting impact at DPR, bringing processes and standardization to the way the organization evaluates and implements technology. Through her leadership, this team ensures DPR has cross-work group process alignment and takes a programmatic approach, strategizing to find and implement new technologies that ensure DPR’s implementation meets the needs of its customers. Her biggest accomplishment to date has been baselining the approach, so that DPR can provide consistent delivery with repeatable results for technology solutions and deployments. Giana is currently supporting DPR’s approach to evaluating Autodesk products to execute projects more efficiently.

Beyond her professional life, Giana is a proud wife and mother of two, soon to be three.

“Giana is deeply passionate about construction technology at a strategic level. Her level of detail and understanding (both high and low) of how each application connects or should connect blows me away. To me, she’s truly a champion for all user levels at DPR.”

8. Engr. Christine Joy T. Asiatico, MSCM

Group Supervisor

EEI Corporation
Metro Manila, Philippines

To say that Christine cares about the success of her teams through digital transformations would be an understatement. She recognizes that rolling out technology initiatives is 90% change management and 10% tech—and she’s adopted this mindset throughout her work.

Elaborating, Christine has led project teams in the development and implementation of digital collaboration workflows, thus helping EEI Corporation digitize its paper-based and manual processes.

Prior to taking on a key role as one of EEI’s “digital evangelists”, she had spent a majority of her career in EEI’s field operations and intimately understood the challenges of construction teams and the pain points around manual and paper-based workflows. This background enabled her to identify the process improvements that can provide tangible value to project delivery teams.

She also successfully developed a repeatable Common Data Environment (CDE) rollout plan. It clearly defines the roles of different stakeholders, the tools they need to use, and the change management activities that must be carried out at the job site.

In addition, Christine supervised a team of four (4) engineers in reviewing an entire library of paper-based project procedures and policies, replacing them with tech-enabled workflows to streamline projects and improve efficiency.

She and her team also train and educate end-users on how to use the technology they implement. They do a tremendous job engaging both digital natives and older generations, encouraging everyone to embrace the change, and the technology that comes with it.

Needless to say, Christine’s dedication to her projects and teams have helped EEI Corporation improve its processes, culture, and business as a whole.

“Engr. Asiatico’s impact has been widely felt across a very broad set of stakeholders in the organization. Her passion to see project teams succeed, and her effectiveness in developing implementation plans, have enabled her and her team to deploy digital collaboration workflows to five (5) ongoing projects.”

9. Adolfo Gutierrez Sanchez

Head of Digital Construction

Ferrovial Construction
Madrid, Spain

Adolfo is an expert in all things digital construction. He joined Ferrovial Construction as an Innovation Specialist in the HS Railway Department, and within five years, progressed to Head of Digital Construction at the company.

In a short span of time, he has become the go-to reference for all things digital in the company, including information management, BIM, technology, devices, data, IoT, and BI—focusing on the bidding, design and construction phases.

In his current role, he defines the digital construction strategy for Ferrovial and leads the integration of Office 365 with BIM implementation and Information Management. He’s also a SharePoint and Office 365 internal consultant and an expert in database management and ETL processes, data visualization, and standardization.

With a background in education, Adolfo also spent four years as a trainer at IDESIE Business School. There, he prepared specialized courses on BIM tools, project management, and coordination.

Because of his dedication as an educator, strategist and thought leader, Adolfo has emerged as a champion of, and authority in, digital construction.

“Adolfo is leading Digital Construction in one of the biggest construction companies of Spain, becoming a reference in the sector internationally.”

10. Christian Paul

Senior Project Manager

Gilbane Building Company
Atlanta, Georgia

With more than 16 years of experience handling day-to-day construction operations, Christian is a seasoned and highly knowledgeable Project Manager. Her key areas of proficiency include project planning and scheduling, engineering analysis, budget and cost control, and project quality assurance.

She’s a skilled communicator and has the ability to effectively interface with stakeholders on all levels within the AEC industry. So whether she’s dealing with Trade Contractors, vendors, consultants, or user groups you can rest assured knowing that Christian will deliver.

She is well-versed in projects related to K-12, higher education, and healthcare. Currently, she’s involved in the Georgia Tech Campus Center project and is working to facilitate a smooth collaboration between the design-build team and GT’s project team.

Beyond construction project management, Christian is passionate about guiding and educating others in the industry. She actively mentors through National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and Gilbane mentor-mentee programs. Plus, she has hosted numerous on-campus tours at Georgia Tech and served as a liaison to provide teaching and learning opportunities within the university’s building construction programs.

There’s so much to admire about Christian, and we’re positive that we’ll continue to see great things from her.

“Christian has been in the construction industry for 16 years and is dedicated to excellence, continuous improvement, and diversity within the industry.”

11. Darrah Leach

VDC Manager

Granger Construction
Lansing, Michigan

Darrah is Granger Construction’s VDC Manager and her colleagues commend her ability to learn quickly and manage multiple projects simultaneously. She actively champions technology at the company and works closely with different stakeholders to help explore the different tools they can utilize, as well as the benefits they could gain from adopting new solutions.

When she’s not encouraging teams to adopt technology, Darrah mentors Granger Construction’s interns. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and playing a part in advancing the careers of future VDC engineers.

Prior to joining Granger Construction, Darrah was a VDC and 4D Delivery Specialist at RockRidge Professional Services.

Darrah’s accomplishments, experience, and can-do personality make her a valuable member of Granger Construction’s team, and definitely a great addition to Autodesk’s 40 Under 40 list.

“Darrah has an insatiable hunger to grow personally and professionally. Her adaptability is a key strength and allows her to quickly adjust to emerging technology.”

12. Isabel Harlan

Civil Engineer and Project Manager

Hatch LTK
Boston, Massachusetts

Isabel is a champion for both technology and women. With nearly a decade of experience in the AEC industry, Isabel began her career in Kansas City with Burns & McDonnell as an Environmental Engineer focusing on water and wastewater treatment and distribution design.

Isabel then moved over to the construction industry in New York City as a Civil Engineering Estimator at the Spanish-based contractor, Dragados USA, and quickly grew into a successful Proposal Coordinator; working on proposals that won her company nearly $7.8B of work for projects involving tunneling, highway reconstruction, and rail transit design. She then pivoted her talents to the position of Engineering Coordinator with the Third Track Constructors Joint Venture for the $2.6 Billion Long Island Rail Road Expansion Project before finally landing with Hatch LTK in Boston.

As a Civil Engineer and Project Manager at Hatch LTK, Isabel is heavily involved with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Red and Orange Line Transformation Program in Boston, one of the largest infrastructure improvement programs in the Northeast. Through this Program, she is helping the MBTA implement a new audio frequency-based signals system, among other upgrades to the two rail lines, in order to improve system performance and reliability.

With her diverse background of skills, Isabel is able to approach the needs of transportation authorities from an integrated system level perspective. She has a keen ability to manage contract execution and optimize project delivery across various disciplines.

Isabel has continually demonstrated leadership in the industry by helping talented women pursue a path in construction and engineering; leading panels that tackle the issues women face in STEM-based careers. She is an active participant in the Diversity and Inclusion efforts within the Hatch LTK organization; focusing on empowering and enabling minoritized groups in the STEM community to break into the industry and reach leadership positions as well as educating her peers on issues minoritized communities face in and out of the workplace.

The construction field is fortunate to have people like Isabel. She enables the industry to be tech-forward and diverse—an excellent combination with the right advances in the right direction.

“Isabel has continually demonstrated leadership in the industry by pioneering technology initiatives within the organization. She has the fortitude to push technology and provide value to the client.”

13. Kyle Spitznagel

BIM Coordination Manager

Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company
Los Angeles, California

At Hathaway Dinwiddie, Kyle is known for being the biggest advocate for new and innovative technologies. During his 11 years at the company, Kyle has led virtual construction efforts for multiple award-winning projects, including Emerson College, USC Village, and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

Throughout his career, Kyle has been involved in over $2 billion worth of construction projects across California, spanning multiple industries, including higher education, pharmaceutical, healthcare, commercial offices, historic renovations, and institutional projects. He also works continuously to push the boundaries of what is possible – most recently by managing 38 different trade partners in the BIM coordination effort for a mega-project in Los Angeles, including the superstructure, interiors, exterior skin, MEP, and sitework components.

He also developed and implemented Hathaway Dinwiddie’s BIM Training Program, an intensive one-week crash course on construction solutions. He and his team have successfully used it to train every coordinator in the company since 2013.

Kyle cares deeply about giving back by educating students and future construction professionals. In his free time, he volunteers with industry groups that focus on education and partnership. Currently, he sits on the board of The Alliance, a foundation for interdisciplinary studies that supports the students and faculty at the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

He also speaks at industry conferences around the country, helping to mold future generations. Just this year, Kyle ran a series of interdisciplinary webinars for students to learn more about architects, engineers, and construction. Previously he has given lectures on best practices for incorporating BIM into construction contracts, how to get started with programming with the Revit API, and how Hathaway Dinwiddie uses Revit for estimating.

Kyle’s dedication to helping others learn and embrace technology shines through in everything he does. The construction professionals of today, and for many years to come, will benefit from his work.

“Kyle’s pursuit of innovation and commitment to pioneering the best and newest technologies has fundamentally changed the way we plan and execute our projects.”

14. Andrew Cameron

Project Manager

Hensel Phelps
San Francisco, California

Andrew has been with Hensel Phelps for over 12 years, starting as a summer intern and working his way up to Project Manager. His long list of construction projects include working as an intern on the Pentagon renovation, being a Field and Office Engineer on the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Washington DC, and serving as Project Manager for the renovation of San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1.

Andrew works to stay ahead of cutting-edge technology and is active within the AEC technology community using his knowledge to implement complex services and useful project workflows.

One example where Andrew demonstrated his technology skills and resourcefulness was during the COVID-19 pandemic. During a period of rapid change, he led the development and implementation of an employee tracking system to comply with San Francisco’s rules for COVID screening.

Andrew integrated solutions allowed the jobsite screeners to log arriving workers, administer a daily COVID questionnaire, and provide a personal tag indicating that people passed the screening process. Andrew’s solution helped ensure that people could come to work in a safe environment. The process the team adopted was so smooth that there was no discernable impact on worker productivity.

“Andrew is a highly engaged leader in our industry. His tireless energy is infectious. He truly leads by example.”

15. Dwayne Jeffery

Safety Director

Howard S. Wright (a Balfour Beatty company)
Seattle, Washington

As the Safety Director at Howard S. Wright, Dwayne manages the largest safety team out of all the U.S divisions of Balfour Beatty. He started at the company in February 2020 and moved into the role of Safety Director in June 2020, and in a short period of time, was able to implement policies and procedures that effectively keep teams safe and healthy.

Dwayne protected Howard S. Wright’s construction sites during riots in Seattle, and he proactively prepared the firm’s project teams for the extreme air pollution from the forest fires in the south of Washington.

Dwayne has over a decade of experience in the realm of health and safety. He was the Health and Safety Manager at Parsons Corporation, then moved on to Odebrecht Construction as the Senior Environmental Health Safety Manager Transportation Sector. He also served as Senior Manager for Environment Health Safety at Balfour Beatty US before moving to Howard S. Wright (also a Balfour Beatty company).

When he’s not upholding health and safety policies, you’ll likely see Dwayne mentoring his team. His colleagues appreciate Dwayne’s leadership and the fact that he makes time for each team member despite having such a busy schedule.

There’s no doubt about it: when it comes to health and safety, Dwayne’s reputation is something to admire.

“Dwayne has transformed the safety team. He supports each individual and promotes self-improvement. He’s a natural leader and mentor. Although he expects a lot, he always makes time for team building events and outings.”

16. Brady McKinney

Director, Electrical Contracting

Huston Electric
Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Brady proudly heads up the Electrical Contracting division of Huston Electric after starting as an intern ten years prior. He is applauded for continuing to push the envelope by taking an 80-year-old family-owned, electrical contracting business to the next level.

After coming back from a 2012 NECA show in Las Vegas, Brady saw incredible potential to deploy prefabrication technology in Huston’s operations. By integrating prefabrication and reworking the systems over the next several years, Huston was able to take back a great share of the multi-family, institutional dorm work over the last five years. This would not have been possible with Brady’s tenacity for innovation.

He has proven himself an asset and now runs a group of a dozen project managers and estimators across three office locations in Central Indiana. The technology he’s brought into Huston has been instrumental to the company’s success and is something they continue to develop and improve upon every day.

“Brady is a strong team member, a great leader, and ambassador for the next generation of Huston Electric. This will continue into the future as [he] is always looking for new ways to get better.”

17. Yoanna Ruseva

Senior BIM Manager

ISG
London, United Kingdom

Yoanna is a Senior BIM Manager at ISG. She’s part of a large in-house team that combines digital technology expertise with specialist built environment knowledge to optimise efficiencies across the lifecycle of construction and fit-out projects. Her MSc studies in Construction Project management have reinforced her strategic thought process in delivering above expectation and her understanding and importance of DfMA (pre-fabrication).

Yoanna is highly regarded for her ability to actively engage individuals at all levels of the business, sharing best practice solutions and tools that consistently drive ISG forward as a technology-led contractor. An Architectural Technology and Construction Management graduate from VIA University College, Yoanna utilises her previous consultant and main contractor experience to great effect as a champion of operational efficiency at every stage of the project process.

“Yoanna’s impact has been infectious to the point of teams requesting her on projects. A true integrator of people and technology.”

18. Marcus R. Thomas, AIA

Managing Principal

KEi Architects
Charlotte, North Carolina

When Marcus joined KEi Architects in 2019, the firm was already quite successful and had a reputation for being an award-winning, client-driven practice. Under his leadership, KEi Architects started gaining traction in new segments and localities, beginning to reshape the firms image.

Over the past fiscal year, Marcus secured projects that have required KEi to rethink how the firm produces, coordinates, and delivers professional services. He understands the value of his team and continually explores opportunities to leverage technology that will help them continue to perform at high levels.

Marcus strives to put the firm in the best position for growth by developing the company’s strategy, policy, core values, and long-term goals. He oversees KEI’s offices, maintains quality controls, and coordinates with the company’s officers to ensure profitability. Marcus coordinates KEi’s marketing strategy and sees to it that the firm is able to capitalize on opportunities for growth and marketplace expansion.

The fact that Marcus was able to achieve so much for KEi Architects in a short period shows how talent, when combined with drive, gets impressive results.

“Marcus’s acumen for business development and project delivery is beyond his years. This has begun to show in the types of projects the firm is involved with and the high caliber of his teams.”

19. Ahmad ElMani

BIM Manager

KEO International Consultants
United Arab Emirates

As BIM Manager at KEO International Consultants, Ahmad supports the company’s BIM teams and ensures that projects are delivered on time and according to KEO’s vision and digital strategy. He takes charge of the BIM task force and sees to it that VDC technologies are implemented consistently and adhere to the company’s BIM roadmap.

The people who work with Ahmad will tell you that he constantly pursues innovation and promotes design excellence, high standards, and delivery quality in everything he does.

Thanks to him, KEO’s processes, standards, and procedures are tightly aligned and unified. In fact, the company’s ISO 19650 kitemark certificate by BSI demonstrates this, and Ahmad played a significant role in its implementation and audit process.

It’s also worth mentioning that keeping KEO’s teams aligned is no easy feat, considering that the company has offices in 7 cities, 6 countries, and 2 continents. Not only that, but the firm collaborates with partners, clients, and consultants from all over the world. Under Ahmad’s guidance with verifying and administrating the right permissions, the company can ensure that stakeholders can access the necessary information and coordinate with one another.

Simply put, Ahmad is doing amazing things for his firm, and the results speak for themselves.

“Ahmad is a highly committed and hard working person who is leading a team of 180+ people in the implementation and management of BIM. He is helping our teams and clients by taking them from inspiration, through conceptualization to realization of planning, design and project delivery.”

20. Amira ElSaeed

Technology & Innovation

Khatib & Alami
Egypt

Amira looks after Technology & Innovation for Khatib & Alami, a multidisciplinary urban and regional planning, architectural and engineering consulting company.

She helped develop an auditing system that can monitor modeling quality issues automatically, thus streamlining the process for the teams at the firm. She also contributed to generative design approaches, which enabled the team to mass-produce models.

Amira also develops and implements technology to improve collaboration and information exchanges for BIM projects at Khatib & Alami. She’s someone with extensive knowledge of computer languages, and she uses that know-how to improve modeling approaches.

Because of her standout work, Amira was assigned to handle the process for all Khatib & Alami design centers—spread across three different countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

“Amira’s forward-thinking nature and passion for innovation helps Khatib & Alami work efficiently and deliver superior outcomes. By developing plug-ins, macros, and stand-alone programs, Amira is using innovative solutions for BIM and engineering disciplines.”

21. Yesenia Rivera Martinez

Senior BIM/VDC Engineer Manager

Largo Concrete, Inc.
Tustin, California

Yesenia is a Senior BIM/VDC Engineer Manager for Largo Concrete, Inc., one of the nation’s largest structural concrete contractors with over $600,000,000 in annual revenues with several offices in the United States.

She plays a pivotal role in the preconstruction process. In this position she works closely with the field teams and project executives. Yesenia’s role is to build computer models of the concrete frame that is to be constructed in order to minimize risks and issues before breaking ground.

She has an uncanny ability to dissect complex design documents and to provide clear construction details to the field supervisors. Yesenia’s efforts also enable the team to identify conflicts, mistakes, and potential problems. She coordinates the architectural, structural, and civil drawings. She submits clarification requests for the information that is lacking or where the design drawings are in conflict. Yesenia then works closely with the field teams to ensure they understand precisely how to use the Concrete Models of what they are to build.

Yesenia has helped Largo Concrete improve the level of service we provide to our customers, and this, in turn, has led to our continued growth. With Yesenia’s help, the teams at Largo Concrete are able to make decisions with greater confidence, increase production, and improve the quality of their work.

“Yesenia makes your job easier—and more successful—when she is part of your team.”

22. Jessica Allin

Senior Superintendent

Ledcor Construction Limited
Toronto, Ontario

Jessica is a skilled and experienced construction pro. In her role as Senior Superintendent at Ledcor Construction, she’s taking charge of an approximately $400 million project on airport grounds, coordinating with trades on site, while leading teams of her own.

She’s adept at identifying and resolving inefficiencies in construction processes and procedures and offers solutions to consultants and owners to improve design issues. Jessica also uses the latest technology to keep projects up to date, ensuring that Ledcor keeps up with industry demands.

Jessica’s colleagues also commend her management style. She leads all her projects with enthusiasm and a smile that encourages collaboration and keeps everyone motivated. When faced with stressful or difficult situations, Jessica is able to remain calm, thus helping teams find solutions quickly. In addition, she never fails to lift others up and promotes constant learning to all her staff.

Before joining Ledcor, Jessica served as Superintendent at Turner Construction Company. Prior to this role, she was Assistant Superintendent at EllisDon for five years.

Jessica’s superintendent skills, combined with her strong leadership abilities make her a fantastic addition to any AEC team.

“Jessica has the skill of bringing our team together and bringing the best out of us.”

23. Brant Fischer

Project Solutions Executive

Messer Construction
Cincinnati, Ohio, US

As the Project Solutions Executive for Messer Construction, Brant is hailed for his exceptional leadership, training capabilities, and rapid implementation of a massive, company-wide technology adoption.

In February of 2021, Brant started a pilot program for Messer to start using Autodesk Build. In an effort to get Messer and its clients onboarded with the new technology, Brant led an extremely in-depth “teardown” of the construction software to expedite the evaluation process. Within about 48 hours of sending his findings to colleagues, he had received pages and pages of feedback which would inform the company’s approach to adoption of key construction technologies. He even developed a grading scale to compare Messer’s current tools against popular market options.

Once the tools were graded, Brant had a good understanding of what Messer needed. He assembled a committee of 20 of the company’s top employees from all over the US, for a week-long in-depth look at all the tools to get direct feedback.

As a result of Brant’s research and rigorous QA/QC, Messer went ahead with a full company rollout of the committee’s recommended construction technologies across $1.6 billion in projects that started in June of 2021.

The Messer team now relies on Brant as the primary contact internally and externally for all questions, concerns, and feedback regarding Autodesk Build. He also leads training and onboarding for all new projects using the tool. His eye for detail and ability to inspire technology adoption is appreciated by his colleagues, the firm’s customers, and industry peers.

“In all my years, I have never been a part of such a well-organized, comprehensive, and effective evaluation. I’ve seen $50m GC’s struggle with this. Brant is an industry pioneer who has implemented or managed technology with a major impact on a project and their company.”

24. Jay Mathes

Virtual Construction Lead – Civil

Miron Construction Co., Inc.
Neenah, Wisconsin

Jay Mathes has a unique combination of an engineering background, project management experience, and a drive and passion for BIM. This unique combination is noticed by his Virtual Construction team as well as the craftspeople in the field. In his role as the Virtual Construction Lead – Civil at Miron Construction Co., Inc., Jay leads by example, helps establish best practices, manages workflows, and is continuously researching new technologies.

He recently led the BIM coordination on a large healthcare project that involved prefabricated MEP rack systems—a first for many of our partners. As a result of Jay’s leadership, the BIM coordination was completed and the prefabricated racks were installed with no issues, which saved the project considerable time and effort.

Jay is also a champion of construction technology, and he uses innovative tools to tackle various challenges at Miron. For example, he was part of an IPD project for a large healthcare client in Wisconsin. This project demanded an impossible timeline and extensive upfront coordination between the design and construction teams. Because of Jay’s efforts and utilization of technology, the project was not only completed in time, but considered a major success.

Because of his work ethic, drive, and leadership abilities, his teams have quickly identified Jay as an industry leader. Jay has become the “go-to VDC guy” for many of Miron’s high profile clients such as the Green Bay Packers, Fincantieri, and ThedaCare.

“Jay’s leadership has helped establish Miron’s Virtual Construction team as a pioneer in Wisconsin and the Midwest as it relates to VDC. He is continuously pushing the envelope when it comes to construction technologies.”

25. Eoin Prunty

Associate, Practice BIM Manager

O’Mahony Pike Architects
Dublin, Ireland

At O’Mahony Pike Architects, Eoin is considered the point person for implementation of BIM in recent years. Not only has he helped roll out the technology, but he sees to it that the firm stays up to date with the latest BIM standards and digital technologies.

Aside from leading a team of BIM Coordinators, Eoin empowers the entire team to adopt the right workflows to increase efficiencies across the variety of project types within the company.

Eoin’s work transcends the four walls of O’Mahony Pike Architects; the things that he has accomplished have influenced the industry in general. He’s a member of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland’s BIM subcommittee and has been a key person involved with standardizing BIM processes across the country.

Eoin’s colleagues also credit him for helping O’Mahony Pike Architects navigate the pandemic. He implemented cloud-based technology across the firm, allowing projects to move to the cloud immediately. Thanks to him, the company was able to streamline its processes throughout the entire project lifecycle.

Eoin has clearly added tremendous value through his work. As long as there are people like him, the AEC industry will continue to make strides in construction tech.

“Eoin has been the main person responsible for the implementation of BIM over the last few years and ensures that the company always remains up-to-date with the latest BIM standards and digital technologies. Aside from this, he is extremely professional, patient, and kind. Overall, is a wonderful person to work with.”

26. Ryuji Taniguchi

Technology & Innovation Lead

Obayashi Corporation
Tokyo, Japan

Ryuji is the Technology & Innovation Lead for Obayashi Corporation. Ryuji has been with Obayashi Corporation for over 15 years and has a deep understanding of BIM and the construction industry. His skillset covers various disciplines, including design, architecture, and software development.

BIM modeling, which involves huge amounts of data, requires strict rules for element classification. He built a classification process as a BIM modeling solution in which the elements are gradually subdivided over time. Thanks to his contribution, Obayashi Corporation’s BIM runs as a BIM which is easy to change and from which data can always be extracted.

On the other hand, one of the challenges that arise in the use of BIM is to ensure that the correctness of the information contained in the model is conveyed. To solve this problem, Ryuji devised a way to integrate Level of Development management into the modeling process and succeeded in its systematization. This system enables accurate and rational communication to confirm the correctness of input information.

Obayashi Corporation released this system as “Smart BIM Connection” in 2021 with the conviction that it would help all BIM users.

Ryuji unveiled this concept at Autodesk University 2020 and won the Top Speaker Award in the On-Demand Video Session APAC Region.

He is also learning data management skills in manufacturing industries such as Bill of Materials (BOM) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), and one of his goals is to redefine BIM from a broad perspective.

“Ryuji is a rare person, with a perspective that embodies the benefits that BIM brings to the construction industry.”

27. Karina Delcourt

Digital Integration Manager

Omicron
Vancouver, British Columbia

Karina is the Digital Integration Manager for Omicron where she facilitates the firm’s digital transformation initiatives. When Omicron’s CEO challenged the company to embrace technology in 2018, she more than rose to the challenge.

She helped digitize the firm’s practices by overseeing the rollout of technology to support adoption by the entire team. With her steady guidance, everyone from both the office and field had a single source of truth for project data, as well as tools to manage costs, budgets, and schedules.

Karina also handled the cultural changes required in digital transformation. She stepped up as an advocate and liaison between leadership and business units. She would provide ongoing support and training on technology to ensure that everyone is on board any time changes are made. This involved process groups and technical deep dives, governance committees, and business case development.

In addition, Karina made sure that everything the team did was measurable. She identified the right performance metrics and used BI and analytics tools that gave the team access to information about KPIs and project updates. She then leveraged the development of Omicron KPIs to win work through business development efforts.

Karina and the Omicron team have worked on high-profile projects all over western Canada. A few noteworthy jobs include The James at Harbour Tours, The SAP “Remainland” Project at SAP Vancouver, First West Credit Union Head Office, Molson Coors Fraser Valley Brewery and more.

Her ability to develop and execute measurable digital transformation initiatives is admirable and there’s no question that she’s an asset to any team.

“Karina’s passion is in how things get done. She has been instrumental in transforming the way Omicron designs, develops, and builds.”

28. Lou Varni

VDC Manager

Pankow Builders
San Francisco, California

As VDC Manager at Pankow Builders, Lou works to improve the company’s coordination and issue tracing procedures. His work has made a significant impact on numerous big-ticket projects, including the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 1951 Harbor Bay Parkway in Alameda, 500 Broadway in Santa Monica, Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar, and 550 O’Farrell in San Francisco.

One example in which Lou’s work shines can be seen in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music project, which involved collaboration between Mark Cavagnero Associates and the Pankow Builders. The teams had to deal with challenging constraints, and overcoming them required close coordination between all members of the design and construction teams.

Lou’s efforts in improving the coordination process enabled the team to identify and resolve over 850 constructability issues ensuring that the design would fit, function, and meet the design intent set forth by the Cavagnero team. Nevermind the avoidance of costly rework down the road. The BIM coordination process allowed the team to prefabricate many of the larger MEP systems from the model ensuring better accuracy and a more efficient install.

Because of Lou’s commitment to improving processes in the company—and the industry as a whole—the teams he works with, and the projects they tackle, are incredibly successful.

“Lou demonstrates a commitment to improve the industry by searching for better ways to design and build. He is not satisfied by the status quo, he leans on innovation to help tackle some of the industry’s biggest challenges during design and coordination”.

29. Sarah Watte, PE

Associate Civil Engineer

Phoenix Civil Engineering, Inc
Santa Paula, California

Sarah is an Associate Civil Engineer at Phoenix Civil Engineering, where she develops project plans for a wide range of jobs, including water and wastewater infrastructure, road improvement, stormwater management, agricultural facilities, and more. She’s well-versed in construction management and site inspection. She’s also skilled in design optimization, value engineering, and cost estimating.

As part of a small office, Sarah is engaged in all aspects of Phoenix’s civil engineering projects from design to construction observation. People love working with Sarah because she’s supportive and dependable. She’s an astute field engineer and team members can rely on her to work with contractors and make real-time field decisions.

When she’s on the field, Sarah doesn’t hesitate to share her ideas on how to streamline processes and communication between the site and office teams.

And when the company decided to adopt a new project management platform, Sarah stepped up to test the program and ensured that it worked well for Phoenix Civil Engineering. She is a true team player and makes life easier for everyone she works with.

“Sarah is never afraid of getting her hands dirty or tackling a new challenge. Sarah exhibits professionalism and confidence while in the field and has earned the respect of the construction teams she has worked with. Not only is she a great engineer, but she is also friendly, welcoming and vibrant.”

30. Caleb Wohletz

Operations Leader

Precision Precast Erectors, LLC
Post Falls, Idaho

Caleb is an inspiring example of someone who has worked their way to the top. Throughout his AEC journey, Caleb continues to demonstrate admirable values in the form of strong leadership, hard work, and resilience.

His first job included hands-on labor for an architectural sheet metal fabrication company. He also received mechanical experience working with CNC machinery doing maintenance repairs, swapping out parts, and ensuring the equipment ran smoothly.

In 2012, he was hired at Precision Precast Erectors (PPE), where he joined the Local 14 Ironworkers Apprenticeship Program and became a journeyman steelworker.

Caleb continued to add to his skill set by learning how to successfully manage projects and people. In 2015, he realized the importance of technology in construction and developed PPE’s IT initiative. The firm started adopting various construction software, and Caleb oversaw the use of these programs for various projects.

Because of his accomplishments, Caleb was promoted to a General Superintendent position, and then to Operations Manager a year later. Today, his responsibilities include project planning and scheduling, as well as collaborating with GCs, clients, and suppliers to ensure that projects are all completed on time and within budget.

Caleb also demonstrated strong, and much-needed leadership skills amidst the pandemic. He implemented various procedures that enabled teams to work remotely with minimal disruption. And for those who had to come into the office, they were able to do so safely, thanks to Caleb’s guidance.

Fast forward to 2021, and PPE continues to thrive—with many thanks to Caleb’s meaningful contributions.

“Caleb’s work ethic is noticed by all employees, and they recognize that Caleb values their time. He truly leads with a servant’s heart.”

31. Matthieu Desvignes

Project Execution Lead

Sanergy
Nairobi, Kenya

Matthieu is a Project Execution Lead at Sanergy, an insightful and promising organisation in Kenya providing sanitation and waste management solutions for these booming cities. There he empowers his colleagues to embrace innovation by championing, training, and upskilling users on construction solutions. His colleagues praise his ability to read the room and nurture relationships that foster success.

As a result of his hard work and intuition, the teams at Sanergy are able to collaborate more effectively with much smoother processes.

Matthieu’s construction education and career have taken him all over the world. From his engineering school ESTP in Paris to his first internship as a Production and Process Engineer at the Canadian company Lassonde Inc. in Montreal, and followed by a Site Foreman Trainee role at Colas, a road construction firm in France. He then worked as a Safety Department Research Assistant at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he studied his Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Management.

After graduating in 2014, he moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to take on his first managerial role in Safety, Quality, Environment for 2 years within VINCI Construction before moving back to France to develop an Operational Excellence branch within the same company.

In 2021, he moved again to Nairobi, Kenya this time to start working as the Project Execution Lead at Sanergy.

Matthieu’s diverse and global experience has allowed the development of high-value people skills—ones that enable personal and professional prosperity.

“Matthieu takes on construction challenges head-on without fear, making use of tools available to him to ensure quality, safety, and performance.”

32. William Senner

Vice President – Preconstruction

Skanska USA
Durham, North Carolina

Will is the epitome of being data-driven in construction. He invested heavily in the continuous development and improvement of Skanska Metriks, the company’s proprietary benchmarking tool, which has driven analytical insights to improve cost certainty for clients and facilitated enhanced collaboration with our design partners.

Metriks arms teams with the data they need to fully understand projects, enhancing their ability to find value added solutions and optimize designs. It also helps teams develop with more accurate estimates by drawing insights from detailed data on similar historical projects. Will understood just how valuable the tool could be for Skanska, and he championed it’s development and use within the company.

He is a true early adopter, not just with technology, but also when it comes to finding creative approaches to the same old problems. According to his colleagues, he quickly becomes a “superuser” of new techniques, and walks his team through the integration process to ensure they are comfortable and set up to succeed.

He also excels in leadership roles. He prioritizes his staff’s wellbeing and goes out of his way to check on each individual to ensure they’re happy, engaged, and understand the value and purpose of their day-to-day efforts. A simple thing, and because of this, Will has garnered widespread respect among the teams that he works with.

“Will has been an impactful and driving force. He uses data and new technology adoption to improve workflows, and adds value for clients in areas such as enhanced cost certainty.”

33. Mark LaBell

Head of Innovation

SSOE Group
Detroit, Michigan

As Head of Innovation at SSOE Group, Mark has organized, delegated, and tracked the firm’s digital transformation initiatives.

Most notably, he led a team of AEC practitioners through a massive change management and process improvement. This was no easy feat, as it involved upending legacy methods and bringing 1,100 engineers, architects, designers, and clients into a digital platform—and the effort was worth it. It gave SSOE a more transparent and data-rich environment that everyone now benefits from.

Beyond this, Mark also implemented advanced Reality Capture practices into the company’s BIM environments. Over 50% of SSOE’s projects involve renovation, so Mark’s initiatives have transformed the company’s deliverables, advanced output quality, and expedited complex project schedules. The work of the many passionate change agents across the SSOE organization, along with Mark’s technical creativity, has sped up the process of using Reality Data in new and exciting ways for our clients. This has led the teams to work with several leading technology solution providers in the reality capture space to bring best practices and cutting edge solutions to market faster than our competition.

While other companies spent time remodeling scan data, Mark aggressively capitalized on speed, quality, and technology integration, thus delivering a better experience to the firm’s clients. Today, Reality Data is a key component in many of SSOE clients’ Digital Twin experiences and redefining deliverables required to accelerate start-up of new production lines.

“Mark’s commitment to advancing technology, people, and process is unparalleled in the industry.”

34. Derek Mosiman

Director of Special Projects

Swinerton
Atlanta, Georgia

Derek Mosiman is the Director of Special Projects at Swinerton, a general contractor that provides commercial construction and management services throughout the United States. He champions the use of innovative technology in construction as a way to increase value for clients and is always looking for ways to improve processes and gain operational efficiencies. Starting with Swinerton as a Project Engineer over eleven years ago, Derek’s strong leadership, focus on accountability, and forward-thinking attitude have positioned him well as Director of Special Projects.

A key accomplishment for Derek over the last several years has been leading Swinerton’s Atlanta Division towards greater market diversity. As a result the team has experienced significant growth and has expanded its reach to include corporate interiors, aviation, healthcare, industrial, hospitality, multifamily, commercial office, and senior living.

A proven leader and innovator, Derek has made his mark on Swinerton, and he’ll undoubtedly continue to accomplish great things in the future.

“We are a young group that’s constantly inspired by Derek’s leadership and work ethic. He challenges and empowers us to be better versions of ourselves every day and we are grateful for it.”

35. Timothy Jarvey

Superintendent / Regional Safety Manager

The Neenan Company
Fort Collins, Colorado

Tim goes above and beyond his role as Superintendent and Regional Safety Manager at The Neenan Company. In addition to running day-to-day operations on construction projects, Tim strives to be an advocate for training and technology adoption.

He set up learning paths for field staff through LinkedIn Learning and helped establish the firm’s drone program by becoming Neenan’s first FAA-licensed Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) pilot—something that would allow him to better leverage drones for the company’s projects. On top of that, he participated in document control subcommittees, took an active role in the safety department, and trained the field staff on the use of Trimble robotic total stations.

He also advocated for standardization across projects with the use of technology, thus improving efficiency across the organization.

Tim continued to shine throughout the pandemic. He implemented better ways to communicate and ensured that the company’s processes were consistent. He helped transition the firm away from disconnected systems, instead implementing a platform to improve collaboration across the different business units.

As a result of Tim’s hard work, The Neenan Company’s teams are able to work more productively and deliver stronger outcomes.

“Tim has gone the extra mile to take his knowledge from the field, and work across disciplines, to help our company grow.”

36. Marcus Kratz

Director of Electrical Construction

The Tri-M Group, LLC
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Marcus is currently the Director of Electrical Construction at The Tri-M Group, a firm that has been providing electrical and facility solutions for more than 50 years. In his role, Marcus has helped Tri-M streamline its construction operations, manpower efforts, and prefabrication production. Thanks to his efforts, the company’s estimating team can now work more cohesively.

Marcus also spearheaded the firm’s technology adoption, helping Tri-M migrate its drawing management system to more advanced construction platforms. Thanks to his passion for establishing efficient techniques and processes, the teams at Tri-M are able to be more data-driven and collaborative across an entire project lifecycle, from estimating to closeout.

He has been with the company for over five years. Prior to Tri-M, Marcus was an Electrical Engineer and Project Manager at Electrical Design Build Inc. He has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Temple University.

More than just an AEC professional, Marcus is an excellent leader with a strong drive to improve and innovate.

“Marcus’ data-driven approach and appreciation for the future of the construction industry has positioned Tri-M to be a leader moving forward.”

37. Adam Derx

Senior BIM and Construction Technology Manager

The Walsh Group
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

As Senior BIM and Construction Technology Manager at The Walsh Group, Adam oversees the company’s National Building Group – Federal East division working on close $1B worth of current projects in various stages of design and construction up and down the east coast. Aside from leading a team of his own, he makes it a point to assist and educate members outside of his division to help elevate their knowledge and skill sets.With a passion for teaching, Adam strives to expand BIM and construction technology solutions to everyone at his company and encourage best practices throughout the industry.

With over 17 years in the AEC industry, Adam has a background in Architecture from Alfred State College. Adam spent the first part of his career working for 3di Architecture, who were the second firm in Buffalo NY to adopt Revit as their main design tool, before making the move to the construction side with The Walsh Group for the last 10 years. At Walsh, Adam started off as an on-site field BIM expert on the $120M Iowa State Penitentiary project, where he coordinated 12 buildings and led the team to deliver an LOD500 Facilities Management BIM.

Since then Adam moved to an office management role and became the Sr. Construction Technology Manager for his group. He has worked on numerous projects for both public and private clients with similar high level BIM to FM deliverables, and is an expert at various BIM data requirements including COBie, eOMSI, FAA, and USACE BIM standards. Additional notable projects include American Greetings Headquarters in Cleveland, Charlotte NC Air Traffic Control Tower, C-17 Hangar for Pittsburgh Air Force Reserve, along with many other offices, mixed-use developments, schools, aircraft hangars, and other DOD facilities.

Spearheading the implementation of construction technologies for his group, Adam led his team to early adoption of many common tools such as Revit cloud collaboration, cloud-based model coordination solutions, and all other tools now included in the Autodesk Construction Cloud. Implementing Revit models in the cloud 7 years ago became an integral part of how his team operates and communicates across the country. Using Revit and BIM 360 Collaboration, connecting the Pittsburgh office to job sites and other offices all over the east coast, was already standard operating procedure for Adam and his group; so when the pandemic hit last year, his team did not miss a beat and were able to work from anywhere.

Adam also focuses on the importance of the “I” in BIM, and has transformed that passion for information into leveraging data analytics to help manage, maintain and audit projects. Because of this, Adam’s team is able to meaningfully increase the productivity, quality and safety of its projects while providing his clients exceptional services.

Adam’s dedication and work ethic shine in everything he does, and this makes him an excellent addition to this year’s 40 Under 40 list.

Adam is a relentless pioneer in the BIM/VDC space. He constantly seeks to understand, develop and improve industry standards as well as educate and enable those around him to be better equipped for the future of the industry.”

38. Kristopher Dane

Vice President and Director of Digital Design

Thornton Tomasetti
Seattle, Washington

Kristopher is VP and Director of Digital Design at Thornton Tomasetti, where he leads a team that’s charged with improving BIM workflows across the company’s 40+ offices.

Colleagues applaud Kristopher and his team for delivering on two major standardization efforts: design documentation standards and data integration standards. The former simplifies the day-to-day tasks of Thornton Tomasetti’s designers, while the latter helps the company unlock corporate data and improve data visualization.

In his role, Kristopher also helps direct strategic investments in future technology, ensuring that Thornton Tomasetti stays competitive in the years to come. He coordinates the firm’s research and development group and represents Thornton Tomasetti as a thought leader in external organizations such as the Engineering Executive Council, AISC BIM Guide Development group, and the SEI Digital Design Committee. Kristopher also serves as the BSI technical expert representing the UK.

In addition to his firm-wide technology work, Kristopher has supported major projects including Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, where he was responsible for collecting and consolidating laser scans to support the existing building assessment ahead of the $1-billion historic building renovation. Kris also developed a Revit add-in that allowed the geotechnical team to automate the modeling of hundreds of tiebacks in the 3D model to aid in design coordination and construction sequencing.

Kristopher’s leadership was largely felt and appreciated during the pandemic. He advocated for developing solutions that would help the firm’s design teams transition to remote work while continuing to drive progress on key initiatives.

“Kristopher is a key technology leader at Thornton Tomasetti. He leads the Digital Design team that bridges between design practices, corporate information technology, and the CORE research and development group.”

39. Betsy Bice

Director of Preconstruction

Truebeck Construction
Portland, Oregon

Betsy has an accomplished tenure in the industry, and has risen to Director of Preconstruction ahead of most. As Head of Preconstruction at Truebeck, she and her team have earned the reputation of always providing top-tier preconstruction services. As such, she continues to win projects and grow opportunities in the Portland market.

Aside from overseeing preconstruction at Truebeck, Betsy is a co-leader in the day-to-day operations of the firm’s newest regional construction office in Portland, which has continued to thrive since its opening.

She’s a leader at Truebeck’s internal Women in Construction events and often represents the company at speaking engagements and market events.

Prior to managing Portland, Betsy impressively managed preconstruction for some of the most complex projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. This includes Twitter’s Headquarters in Market Square, Uber’s Mission Bay HQ, and the Alexandria Real Estate Equities Center for Life Science in San Carlos.

With such an impressive work history, Betsy will undoubtedly continue to do great things in the realm of preconstruction. We’re looking forward to seeing what she accomplishes next.

“Betsy has become a well-respected expert in the construction industry, a mentor and coach to a highly effective team, and has worked tirelessly to create more opportunities and benefits for women in the construction industry.”

40. Dakota Clifford, PE

Senior Construction Engineer

Virginia Department of Transportation
Richmond, Virginia

Dakota serves as a Senior Construction Engineer at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), where he implements new construction technologies for the organization.

People who work with Dakota will tell you he’s been integral to VDOT’s rollout of their digital initiatives—known internally as eConstruction—over the past four years.

After personally researching and evaluating over two dozen potential solutions for digitizing VDOT’s procedures, he carefully managed several pilot programs across the Commonwealth of Virginia to determine the efficacy of each solution before ultimately working to implement a successful tablet-based inspection program.

Dakota also trained over 450 construction personnel throughout the Commonwealth, both in person and through a series of innovative webinars that walked personnel through the technology.

Aside from his responsibilities around technology implementation, Dakota also works as part of VDOT’s construction divisions project controls and construction management teams. He oversees change order management, contract claims defense, quality assurance audits, and safety and environmental compliance, among other things. He is a graduate of Old Dominion University and earned his Professional Engineering License in the spring of 2021.

Thanks to Dakota’s leadership and deep understanding of construction technology, he’s brought VDOT’s eConstruction program to life while upskilling much of the workforce the program relies on.

“Dakota has been an integral part of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s eConstruction rollout. His leadership has significantly accelerated the delivery of the program.”

Continued celebration for Champions of Construction

Autodesk’s 40 Under 40 Champions of Construction list is so much more than a roundup of admirable AEC professionals. It highlights key insights from respected leaders that, as an industry, we can all learn from.

One of the persistent themes from this year’s class is the importance of education when it comes to construction technology. Investing in technology, and training people how to use it, can do wonders for an organization. It can unlock productivity gains, improve collaboration, and help you deliver better outcomes.

Another key learning? The AEC industry is filled with intelligent, resourceful, and innovative individuals. Many stood against the challenges of this past year and proved to themselves, their companies, and the industry that resilience is alive and well.

That’s a wrap on Autodesk’s 40 Under 40 Champions of Construction 2021! We hope you enjoyed getting to know the individuals on this year’s list. If you’d like to revisit last year’s Construction Champions list, you can do so here

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The post 40 Under 40: Champions of Construction 2021 appeared first on Digital Builder.

How to Build Your Construction Tech Stack

Fact: technology and app usage is growing in the construction industry. According to the 2020 JBKnowledge ConTech Report, 22% of respondents indicated using six or more construction apps, up from 20.1% in 2019.

While the abundance of apps in construction is certainly a sign of progress (particularly with some reports that the industry is lagging in digital transformation), having lots of tools can be both a blessing and a curse.

Having too many choices when it comes to what tech to use can get overwhelming. It’s not easy to figure out which solutions to adopt, especially amidst growing teams and increasingly complex workflows.

Then there’s the challenge of ensuring that your technology decisions align with your high level business strategy and goals.

Finding and implementing the best construction tech is a tall order, but it’s something that you can accomplish if you take the time to build your construction technology stack — which is exactly what we’ll tackle in this post. The paragraphs below will shed light on actionable and expert-backed insights that can help you come up with the perfect tech stack for your company.

What is a Tech Stack?

A tech stack is a collection of apps and digital tools that are all used to serve a particular business function.

For example, sales teams or organizations can have a tech stack to facilitate the sales process. Teams could have an app for prospecting, another app for setting appointments, and a tool for tracking deals in the pipeline.

The same thing applies to construction professionals. There are apps that aid multiple components of a project, whether it’s design, estimating, building, or closing.

In some cases, the different tools in a tech stack can work together automatically (i.e. they’re integrated with each other or they’re all part of the same platform). Other times, apps are used in isolation and function as point solutions that simply address a specific area or need.

In today’s landscape, the former is infinitely better than the latter. Apps that are tightly integrated make data exchange between solutions much more seamless, allowing them to be interoperable.

This brings us to our next point…

What is Interoperability and Why Does It Matter?

Interoperability is the ability of computer programs to exchange information with each other. Interoperability is essential to a successful construction technology stack, because it makes it easier for you to access data and insights — so you can then put them to good use.

When you’re using a variety of construction applications, getting them to seamlessly integrate and share information will help you gain a better understanding of your projects, which leads to well-informed decisions.

Interoperability within construction apps also helps teams be more efficient. Nathan Wood, Chief Enabling Officer at SpectrumAEC, said it best

“Interoperability means the ability for different project delivery stakeholders to effectively communicate and streamline information flow between one another, which is essential in the digital age of construction. Data insights will be hard to come by if you don’t first solve the interoperability dilemma. It’s about bearing down and investing the time necessary to build common language and optimize workflow, allowing teams to break down data silos and build them back better with the appropriate integrations and security protocols.”

How to Build Your Construction Tech Stack

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of technology stacks and why interoperability is important, let’s look at the steps you should take to successfully build a construction tech stack that works for you.

Create Your Strategy

The most important business decisions start at the top. Implementing technology throughout a company will be an uphill battle without 100% buy-in from the firm’s leaders.

As such, the company’s leadership team must be aligned behind a common goal and everyone should understand how technology can help the firm execute on its objectives.

What’s the role of tech in the overall business strategy? How much should be spent on the business’ tech stack and what’s the expected ROI? When those at the top have clear answers to these questions, it’s much easier to communicate and empower the rest of the organization to find and implement solutions.

Have the Right Team and Processes in Place

The term “people, process, and technology” is popular in the business world for a good reason: these three components must be closely linked to successfully execute in today’s modern environment.

Even the most powerful technology solutions will fall short without the right teams and processes.

So, consider having a dedicated team to oversee your technology strategy.

The construction firm Kraus-Anderson, for instance, set up the Business Technology Investment Committee (BTIC), a group that includes the company’s President, Head of IT, Head of Finance, EVP of Operations, General Council and President of Realty.

According to Tony Peleska, Kraus-Anderson’s VP and Head of Information Technology and Digital Transformation, the BTIC created a process “to review and monitor decision points for success.”

This process, says Tony, includes steps like conducting technology requests and self-assessments, developing a business case for the technology, and creating a comprehensive IT project plan.

This process allows the teams at Kraus-Anderson to not only evaluate and implement technology in the company, it also helps them track the technology’s performance and measure ROI.

See if you could adopt similar practices in your organization by assigning a team to oversee your tech stack and developing processes for technology requests and implementation.

Build the Right Foundation

The best way to achieve interoperability within your tech stack is to have various tools integrated with a connected construction platform

Think of a connected construction platform as the foundation on which your tools, teams, and workflows can function. It connects all these components together and provides a common data environment, so information flows smoothly across the entire project lifecycle.

With a connected construction platform, people, processes, and technologies can stay aligned at all times, paving the way for higher levels of efficiency, smarter decisions, and ultimately better project results.

Identify Gaps and Needed Workflows

When deciding on what to include in your tech stack, it helps to identify gaps and redundancies that you can address with technology.

Start by listing out all the tools and processes that you’re using. From there, you’ll be able to surface gaps by finding the parts of your processes where tools don’t connect. For example, if there’s a step where you need to manually enter data from one app to the next, then you know that there’s an integration gap between the two solutions.

You may also find redundancies — instances where two apps are essentially accomplishing the same thing or are requiring you to complete unnecessary actions or tasks. For example, you could be sharing and storing duplicate documents in several places without a clear connection, when it’s more efficient to just have a single source of truth.

Look for Open APIs and Fine-Tune Integrations

At this stage, you may already have a platform in place. Pieces of your tech stack have started to come together, but you likely still rely on other niche applications to fill in the gaps.

When looking for components to add to your technology stack, set your sights on applications with open APIs or existing integrations with your current solutions. This will make it easier to connect the various software that you’re using, so you can get the most out of them.

As mentioned earlier, softwareintegrations pave the way for data to automatically flow across your entire tech stack. This eliminates the need for manual entry, which reduces errors and data loss.

Bringing It All Together

As the construction industry continues to evolve and transform, having a solid tech stack will help you keep up and remain competitive.

To accomplish this, you need to start with a compelling high-level strategy and get buy-in from your organization’s leaders. It’s also helpful to have dedicated teams and processes around technology implementation.

Finally, it’s important to choose solutions that can function in a common data environment, so that your data, workflows, and teams can stay connected.

By taking these steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating a technology stack that serves your organization for years to come.

The post How to Build Your Construction Tech Stack appeared first on Digital Builder.

7 Things to Know About the Sustainable Future of Construction

There have been warning signs in the construction sector for years. The industry creates high levels of physical and digital waste, with 10-15% of materials wasted on every build

Construction and the built environment account for nearly 38% of all energy-related carbon emissions around the world. And what’s more, we’re battling low productivity and a growing skills shortage. From an environmental, social and economic perspective, it’s simply not sustainable.

But crucially, there’s greater appetite for change in construction than ever before. At two events, London Build and the Festival of Digital Construction, panellists came together to discuss the opportunities for change in the industry.

7 key takeaways on the future of sustainability in construction

1. Incremental change won’t cut it: we need a paradigm shift

The construction industry has been doing the same things for a long time. According to Dale Sinclair, Director of Innovation, EMEA at AECOM, you have to look to the beginning of the twentieth century for the last major innovations like steel and drywall. “If you think about the Empire State Building and the speed it was constructed, that would still be impressive today,” he noted.

Many of the recent improvements in the industry have focused on optimising traditional approaches – but with pressures like the climate crisis and population growth, we need more radical change. As Jaimie Johnson, Head of Global Systems at Bryden Wood put it, “We can’t use traditional techniques to meet population growth. We’ll kill the planet before we house the planet.”

The construction industry will have a huge impact on the future of the build environment, affecting the lives of people hundreds of years from now – as Emilia Hagberg, Senior Sustainability Manager at Skanska, explained. Whatever lens you use, it’s time for construction to do something fundamentally different.

2. There’s a carrot, as well as a stick, for improving sustainability

Companies are facing very real commercial pressures to become more sustainable. Investors want to know that companies are dealing with the risk of climate change, by adapting their business models. There’s greater public and government pressure, which may result in binding regulations.

And critically, owners are beginning to demand greater sustainability, from construction through to operations. Tom Blankendaal, Project Manager, Circular Economy at BAM, shared a story of working with a Dutch bank to create a more sustainable design. “We eventually redesigned the whole project with a trade-off matrix on different sustainability factors, such as energy usage, circularity and total cost of ownership. In the end, we made some very radical design decisions.”

There are also commercial benefits. As Dr Bonahis Oko, Sustainability, Carbon and Environmental Lead at Bouyges Energy Services explained, companies should recognise this “carrot” as well as the “stick.” “Sustainability measures often drive greater efficiency on projects: for example, reducing mistakes also reduces waste. It’s important to look ahead too. Think of sustainability as a factor in the future of the business: an R&D investment rather than just an obligation to fulfil.”

3. True sustainability accounts for the whole life of an asset, so adaptability matters

For a meaningful view of an asset’s sustainability, owners have to consider its whole life emissions – which can open up new ways of thinking. As Dale at AECOM explained, “The construction of a building only accounts for 20% of its whole life costs. If you make it 20% more operationally efficient over its lifetime, you effectively get the building for free.”

Adaptability is essential for maximising a building’s usefulness, prompting a move to long life, loose fit assets. “The most sustainable building is the one that already exists,” explained Az Jasat, Senior Industry Manager, Industrialised Construction, Autodesk.

Jaimie at Bryden Wood recommended we take inspiration from the Victorians, who built incredible overengineered brick buildings which have been converted to many uses over the years, from water stations to climbing walls to offices to flats. “Let’s be the modern Victorians and create the kind of infrastructure that’s superbly well-built for a 150-year lifecycle,” he said.

4. Industrialised construction and design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) will be critical

By applying manufacturing techniques to the built environment, industrialised construction and DFMA can increase the efficiency and reduce the emissions of projects. According to Az at Autodesk, “these two movements are our best chance of turning this ship around.”

Going one step further, some organisations are exploring the potential of platforms in construction: using consistent components and processes to construct a wide range of buildings, in a similar approach to furniture designs at IKEA.

Jaimie at Bryden Wood explained how the Construction Innovation Hub examined the UK’s public sector construction pipeline across every department. The project found that 70% of the total pipeline could be constructed with the same structural kit of parts, the equivalent of £35bn of assets.

“More than half of the space in schools, hospitals and prisons isn’t sector specific; it might be hallways, toilets, storage or bedrooms,” he said. “If you use the same products and processes across these platforms, there’s much more scope to optimise the components to make them as sustainable as possible.” By using common components on a project called The Forge in London, Bryden Wood saved 20% of the embodied carbon on the build.

5. Both old and new materials have huge potential

Re-evaluating which materials are used in construction – and how – will be critical. As Frank Blande, Senior Sustainability Manager at Multiplex, highlighted, concrete and steel are the two biggest emitters in construction’s carbon footprint.

Innovations in materials science could help to solve this issue, as could the renaissance of older building options. Tom at BAM advocated the potential of engineered wood, as a means of not only reducing carbon emissions but capturing them. The largest timber tower in the world was recently completed in Norway, reaching 18 storeys.

There are many elements that impact the sustainability of materials, so better data will also help teams to make more informed decisions about pay offs. Tools like the Embodied Carbon Calculator are already supporting client dialogues. Tony Saracino, Senior Sustainability Success Manager at Autodesk, advocated harmonised ISO standards for material profiles, to take the industry away from rule of thumb estimations.

Better data also creates the opportunity for materials passports, so that components can be re-used; given that currently 54% of demolition materials go into landfill, this could have a substantial impact.

6. Data will be the force behind all of these changes

Creating a more sustainable industry must start with data. As Frank at Multiplex explained, “Clear and accurate data helps us to better understand where we actually are – our sustainability baseline. It’s then possible to put data-driven strategies in place. As a sustainability team, we’re working with other disciplines across the business to get accurate data in place and set minimum data requirements that cover the business, supply chain and collaborators.”

Making this information available to project decision makers will help to improve design management, planning and quality. Data can also support closer collaboration with clients. AECOM is currently working with Autodesk on a viewer that simplifies information into a really intuitive interface: allowing everyone to get to grips with the data and understand the implications of the design.

However, organisations can encounter challenges with data management: currently lots of sustainability managers’ time may be spent collating siloed information manually, so automating data capture and analysis will be hugely valuable. Going forward, creating feedback loops about the real-world operations of buildings – through tools like digital twins – will also be key.

7. All the stars are aligned: now it’s up to the industry

Sustainability presents significant opportunities for construction, but there are widespread cultural barriers to overcome. Construction is an incredibly risk-based industry, with many companies trying to protect thin profit margins. According to Frank at Multiplex, that can make innovation and new approaches unattractive – as organisations often can’t look to people that have tried it before.

But as Rachael Atkinson, Construction Solutions Executive at Autodesk, highlighted, “Children have been brought up to understand the importance of the environment. Future generations will enter the industry with this whole new mindset – so maybe it’s us that need to change.” This is a collective effort, and transparency – and learning from one another – will be critical. As Tom at BAM explained, “Rather than copyright, we see it as the right to copy.”

All of our panellists are clear on the need to change, right now. As Dale at AECOM said, “We’re dealing with a significant time gap. In five years’ time, the aspirations from owners and occupiers will be completely different. Owner need to shift their thinking into the future today.”

Jaimie at Bryden Wood concluded, “All of the stars are aligned: the climate crisis, the business imperative and government policy. Plus the financials: if you make a building that’s 20% more sustainable, the construction is essentially free. What else are you waiting for? Now is the time for every business to engage and accelerate the move to sustainability.”

Check out our recent report on the path to sustainability for construction business leaders.

You can view the panel discussions in full here:

London Build: Industry Sustainability and Productivity – Unlock the Benefits and Impact of Industrialized ConstructionThe Festival of Digital Construction: The importance of data and how it is impacting the construction industry

The post 7 Things to Know About the Sustainable Future of Construction appeared first on Digital Builder.

Expert Tips for Rolling Out Autodesk’s Construction Software

Sensible guidance for adopting Autodesk Construction Cloud

New technology adoption presents some unique challenges, especially when it comes to actual implementation. In recent years, especially due to the pandemic, the construction industry has more readily embraced innovation. In many cases, business models have been quietly shifting because of it.

However, any time you change the way someone has been working for years (or even decades), overcoming related obstacles is par for the course. That’s why it’s important to understand common implementation challenges and best practices when deploying new technology or construction software.

During a great industry talk at Autodesk University this year, Ivana Tudja, BIM and Digital Engineering Lead (Senior BIM Manager) at Mace, shared common blindspots and lessons learned for making new technology implementation a success. Ivana is a 40 Under 40 Champion of Construction (2020), and we’ve compiled some of the best tips from her session Implementing Autodesk Construction Cloud Across a £1.8billion Business. You’ll hear about the drive for change within Mace, the journey and processes her team followed to roll out Autodesk Construction Cloud, and how they improved on-site coordination and efficiency.

1. Start with a vision for implementation of construction software

What do you want to achieve by implementing Autodesk Construction Cloud? What pain points are you trying to solve?

Push yourself to explore possibilities outside the status quo. Go beyond the way things have always been done. Ivana explains, “You’re not going to change the industry without thinking out of the box. So try thinking about how you want your teams to operate in the future. And please, don’t limit yourself with what’s happening just right now.” By removing self-prescribed limitations, you’ll find strategic navigation flows much more naturally in the exploratory stages of implementation.

Know that as you push for changes and challenge limitations, you’ll be driving a cultural change.

Next, do research and explore the market as much as possible. As the market is ever-changing, it’s important to understand the latest technology available. Being knowledgeable of progressive industry innovations is a great first step to building a vision. Then when you keep up with the industry, and really stay at the forefront of the future-friendly technology, you’ll give your firm a competitive edge over others.

As you explore potential construction management software options, always test your products and get hands-on experience. “I wouldn’t just rely on what you read about the product because that can be really misleading. Nothing can replace hands-on experience, and that’s why it’s important to have it, even if you’re not someone who is using the product on a day-to-day basis yourself,” shares Ivana.

Know that as you push for changes and challenge limitations, you’ll be driving a cultural change. That’s why Ivana emphasizes the importance of winning people over. You’ll be questioning your team and pushing them to go further. So establish connections, build relationships, and understand their needs so you can support them along the way. Do this with your team on-site as well. That way if they have any issues, they’ll know who to call.

Finally, be a rebel. As Ivana puts it, “How else are you going to change [an] industry that hasn’t changed for so long? Sometimes, you really need to make bold decisions if you want to make a real impact.” Realize you may hear “no” over and over again. However, don’t let those “no’s” serve as permission to give up. Keep going and look for ways to build common ground.

2. Pinpoint top use cases for Autodesk Construction Cloud

Mace decided to implement Autodesk Construction Cloud and Assemble due to internal and external pushes toward modernization. The firm needed to meet the BIM Level 2 mandatory requirements as well as complex project requirements from advanced, highly technical, and educated clients. Ivana and her team wanted to build higher levels of consistency into Mace and be able to compare projects as well as analyze data to make better business decisions. They turned to Autodesk Construction Cloud, specifically BIM 360 Next Generation and Assemble to meet those objectives.

Mace uses BIM 360 for a variety of purposes, including document management, effective design management, and coordination as well as managing quality assurance and quality control on-site. Using this unified platform has improved the quality of data analytics for Mace significantly. Ivana notes, “Data analytics was a big driver behind the implementation of the platform. And we are now able to get easy access to all the information via Insights, Construction IQ, and Power BI integrations.”

“One of our commercial managers [sic] recently told me that this is the best BIM tool he’s ever used. Believe me, commercial managers are normally the hardest ones to convert.” —Ivana Tudja, BIM & Digital Engineering Lead, Mace

The team recently added Assemble to their portfolio for information-sharing and to break down silos. Before Assemble, BIM managers acted as the go-between for users and project and platform. Every time a project needed data, they would have to request that it be exported by the BIM manager.

With Assemble, the project teams now have direct access to data, which has been favorably received. “One of our commercial managers [sic] recently told me that this is the best BIM tool he’s ever used. Believe me, commercial managers are normally the hardest ones to convert,” explains Ivana.

By knowing their top uses for Autodesk Construction Cloud and Assemble, Ivana was able to score early wins and further drive adoption across the firm.

3. Prioritize on-site coordination and efficiency

Mace currently runs over 100 projects on Autodesk Construction Cloud and has over 2,500 users using the platform. Understandably, complexity is always present and the risk for inefficiency is always there. To drive greater design management and coordination, Mace has leaned on BIM 360 to simplify the clash detection process. This process takes place in the cloud and offers automatic grouping of clashes. “For those who are not aware, it’s really important to mention that model coordination now includes tolerances, which was a really long-awaited feature,” emphasizes Ivana. “We’ve established workflows which also help us to manage and analyze project risks through BIM 360 Docs and Power BI.”

As an open platform, BIM 360 can cover every single project activity through integrations. Mace regularly connects the platform to over key tools during projects. As for Assemble, the tool has been beneficial in pre-construction for progress tracking or a tagging and track system. The data fits right into Mace’s objectives to gather more insights from analytics: “The platform enables us to do asset data checks and ensure that we are meeting client requirements at the right stage. We can also provide data from models to our sustainability specialists to support them with achieving our net-zero carbon goals.”

4. Deliver the right training to your users

Once you’ve planned for implementation and identified your top use cases, take time to understand training requirements. You can succeed at every other phase in this journey, but won’t be able to move forward unless your end-users know how to use the software. Ivana recommends creating a company-wide survey to assess and evaluate your staff in terms of their digital skillset. This survey can serve as your starting point for customized training.

Mace’s Digital Training Academy is a critical aspect of bringing every stakeholder into its digital construction journey. To customize the training, offerings vary for leadership, direct end-users, roles, and external consultants. However, training doesn’t end once users complete the academy. As Ivana shares, “If I had to choose one thing that’s a key for success, that would be continuous support. Don’t just assume that you can provide training and leave. There are always questions that will arise when users start using the product. It’s critical that you provide them with support when that happens.

Charting a path to construction technology adoption

Adopting new technology is about more than leveraging great features. It’s about pushing a cultural change forward and helping others succeed in their roles through innovative, intuitive solutions they want to use. As Ivana has shared, implementing construction software effectively requires a strong vision, proper planning, careful research, empathy with users, and a robust training program.

If you’re considering implementing a new construction software solution at your firm, we’d love to show you exactly how Autodesk Construction Cloud can help with a free demo

The post Expert Tips for Rolling Out Autodesk’s Construction Software appeared first on Digital Builder.

Construction Management

One Source of Truth Enabling Better Collaboration and Quality for POB in Norway

POB is a building contractor focusing on turnkey projects where they work in collaboration with their clients to find the best possible outcomes. With a work culture which mixes professional pride and outstanding results, the team has expertise which covers the entire value chain of a construction project. POB delivers new build projects, rehabilitation projects, concrete work, smaller service projects as well as repair services to their varied client base in Norway.

The company started in 1992 with just three employees and in the nearly thirty years it has been operating, the company has grown significantly in size. They now have approximately 120 employees and offer support and services to small and large projects simultaneously. Over the years, the company has expanded quickly. With their rapid expansion, the teams still mainly relied on verbal communication as their main method for collaboration on their projects. These ways of working were not only risky but also meant that email soon became the primary way in which important project data was being shared. This was not reliable and left the company vulnerable when it came to data security.

As POB grew rapidly, some teams started using smaller digital collaboration tools and solutions. However, there was no common platform and no central storage place for all important project documents. Various levels of functionality for these platforms were being used in different ways, so POB could not establish clear and defined digital workflows for the company despite the fact they had slowly begun using digital solutions. Different projects all had different workflows and different priorities when it came to what was important to do, to document and to store. Collaboration with partners and clients was still unreliable and employees struggled to find the information they needed at any given time.

Standardising solutions to support a more unified company

During the annual POB Christmas party in 2019 the CEO and part owner Morten Vilhelmshaugen announced that POB was starting their journey into digitalisation with a direct challenge. Earlier that same year, Roger Feste, BIM Coordinator and IT Manager, and Hege M. Paulsen, Quality Manager, had been asked to explore how POB could improve their ways of working and improve the quality of their projects through improved and enhanced collaboration practices. “Email was our main way to share project data which brought a level of unnecessary risk to POB,” says Hege, Quality Manager at POB. “There were potential huge financial consequences when information was not shared in the right way and at the right time to our partners and clients. We wanted to use a solution that helped us distribute the responsibility and accountability on our projects to our supply chain partners too.

For Roger, this wasn’t a simple fix that any technological solution alone could solve. “The digital solutions POB was using when we started working there didn’t meet the quality standards required by regulations in Norway on our projects,” affirms Roger, BIM Coordinator and IT Manager. Employees struggled to get an overview of the current stats of the projects due to fragmented workflows and processes. “Our server remained the same from when the company was first created in 1992. Some people stored project documents on their personal drives, some on the server, some on multiple different platforms – there was no common and standardised ways of working,” says Roger.

For the building, concrete and construction teams at POB, finding the latest and most up-to-date documents related to their projects was time consuming, complex and frustrating. “It soon became obvious to us that a more standardised approach could improve our efficiencies and give us greater results,” reflects Hege. We saw the need to renew the way we worked and to join the digitalisation wave in our industry. Due to earlier experience POB was mindful of the need to completely implement a whole solution, and not only parts. They also prioritised making ‘life easier’ for employees on their building sites. To simplify, POB decided they would adopt one solution for all of their projects moving forward. Many different solutions were researched but after a great presentation and excellent follow-up from Symetri AS, Autodesk Construction Cloud’s BIM 360 platform was chosen as the most suitable solution to meet the needs of POB.

Reducing time lost searching for documents

To get started, POB implemented BIM 360 with one department, the subcontracting concrete team. Roger reflects: “We used BIM 360 for the first time on smaller projects that weren’t as long in length so that we could develop some learning points to help us with our wider rollout of the solution.”

“We used BIM 360 for the first time on smaller projects that weren’t as long in length so that we could develop some learning points to help us with our wider rollout of the solution.” —Roger Feste, BIM Coordinator and IT Manager, POB

This approach helped POB realise that they would need to prioritise their folder structure conventions and permission settings throughout their rollout. “We learnt that it’s really important to take time at the start of your project defining the structures and workflows you want to use in BIM 360,” says Hege. For Hege and Roger, visualising how the solution would look and work before implanting it was difficult, so using an iterative rollout approach helped to refine the technology to suit the needs of POB and their projects on an ongoing basis.

Intuitive navigation resulting in requests to use the solution

Within the subcontracting department, many of the teams on site were using BIM 360 for the first time. The feedback received was around ease of use and how intuitive the solution was to learn quickly from a project site. “Before we implemented the technology, I was told that I’d really struggle to get our teams on site engaged with using it, but I found the complete opposite,” says Hege. “Once we implemented using BIM 360 on one project, I had site team members of other projects asking me when they would get to use it as they had heard how beneficial it was to project execution,” reflects Hege.

“Before we implemented [BIM 360], I was told that I’d really struggle to get our teams on site engaged with using it, but I found the complete opposite.” —Hege M. Paulsen, Quality Manager, POB

The construction teams on site liked the functionality that BIM 360 offered and many of them used the solution through the app on their mobile phone or device. “Using BIM 360 on site replaced several separate systems that our teams were previously using,” says Hege. When it came to implementing the technology further, Hege showed the benefits of each feature and functionality one at a time building iteratively so that project team members did not become overwhelmed. Hege also worked with site project team members to understand the pain points they faced when it came to executing tasks on site and showed them which features in BIM 360 would help them overcome each problem.

Building solid foundations

For POB, BIM 360’s document management capabilities is the foundation on which other digital workflows are built on. Having a solid and collaborative way to share documents means the project teams can remove the complete responsibility of information management on a project to a joint responsibility between all project stakeholders. “It’s now very easy for us to share documents with our subcontractors and supply chain partners in BIM 360,” says Roger. “Prior to using BIM 360, we really had no overview on the health of our projects as we lacked the information and data we needed about our projects,” continues Roger.

Spending hours trailing through various documents trying to ascertain whether it is the latest and most up-to-date version is a thing of the past for employees at POB. “BIM 360 supports our team to feel confident in the status of a project. Navigating and implementing version control is now much easier as all project collaborators know where the most accurate and up-to-date documents are and can see the versioning history,” reflects Roger.

POB’s on-site teams link documents and drawings into their checklists with BIM 360 to support with build activity. The issue handling functionality is also actively in use to track progress when it comes to resolving challenges within the project. “Automating the issues management functionality using BIM 360 has revolutionised the way in which we approach this important project activity by speeding up the managements and allocation of issues. We mark the exact location of the issue on our drawings in BIM 360 which also helps our team navigate our construction sites easily.” Says Hege

Better insights lead to better outcomes

Better insights captured from project data can not only improve the construction process, but it can support the health of a business and improve the way POB interacts with its partners and clients. “Complying to government regulations, simplifying everyday tasks, as well as delivering better quality for our clients is a big priority,” says Hege. “We now also have a standardised way of reporting and get better use of our data,”. Transparency on projects and better data has meant that POB’s previous manual ways of reporting that were lengthy and not wholly accurate have been replaced by dashboards in BIM 360.

Looking to the future, POB plans on ensuring all their teams across the entire company are getting the most from BIM 360 using the functionality available. They continue to actively work with digitalisation and aim to integrate Power BI with BIM 360. This will provide even more detailed analysis which will help manage and monitor project progress and proactively identify concerns. POB believe that all construction companies are responsible for driving the digital agenda. “Working with more digital workflows is not only more sustainable and timesaving, but they will also help us to create a more productive and efficient industry” says Hege. “With better project insights and a more collaborative industry we get more content and engaged employees, a more open supply chain and ultimately happier clients.”

If you’d like to see how BIM 360 connects your workflows, teams, and data so can you build better, please contact us. We’d love to show you how it works.

The post One Source of Truth Enabling Better Collaboration and Quality for POB in Norway appeared first on Digital Builder.